mistakes in academic writing

The Most Common Errors made by students and experts while writing dissertations

When you are looking for a topic and suitable research material, the first few days of thesis /dissertation writing might be extremely daunting. Once you have cleared these obstacles, you will be relieved that you have begun on the correct path. However, the road ahead is not without its difficulties, as you must be exact in your expression of your thoughts and reasons.

There are a few significant faults that should be avoided at all costs during the entire process because they might have a negative impact on the overall quality of the finished output. Academic editors at Source essay point out certain typical faults that you should avoid making when writing a thesis, including the following ones:

Not conducting enough research

In order to write a master’s thesis, you will need to conduct extensive research in the field of your selected topic. When you conduct sufficient research, you will be exposed to a broader range of ideas and viewpoints. This will assist you in developing your own original ideas and formulating strong arguments on the basis of those ideas. To make your thesis more engaging and instructive for the readers, you should back up your claims with sufficient references. The results of insufficient research work, on the other hand, can negate all of your hard work.

It is also possible to make the mistake of conducting research but not in an exhaustive manner. In order to be successful in your area, you must read a lot. If you restrict your research, you will end up with insufficient resources, which will undermine the credibility of your work.

Making the wrong choice of subject

The most important step in writing a strong thesis is choosing a decent topic. Choosing a topic that is too complex or unappealing may make it difficult to maintain your own and others’ focus on the subject matter. This is the last thing you anticipate to happen after months of hard labour, especially when the deadline is approaching. But it does happen. Do not choose a topic that has a “academic ring to it” in the hopes of impressing your instructors or mentors. In reality, you will exhaust yourself and will most likely not be able to finish the assignment on time. Moreover, determine whether your issue or argument is out of date or has no relation to the current circumstances in which your subject is involved. Never choose a topic that has previously been attempted hundreds of times since it provides little room for introducing a new perspective to the discussion.

Leaving things until the last minute is a bad habit.

Typically, a thesis is between 50 to 60,000 words in length (although, it could be longer depending on the topic). It doesn’t matter what the situation is; that’s a lot of work to put off until the last minute.

You must write numerous draughts and send them to your mentors and other readers so that they can review and comment on your work. You’ll also need time to respond to their input and improve on it. All of this takes place in addition to your normal classes and other responsibilities that you must meet and maintain. When you are writing your thesis in a rush, it is inevitable that you will make a number of careless mistakes. Furthermore, you will not have enough time to fully articulate your point of view. As a result, you must schedule time for writing and revising your draughts. If something unexpected happens and prevents you from writing, it is preferable to have a few days buffer.

Due to a lack of organisation

To successfully complete a thesis, it is critical to have a well-organized writing strategy in place. An outline for your research approach as well as an outline for the complete writing process are both necessary steps. This will make it easier for you to keep track of your sources, notes, and citations in the future. Unless you document and keep essential information in an organised manner, conducting research and studying multiple publications will be fruitless. These notes will come in helpful when it comes time to really begin writing your first draught. Unless your work is utterly inaccessible due to a lack of organisation, you will be able to convey a clear framework and development of ideas.

Providing an overwhelming amount of information

A common error that you could make when explaining your key point is to use the word “I” instead of “us.” It is crucial to offer necessary details in order to provide a convincing paper; yet, you must avoid digressing and losing sight of the main point. Incorporating unrelated thoughts and information can cause readers to become distracted from your main point.

Not receiving input from readers and advisors is frustrating.

The success or failure of a thesis is not entirely in the hands of the author. To measure your growth and development, confront you, assist you, and finally offer grades to your work, you will require readers, mentors, and groups to work with you.

You seek recognition for tasks such as research and writing, which are important in determining your academic success. If your readers notice any errors in your work, they should notify you immediately because neglecting to do so would result in a significant loss of credibility for you. You should be open to receiving feedback and making changes to your work in response to any discrepancies or faults that are pointed out by others. As a result, make certain that you select the appropriate individuals to read your draughts and provide you with constructive input that you can genuinely use.

Using stolen material and submitting it as your own

Plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, can have a negative impact on your academic reputation and career. If you do not follow a well-organized writing process or do not adhere to specific citation rules, your work will be found to contain instances of plagiarism. You can check your work for plagiarism using a plagiarism checker, or you can consult academic specialists like those at Source essay for help in writing 100 percent unique and legitimate content. Before submitting your thesis, double-check that everything is in order.

Ignoring the importance of editing and proofreading

Never, under any circumstances, disregard the need of proofreading your final manuscript for spelling and grammar errors. Proofreading and editing can help you catch mistakes in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and type. To check for consistency and logical flow of your ideas, you can do it yourself or hire experienced proofreaders at Source essay to review your work. Make certain that your work is well-structured and well-referenced, and that it is written in appropriate academic language and grammar. Consider the formatting and citation style you will employ, as they may differ from subject to subject.

Following my experience , I have compiled a list of the most common and irritating writing errors made by students. If you want to write well, you should be aware of the following common errors and how to avoid them:

Overall

  • There was no obvious introduction. What is your stance or point of view? What is the direction of the essay?
  • Poorly constructed with little or no signage (linking expressions)
  • Generally too detailed, with little or no analytical or theoretical reference.
  • Writing in the first person (using ‘I,”me,”my,’ or’mine’) or slipping between third and first person are both options.
  • Poor citations

Level of the paragraph

  • Topic sentences that are weak or non-existent
  • Short paragraphs with limited development of the core theme are common.
  • There is no supporting evidence or examples that are relevant.
  • The length of a sentence
  • Sentences that are incomplete
  • Sentences that are too long
  • Putting two sentences together without a connection
  • The word order is incorrect.

Grammar

  • Poor subject/verb agreement (for example, ‘they was’ rather than ‘they were.’)
  • With collective nouns, verb agreement is poor (e.g., ‘the government was’).

The apostrophe is misused.

  • Plurals with an apostrophe (It’s not necessary!)
  • For possession, omitting or misplacing the apostrophe (e.g., the student’s work or the students’ work?)
  • For possessive pronouns, use “it’s” instead of “its.”

The comma is misused.

  • After an opening part, there is a comma that is missing.
  • In a series, there is a missing comma.
  • When joining two separate clauses, a comma is missing.

Errors in style

  • When using block quotes, use quotation marks (quotes of three or more lines should be indented with no quotation marks)
  • Difference between bibliography and reference list is not clear.
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