Think About Your Readers' Needs
Whatever you are writing, your aim should be to make your text as clear as possible – to present your ideas clearly and concisely and to avoid ambiguity or redundancy. Achieving this becomes easier the more you practise writing and begin to develop your confidence in your writing style.
If it is something you are still having problems with, try adopting these very basic rules as you write your thesis:
avoid excessively long sentences
do not use a difficult word where a simple one will do
use punctuation correctly to aid the sense of your writing
use paragraphs to break your text into logically self-contained units
To guide your readers through your thesis it should include a system of "signposts” – things that explicitly or implicitly tell the reader what to expect. Signposts that you can use in your thesis are:
a detailed table of contents
a well written abstract
an introductory section/chapter for the thesis as a whole
an introductory paragraph for each individual section/chapter
a consistent system of headings and sub-headings
Remember that your thesis is telling a story – your original contribution to knowledge in your discipline. It should be clear from the very start what your original contribution to knowledge is and each section/chapter should then help to tell that story.
Finally, your readers will expect your thesis to be fully and accurately referenced. For more advice, read the University's Avoiding Plagiarism Study Guide and the Referencing and Bibliographies Study Guide. Ask your supervisors if you are unsure of the conventions for referencing in your discipline.
Remember Basic Rules for Good Written English
It is important that you pay attention to the basic rules for good written English - accurate spelling and correct use of grammar and punctuation.
Errors of spelling are best avoided by careful proof reading - and you should never rely simply on your word processor's spell check function. Proof reading is something you should allow time for as part of your structure for re-drafting your work - do not expect your supervisors to do your proof reading for you.
Grammar and punctuation can be more difficult to get right, particularly if English is not your first language. For more advice, read the University's Grammar Study Guides: