I am by no means an expert on writing large scale documents. Writing one thesis doth not make one an extraordinary writing guru. But I have picked up a couple of tips and general suggestions from my amazing mentors over the past three years, and now if I see such glaring issues, it bothers me greatly. These aren't necessarily easy fixes, but I think they help one's work so much if done properly.
First, don't quote textbooks. Or general history books (especially "concise history" texts). If it's "a social history of...", that might be acceptable, as it has a focus. But if you are trying to sound like an expert on a subject, there is no need to quote someone who is simply summarizing an entire phenomenon. These people might be making huge generalizations, thereby making you look less credible when your discussion is not nuanced as it should be. It's only okay when you are trying to point out the writer's opinion as part of your argument.
Secondly, integrated quotes. Make them your friend. Three block quotes on one page (taking up more room than your commentary) is ridiculous. If it's a primary source and you like it that much, create an appendix with the entire text transcribed. Seriously. It's very likely that I will not read the block quote simply because I want to hear your argument- not someone else's.
I know we all end up counting pages to measure worth. I know its not healthy as the best writing is, more often than not, concise. But please consider throwing out sections that are unnecessary to your argument. I don't need a complete history of music in x era when you are talking about a specific phenomenon. Take out background that you know your audience will be aware of. I think when writing a scholarly tome, one can assume that the reader has a bit of base knowledge on the subject. Our writing is not "pop" writing that appears on bestseller lists. Our readers are genuinely interested in this material. So if you feel compelled, footnote and direct them to other works that have already covered such topics.
And lastly, titles are important. Titles need to represent exactly what the chapter/section is arguing. Titles can change as you are formulating your writing. It's the first and last thing you should consider. Also, if you use an odd phrase or foreign term, explain it. Don't throw out terminology and then never mention it in your text. I base whether or not I read a chapter on the title (I think that's a given for most of us), and if the title doesn't represent the chapter, it is a huge waste of time.
Honestly, through the years I have been collecting thesis/dissertations. Many of the subjects I study have only been covered in an obscure thesis, and so I have quite a number of student research works. I think these tomes are amazing snapshots of budding scholarship. And sometimes, I get frustrated at glaring things that could have been fixed. Now coming out of the aftermath of writing such a document, I realize the stressors, time constraints, and pains it took to just get the blasted thing done. So I can't be too critical. But perhaps these ideas can help future scholars when tackling this dreaded scholarly landmark.
Are there others that people can think of that should be added here?
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