Thesis Kit: from Outline to Defense
From a vague topic to a thesis you can defend: research question, outline and work plan to the deadline, feedback on your chapters and defense practice.
Really tested. The prompts were tested with Claude Opus 5.5 on realistic cases and refined after testing. Below is the untouched result of the final test on October 22, 2026.
What's in the kit
- From topic to research question, with method and questions for your advisor
- Annotated outline and a work plan built backward from the deadline, with source search
- Feedback on a chapter you wrote, without rewriting it
- Presentation outline, slides and a mock defense, one question at a time
Preview of the first prompt
I am working on my [senior thesis / honors thesis / master's thesis / capstone project] in [major or program]. Topic I have in mind: """ [describe the topic in your own words, even if it is still vague] """ What my advisor has told me so far: [feedback received, or "I haven't talked to them yet"] Kind of project I can do: [literature based / empirical with data I collect / lab or field work / I don't know] Material or access I already have: [books read, data, a company or school where I can do interviews, a lab...] Time until the deadline: [months or date] Act as a demanding but kind mentor. Your job is to help me think, not to decide for me. If important information is missing, first ask me up to 4 questions and wait for my answers. Then give me: 1. Three ways to narrow the topic, from the simplest to the most ambitious, one line each. …
Real example result
The test case (fictional people and companies)
Maya Chen (made up name) is a senior writing an honors thesis in Environmental Studies at a public university in Oregon. Her advisor approved a question on how community gardens on Portland's east side recruit and keep volunteers, narrowed to three gardens. On October 22 she fills in Prompt 2: about 40 pages in APA, full draft due February 1, final deadline March 5, 10 hours a week, finals in December and a longer winter break.
What the AI answered
Thesis plan: volunteer recruitment and retention in three east Portland community gardens
I've built this plan around your advisor's suggestion to study three gardens rather than the whole city. Everything below covers planning and searching only. I haven't written any thesis content, and I haven't named any specific sources.