Can I finish a master's dissertation thesis in 15 days? (10000-15000 words)

I mean, if you had all the research done then I'd say it wouldn't be too problematic. Average 1000-2000 words a day and leave a couple of days to proofread and edit. It probably won't get you a distinction but you'll at least have something to submit that's passable.

But it sounds like you're not even in a place to begin writing. I think if you are actually interested in doing well, then now is the time for honesty. Request an urgent meeting with your supervisor, say that you simply haven't got the quantity of usable research to write this much, and ask for an extension. Say that you have doubts about this topic even working for you, and ask for their ideas about where to go with it. That is, I think, all you can do, short of cobbling together some vague waffle and made-up citations.

I am supposed to submit my masters dissertation thesis in almost two weeks, but I have not written a word yet, I am doing a systematic review and I am not even done with the final articles. As I am wrapping up my full text reading of the included articles after screening I am realising that I might end up having no articles and none of them seem to fit my inclusion criteria. It is my fault and should have had planned better and not lazed around. I have not done any kind of research before and there was literally no help to figure out how to do one for this dissertation, I did try to figure it out by reading handbooks, framework, guidelines and finished dissertations online, but nothing helped to actually conduct a systematic review on my own. I am now stuck here with almost no time left and the core of my research seem to be failing, but I will try to find a way around it and talk to my supervisor to maybe alter my topic slightly (atleast they will help me with this, if nothing else). I would much appreciate any tips or advice, I am in a real bad place right now. Thanks

Hey there, yes its very possible. All you need to do is plan well, I am sure you are a hardworking student that is why you have good grades. just sacrifice, atleast 2,000 words per day would see you graduate....best wishes....wish I could help

It is definitely doable. Not recommended, but doable. I did mine in three. One day for tables and figures and then two days for the actual writing.

depends on you and on how hard you are willing to work .

I did my undergrads thesis in 20 days research and everything . Got s very good score . It wasn’t pleasant but it is doable

I understand the immense stress you're facing with your masters dissertation, especially with the looming deadline and challenges in your research. It's positive that you plan to consult your supervisor for guidance and potential adjustments to your topic. As you navigate this situation, consider refining your research question, reassessing inclusion criteria, and seeking external input. Prioritize a few key articles for analysis, adapt your approach if necessary, and manage your time diligently. Remember that learning from this experience can be valuable for your future academic pursuits, and seeking support during challenging times is a wise step forward. Stay focused, and you can still make progress within the time available.

I could, what's your subject area and what do you mean by a systematic review?

Top tip, you don't have to write it in order. So tonight you could write your introduction chapter, and what you've realised about the lack of fit with your inclusion criteria in your conclusion... then tomorrow do Lit Review and methodology. Day after results/analysis then conclusion and then a day of spit/polish.

3 days or weeks? Did you a systematic review?

Weeks

3 days or weeks? Did you a systematic review?

I am supposed to submit my masters dissertation thesis in almost two weeks, but I have not written a word yet, I am doing a systematic review and I am not even done with the final articles. As I am wrapping up my full text reading of the included articles after screening I am realising that I might end up having no articles and none of them seem to fit my inclusion criteria. It is my fault and should have had planned better and not lazed around. I have not done any kind of research before and there was literally no help to figure out how to do one for this dissertation, I did try to figure it out by reading handbooks, framework, guidelines and finished dissertations online, but nothing helped to actually conduct a systematic review on my own. I am now stuck here with almost no time left and the core of my research seem to be failing, but I will try to find a way around it and talk to my supervisor to maybe alter my topic slightly (atleast they will help me with this, if nothing else). I would much appreciate any tips or advice, I am in a real bad place right now. Thanks

I am supposed to submit my masters dissertation thesis in almost two weeks, but I have not written a word yet, I am doing a systematic review and I am not even done with the final articles. As I am wrapping up my full text reading of the included articles after screening I am realising that I might end up having no articles and none of them seem to fit my inclusion criteria. It is my fault and should have had planned better and not lazed around. I have not done any kind of research before and there was literally no help to figure out how to do one for this dissertation, I did try to figure it out by reading handbooks, framework, guidelines and finished dissertations online, but nothing helped to actually conduct a systematic review on my own. I am now stuck here with almost no time left and the core of my research seem to be failing, but I will try to find a way around it and talk to my supervisor to maybe alter my topic slightly (atleast they will help me with this, if nothing else). I would much appreciate any tips or advice, I am in a real bad place right now. Thanks

Hi @solidator611

Don’t give up, it’s not easy to do such a large task in a short period of time, but it’s possible to write a dissertation in this time frame.
I know several students (they did lab-based projects, rather than reviews) who wrote their theses in less time, and some were quite good! It can depend on how well you ‘set yourself up’ for this writing period (e.g. one had all her graphs completed and had read a lot of papers, so just needed to put her results into context for the discussion and write down all of her existing knowledge in the introduction).

The most important thing to remember is ‘the longer you spend worrying, the less time you spend working’. Easier said than done, but it’s advice that really helped me! Try to stay motivated, remember why you wanted to do this masters in the first place, and keep a strong support group of friends and family around if you can.

The first thing you should do is ask you supervisor to help you make a plan. Before your next meeting, if you have time, write out several approaches that you think you could take. For example, you could change your inclusion criteria for the review, and read new papers. Or you could slightly change the scope of your thesis (with your supervisors approval) to make the papers you have read ‘fit’. Think about other ways to work around your current problems, and your supervisor (who should have more experience working with the literature and thesis-writing) may have additional suggestions. They will also have a better sense on what is a realistic timeline for your project (compared to strangers on the internet!).

The plan should include a timeline of each part, how long you will spend reading, when you will have your first draft of each section of your thesis completed, if you can get feedback from your supervisor when you will send them each section/draft. Then you will have the big job of ‘writing an entire thesis’ (which seems very daunting) into smaller, more manageable objectives.

The most important thing about reading papers is making notes while you read. It makes writing about those papers so much faster, and finding which paper you need for each section so much easer, if you have those notes. What type of notes and how you take them varies with personal preference, but having a few key sentences summarising what that paper has that is relevant to your project in your own words is vital. From there, having sections highlighted and colour-coded to draw my attention is something I like (e.g. green is for methods, red is for something I’m not sure about, yellow is background knowledge, purple is for the main message/results of the research). It helps me skim through the paper quickly while writing and still get to the most important parts. Other people prefer keywords, writing more extensive summaries, etc. Keep these notes organised (and saved), as having notes is not useful unless you can use them effectively!

Overall, ask for help from your supervisor to make a plan, don’t panic, and make effective notes while reading to make the writing faster.

Best of luck with your thesis,
Ciara
3rd year Agrifood PhD student
Cranfield Student Ambassador