ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses four clusters of issues which can directly impact on second language speakers writing a thesis or dissertation in English. Those issues are: emotional issues, behavioural issues, rhetorical issues and social issues. All students writing a research thesis face the new challenge of having to manage large amounts of text across a lengthy period of time–80,000 words is the typical length of a doctoral thesis or dissertation in many countries. For many students, writing a thesis or dissertation will be the first time they have had to consider rhetorical issues of this nature while managing and structuring such a large amount of text. Many writers struggle with writing as they erroneously believe writing is a creative and spontaneous act: that they can only write when they are inspired. In fact, as E. Zerubavel argues in his highly recommended study of successful writers, writing needs to become a habit.
