How to understand and implement different comments given by your thesis supervisor?

By Priya Chetty on March 5, 2012

The writer of a thesis will have to undergo numerous comments from the supervisor and it is essential for them to understand their comments and implement the required changes in their work. If one fails to implement the same in their work then they not only lose the confidence of the supervisor but also end up creating a very bad thesis.

Usually, a basic format is to be followed in the writing a thesis, to mention a few are:

  1. Two copies of the thesis are to be kept handy and not it is not necessary for they to be bounded on the other hand they are supposed to be stapled properly and covered with a standard coversheet on the front
  2. In certain cases, the number of pages prescribed should not be exceeded
  3. The left margin of 37mm (to allow for copies to be stapled, or possibly bound), the right margin of 25mm;
  4. Font size not less than 11pt and not greater than 12pt.
  5. Times Roman or Computer Modern font families to be adhered to.
  6. All pages are to be numbered
  7. Single line spacing
  8. All tables and figures are to be numbered and referenced at the end.
  9. Wherever required usage of Bold or Italics to showcase the important points

The supervisor would not like to comment on the format as they expect the student to follow it with complete sincerity but also he is not the proofreader so the students should use proper spell check and strictly adhere to the format of the thesis so as to avoid the number of mistakes possible in grammar and spellings.

When one is successful in avoiding the number of regular mistakes then it’s a clear indication that he has tried his level best to contribute to the work from the heart. The most important thing to be also kept in mind is the source from which the material is gathered and the methodology used throughout the work done and the final reference to have uniformity with the in-text citations.

In the instance when the examiner sees incomplete references that the key theorists in the topic are not available, then it’s a matter of great worry. If examiners discover ten errors, then it’s mandatory for the students to do small corrections. If there appears to be somewhere around 20 issues in the research, then there will be a need for major corrections. It’s necessary to keep the supervisor’s mind cool, so proper vigilance while writing a paper is necessary.

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