grammarly phd thesis

Resources on Postcolonialism

Using grammarly for scholarly writing.

Introduction

Today I want to write about using Grammarly, the grammar aid program, for scholarly writing. As a scholar of postcolonial studies, even though most of my published work is in English, I still sometimes make simple grammar mistakes. (In fact, the editor of one of the leading journals in my field once asked my to take out all the redundant “Hences” from my paper:) Maybe part of the reason for my struggles with minor grammar issues is that English is my third language, out of five, but maybe also because English is one of the hardest languages to master in comparison to other languages. The sheer number of exceptions in English grammar and usage can sometimes be daunting for non-native speakers and writers of English. So, as a rule, for my scholarly writing, I am not shy about seeking editorial help either from family, friends, and colleagues or from any available grammar-checking sources, such as Gramamrly, available on the internet.

Is Using Grammarly Professionally Okay?

I know, the moment you think of using Gramamrly as an aid in your scholarly writing, the question automatically pops up in your head: Is it professionally acceptable to use Grammarly?  This happens also because most of us think of writing as an extremely individual and personal process, and even thinking of employing a technological writing aid, like using Gramamrly, comes across as something unprofessional. But think of it this way: No single work of scholarship is ever published without an editorial process. If you have read my article on Scholarly Publishing , you already know that not only is proper usage and grammar crucial to the ealry stages of writing, it is exceedingly important in producing the final product. We never seem to have a problem with someone else copyediting our scholarly work. I mean, we are appalled if a journal or a book publisher does not send our manuscript to a professional copyeditor, for it is only after we have accepted or rejected the changes suggested by the copyeditor that we feel that the manuscript is ready for typesetting. Then, even before the final printing, we always diligently proofread our work and get someone else (in my case my lovely wife) to proofread it too. All of these finishing touches prove that a finalized piece of scholarly work only becomes better with professional editorial help, and that writing and publishing is never really an isolated, individual effort.

If we are okay with accepting help from professional copyeditors and from our friends, then using Gramamrly is juts another source for editorial help and we should have no qualms about using it. After all, most of us already rely on the spell and grammar check offered by the word processing programs that we use.

Can Using Gramamrly Automate Your Writing?

The short answer is NO. Using Gramamrly can enhance the clarity of your writing and enable you to use language and grammar more precisely, but Gramamrly cannot WRITE for you: That you will have to do yourself. In fact, there is no software that can in any way replicate the rich diversity and complexity of a human mind and since scholarly writing is so much about the granular understanding of your field, no software can help you come up with original ideas or automate the compositional or organizational aspects of your essay. Using Gramamrly, however, can enable you to make better word choices, correct common grammar errors, and even perform contextual changes for clarity and variety as you write. In this sense then, using Gramamrly along with your own writing and thinking skills will add an extra layer of editorial and stylistic help to your writing, and that, in my opinion, can be exceptionally useful for scholars, especially those like me for whom English is not our native language.

How can Using Grammarly Help your Writing?

I have already explained what Gramamrly can do while you write. According its developer website, here are some of the functions it can perform for writers:

Grammarly automatically detects grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and style mistakes in your writing. It’s easy to use:

Copy and paste any English text into Grammarly’s Editor, or install Grammarly’s free browser extension for Chrom e , Safar i , Firefo x , and Edg e . Grammarly will help you write correctly on nearly every site on the web.

Grammarly’s algorithms flag potential issues in the text and suggest context-specific corrections for grammar, spelling, wordiness, style, punctuation, and even plagiarism. Grammarly explains the reasoning behind each correction, so you can make an informed decision about whether, and how, to correct an issue. (Source: https://www.grammarly.com/faq#toc0 )

Using Gramamrly as a Teaching Tool

Quite a few universities are now using Gramamrly as a tool in their writing composition classes. The students, in the process of using the software, also learn how to understand the Grammarly editorial suggestions within the context of their own writing. Quite a few professors also use Grammarly as a tool to check for plagiarism and the writers themselves can use it to check their own work to avoid any unintentional plagiarism. In fact, quite a few teachers find the software quite useful not only for its utility for their computer savvy students but also as a pedagogical tool in teaching grammar and style differently to a generation of students whose entire learning career revolves around using digital technologies. Thus, Gramamrly can also be used quite effectively as a wonderful teaching tool!

As I said above, while Garamamrly absolutely cannot write for you, I would not recommend it if  the developers made any such claims, using Grammarly, however, can certainly help you getting your style and grammar right. And if you know anything about scholarly writing and publishing, especially as postcolonial literature scholars who might not be native English speakers, any help with issues of style and grammar is certainly likely to improve the quality of your writing! please feel free to share your own views or experiences of using Gramamrly in the comment section below.

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[…] Using Grammarly for Scholarly Writing. July 26. […]

Dear Raja, I have been using Grammarly for sometime but was not sure about its authenticity or whether it could be used in class room to teach writing skill. I never thought you would be using it. You have certainly enhanced Grammarly’s credibility and reputation. Thank you for sharing such down to earth information.

Dr. Asif: Yes, I think we should not hesitate to use any aids for editing our writing, especially if the software explains the suggested changes and lets us decide whether or not we accept the suggested changes. I rely on all available resources to edit my work.

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How to write a PhD thesis: a step-by-step guide

A draft isn’t a perfect, finished product; it is your opportunity to start getting words down on paper, writes Kelly Louise Preece

Kelly Louise Preece

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Congratulations; you’ve finished your research! Time to write your PhD thesis . This resource will take you through an eight-step plan for drafting your chapters and your thesis as a whole. 

Organise your material

Before you start, it’s important to get organised. Take a step back and look at the data you have, then reorganise your research. Which parts of it are central to your thesis and which bits need putting to one side? Label and organise everything using logical folders – make it easy for yourself! Academic and blogger Pat Thomson calls this  “Clean up to get clearer” . Thomson suggests these questions to ask yourself before you start writing:

• What data do you have? You might find it useful to write out a list of types of data (your supervisor will find this list useful too.) This list is also an audit document that can go in your thesis. Do you have any for the “cutting room floor”? Take a deep breath and put it in a separate non-thesis file. You can easily retrieve it if it turns out you need it.
• What do you have already written? What chunks of material have you written so far that could form the basis of pieces of the thesis text? They will most likely need to be revised but they are useful starting points. Do you have any holding text? That is material you already know has to be rewritten but contains information that will be the basis of a new piece of text.
• What have you read and what do you still need to read? Are there new texts that you need to consult now after your analysis? What readings can you now put to one side, knowing that they aren’t useful for this thesis – although they might be useful at another time?
• What goes with what? Can you create chunks or themes of materials that are going to form the basis of some chunks of your text, perhaps even chapters?

