Keeping Track In Your Thesis

Imagine this, you simply collect literature reviews. You write up randomly, piecing together your favourite statements from each document. Finding some sort of alignment under each section, you put in-text citation but did not check the referencing style. After reaching more than 100 pages of writing, you come to certain realisations. You did not reference everything. You made some errors and have a whole list of referencing issues. You go back, trying to fix your blunders and you meet significant challenges.
 
Avoid all this. We at Data Minders Student Services suggest that you create three essential logs while you do your thesis. These are:
 
1.Search log. In the beginning stages, when you start to collect your articles, create a log that tracks what you are searching, what keywords were used, the corresponding articles found and the databases that were examined. This process has a couple of benefits. For example, you may need to redo a search. Once you have a record of what was done, this should be easily accomplished.  To create a log, you can adapt the following headings into a table.
Search
Number
Date
Database Name
Keywords Applied
Overall Results
Articles saved.

Make sure, in your Overall Results to state how successful you were in finding sources, how many articles appeared useful and the next necessary keyword search that you will need to undertake.
 
2.Reading log. After you have collected as many articles as you see necessary (this process is repetitive, so you may have to go back into the search process), you will want to, as you read, keep a Reading Log. It may be beneficial so that when write up is being prepared for, similar articles may be grouped or aligned. Such a log may take the following headings: Publication Date/ Year
Article Title/Book Title
Journal Title
Is it a scholarly writing?
Findings Summarised
Additional Notes
 
3. Reference log. I have seen too many students lose track with referencing. From the first write-up and use of a text, you can create a reference database with online sites. Programmes such as Zotero, Refworks and https://www.readcube.com/papers/, all help you source, collect and cite references. These make Thesis Life so much easier. 
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Though it seems as if it will be a lot of additional work, keeping record allows you countless benefits in the cases of corrections and mistakes. Also, half the work of referencing is complete. It also allows you to focus on what is truly important in wrapping up your thesis; making sure your format and structure is clean. 

For more on this topic, contact us: ​​Get In Touch - Data Minders Student Services (dmss-dissertation-thesis.org)