managing graduate reading and writing

Managing your time

Allocate a set number of hours per week for thesis work; also allocate "time-off" for fun, exercise, and other commitments. Be sure to honour your scheduled "time-off"
Make a weekly plan for what to accomplish: set realistic, specific goals for each week
Make a list of tasks to accomplish those goals
Schedule times for reading/writing
Keep an ongoing "to do" list as need arises
Reward yourself for meeting goals

Develop an organized system for keeping track of your sources
Keep notes on everything you read by summarizing in your own words
Keep a reading/thinking log: write about what you just read, about your thoughts, questions and conclusions
Reread your notes from time to time and write about what you have discovered so far and questions that you still need to answer
To improve focus, keep your research question(s) in mind as you read
Read according to different purposes; skim to get the gist, scan to find specific info, preview and then read closely for details
Use reading aids where available: abstracts, intros, headings, prefaces, intro by the editor
Read others' theses in your field

Break your paper into sections and try to make a plan for a section before writing it
Start off by writing a ROUGH draft of a section:
- Imagine a friendly reader, not your advisor or committee

Understand the nature of the writing process: writing goes from global to specific
Use idea generating strategies: brainstorming, clustering, free writing, flow charts, 5 W’s, talking to friends, etc.
Don't impose any constraints on yourself as you write - it is just a draft
Keep a clear purpose in mind as you write each section: ask, "What do I want to do to my reader in this section and how can I best do that?"
Revise over time (Focus on one area at a time: content, organization, language)
- Read your work like a critical reader: Why do you say that? How do you know? So what?
- Check organization by making topic sentence outlines, hierarchic trees of main ideas, etc.
- Edit language for clarity and correctness: prefer ordinary words (aside from vocab of your field), active voice, and moderate sentence length; eliminate most adjectives and adverbs; get help if you need it
Expect lots of feedback (and directions for revision!) after you submit a draft to your advisor
See a Learning (Writing) Specialist at any point in the process for help and inspiration!