Once you have assessed and sorted what you have collected and generated you will be in much better shape to approach the big task of composing the dissertation. 

Decide on a key message

A key message is a summary of new information communicated in your thesis. You should have started to map this out already in the section on argument and contribution – an overarching argument with building blocks that you will flesh out in individual chapters.

You have already mapped your argument visually, now you need to begin writing it in prose. Following another of Pat Thomson’s exercises, write a “tiny text” thesis abstract. This doesn’t have to be elegant, or indeed the finished product, but it will help you articulate the argument you want your thesis to make. You create a tiny text using a five-paragraph structure:

• The first sentence addresses the broad context. This locates the study in a policy, practice or research field.
• The second sentence establishes a problem related to the broad context you have set out. It often starts with “But”, “Yet” or “However”.
• The third sentence says what specific research has been done. This often starts with “This research” or “I report…”
• The fourth sentence reports the results. Don’t try to be too tricky here, just start with something like: “This study shows,” or “Analysis of the data suggests that…”
• The fifth and final sentence addresses the “So What?” question and makes clear the claim to contribution.

Here’s an example that Thomson provides:

Secondary school arts are in trouble, as the fall in enrolments in arts subjects dramatically attests. However, there is patchy evidence about the benefits of studying arts subjects at school and this makes it hard to argue why the drop in arts enrolments matters. This thesis reports on research which attempts to provide some answers to this problem – a longitudinal study which followed two groups of senior secondary students, one group enrolled in arts subjects and the other not, for three years. The results of the study demonstrate the benefits of young people’s engagement in arts activities, both in and out of school, as well as the connections between the two. The study not only adds to what is known about the benefits of both formal and informal arts education but also provides robust evidence for policymakers and practitioners arguing for the benefits of the arts. You can  find out more about tiny texts and thesis abstracts on Thomson’s blog.

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Write a plan

You might not be a planner when it comes to writing. You might prefer to sit, type and think through ideas as you go. That’s OK. Everybody works differently. But one of the benefits of planning your writing is that your plan can help you when you get stuck. It can help with writer’s block (more on this shortly!) but also maintain clarity of intention and purpose in your writing.

You can do this by creating a  thesis skeleton or storyboard , planning the order of your chapters, thinking of potential titles (which may change at a later stage), noting down what each chapter/section will cover and considering how many words you will dedicate to each chapter (make sure the total doesn’t exceed the maximum word limit allowed).

Use your plan to help prompt your writing when you get stuck and to develop clarity in your writing.

Some starting points include:

• This chapter will argue that…
• This section illustrates that…
• This paragraph provides evidence that…

Of course, we wish it werethat easy. But you need to approach your first draft as exactly that: a draft. It isn’t a perfect, finished product; it is your opportunity to start getting words down on paper. Start with whichever chapter you feel you want to write first; you don’t necessarily have to write the introduction first. Depending on your research, you may find it easier to begin with your empirical/data chapters.

Vitae advocates for the “three draft approach” to help with this and to stop you from focusing on finding exactly the right word or transition as part of your first draft.

This resource originally appeared on Researcher Development .

Kelly Louse Preece is head of educator development at the University of Exeter.

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Grammarly: Your PhD writing assistant

A PhD is all about research and writing, I mean huge research and lots of writing. You have to write a proposal, reviews, research paper, reports, articles, projects and thesis during your PhD. 

To write things hassle less you need a virtual assistant which can assist you to write correctly, your spellings and grammar. So that you can focus on the core values of your research. 

Without several tools, trust me, your PhD becomes toughest. Grammarly is one of the most versatile tools that assist you in writing. I mean it solves the mistakes in real-time. 

In the present article, I will merit the Grammarly for your PhD and tell you how it will help you. Furthermore, I will also explain to you several integration methods and plans which suit you. 

Related article: How to write a PhD thesis

What is Grammarly? 

Grammarly is a software, a program or we can say an app that helps us to correct common English mistakes. English is an international language, literature on the internet is now in English mostly. 

Universities prefer English as their first language for the highest level of degrees like MPhil, PhD or doctorate. However, for non-English background students, achieving a PhD is even bigger trouble. 

Do you know! Only 20% of the world’s population have English as their primary language.

Grammarly is an AI (Artificial intelligence) integrated application that automatically detects problems in writing real-time. This means with your writing it indicates problems like grammatical error, spelling mistakes or punctuation and can automatically repair it. 

Some merits of Grammarly are enlisted here: 

• It can correct spellings 
• It can correct grammar and punctuations 
• It can make your writing more understandable by analyzing audience goals. 
• It suggests the most appropriate synonyms for the word you select. 
• It can also check documents for plagiarism. 

Conclusively, Grammarly makes your writing more clear, understandable and of a high standard.

How does it work? 

Grammarly has different products for a different setup and devices, for instance it has its own online editor with amazing features, plus, the google chrome extension is the powerful set up to correct anything online starting from a blog article to your social media post. 

Do you know! Google chrome has 1 billion active installations.

However, as it is processing vast data every second for different devices and users, it works more precisely on the cloud, therefore an internet connection is required to work it like magic. 

Checkout some of the products it offers: 

Grammarly chrome extension: 

The Grammarly Chrome extension is one of the most widely used Grammarly products, it is easy to set up and use. 

• Sign in to your chrome. 
• Open chrome store 
• Search grammarly 
• Add it to the extension and just turn it on for all your websites. 

Grammarly’s native app:

 The native app is a desktop version of the AI for macOS as well as Windows platform. You can use it in one click on your desktop. 

Grammarly add-in for Microsoft Office: 

Yet another powerful ad on is for Microsoft products. Download grammarly for microsoft and install it. Uninterruptedly use it on all your microsoft products. 

