10 PhD Dissertation Editing Rules You Should Be Aware Of


You will feel a sense of relief as soon as your PhD dissertation is completed. However, this isn’t the time to relax. Your paper should also be edited, and this stage of the writing process shouldn’t be underestimated. Even if you are completely satisfied with the present draft, it may be made even better through careful editing. Don’t content yourself with a good thesis. Turn it into a perfect thesis, and your efforts won’t go unnoticed. Use the following basic rules to edit your PhD dissertation properly:

  1. Plan early.

    2. Before you set about writing, consider the conventions of you discipline and requirements of your teacher. If you follow them from the start, you won’t have to make any significant changes in your work while editing.

  2. Check the structure of your paper.

    3. Your thesis should consist of an introduction, chapters, a conclusion, bibliography, appendices, acknowledgements, lists, and tables. Each of these sections should reach its goal, be complete and appropriate.

  3. Consider the language and style of your PhD dissertation.

    4. Make sure that your style is formal and academic. If you are not quite sure what it means, find a PhD thesis in your discipline and refer to it.

  4. Check the paper layout.
    5. Pay close attention to margins and indents throughout the text. Look at how the title,

    headings, and subheadings are formatted. Spacing, font size, and numbering should be carefully examined as well.

  5. Check how the text is organized.

    6. Check spelling. Make sure that the use of punctuation, brackets, and abbreviations is correct.

  6. Review your paper as a whole.

    7. Look through your work and check if you developed a clear and complete argument. Does your title reflect the content of your paper? If not, rephrase your title.

  7. Read each section closely.

    8. Make sure that all points you highlight in each section are relevant. Get rid of unnecessary descriptive information and add more analytical details to each chapter. All parts of your PhD dissertation should be equally strong.

  8. Look through each paragraph.

    9. If you come across the paragraphs that add nothing to your argument, eliminate them. Each paragraph of your paper should have a key point related to the discussion.

  9. Consider your sentences.

    10. Don’t use too simple sentences in your piece of writing. However, avoid writing in complex sentences containing lots of unnecessary details. Write in an advanced style.

  10. Check your in-text citations.

    11. Direct quotes and paraphrasing should always be double-checked. Examine punctuation and page numbers formatting in every quote you use.