We walked through the full thesis‑planning workflow. From picking a research topic to staying resilient when setbacks hit. The session emphasised practical steps (like using a funnel to narrow a question) and concrete tools (Mendeley for reference management, chunked timelines, and recovery checklists) so you can move from a vague idea to a polished draft with confidence.
Key takeaways
- Topic selection: start broad, apply the funnel/triangle analogy, and re-contextualise existing studies to carve out a novel research gap.
- Literature review: keep it a separate, unnumbered chapter; choose a chronological, thematic, or methodological structure; write concise summaries with strong topic sentences and limited citations.
- Project planning & resilience: set clear weekly micro‑tasks, use a backup system, and follow the practical checklist (daily progress notes, early feedback, flexible pivots) to bounce back from common setbacks.