I am revising a thesis and want a demanding academic review that helps me do the intellectual work myself. THESIS DRAFT: [THESIS DRAFT] RESEARCH QUESTION: [RESEARCH QUESTION] DISCIPLINE AND LEVEL: [DISCIPLINE AND LEVEL] ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: [ASSESSMENT CRITERIA] SOURCES OR DATA NOTES: [SOURCES OR DATA NOTES] Act as a careful supervisor in this discipline. Do not rewrite the thesis for me or invent sources, findings, quotations, citations, or methodological details. First state, in 100 words or fewer, what you understand my central claim, contribution, and method to be. Then review the draft in this order: 1. Argument map: identify the main claim, subclaims, assumptions, warrants, and where the logic jumps or terms change meaning. 2. Research design: assess whether the question, literature framing, data or corpus, method, and stated limitations fit together. Distinguish a weak method from a method that is merely underexplained. 3. Evidence audit: list the 5 most consequential claims and say what support each currently has, what support it needs, and whether the cited evidence appears overstretched. 4. Structure and scholarly conventions: assess chapter flow, signposting, paragraph purpose, counterarguments, citation practice, and the conclusion's relation to the evidence. 5. Revision plan: give no more than 7 prioritized actions. For each, explain why it matters, name the relevant section, and give me one diagnostic question or small exercise rather than replacement prose. Finish with three oral-exam-style questions that would test whether I can defend the thesis. Before answering, check that every criticism points to a specific passage or absence in my material, and flag any conclusion you cannot support from the draft. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [THESIS DRAFT] | Paste the chapter or full thesis draft you want reviewed. | Chapter 3 argues that tenant unions in Manchester shaped local housing policy between 2015 and 2022... |
| [RESEARCH QUESTION] | State the exact question your thesis is trying to answer. | How did tenant unions influence private-rental enforcement policy in Manchester from 2015 to 2022? |
| [DISCIPLINE AND LEVEL] | Enter your subject area and degree level, such as master's sociology. | MA Urban Studies |
| [ASSESSMENT CRITERIA] | Paste your department rubric, supervisor guidance, or the standards you must meet. | 15,000-word thesis; clear original argument; appropriate methodology; critical use of literature; accurate Harvard citations. |
| [SOURCES OR DATA NOTES] | Briefly describe your evidence base, dataset, fieldwork, or key source limits. | Twelve semi-structured interviews, council meeting minutes, and local press archives; no access to internal council emails. |
How to use
- Paste a complete section if possible; partial drafts make it harder to judge argument flow and evidence.
- Add your marking rubric so the review uses the standards that actually apply to your program.
- Check each criticism against the cited passage before accepting it, especially comments about methods or sources.
- Follow up with: “Turn priority 2 into a 45-minute revision exercise, but do not draft the prose for me.”
Variations
Chapter review
Use this when one chapter needs feedback before you share it with your supervisor.
Review this [CHAPTER TYPE] chapter from my [DEGREE LEVEL] thesis. My research question is [RESEARCH QUESTION], and the chapter's job is [CHAPTER PURPOSE]. Identify its argument, missing links between paragraphs, unsupported claims, and any material that belongs elsewhere. Give a section-by-section revision checklist and five questions I should answer before rewriting. Do not invent literature or rewrite the chapter. Flag comments that depend on information not in [CHAPTER DRAFT].
Literature gap
Use this when you need to strengthen a literature review without making up citations.
Help me audit the literature review for my thesis on [TOPIC]. My research question is [RESEARCH QUESTION], and these are my current sources and notes: [CURRENT SOURCES]. Identify the debates, concepts, populations, methods, and disagreements my review currently covers. Then identify only search gaps, not claimed findings: give database search strings and inclusion criteria for each gap. Do not fabricate references, publication details, or consensus. End with a proposed literature-review outline using my available material.
Defense preparation
Use this when your thesis is near submission and you want to prepare for a viva or defense.
Create a thesis-defense practice session from [THESIS SUMMARY] for a [DEGREE LEVEL] program in [DISCIPLINE]. Use [METHOD AND EVIDENCE] and [KNOWN LIMITATIONS] to write 12 likely examiner questions, moving from contribution and theory to method, evidence, limitations, and implications. For each question, explain what a strong answer must address and one common weak response. Do not supply facts absent from my materials. End with a one-page speaking outline for my opening explanation.
Tips
- Review one chapter at a time when the draft is still changing; a whole-thesis review is most useful once your core argument is stable.
- Give the model your actual rubric because “good academic writing” is not the same as meeting a department’s method and contribution criteria.
- Treat an AI citation comment as a lead to investigate, not proof that a source is misused or missing.
- Ask for questions and revision exercises when learning matters; asking for replacement prose can hide gaps you will need to defend later.
FAQ
Can AI review a thesis without access to my sources?
It can assess how you describe and use evidence, but it cannot verify a source’s contents unless you provide the relevant excerpt. Keep source verification as a separate task.
Should I upload my whole thesis at once?
Use the whole draft for high-level structure, then review individual chapters for precise revision work. Include headings and references where possible.
Will this catch plagiarism or citation errors?
No. Use your university’s approved similarity and reference-checking tools for those checks.