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30 April 2024
Writing an effective reading guide for your thesis
The reading guide is an important part of the introduction to your thesis which offers your readers a clear overview of the content and structure of your work. It indicates where specific information can be found in different chapters. Theses can sometimes become extensive, especially if you have numerous chapters and appendices. With a good reading guide, you can assist readers in navigating through your thesis easily.
Where do you place the reading guide in your thesis?
The reading guide is typically placed in the introduction of your thesis. Although some courses may consider it a mandatory part of the introduction, it is often optional to include it. It is important to consult your program’s graduation manual to confirm this. Since a reading guide helps enhance the structure and accessibility of your thesis, making it easier to read, we suggest adding one. Place it at the end of the introduction, where you can provide an overview of the thesis chapters and indicate where readers can locate specific information.
Tips for writing a good reading guide
Below we will provide you with several tips to assist you in creating a useful reading guide.
- Keep it concise: The reading guide should be brief, providing a concise overview of the thesis structure. Aim for clear and concise presentation of information.
- Use clear language: Avoid jargon and complex language in the reading guide to ensure easy understanding. If technical terms or abbreviations are used, explain them clearly.
- Be consistent: Use consistent terminology in the reading guide, referring to each chapter by its designated name or number.
- Explain the function of each chapter: Include a brief explanation of what to expect from each chapter in the reading guide.
- Refer to appendices: If appendices are included in the thesis, mention their relevance and provide information on where to find them in the reading guide.
- Provide reading instructions if necessary: If specific chapters or sections should be read in a particular order, include these instructions in the reading guide.
- Refer to the bibliography: Mention in the reading guide that a bibliography is included, specifying the chosen style guide for citations and references to sources.
Tip: Use synonyms and vary
The issue with the reading guide is that it is often excessively dry. Typically, it only provides a basic summary of the content found in each chapter. This can result in limited language variation. It is recommended to incorporate synonyms and vary sentence structures within the guide. If you’re in need of quality synonyms, you can make use of the website synonyms.net. By doing so, your reading guide will become more engaging and appealing. Generally, the reading guide frequently employs the passive voice.
Example reading guide
In Chapter 1, you will find the theoretical framework. This chapter describes the literature and sources that were consulted and used during the research. Chapter 2 presents the methodology, including a description of the research methods used, data collection techniques, sample population, and data analysis methods. Chapter 3 contains the results, which are presented using graphs and tables. In Chapter 4, you will find the discussion that delves deeper into the results and explores their relationship with the applied theory. Finally, Chapter 5 contains the conclusion, where the main findings are summarized, research questions are answered, and practical implications of the research are highlighted. In the appendices, you will find additional information such as survey forms, interview transcripts, and other supporting documents. The bibliography provides a list of all consulted sources and citations in accordance with APA style.
Have your thesis professionally reviewed for language and content
Have you completed your thesis and would you like an experienced proofreader to review your document for language? Request a quote right away. We can also assess the content of your document, ensuring that all sections are included, conducting a linguistic check, and evaluating the text for clarity and proper structure. By doing so, you will be able to submit a thesis that is easy to comprehend.
Contact Jouw Scriptiecoach if you need immediate help with your thesis.
Do you need immediate help with your thesis? Then request a free consultation now. During the consultation, we look at how best we can help you and which supervisor would be most suitable for your subject. You’ll also receive an immediate estimate of the number of hours we’ll need to get you across the finish line. Then you can easily purchase the hours online, and once the payment has gone through, we immediately connect you to your thesis supervisor. They’ll contact you quickly (often on the same day) so that you can get back to working on your thesis as soon as possible.