One thesis, two supports, three months

A completed thesis is the pinnacle of academic accomplishment, demanding rigorous research, critical analysis and a compelling argument. However, anyone undertaking such a commitment may face challenges in time management, resource utilisation and feedback integration. Drawing from my own experiences, I am confident that harnessing the combined power of human expertise, embodied by your supervisor, and the efficiency of AI technology holds the key to streamlining the process and achieving completion within just three months.

The task: Writing the thesis

Time frame: Three months

The first tool: the supervisor

Recognising the pivotal role that supervisors play in guiding and supporting students throughout their academic journey is crucial. They serve as mentors, providing direction, constructive criticism and encouragement throughout the thesis journey. Yet students are often hesitant to fully engage with their supervisors.

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Acknowledge that honest communication about your challenges and limitations can lead to constructive feedback and tailored support during the thesis writing period. Since supervisors are well acquainted with the intellectual standard required to pass a PhD in your discipline and have access to resources both within and outside the institution, their advice is crucial for completing a high-quality thesis efficiently. It’s understandable to be worried about admitting your inadequacies to supervisors, but embracing open communication and leveraging their expertise can be incredibly beneficial. Respecting the deadlines and milestones set by the supervisor and reaching out for help when needed are key to staying focused and on the right track.

The second tool: artificial intellgence (AI)

Artificial intelligence is a game changer for PhD students working on their theses. By using AI tools and technologies, students can supercharge the process. AI-powered writing assistants can help refine their writing, offering suggestions for improving sentence structure, fixing grammar mistakes and enriching their vocabulary. It also comes in handy for combing through and analysing numerous research articles, saving students valuable time and ensuring that they don’t miss any important sources. It can even pinpoint areas for discussion in a research paper and create a summary. What’s more, AI can assist with data analysis and visualisation, delivering quick and accurate results.

Through AI tools, PhD students can manage administrative tasks such as scheduling meetings, transcribing, preparing agendas and even translating meetings with supervisors. Furthermore, AI software can be employed to analyse meeting notes and comments on drafts to identify key tasks, helping students to effectively translate feedback into action points.

By tapping into AI, students can save time, keep track of their progress, manage references and enhance the quality of their research. Plus, AI-driven peer review and plagiarism detection software help uphold the quality and integrity of the thesis. While AI-generated data has its limitations, the powerful collaboration between supervisors and AI technologies creates a thriving environment that accelerates thesis completion.

The plan: master progressive milestones, one step at a time

Dividing our writing journey into smaller tasks is a highly effective strategy when working under strict time frames. Instead of submitting an entire thesis for review, submitting chapters regularly allows for continuous feedback and helps to prevent repeating mistakes.

For instance, my supervisor pointed out that my university required UK English for dissertations and deducted marks for any other style, which I promptly corrected in future submissions. Grouping similar tasks together also reduces the workload. When in doubt, seek advice from your supervisor.

Additionally, embracing AI solutions fosters a collaborative and inclusive environment, driving productivity, innovation and academic excellence.

Embrace the absurdity, share your struggles and remember that even in the darkest depths of academic despair, there’s always a punchline waiting to lighten the load. The collaborative interplay between supervisors and AI technologies holds immense potential to expedite thesis writing endeavours. By capitalising on the complementary strengths of human mentorship and technological innovation, scholars can navigate the academic landscape with greater efficiency, efficacy and scholarly rigour.

Here’s the sample weekly timeline, including AI tools that can assist in each stage. This timeline was also created with AI assistance.

Week 1: planning and outline

• Zotero for organising research materials and references.
• Trello for setting goals and tracking progress.

Week 2: literature review

• Connected Papers for exploring related research papers and mapping connections.
• Mendeley for managing and annotating PDFs.
• Grammarly for initial revision and refinement.

Week 3: methodology

• Overleaf for writing and formatting the methodology in LaTeX (if applicable).
• Grammarly for refining the text.

Week 4: data collection and analysis

• NVivo for qualitative data organisation and analysis.
• Excel or R for quantitative data analysis and visualisation.
• Canva or Tableau for creating figures and charts.

Week 5: results

• SPSS for statistical analysis and results presentation.
• Canva or Tableau for creating figures and charts.

Week 6: discussion

• Chat GPT for outlining the discussion section.
• Grammarly, Jenni.ai for initial draft writing and grammar checking.
• Hemingway Editor and Writefull for improving readability and style.

Week 7: conclusion and recommendations

• Grammarly, Hemingway Editor and Writefull for final revisions and readability.

Week 8: introduction

• Grammarly, Hemingway Editor and Writefull for improving clarity and coherence.

Week 9: abstract and title

• Grammarly, Hemingway Editor and Writefull

Week 10: full draft review

• Grammarly for a comprehensive grammar check.
• EndNote for reference and citation management.

Week 11: feedback and revisions and formatting

• Zotero for ensuring all citations and references are correct.
• Grammarly and ProWritingAid for a final proofreading pass.

Week 12: buffer period

Mariam Shadan is assistant professor of biomedical sciences at Dubai Medical College for Girls.

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