Grammarly for Facebook and Twitter: 

This amazing feature provides fun English tips and discussion for users to get more engagements on social media. 

Besides these most popular products, the grammarly is also available for Ipad, Handbook and blog separately. However, a chrome extension is the easy and handy option among all. 

Two of the great features that are very useful for PhD students and researchers are the plagiarism checker and effective sentence build-up. 

Plagiarism is the biggest problem for a PhD thesis. The built-in option of Grammarly can check the copy score and suggest what to write instead! The option is available for a free subscription. Still, it’s not a bad deal to take a paid subscription if you are doing a PhD . 

The add-on also has the option to make a sentence more professional that is also a beauty. Thus Grammarly solves both the problems for non-English background PhD students. Check out your document for plagiarism here:

Important note: 

The grammarly word suggestion is the great option, it can not only suggest common english words but also suggest and check spelling of scientific names, scientific terms, scientific abbreviation etc. 

So if you are in science, don’t worry about the complicated scientific names of plants, animals or bacteria. Grammarly takes care about it. 

Plans and pricing: 

The entire AI is maintained and developed by a dedicated team of 300+ members with more than 20,000,000+ daily grammarly active users. So it is very obvious they need to charge!

Don’t worry the grammarly free chrome extension has all the premium features like the paid plan. There are only a few premium features in the paid plan. 

Features in the free version: 

• Critical grammar and spelling check
• Conciseness 
• Check writing across all websites
• Access on multiple device
• Access for all social media platform 
• Capture contextual spelling and grammar mistakes
• See explanation of grammar rules 
• Send preferences and states via email. 

Paid subscription 

• All the free features +
• Improvements for readability 
• Vocabulary enhancement and suggestion 
• Plagiarism checker and detector 
• Sentence improvement and suggestion 
• Proper punctuation using Grammarly’s AI

How is it helpful to scientific writing? 

Scientific writing like thesis, dissertation, project, research paper or review is a very sophisticated one. You have to be precise, accurate, and punctual while writing. 

I suggest using paid subscriptions, especially if you are writing scientific literature. As we said we can even help in scientific writing by providing and suggesting full names and scientific names of organisms. 

But if you want to give a try, use the chrome extension and try writing. Believe me you love. So i personally refer to use the paid subscription: 

Check out this link for a paid subscription (It will help us to earn some money to make this website live):  Grammarly premium.

Final remarks:

I am using grammarly for more than two years checkout my state below, 

The grammarly state shows us our progress and improvement. Also it suggests some of the common mistakes we often make while writing. 

I am using it for all my blogs and desktops. Also, our team had published many scientific research articles in peer-review journals using the Grammarly writing assistant. 

Give it a try! Once. 

Dr. Tushar Chauhan is a Scientist, Blogger and Scientific-writer. He has completed PhD in Genetics. Dr. Chauhan is a PhD coach and tutor.

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Grammar In PhD Theses – Adjectives & Tense, Voice & Contractions of Verbs

Posted by Rene Tetzner | Oct 31, 2021 | PhD Success | 0 |

5.4.6 Adjectives, Adverbs and Split Infinitives

Adjectives and adverbs are often overused when authors are attempting to be precise, with long strings of adjectives particularly common in some theses, so do check for this while proofreading your draft and pay special attention to instances in which you may have used a large number of adjectival nouns. In almost all cases, it is best to use as few adjectives as possible, and such a policy can lead to the use of more precise or expressive adjectives, which is always preferable. When you decide that several adjectives are definitely required, be sure to punctuate them effectively and in a consistent manner throughout your thesis (see Section 5.6.1). Adverbs are especially problematic when they split the infinitive forms of English verbs. In most languages, the infinitive of a verb is a single word: the infinitive forms of the famous Latin phrase ‘veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered),’ for instance, are ‘venire,’ ‘videre’ and ‘vincere.’ In English, however, the infinitives of verbs are formed through the addition of ‘to’ – ‘to come, to see, to conquer’ – and the two elements of the infinitive (‘to’ and ‘conquer’) should no sooner be separated from each other in formal writing than should the ‘ – ire’ or ‘ – ere’ ending be separated from the stem of one of the Latin infinitives. Infinitives are usually split by an adverb inserted between the two parts of the verb (as in Star Trek ’s famous ‘to boldly go’), and such split infinitives sometimes sound entirely natural because they tend to be used daily in casual speech and informal written communications. In the twenty-first century, split infinitives are even tolerated in scholarly prose (though not by all university departments and thesis committees), so if you find that you simply cannot do without an adverb and yet it proves impossible to word the sentence effectively without splitting the infinitive, the adverb can in some cases be retained within the infinitive of the verb. Some readers still consider split infinitives incorrect grammar, however, so do check with your supervisor, keep such usage to a minimum in your thesis and remember that the safest policy is to reword split infinitives whenever possible, replacing ‘to successfully write a thesis,’ for instance, with ‘to write a thesis successfully.’ Rewording sentences containing split infinitives will no doubt prove challenging at times, and in certain instances a sentence may have to be thoroughly rewritten to accommodate a necessary adverb or adverbial phrase more effectively, but do make your best effort before deciding to retain a split infinitive.

5.4.7 Verbs: Tense, Voice and Contractions

The correct use of verb tenses (present, perfect, pluperfect etc.) can be tricky and thus problematic at times. The nuances of the various tenses communicate different temporal messages, and the temporal message of each verb should accurately reflect the reality reported, be consistent with other verbs expressing similar temporal messages and change according to the nature of the content. The problem is complicated in scholarly prose because referring accurately and effectively to the ideas and results found in sources can be challenging. As a general rule, much of what is said in previous scholarship can be referred to in the present tense: for example, ‘Taylor (1996) argues that’ and ‘according to Fergusson (2013), the argument is.’ However, when studies done at different times are compared or contrasted, the tense will need to be varied: ‘Taylor (1996) argued [perfect] that the problem could not be overcome, but Fergusson (2013) sheds [present] new light on the situation.’ Often using a compound form with ‘has’ or ‘have’ is more effective than a simple past or perfect tense when speaking of scholarly trends or developments: for instance, ‘several studies of the problem have been published since the 1980s.’ However, studies that are already published were in fact conducted in the past, so the perfect tense, too, can be correctly used when referring to sources and their authors: for example, ‘Fergusson (2013) explored the problem by following the recommendations of Taylor (1996).’ Sensitivity to the expression of temporal reality through appropriate verb tenses should be applied not just to the discussion of sources, but to the whole of your thesis.

