How I Use Notion for Writing a Thesis
Writing a thesis is a complex (i.e., tangled and cognitively demanding) endeavor that you will need to boldly face at some point in your life if you decide to pursue higher education. How we can go through the thesis writing process can vary extensively. There is the last-minute approach to this task, which requires impulsive action not taking into account plans or disciplined systems to make the process smoother. On the other hand of the spectrum, one can go about writing a thesis in a systematic manner, applying critical thinking and investing some upfront time to the construction of an effective system that leaves space for mindful and process-centered action, reducing hyperactive hive-mind behavior. These two approaches are only at the opposite ends of the continuum, and in between, we can find more nuanced and balanced structures for writing a thesis of value. This article focuses on how to use Notion to build a thesis writing system and workflow.
In this piece, I do not pose myself as an expert on writing a thesis. I am no expert at all in the subject and do not intend to pose myself as such. The main scope of this website is to write about the things that interest me the most, have the potential of adding value to the reader, and foster deep-level thinking. I have built a Notion system for writing a thesis some time ago and used it to write a thesis over about three months, and collaborate with my supervisor, without any anxious last-minute typing or night-time research during the process. This piece aims to illustrate the Thesis Writing Notion template and system, which I also provide the link to at the top and bottom of this page. In this attempt, I will aim to illustrate each component of the thesis research and production processes in Notion that is part of the method shared here. As a consequence, the real value of this Notion guide may lie in the process it entails, which can introduce a lot of efficiency to researching, writing, editing, collaborating, hence contributing to a more intentional, deep thesis writing "adventure." There are three broad areas to this system: research and notes, production, editing. Writing a high-quality dissertation, however, is a more nuanced process composed of often blurred steps. Having a transparent mental model around writing a thesis, to begin with, can significantly enhance the quality of the experience and make things efficient.
Before starting with the thesis production stage, you will need to brainstorm possible research areas to explore (unless you already have a topic to research and write about). This Brainstorming Notion template by Valentin Perez may be helpful for that purpose. Once you have found a topic of interest and delineated a possible first structure, it will be time to begin your thesis writing adventure. Let's begin exploring the Notion template for writing a thesis by deconstructing each key master database composing its backbone, to then explore more in-depth the workflow behind it all.
The backbone of the Thesis Writing Notion system
The Sources and Notes master database
The Sources and Notes master database contains all the resources and notes for the thesis
THE PURPOSE
The Sources and Notes master database is where all the readings we do during the research stage are stored. Its purpose is not only to act as an encyclopedia but also to allow for seamless note-taking on each reading (a crucial process when writing a thesis). Thanks to each database entry being a page in Notion, taking notes inside each reading's page unlocks the systematic organization of information, enhancing mental clarity and providing a clear structure that will be easy to reference in the future (and especially in the production process). Carefully reading and truly understanding at a deep level the topic of the thesis is pivotal in eventually producing something of worth and beauty. While this Notion database also helps keep track of some metadata for the thesis, it is not supposed to replace a referencing tool. In fact, using a reference tool such as Zotero is still crucial to seamlessly export bibliographic references at the end of the thesis writing process. Zotero's browser extension makes the process of capturing readings smooth and efficient (but you will still need to check for possible mistakes in the metadata before exporting all your references).
STRUCTURE OF THE DATABASE
Readings to take notes on will be collected using Notion's browser extension or manually, to then assign to each of them the properties of the Sources and Notes Notion database, which are, besides the link property (URL):
the name of the article/scientific paper/book/...
author(s)/in-body reference metadata (which may be useful to have as a reference in the production stage) (text property)
Type of resource (select property): article/book/scientific paper/video/case study (you can add other types as you see fit)
Status (select property): reading/read
Related Draft (relation property): this one allows to link each reading with the related chapter of the thesis
The available views for this database are: list, table, board view grouped by Type.
TEMPLATES FOR NEW READINGS
When capturing or manually creating a new reading entry, using one of the templates included within the database allows for uniform visual categorization of each resource (by assigning the same icon to each reading belonging to the same category - e.g., every "article" has the same icon).
THE NOTE-TAKING PROCESS
After having assigned all the necessary metadata to the captured reading, you can use the dedicated page to take as detailed notes as you want. The backlinks feature of Notion unleashes the possibility to "link" readings with each other when similarities and connections arise (using the in-body cross-reference triggered by "@+name of the page", or the overall backlink feature triggered by "/link to page".
