So basically, I haven’t got my mark back yet, but I’ve been re-reading my dissertation… and I’ve noticed that out of 12,000 words, there are 3-4 grammatical mistakes in there which I’ve overlooked. And there’s also an extra blank page in the references section which I forgot to get rid of. Oops.
Will markers judge this harshly? Other than that, the writing is generally pretty good and everything’s well referenced (which I usually suck at, but this time I actually paid close attention to the referencing guide), but I’m worried these few mistakes will cost me dear.
When I re-read my thesis just before my viva (after a 6 month break) - I noticed at least 2 mistakes on every page (and there was 500 pages!). The examiners obviously noticed, but it was fine. It’s not really what they’re marking you on.
read my dissertation again a few months ago, and the whole thing is absolute nonsense, right down to the argument at its core. multiple grammatical mistakes too.
I accidentally put an indefinite article next to a plural
And accidentally repeated a couple of phrases which appear next to each other in the same sentence (I guess a bit like Balonz’s penisdarkness thing or whatever that was).
So basically (and again, I’m veering into borderline panic mode), are you all now saying there’s a chance I might have fucked this up a tiny bit? (because it’s English)
no i’m saying there is absolutely no point in thinking about it and reading it back now instead of just putting it aside until you find out what you’ve got
3-4 grammatical mistakes in 12,000 words is a minor miracle in my book.
Thats a mistake every 3000 words or once every 12 pages in an average sized book. Things have been published with more. Would not worry in the slightest.
Even if you were making mistakes with a high degree of regularity it will only be a small factor in your overall grade. It could well be the difference between a 1st and a 2.1. If its really bad or you were on the borderline it could possibly be the difference between a 2.1 and a 2.2. But it has to be horrific, to the point of illegibility, for you to get a lower third class, never mind a fail.
I remember reading many of the student dissertations kept in the library for reference. They only kept the best. The ones that got firsts, and it wasn’t rare to at all to spot a few errors or so. When you are getting published in a journal you have an editor. The markers know that and care far more about the level of your research and the strength of the argument you are making.
These really arnt big errors. Pretty small stuff. I’m sure they read plenty of dissertations littered with these sorts of errors every year. You should be fine. Nothing you can do now anyway.
After re-reading my dissertation (which I know is bad)… it’s actually quite a few more than that (like 4 times more than that). The first half of my analysis is a bit dodgy (but the other half is flawless) and there are some mistakes towards the end of my Literature Review.