The use of the passive rather than the active voice can also present problems in formal scholarly prose. In the active voice, a subject is clearly stated and the verb is active: ‘I investigated the use of domestic robots among elderly residents of the Sunset Manor.’ In the passive voice, on the other hand, the object becomes the subject and the verb is passive: ‘The use of domestic robots among elderly residents of the Sunset Manor was investigated.’ Both sentences are correct English, but because the passive voice does not name the person (or people) doing the investigating, it can fail to convey with precision who did the research – the author of the present thesis as part of the current study, for instance, or a third party (or parties) working at some other time who ought to be cited? Some doctoral candidates will deliberately use the passive voice in an abstract, perhaps due to a misconception that the passive voice is scholarly, but a scholarly voice is never vague as the passive voice can be, and some guidelines will ask that the passive voice be avoided, especially in abstracts where precision expressed via as few words as possible is particularly important. However, the passive voice can be used effectively (and often is in the sciences) when the point is to emphasise the object of research rather than the agent doing the research, so do check university and department guidelines and/or ask your supervisor about the use of the passive voice. When proofreading your thesis draft, pay careful attention to what sentences using the passive voice actually say and do not say, and whenever you think that such sentences might prove imprecise, ineffective or confusing for your readers, reword them using the active voice.

Contractions of verbs, which are frequently used in casual speech, often slip into formal prose, especially when an author is writing quickly as he or she thinks through problems. Examples include ‘didn’t’ (for ‘did not’), ‘shouldn’t’ (for ‘should not’), ‘won’t’ (for ‘will not’), ‘can’t’ (for ‘cannot’) and ‘wouldn’t’ (for ‘would not’) in which a verb is combined with the word ‘not,’ as well as verbs combined with pronouns such as ‘I’ll’ (for ‘I will’), ‘he’s’ (for ‘he is’ or ‘he has’), ‘it’s’ (for ‘it is’ or ‘it has’) and ‘they’re’ (for ‘they are’). Such contractions are not considered scholarly and should only be used in your thesis when you are accurately quoting direct speech and similar informal text from sources that use contractions (I use them in some of my examples, for instance). In your own prose, however, all such contractions should be expanded, so do watch for these as you proofread your chapter drafts. For more information on contractions, including those that are acceptable in scholarly prose, see Section 5.6.3.

5.4.8 Consistency and Variation in Word Use

It is important to strike a balance between consistency and variation in the vocabulary used in a thesis. While variety can contribute to an interesting writing style and is important for retaining the reader’s interest, precision and consistency are absolutely essential to reporting results and presenting an argument effectively, so it is always better to tip the scales in favour of clear communication. Many minor words in a sentence can easily be changed or eliminated to create variety and avoid repetition without altering the meaning of your text, but if you vary or eliminate terms that define important aspects and elements of your research, methodology and argument or that report the precise results of tests and trials, ambiguity and misinterpretation can result. In the case of comparison, for instance, the exact details of each side of a comparison or contrast should be clearly outlined, and a sentence such as ‘I compared the scores the executives earned in the third trial with the employees’ is confusing and simply wrong: the scores earned by the executives were no doubt compared with the scores earned by the employees (not the employees themselves), and the employees’ scores were probably obtained in a numbered trial as well, so the reader needs more precise information. A statement such as ‘purple hats were given to half of the executives, but yellow to employees’ is also problematic. The reader can easily supply the verb (‘were given’) missing from the second half of the sentence and it is also fairly clear that ‘yellow’ stands for ‘yellow hats,’ but he or she may be wondering ‘to how many employees?’ Does the author mean that hats were given to half of the employees or to all employees included in the study? Clearly, further explanation is needed here as well, and the use of specific numbers and percentages would probably be far more effective. Finally, the terms and definitions used for specific concepts and categories should remain consistent throughout a thesis, especially when those concepts and categories are central to the study or argument: for example, if the study groups have been introduced as ‘smokers group,’ ‘nonsmokers group’ and ‘control group,’ that terminology should not change part way through the thesis or be different in tables and figures that accompany the thesis; and if questionnaires are labelled A, B and C, they should not be referred to without the letters or via numbers instead because such references can increase the possibility of unnecessary confusion.

PRS Tip: The well-educated proofreaders at PRS are specialists in a variety of disciplines and experts in the English language. They know how scholarly writing in English should read because they are scholars, and some of them have published their own academic or scientific writing. So there is a great deal they can do to help you make your scholarly voice just what it should be, but it is essential that you do everything you can to ensure that your vocabulary, grammar and syntax are as correct and clear as possible before you send your thesis or proposal chapters for proofreading. Remember that if a seasoned professional proofreader familiar with academic and scientific prose, your specific discipline and the errors commonly encountered when working across languages is not able to make sense of what you are trying to say, it is very difficult for him or her to provide assistance. When PRS proofreaders read documents for clients, they generally strike up a dialogue in marginal comments, and clients are welcome to initiate a dialogue with their proofreaders as well. If you are having trouble with a particular construction or a specific section in your thesis, you should therefore feel free to explain the problem as well as you can in a marginal comment within your Word document or in the instructions you include with the document. This sort of proactive approach will enable your proofreader to direct attention where it is most needed and help you maximise the effect of the money you spend on professional proofreading.

Why PhD Success?

To Graduate Successfully

This article is part of a book called "PhD Success" which focuses on the writing process of a phd thesis, with its aim being to provide sound practices and principles for reporting and formatting in text the methods, results and discussion of even the most innovative and unique research in ways that are clear, correct, professional and persuasive.

The assumption of the book is that the doctoral candidate reading it is both eager to write and more than capable of doing so, but nonetheless requires information and guidance on exactly what he or she should be writing and how best to approach the task. The basic components of a doctoral thesis are outlined and described, as are the elements of complete and accurate scholarly references, and detailed descriptions of writing practices are clarified through the use of numerous examples.