RELATING EACH READING WITH THE CORRESPONDING DRAFT
One of the most relevant properties of the Sources and Notes database is the "Related to Draft" property, which is a relation type allowing to allocate each reading to its related chapter or part of the thesis. This relation can also include more than one chapter (one-to-many relation), and it is assigned right after having captured a new reading.
The Thesis Drafts master database
The Thesis Drafts Notion master database is where the production stage takes place
THE PURPOSE
The Thesis Drafts database is the second key component of this system. This is where the actual writing occurs. Its purpose is to store the different chapters of the thesis while relating them with the corresponding resources.
STRUCTURE OF THE DATABASE
This is a rather straightforward database whose primary form is a board that allows categorizing each chapter of the thesis by status. The properties you can find in this database are:
Name of the draft/chapter → this is the page where the writing process takes place
Status (select property) → it can be
planned,in progress,reviewing,complete.Sources (relation property) → this is where the readings related to each chapter live
THE WRITING PROCESS
The writing process is an iterative one, as far as I can tell. Tackling one chapter/thesis part at a time seems to be the most optimal way to proceed and is the principle behind this system. Focusing on one section allows channeling all the attention to that single topic while referencing all the readings and necessary resources on one task. This can increase organization and clear-mindedness. As dr. Peterson points out in his "essay writing guide", the writing process is an iterative one made of two main components: production and editing (before these there is the research stage). Production is all about laying out all the ideas and arguments you want to form the basis of your work. Editing comes after production (following the first draft, which is quick and dirty) and is a separate function. Trying to produce and edit at the same time is a recipe for slowness and inefficiency. It does not matter how many grammar mistakes are in the first draft. The editing process will take care of those. The scope of the first draft is to organize all your ideas and have a substantial body of content, which will be refined properly during the editing stage. In the context of the Thesis Writing Notion template, the production and editing processes take place inside each chapter's pages. When a section is "in progress," this corresponds to the production stage. When in "review," the editing process kicks off (often carried out by your supervisor/s).
The thesis actions dashboard → the Notion hub for working on the thesis research, production, and editing processes
The thesis actions dashboard in Notion is where all the necessary information from the master databases flows
While so far we have analyzed the building blocks of the "Thesis Writing" Notion system, the Action Dashboard is where I spent most of the time. This centralized dashboard is as minimal as it can get. Its purpose is to display the most relevant information at any given time. There are two main areas in the actions dashboard: a board displaying the resources to read related to the specific thesis section you are working on and cards showing the draft whose status is "in progress" (i.e., you are currently writing). This allows only focusing on what's essential at any given moment, reducing clutter and minimizing friction in the thesis writing process. Once you have concluded reading a resource, you can mark it as "read", and it will be sent to the "already read" repository toggle at the bottom of the page. Each time you move on to another chapter of the thesis, you can update the board's content by changing the applied filters.
Collaborating on the Thesis in Notion
As mentioned earlier in the article, the editing process of a thesis is often carried out by a supervisor. Collaborating in Notion with this system set up can be seamless and convenient if that's your objective. While the Thesis Writing system may represent the "backend" of your dissertation research and production, you can use linked databases in Notion to share the "reviewing" chapters with your supervisor. This is what I did during my thesis writing process. Here is a possible step-by-step plan of actions for collaborating on a thesis project with your supervisor:
If your supervisor does not know what Notion is, you will first need to compellingly propose the use of the app for collaboration (don't forget to mention that their personal pro plan is free to use for academics and students if they use their ".edu" email address)
If your proposal is accepted, you can create a centralized page where you and your supervisor can collaborate smoothly. This page must be simple, easy to navigate, clear in its purpose and sections. You can invite your supervisor via email (more information on how to share and collaborate on a page in Notion here)
On the centralized dashboard, you can create a section where you will 'create a linked database' of your "Thesis Drafts" table, filtered to show only those pages whose status is "reviewing." In this way, only those pages that your supervisor will need to work on will be on the page (hence reducing useless clutter). At the top of the centralized collaboration page, you may link to essential Notion guides for the editing process (e.g., how to use comments in Notion). Optionally, you can create a specific section of the page dedicated to Q&A (maybe using toggles)
The purpose of the centralized collaboration hub is to create an intuitive process around the thesis writing project. This can significantly reduce hyperactive hive mind behavior and unscheduled, asynchronous conversation (which is a crucial advantage of setting up systems, as prof. Cal Newport emphasizes in his recent book "A World Without Email"). However, for this seamless process to work, you will need to communicate how you plan on proceeding with the works to your supervisor.
RESOURCES & ADDITIONAL READINGS
Essay Writing Guide | dr. Jordan B. Peterson
A World Without Email | Cal Newport
