Choosing Mistakes

It’s likely there will be mistakes of some kind in your thesis.

Writing is hard. Proofreading is hard. Add to that hundreds of references and three or more years of research and it overwhelmingly likely that there are mistakes in your thesis.

It’s not your fault but you are responsible. Your examiners will most likely ask you to correct mistakes as a condition for you passing your viva and achieving your PhD. When they ask for this what they’re really doing is giving you an opportunity: would you like to make the best possible version of your thesis given the circumstances?

Given that you have spent years of work, a long time writing and a very long time thinking, here’s just a short time to make a final version. Finished, for good.

No-one wants mistakes or to have to correct them.

Which is better though: hoping and hoping for the small chance that you have no mistakes or trying your best and accepting that you’ll have some to amend?

Make your choice.