The basic components of a doctoral thesis are outlined and described, as are the elements of complete and accurate scholarly references, and detailed descriptions of writing practices are clarified through the use of numerous examples. PhD Success provides guidance for students familiar with English and the procedures of English universities, but it also acknowledges that many theses in the English language are now written by candidates whose first language is not English, so it carefully explains the scholarly styles, conventions and standards expected of a successful doctoral thesis in the English language.

Individual chapters of this book address reflective and critical writing early in the thesis process; working successfully with thesis supervisors and benefiting from commentary and criticism; drafting and revising effective thesis chapters and developing an academic or scientific argument; writing and formatting a thesis in clear and correct scholarly English; citing, quoting and documenting sources thoroughly and accurately; and preparing for and excelling in thesis meetings and examinations. 

Completing a doctoral thesis successfully requires long and penetrating thought, intellectual rigour and creativity, original research and sound methods (whether established or innovative), precision in recording detail and a wide-ranging thoroughness, as much perseverance and mental toughness as insight and brilliance, and, no matter how many helpful writing guides are consulted, a great deal of hard work over a significant period of time. Writing a thesis can be an enjoyable as well as a challenging experience, however, and even if it is not always so, the personal and professional rewards of achieving such an enormous goal are considerable, as all doctoral candidates no doubt realise, and will last a great deal longer than any problems that may be encountered during the process.

Interested in Proofreading your PhD Thesis? Get in Touch with us

If you are interested in proofreading your PhD thesis or dissertation, please explore our expert dissertation proofreading services.

Rene Tetzner

Rene Tetzner's blog posts dedicated to academic writing. Although the focus is on How To Write a Doctoral Thesis, many other important aspects of research-based writing, editing and publishing are addressed in helpful detail.

Related Posts

PhD Success – How To Write a Doctoral Thesis

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Table of Contents – PhD Success

October 2, 2021

The Essential – Preliminary Matter

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The Main Body of the Thesis

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PhD manuscript with grammatical errors and informal phrases

I have made a very good contribution in my PhD and just graduated two years ago from a top university with honors.

Today, I revised my PhD manuscript and surprisingly found several grammatical errors, informal sentences that I don't feel comfortable with now, and honestly also found two technical errors (they are correct in my published papers but not in my PhD manuscript). I am really disappointed, and feel like "I don't deserve to be graduated from a top university" with a PhD manuscript that contains a lot of grammatical errors and several informal things.

When I wrote the manuscript, I was happy with the informal things I added, but today I feel really sad by having them in my manuscript since I think they decrease the reputation of my work.

Although that after my defense the committee gave me one month for the minor corrections, but I don't think I have really benefited well from this opportunity. Is this normal? Any suggestions?

• errors-erratum
• thesis-committee

• 49 Yes this is normal. Suggestion: Just forget about it. Most likely, you cannot change anything. Most likely, the only people looking into this are friends who want to read the acknowledgements. –  user111388 Commented Feb 12, 2020 at 12:27
• 9 @user111388 Thank you for your suggestion:) You're right. I usually open PhD manuscripts just to read the acknowledgements!! –  Christina Commented Feb 12, 2020 at 12:31
• 6 If all of the technical content of your thesis is contained in other papers, chances are that very few people will read your thesis. If not, write those papers. And it's a thesis — the language doesn't have to be as formal as for a journal paper (although ideally the technical content will be completely correct). –  Peter Shor Commented Feb 12, 2020 at 13:07
• 3 I would call it a liberating truth. You're no better or worse than anybody else. –  lighthouse keeper Commented Feb 12, 2020 at 15:22
• 3 Oh mate, I have mine under lock so I don't look at it. It was also 2 years ago, but the day after I submitted, I found 3 typos in the first page, one of them being a word in a completely different color. Its part of the job, we go learning along the way, hopefully –  Ander Biguri Commented Feb 13, 2020 at 16:20

4 Answers 4

Ok. Let the past be the past. You weren't perfect then, you are better now. Maybe not perfect yet, but neither am I, or anyone. The very fact that you can recognize past errors is a sure sign that you are now better at this than you were as a novice scholar.

As the comments note, there is little chance the problems will be noticed, or even that they will matter if the are noticed.

There is a phenomenon among writers that is worth noting. Many people, writers of all kinds, sometimes feel embarrassed by their older work. Even poets. It is a sign of growth, not of failure.

In Tai Chi we say "One day's practice, one day's progress."

A couple of additional thoughts.

It is immensely difficult for most people to proof-read their own writings. You tend to see what you thought you wrote, not what you did write. An external review is a great way to improve any writing. See, for example Ezra Pound and the drafts of The Waste Land .

Also, you would be in far worse shape if you ignored past errors and insisted, insisted, that they were PERFECT .

Congratulations on your Ph.D. Don't stress over the minor errors.

A Ph.D. is a mark that you are capable of absorbing the state of the art in a certain (sub)field and contributing novel knowledge. Your dissertation documents this, as well as shows you are capable of communicating about it. It seems you ably did all this.

A Ph.D. dissertation is not meant to be perfection and rarely is. As you progress in your career, academic or otherwise, your future work will invariably eclipse it. It is a rite of passage, not your lifetime supreme achievement.

Some Ph.D.'s eventually realize their dissertation contained substantive errors. Not typos or suboptimally written phrases, but methodological or logic errors significantly affecting the validity of the results. In some fields where there are different schools of thought, successful Ph.D. dissertations may well become controversial, and their flaws more apparent over time. This is all part of the academic process.

Even those of us spared of the above will generally wince at something when rereading our dissertation years later. It may not be a grammar error or maladroit sentence, but very often some of what we wrote seems -- with the benefit of hindsight -- very naive, or at least very earnest and self-important. That's more wince-worthy than a typo or weird sentence!

The Ph.D. and the dissertation in particular are part of the learning curve. If you continue down an academic career path, what took you several years the first time around will soon take you several months, and be better. That's normal.

First, if these mistakes were left unnoticed by the thesis committee, don't expect people to give much concern about them. Especially if you wrote your PhD in a foreign language to you. Though, if people in the committee did notice such mistakes and pointed them to you, you had the obligation to correct them (although for typos and grammar, this is more of a moral obligation than a strict concern).

Regarding technical issues, keep in mind that making imperfect claims is a part of the scientific process. At some point people believed in Phlogiston Theory , people also believed that the speed of light was relative to some observer, and we don't review PhD thesis from a century past and go around revoking dead people's titles. Science is, at all times, just "the best we can do", it is not "perfection" nor an "absolute truth".

Finally, I would rarely actually read a PhD thesis in full. I'd normally prefer papers in journals. Even those are subject to mistakes, even in equations.

All that being said, there is a matter of how much you pride yourself in the actual thesis. Right after earning the title, it might have been the biggest accomplishment in your life, but as others pointed out, in an academic career it is bound to superseeded by later work. Even some of the most notable works of all time are rarely read by academicians (not accounting for historians), and when researchers do read works such as Newton's Principia Naturalis or Euclid's Elements of Geometry , it's an adapted version, which was translated, proof read and filled with editor notes to point relevant stuff for the modern reader.

As the other answers say: don't worry about it. The thing is, in the early years of school, writing, spelling and similar elementary skills are what you should learn, so of course that is what you are judged on at that stage. Later on these things are not important - you are evaluated on the content, not grammar, spelling or handwriting. And in your PhD, you are still learning: the focus is now on learning to do research, and how to fit into the academic millieu in general. I have seen a fair few academic writings, and you wouldn't believe the atrocities that are committed against Her Majesty's English on a daily basis :-) - but that is OK, because these people are scientists, not the Poet Laureate, and they produce good, scientific research.

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PhD Thesis First Draft: 8 Practical Writing Tips for PhD Students

Many early career researchers will agree that the most difficult step in writing a PhD thesis is getting started. Students often find themselves mentally unprepared to take on this challenge as most formal training revolves around conducting research with little focus on how to write a PhD thesis. Uncertainty about the guidelines for PhD thesis writing and how to present their study in an engaging, impactful way often results in procrastination, self-doubt, and anxiety among otherwise confident researchers. The fact is students need to write a PhD thesis to complete their doctoral degree, and as ironic as it seems, the only remedy to this inertia is to meet this challenge head-on.

This article provides young researchers with practical tips to help them deliver a successful first draft when writing a PhD thesis.

• Create an outline and structure: A good way to start writing a PhD thesis is to first create a draft outline or structure of your thesis. Like journal articles, a PhD thesis must have an introduction that presents the key points of your study in a compelling way, a body section that contains the main aspects of your research along with supporting data and evidence, and a conclusion that summarizes the thesis and provides additional insights or suggestions for further research. This first step is important because once you have the right structure in place, summarizing your thesis can happen more easily.  
• Adhere to university or institutional guidelines: A common mistake that many students make while creating an outline and structure is not keeping in mind the guidelines for PhD thesis writing set by your university or institute. It’s important to adhere to the university or institute’s guidelines, for example the preferred structure or style of references, when writing a PhD thesis. Be sure to check with your supervisor to ensure that the word count, structure, citation style and other key elements of your thesis meet the recommended guidelines for PhD thesis writing.
• Use active voice and avoid grammatical and spelling errors: It is important to focus on using simple language that’s free of complicated jargon when writing a PhD thesis. To ensure better readability, use active voice instead of passive voice and avoid long winding sentences. Be aware of and avoid spelling and grammar errors such as dangling modifiers, subject-verb disagreement, and parallelism in your work. You can use AI tools like Paperpal for Word , which offers real-time suggestions to help you improve your language right from the first draft itself.
• Maintain consistency in your writing style: One of the most useful writing tips for PhD students is referring to the preferred style guide to ensure consistency in spellings, proper punctuation, correct hyphenation, and the right use of technical terms and phrases. Also check for consistency when it comes mentioning organizations and institutions, affiliations, references, legends and other key elements when writing a PhD thesis.
• Be careful when citing or quoting text: With the sheer quantum of research reading required when writing a PhD thesis, it can be difficult to keep track of sources of information. It is also quite possible for students to inadvertently introduce plagiarism in their writing by using chunks of well-written text as is or quoting information without citing it correctly. So be sure to properly cite any sources of data that you’re using in your thesis, including text, images and figures to avoid any ethical misconduct.
• Set a target deadline for completion : Another top writing tip for PhD students is to set a delivery date and stay committed to it. You can also share this goal with a broader set of people (peers, supervisor, friends, etc.), who will act as catalysts on the journey of writing your PhD thesis first draft and in the time you’ve set for yourself. It is critical however that the final deadline be realistic and take into account challenges that may come in the way of you achieving your goals.

Write your PhD thesis confidently with Paperpal’s AI writing assistant

• Take time to make revisions and proofread before submission: This is one of the most important writing tips for PhD students, but one that often takes the back seat. Remember that no matter how clear your first draft seems about your research findings, argumentation and flow, there will always be room for improvement and especially to your first draft. Once you’re done with your first draft, be sure to revisit each chapter and make the necessary edits before sharing it ahead with your mentor for feedback. When planning your work, make sure to factor in ample time for editing and proofreading, so that all the work you put into writing a PhD thesis is polished before submission.
• Remember it’s a first draft and not the final version: If you’re getting stuck with your writing, move on and start work on a different section; you don’t need to write in chronological order as long as you follow the structure you’ve created for yourself. Remember the cardinal rule when wondering how to write a PhD thesis – No one gets it right in the first draft itself. Capture your thoughts and findings as clearly and engagingly as possible in your first draft, don’t waste too much time striving for perfection at this stage. You can always fine-tune your writing and repeat this process as you go along, which can help you reach your writing goals faster.

Paperpal is a comprehensive AI writing toolkit that helps students and researchers achieve 2x the writing in half the time. It leverages 21+ years of STM experience and insights from millions of research articles to provide in-depth academic writing, language editing, and submission readiness support to help you write better, faster.  

Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed. Try for free or upgrade to Paperpal Prime starting at US$19 a month to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.  

Experience the future of academic writing – Sign up to Paperpal and start writing for free!  

