This document provides information and guidance about the thesis writing and revision process. It discusses revising a thesis by reading it yourself and getting feedback, outlines different levels of revision including organizational, content and targeted revisions, and provides practical tips for revising. It also covers preparing for the viva voce exam by practicing and anticipating questions, and lists possible questions that may be asked during the viva. The final slides note the possible outcomes of the viva and wish the reader luck in their research.

1. Thesis Writing
Khalid Mahmood, PhD
Professor
University of the Punjab
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2.  Professor of Information Management at University
of the Punjab, Pakistan
 Post-doctoral research fellow at University of
California, Los Angeles, USA
 150+ publications
 Supervised many doctoral, M.Phil. and master
theses
 Worked for many research journals as editor,
reviewer and editorial board member
 Conducted many trainings on research writing and
publishing
About me
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3. Acknowledgment
 I have prepared this presentation
with the help of many books,
presentations and Websites.
 I pay my sincere gratitude to all
authors, professors and experts for
their efforts and contributions.
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4. Revising your thesis
 Reading by your supervisor
 Taking feedback from your friends
 Reading by yourself – put it aside for
a while before reading
 You may use a checklist
 You may use a commercial service
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5. Levels of revision
 Organisational level
 Based on table of contents
 Chapters and sections
 Content level
 Preview, smooth, review
 Section by section
 Targeted revision
 Spelling, grammar and punctuation

6. Common proof-reading symbols
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7. Practical tips for revising
 Make time for checking
 Work from a hard copy
 Follow the ‘reading aloud’ check
 Map your work to obtain an overview
 Check for relevance
 Check for consistency
 Check for factual accuracy
 Stick to your word limit
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8. Things to consider in revising
 Cover page
 Preliminary pages
 Font
 Margins
 Line spacing
 Heading levels
 Paragraph indentation
 Tables and figures
 Quoting numbers in text
 References
 Appendices
 Page numbers
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9. Preparing for your viva
 Read through your thesis to virtually memorize
it
 Identify weaknesses and prepare a rebuttal
 Identify points that might invite requests for
clarification and prepare your response
 Write notes on the margins of a copy in your
hands
 Prepare a presentation
 Arrange a mock viva with your supervisor
 Prepare yourself psychologically
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10. Possible questions
 Can you explain a little bit about what motivated your
study?
 What was your rationale for doing X in the way you did?
 Have you read X’s article on . . .? Given your findings,
how would you respond to the questions she raises
concerning . . .?
 Did you consider using a different approach/
methodology? Why did you decide not to adopt that
approach/ methodology?
 Can you explain what you mean by xxx on page 000?
 What, in your view, is the relationship between A and B?
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11. Possible questions…
 I’m unclear how you . . . Can you explain further?
 If you were to conduct this research again, how might
you do it differently?
 Do you have any plans to build on this research? If so,
how?
 How do your findings compare with those of . . .?
 Can you summarize what your study has contributed to
our understanding of . . .?
 What do you think are some of the practical applications
of your findings?
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12. The outcome
 Pass
 Pass with changes
 Fail
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Best of luck for your
research endeavors!