Some graduate students approach the master's thesis as an onerous task that they hope to finish as quickly and painlessly as possible. When you are struggling to complete such a mammoth project, it is tempting to forget about the quality of your work in your rush to get it over with. However, this attitude can lead you to miss out on a great opportunity to establish yourself as a scholar in your field and get your foot in the publishing door. If you write a quality thesis, you may be able to get it published, as either a book by an academic press or an article in a scholarly journal. By doing so, you can give your post-graduate career a boost before you even put on your cap and gown. Publishing your thesis can be especially helpful if you are planning to enter the competitive world of academia.
So, how do you write
master's thesis of publishable quality? First, you need to write about a cutting edge topic that is of particular interest to leading thinkers in your discipline right now. Make sure your thesis cites to the most recent and most respected sources available. Relying on sources that are ten, twenty, or thirty years old will tell publishers that you have not kept up with developments in your field. Peruse recent issues of top academic journals in your area of interest to get a sense of current hot topics and popular theoretical approaches.
At the same time, you should ensure that your
master thesis says something new. Publishers will not be interested in your work if it regurgitates previously published scholarship or if it rehashes old-fashioned ideas. Don't be afraid to be bold and imaginative or to disagree with other scholars in your field. After all, controversy sells.