Related Reads:

• Good Writing Habits: 7 Ways to Improve Your Academic Writing
• How to Make Your Thesis Supervision Work for You
• 8 Most Effective Ways to Increase Motivation for Thesis Writing 
• PhD Dissertation Outline: Creating a Roadmap to Success

Dangling Modifiers and How to Avoid Them in Your Writing 

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Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to proofread your thesis

1. Review your institution's guidelines

2. take a break before you read anything, 3. determine how to proofread your thesis, 4. use online tools, 5. read your thesis in a different order, 6. read your thesis out loud, 7. reach out to your peers, frequently asked questions about proofreading your thesis, related articles.

Now that you've finished your thesis , it's time to proofread it. You'll need to do this several times to ensure that you submit a solid thesis that's free of grammatical mistakes and typos. We've put together a few tips that can help you optimize the proofreading stage of your thesis.

Your institution will likely have specific guidelines for formatting your thesis. Be sure to double-check the guidelines for layout and format issues, including:

• paper size and margins
• running head
• page numbering
• line spacing

Take time to read through the guidelines again and keep them handy as you proofread your thesis.

The proofreading stage is also a good time to check your citations or references . Whether you're using Harvard, APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association) or some other citation style, make sure that your citations are correct.

Give yourself some time off before you start proofreading your thesis. This allows you to return to your work with fresh eyes. Ideally, you should plan to take a break of several weeks before you begin proofreading; however, even a short break can help you refocus and catch more mistakes.

Some people like to proofread their thesis on screen, while others like to print it out and read it on paper. Whichever method you choose, be aware that you can't read it all at once. Rather, make a plan for how you want to approach proofreading and stick to it. You'll generally want to break up your process by chapter or section.

Consider breaking down your thesis proofreading process in one of these ways:

• by paragraph

Several online tools can help you with proofreading and some of them are even free. Use tools like Grammarly or Proofread Bot for proofreading or Readable.com or Slickwrite to critique your grammar and writing. A quick Google search will show you that there are dozens of tools out there that can help you with your thesis!

Week 1 : Read a chapter a day, watching out for major issues in argumentation, use of evidence, and organization.

Week 2 : Complete substantive revisions and check that all citations are correct. Use a reference manager like Paperpile to create accurate citations and bibliographies.

Week 3 : Re-read each chapter, checking for any additional surface errors. Double-check that your formatting aligns with your department’s thesis requirements.

Try reading your work backwards or in a random order. This approach often works better than reading your work from beginning to end.

By switching up your expectations, you will catch more errors. Plus, starting at the end allows you to keep your conclusions in mind as you read and helps you to verify that you've proven your thesis statement.

The best way to catch grammatical, stylistic, and organizational mistakes is to read your work aloud to yourself. Hearing your own words greatly increases your ability to find typos and errors.

Keep your eye out for the following common errors:

• subject-verb agreement
• faulty predication
• misplaced modifiers
• tense changes
• incorrect citations

If you have friends or peers who are also writing theses, or who have completed them, reach out for advice and help. For instance, blogger Pat Thomson suggests setting up a proofreading deal with a friend.

Also, you might find it useful to join or start a writing group. These groups build accountability and provide writers with support for all stages of the research and writing process.

The length of the proofreading process depends on the length of the thesis. Plus, you should plan to take a couple of weeks off before you start proofreading. It's also a good idea to break up longer projects by chapter or section.

Always double-check your institution's guidelines for the general layout, including:

If you know someone who is willing to proofread your thesis, then definitely ask! Friends and peers who are also working on theses, or who have recently finished, can provide you with useful insights about the grammar, style, and structure of your thesis.

As part of your proofreading plan, you should create a checklist of items that you want to watch out for while proofreading your thesis. Your checklist might include:

• Spelling and typos
• Verb tenses and subject-verb agreement
• Sentence structure
• Layout and formatting
• Citations and/or references
• Consistency of style
• Organization
• Overall flow

You should plan to proofread your thesis as many times as it takes to ensure that you submit a polished and professional work. Typically, however, most thesis writers proofread their work around three to four times.

Five Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Grammarly To Proofread A PhD

Nov 3, 2018

Grammarly, the free online grammar and spelling checker, claims to ‘make sure everything you type is clear, effective, and mistake-free’ and that ‘everything you write clear and effective all the time’.

If that’s the case, then why spend money on a proofreader when Grammarly can do it for free? Put simply, Grammarly is terrible at proofreading academic texts.

It relies on algorithms, not humans. Sure these algorithms are clever, but they’re just that: algorithms. They won’t spot the kinds of mistakes you make on a daily basis, nor will they have the expertise or the level of scrutiny that a professional will have. Grammarly struggles even more if English is your second language.

Here we present the five reasons why Grammarly shouldn’t be used to proofread your PhD and why you should instead trust a professional proofreader.

Interested in group workshops, cohort-courses and a free PhD learning & support community? 

The team behind The PhD Proofreaders have launched The PhD People, a free learning and community platform for PhD students. Connect, share and learn with other students, and boost your skills with cohort-based workshops and courses.

1. grammarly won’t recognize technical language..

  Your discipline is likely to require dozens, if not hundreds, of technical terms. From ‘actualization’ to ‘zyloprim’, technical language will be used throughout your thesis. Only an expert proofreader will be able to know when you’re using the wrong word and when you’re using technical language.

2. Grammarly won’t recognize issues with word order.

Often, those writing PhDs, particularly those for whom English is a second language, write words in the wrong order. Consider the following example:

“This PhD research aims to uncover the institutional arrangement for understanding effective coordination most appropriate”

According to Grammarly, this sentence is correct, but the words ‘most appropriate’ are in the wrong place. It should read:

“This PhD research aims to uncover the most appropriate institutional arrangement for understanding effective coordination”

Only a professional proofreader is able to spot errors like these. That’s important, because the wrong word order can, at worst, ruin the flow and understanding of the argument being made and, at best, confuse the reader.

3. Grammarly struggles with complex grammar

  Complex grammar is exactly the sort that you are getting wrong if you speak English as a second language. Take the following example:

“Extra time, extra efforts and may also extra costs needed to indicate ineffective coordination for metropolitan planning in the JMR. Those extra time and extra efforts indicate transaction costs exist. Transaction cost is an economic friction which has different costs under different governance structures (Williamson, 1985, 1996). There are three generic governance structures (forms of governance): hierarchy (regulations, commands), market (incentive, network) and hybrid (mixed regulations/commands and incentive/network)”

This contained a number of errors that Grammarly failed to spot. This was because the text itself doesn’t contain any spelling mistakes or any of the grammar mistakes that Grammarly typically checks. Instead, it has more complicated problems with word order, verb agreements, and word use.

