Writing your thesis

A number of resources are available to help you prepare and present your dissertation or thesis, and decide where to publish your work.

Research skills

The Library provides advice and guidance on different aspects of the research process; 

• advanced search techniques
• citation searching
• advanced evaluation
• keeping up to date with the literature in your field
• training and support in the use of EndNote and other bibliographic management software

The Open University Graduate School Network (GSN) supports OU research students in developing skills they will need to pursue and complete their doctorates successfully and on time.

Writing research papers and dissertations

The OU Library Search can be used to find material on preparing and presenting dissertations and theses by searching for the subject heading Dissertations, Academic Handbooks, manuals.

Where to publish

Your supervisor will advise on where to submit material for publication. However, you might find the ISI Journal Citation Reports (JCR) a useful source of information. Click on "Journal Citation Reports" on the ISI Web of Knowledge Interface.

You can use JCR to generate a list of journals in your subject area ranked by their 'impact factor' a ratio based on the number of times a journal article is cited in academic literature. Journals with high impact factors may receive greater exposure and notice than articles in lower rated titles.