cs-self-learning/docs/必学工具/thesis.en.md

Thesis Writing

Why I Wrote This Tutorial

In 2022, I graduated from my college. When I started writing my thesis, I embarrassingly realized that my command of Word was limited to basic functions like adjusting fonts and saving documents. I considered switching to LaTeX, but formatting requirements for the thesis were more conveniently handled in Word. After a painful struggle, I finally completed the writing and defense of my thesis. To prevent others from following in my footsteps, I compiled relevant resources into a ready-to-use document for everyone's reference.

How to Write a Graduation Thesis in Word

Just as it takes three steps to put an elephant in a fridge, writing a graduation thesis in Word also requires three simple steps:

1. Determine the Format Requirements of the Thesis: Usually, colleges will provide the formatting requirements for theses (font and size for headings, sections, formatting of figures and citations, etc.), and if you're lucky, they might even provide a thesis template (if so, jump to the next step). Unfortunately, my college did not issue standard format requirements and provided a chaotic and almost useless template. Out of desperation, I found the thesis format requirements of Peking University graduate students and created a template based on their guidelines. Feel free to use it, but I take no responsibility for any issues for using it.

2. Learn Word Formatting: At this stage, you either have a standard template provided by your college or just a vague set of formatting requirements. Now, the priority is to learn basic Word formatting skills. If you have a template, learn to use it; if not, learn to create one. Remember, there's no need to ambitiously start with a lengthy Word tutorial video. A half-hour tutorial is enough to get started for creating a passable academic paper. I watched a concise and practical Bilibili tutorial video, which is very useful for a quick start.

3. Produce Academic Work: The easiest step. Everyone has their own way, so unleash your creativity. Best wishes for a smooth graduation!