If an expert proofreader was to mark up the text, it would read as follows:

“The extra time and effort it takes to act point towards the existence of transaction costs (Buitelaar, 2004). A transaction cost is an economic friction that has different costs under different governance structures (Williamson, 1985, 1996). There are three generic governance structures or forms of governance: hierarchies (e.g. regulations, commands), markets (e.g. incentive, network) and hybrid forms of governance (e.g. mixed regulations/commands and incentives/networks).”

As you can see, there’s a big difference between the two. Only a professional proofreader is able to spot and correct these mistakes. Grammarly struggles.

Your PhD thesis. All on one page. 

Use our free PhD structure template to quickly visualise every element of your thesis. 

4. Grammarly doesn’t understand context

Sometimes, what you say and what you mean depend on the context in which you say it. You know from your own discipline that academics often don’t agree on precise definitions for particular things. That means that the word ‘institution’, for example, can mean different things depending on what discipline you are studying. Only an expert proofreader will know the difference and be able to relate the words to the context in which they are used. Grammarly can’t.

5. Grammarly isn’t human

 The human touch is necessary to understand academic tone and appropriate sentence flow. Grammarly is powered by algorithms. Sure, they’re advanced, but they’re not anywhere near as accurate and reliable as an expert proofreader.

What does all this mean for your thesis?

  It means that even the most obvious of errors slip through the Grammarly net. It means that your thesis will still contain mistakes when you submit it. Most importantly, it means that it will be sent back to you for corrections. You’ve spent so long writing your thesis, it will be a shame to let these errors make it into the final version.

Grammarly is great for day-to-day grammar and spelling checking. You can use it in emails to your supervisors and not have to worry. But for longer and more complicated texts, like your thesis, it simply can’t cope. The only way you can be sure that your PhD is completely error-free is by paying a professional human proofreader.

Hello, Doctor…

Sounds good, doesn’t it?  Be able to call yourself Doctor sooner with our five-star rated How to Write A PhD email-course. Learn everything your supervisor should have taught you about planning and completing a PhD.

Now half price. Join hundreds of other students and become a better thesis writer, or your money back. 

Something worth trying.

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Proofreading & Editing, Structure Check, and Clarity Check

When you select our professional proofreading and editing service , an editor will fix the language and consistency errors in your thesis , dissertation , paper , or other academic text . Y ou’ll receive a personalized improvement letter designed to help you recognize and correct your most frequent mistakes.

Additionally, you can choose the Structure Check to receive feedback on the structure and organization of your document or the Clarity Check for advice on how to tell a clearer and more compelling story.

Paper Formatting and Citation Editing

If you choose our Paper Formatting service , we will generate a table of contents and a list of tables and figures. We’ll also add page numbers for you. This service costs an additional $1.95  per page per item.

You can also have your citations checked for consistency. The Citation Editing Service  costs $2.75  per source.

Per-word rate

The cost is calculated based on the number of words you want checked and the per-word rate . The per-word rate depends on the deadline you choose. Additionally, there is a setup fee of $25 .

Scribbr’s proofreading rates for academic documents

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Frequently asked questions

Scribbr specializes in editing study-related documents . We proofread:

• PhD dissertations
• Research proposals
• Personal statements
• Admission essays
• Motivation letters
• Reflection papers
• Journal articles
• Capstone projects

The fastest turnaround time is 12 hours.

You can upload your document at any time and choose between four deadlines:

At Scribbr, we promise to make every customer 100% happy with the service we offer. Our philosophy: Your complaint is always justified – no denial, no doubts.

Our customer support team is here to find the solution that helps you the most, whether that’s a free new edit or a refund for the service.

Yes, if your document is longer than 20,000 words, you will get a sample of approximately 2,000 words. This sample edit gives you a first impression of the editor’s editing style and a chance to ask questions and give feedback.

How does the sample edit work?

You will receive the sample edit within 12 hours after placing your order. You then have 24 hours to let us know if you’re happy with the sample or if there’s something you would like the editor to do differently.

Read more about how the sample edit works

Yes, in the order process you can indicate your preference for American, British, or Australian English .

If you don’t choose one, your editor will follow the style of English you currently use. If your editor has any questions about this, we will contact you.

Yes, regardless of the deadline you choose, our editors can proofread your document during weekends and holidays.

Example: If you select the 12-hour service on Saturday, you will receive your edited document back within 12 hours on Sunday.

Our APA experts default to APA 7 for editing and formatting. For the Citation Editing Service you are able to choose between APA 6 and 7.

Every Scribbr order comes with our award-winning Proofreading & Editing service , which combines two important stages of the revision process.

For a more comprehensive edit, you can add a Structure Check or Clarity Check to your order. With these building blocks, you can customize the kind of feedback you receive.

You might be familiar with a different set of editing terms. To help you understand what you can expect at Scribbr, we created this table:

View an example

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25 September 2024 Metals 2024 Best PhD Thesis Award—Open for Applications

The journal Metals (ISSN: 2075-4701) is inviting applications for the 2024 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize will be awarded to a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential. The applications will be assessed by an evaluation committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Yong Zhang.

Eligibility and Requirements:

• The candidate must be a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential;
• The PhD thesis must be their original work;
• The PhD thesis must be defended in 2024.

Required Application Documents:

• An executive summary of the PhD thesis in English of around 3000 words;
• A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award;
• The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications connected with the thesis;
• An electronic copy of the PhD thesis;
• A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student going to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).

Selection Criteria:

• Quality of resume and publications;
• Relevance of the candidate and research description;
• Novelty of the candidate’s PhD thesis;
• Strength of the recommendation letter;
• Anticipated academic potential;
• Originality and impact of the research.
• An electronic certificate;
• Offer to publish one paper free of charge in Metals after peer review before the end of July 2026.

Please visit the following link to submit your application: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/metals/awards/submit/3022 .

The application deadline is 31 May 2025. The winner will be announced on the Metals website by the end of July 2025.

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