Psychology Dissertation Editing: 10 Useful Tips And Tricks

Editing your work is an important step in writing a great psychology dissertation. Unfortunately, too many students skip this in order to get done with their dissertation sooner. We’re here to remind you that properly editing the dissertation can make a positive impact on how well your work will be received by your peers and the graduate review committee. Here are 10 useful tips and tricks to successful editing:

  1. Print out the entire dissertation. Many students jump write into the editing phase of psychology dissertation writing and try doing so directly on the computer. Reading your content on paper is much easier than reading it on a screen. Print out your work and make your corrections there.
  2. Read your writing aloud. Have you ever read something you have written aloud and found that it doesn’t make sense? This happens a lot. When making edits read the words on the page aloud to ensure the words flow nicely and easily.
  3. Edit each section separately. Don’t tackle your psychology dissertation edits in one go; edit each major section separately and when possible break up those sections into even smaller sub-sections, pages, or paragraphs.
  4. Use a dictionary and thesaurus. A lot of students make mistakes in word choice, either not using words correctly or using longer words in an attempt to sound more academic. Use a dictionary and thesaurus when editing to make sure you steer clear of poor word choice.
  5. Edit each sentence separately. In order to edit more effectively, you should work on each sentence separately. This may seem tedious and will certainly take longer, but the positives in using this technique outweigh the effort you have to put in.
  6. Aim to be concise and clear. This tip is closely related to #4. When you write you should aim to be concise and clear. Don’t use complicated words or sentence constructions when simple ones will work just as effectively.
  7. Use a second pair of eyes. Don’t be afraid to seek some outside help when you are making your edits. Mistakes you don’t notice might be easily caught by someone who hasn’t already read your work hundreds of times.
  8. Get rid of filler content. Get rid of content that doesn’t directly relate to the main topic and argument you are presenting. Professors can see right through the use of filler content and will penalize you accordingly.
  9. Keep your audience in mind. Remember that you are writing for a group of your peers. Don’t get bogged down with defining every psych term you use in your dissertation. Many will be familiar with subject-related terminology, so don’t insult anyone with the excessive use of definitions.
  10. Proofread your work separately

Finally, be sure not to assume you have proofread accurately while making your edits. Proofreading is an entirely different exercise that requires your undivided attention.

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