Want to write your best possible thesis?
Then this is the book for you!
Why has this book not been written before? - MSc Student
This book is a little gem, filled with dry humor, for anyone looking to improve their thesis experience - Professor at DTU
This is the web site that accompanies my book on thesis writing published via Lulu.com. You can of course also buy the book from here (not quite yet...)!
A thesis may be your pinnacle in terms of personal contribution to research, but how do you cope with the process? Have you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of thesis opponents? How do they assess your work? How do you even reach the point of defending your thesis? How can you structure your thesis work to make the process as smooth as possible? What is the best way to collaborate with your academic supervisor?
In "Writing Your Best Thesis" Dr. Lars Landberg addresses these and many other questions related to bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD thesis work and evaluation. This compact, entertaining, and easy-to-read book distills Lars' extensive experience from years in academia and the wind energy consulting industry. Despite holding significant leadership positions, he has consistently served as an external examiner for both master’s and PhD theses. His involvement is driven not only by his service to academia and interest in technical fields but also by his curiosity about what makes researchers successful in their careers.
Lars’ valuable advice is organized into three main chapters: the thesis, working with the supervisor, and the defense. Readers can use the book as a checklist or a structured guide to tackle the often daunting task of crafting an academic thesis. The book helps ensure you understand your academic goals and supports you in reaching them.
Supervisors can also benefit from this book. I have already applied many of its practical and straightforward examples to help guide a student who was very uncertain about the entire process.
This book is a little gem, filled with dry humor, for anyone looking to improve their thesis experience.
Jakob Mann
Professor, DTU Wind and Energy Systems
Technical University of Denmark
12th January 2025
Foreword
Preface
1 Introduction
1.1 What is the purpose of a thesis?
1.2 Your thesis as a story
1.3 Your thesis for the advancement of science
1.4 Your thesis for you
1.5 Cheating!
1.5.1 LLMs: cheat or tool?
1.6 The ‘rights’
1.7 Before you move on
2 The Thesis
2.1 Title
2.2 Abstract
2.3 Introduction
2.4 Literature Review
2.5 The Research Questions
2.6 Your work
2.6.1 Data/Input
2.6.2 Method, model, theory development
2.6.3 Results
2.7 Discussion
2.8 Conclusion
2.8.1 Summary
2.8.2 Future/further work
2.9 Acknowledgements
2.10 References
2.11 Appendices
2.12 Overview of the structure
2.13 Don’t forget the basics!
2.14 ... and finally
3 Working with your supervisor(s)
3.1 Knowledge and ability to supervise
3.2 Trust
3.3 Challenge
3.4 Control
3.5 The right balance
3.6 More than one supervisor
3.7 Summing up
4 The Defence
4.1 The presentation
4.2 The actual defence
4.2.1 Types of students
4.2.2 Questions
4.3 The grade!
4.3.1 Groups
4.4 Summing up
5 Former students’ thoughts
5.1 Question 1: One piece of advice
5.2 Question 2: What would you have done differently?
6 Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
A Cheat sheet
B Survey of Former Students’ Thoughts
B.1 Question 1: One piece of advice
B.2 Question 2: What would you have done differently?
C Same or different?
D My own theses
Books by the author
About the author
