Thesis Support

The Writing Center offers a variety of resources for Wesleyan seniors working on a thesis, regardless of topic or department. In an effort to add to the support available for thesis writers, we have expanded our events and programs. All services are, of course, free. We look forward to working with you! 

Thesis Writers' Moodle

Join our events remotely, find a community, exchange drafts, and share tips and resources all in our dedicated Moodle! Don't let the thesis process become more difficult or lonely than it needs to be. You can find the moodle in the "Community Moodle" bucket. 

Thesis Writing Retreats

Thesis Writing Retreats provide thesis writers time and space to work on their projects alongside other writers. The Writing Center provides food, drinks, on-site writing tutors, and rotating workshops to help support thesis writers as they work together. 

Spring Thesis Writing Retreats occur every month. Writers will be provided catered lunch at 12:30, and will spend the first 30 minutes eating, settling in, and making goals for the rest of the retreat. Each hour of the retreat will consist of a 50 minute focused writing session, and a 10 minute break (following the pomodoro, push/pause writing method). Each month will feature a different writing workshop and opportunities to trade chapters and receive feedback. 

> Winter Break Retreat, 1/21 from 12:30-4 in the Woodhead Lounge | RSVP here

> February Writing Retreat, 2/28 from 12:30-4pm in Allbritton 311 | RSVP here

> March Writing Retreat, 3/28 from 12:30-4pm in Allbritton 311 | RSVP here

> Final Push April Writing Reteat, 4/11 from 12:30-4pm in Allbritton 311 | RSVP here

Thesis Mentor Program

Each spring the Writing Center offers a thesis mentoring program in which thesis writers are paired with trained mentors. Each mentor is a veteran writing tutor. Thesis writers and their mentors meet every other week. Mentors can offer writing advice, assist with time management, and help plan or revise thesis chapters. Students paired with a thesis mentor are expected to meet with their mentor at least twice a month (and ideally on a weekly basis) for approximately one hour.

Applications for Spring 2025 are CLOSED. Please check back in December 2024. If you have any questions, please email writingworks@wesleyan.edu.

Resources for Thesis Writers 

As you plan your project:

• Blank Monthly Calendars - Break up your project and set smaller deadlines.
• Blank Weekly Calendar - Feel like there's no time to get started? Track how you already spend your time.
• Daily Planner/ Organizer printable templates
  • Writing Center created
  • Design your own daily planner with your own 
    • with Canva: templates available by subjects/tasks (sign-in with Google for free usage and download)
    • with Creately
• Managing your writing project with digital tools:
  • with Notion
  • with Trello

Having trouble getting started?

• Procrastination - Understand what procrastination is, why it's happening, and how to stop it from taking over your project.
• Apps for staying focused
• Writing Tips for When You're Feeling Stuck 
  • Prompts for stuckers to keep your writing groove and reflect about your project.
  • Short video on feeling stuck in writing by the writing center
• Move From Research To Writing - You can research forever! Use these tips to get writing regularly.
• Before Breakfast Podcast
  • "Choose the ideas that matter most" - Narrow your to-do list to what's most important.
  • "Embrace the thrashing" - Manage and value your time.

Strategies for tackling big projects:

• Mindfulness - Prioritize your body and emotions with some of these ways of incorporating mindfulness into your writing process.
• The Must-Do Method - Get your priorities straight with these quick steps.
• Pomodoro Technique - Stop that overwhelmed feeling from taking over by dividing your time and interspersing breaks.
• Batchotasking - Monotasking and batching are a great team.
• Lists and project management - Which type of list is right for you?

Citations and note-taking software:

• Zotero - Organize your resources and get citations instantly.
• Evernote - Save all sorts of web sources and also make to-do lists.

The basics of citations and style:

• Chicago Turabian Quick Guides - Citation examples from CMOS.
• Chicago Turabian Tip Sheets - Formatting help from CMOS.
• MLA - The basics of MLA from the Purdue OWL.
• APA - The basics of APA from the Purdue OWL.

To hear about other writers' projects:

• Wesleying's Thesis Crazy series
• WESU's "Thesis It!" series

Using all of your languages when writing:

• Reading a lot of material quickly
• Using Foreign Languages in Academic Writing (The Purdue Owl)

Check out some words of wisdom from past thesis writers:

(Find more advice scattered through the guides on this page!)

During drop-add, consider adding a course that’s tangentially related to your thesis topic. It can help you look at your thesis through a different lens, and you might find some fantastic sources you can use in your thesis.
-Former thesis writer, class of 2018

I wrote my thesis in Anthropology and German Studies. A significant portion of it was ethnographic. In the humanities, as well as the more qualitative social studies fields like anthropology, the thinking that you do happens through writing, not beforehand. A lot of people spend a large portion of their thesis year planning what they are going to write about. My strategy was just to keep writing, and it was through the process of writing that I finally landed on what ended up being my central argument in my thesis.

-Anna Apostolidis, class of 2019, Anthropology & German Studies

If conducting an experiment, take advantage of any time you spend waiting to do writing. Write what you can when you can. While waiting on IRB approval, I wrote my introduction and methods. When I got my data, I just had to write results and a discussion. My thesis was done about a month early!

-Katie Vasquez, class of 2020, High Honors in Psychology