How do I find a mentor for my thesis or dissertation?

1:1 research mentoring for your thesis or dissertation: a discipline-matched expert guides your topic, proposal, methodology, and data analysis across a phased journey, while you research and write every word yourself.

Direct answer: Match with someone who has already supervised research in your discipline. A MAAS mentor guides you phase by phase, locking your topic and research question, shaping the proposal your university requires, then reviewing each chapter you write. You do the research and the writing; the mentor sets direction and challenges weak reasoning.

What is MAAS Academic Mentoring?

MAAS Academic Mentoring pairs you with a senior discipline-matched expert who guides your thesis or dissertation from first idea through proposal, chapters, and data analysis while you research and write every word yourself.

Three roles stay distinct throughout. Your supervisor approves your topic, proposal, and final thesis. Your mentor guides, gives feedback, and reviews, but never writes the thesis for you. You remain the sole author of everything you submit.

This is Group B · Advisory. Outcomes owned by third parties, such as your supervisor's decision or your defense panel, sit outside MAAS's control, but MAAS commits to expert calibre and process quality at every phase.

Who is academic mentoring for?

Academic mentoring suits master's, MBA, PhD, and DBA candidates writing a thesis or dissertation over several months who need to lock a topic and proposal, hands-on methodology and data support, or preparation for viva.

• Master's, MBA, PhD, and DBA candidates writing a thesis, dissertation, or capstone over several months
• Students who need to lock a topic and a proposal their supervisor will approve, rather than receive a finished draft
• Researchers who want hands-on methodology and data support, SPSS, R, public datasets, modelling, not only general writing advice
• Candidates preparing, in time, for viva, defense, or comprehensive exams

What do you get with academic mentoring?

With academic mentoring, you walk away from each phase with a concrete deliverable you authored yourself, guided by a discipline-matched expert who provides methodology coaching, hands-on data support, session recordings, and structured feedback on every draft.

• A discipline-matched expert who guides your project phase by phase
• Concrete deliverables you author at each phase: a locked topic and research question, a proposal or exposé on your university's template, a chapter outline, and analysed data
• Methodology coaching across quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods
• Hands-on data support where your study needs it: data-collection strategy, statistical analysis, and model building
• A guided literature search to your school's standard, plus structured feedback on every draft you submit
• A recording of each session, with cameras off for privacy, sent to you afterwards to revisit at any time
• Support that continues into chapter writing (literature review, methodology, findings, discussion, and conclusion), with finalisation and viva rehearsal when you reach that stage, and every draft reviewed before it goes to your supervisor

How it works

Academic mentoring moves through a free kick-off, then phased stages covering topic direction, proposal or exposé, outline and data analysis, chapter writing, finalisation, and viva rehearsal, each stage engaged only once you reach it.

1. Complimentary kick-off: meet your expert, map your supervisor's requirements and your university's template, and agree the meeting schedule. This onboarding session is free and is not counted as a paid meeting.
2. Phase 1 · Topic and research direction: test the feasibility of your candidate topics, decide your data strategy (supervisor-provided data, a public dataset, or your own collection), and shape your preliminary research question and method.
3. Phase 2 · Proposal or exposé: sharpen the research gap, formalise your research questions and methodological framework, and build the proposal on your university's template. Your mentor reviews each draft before it reaches your supervisor.
4. Phase 3 · Outline and data analysis: structure your chapters, then work hands-on through your data: statistical analysis, modelling, and the results that anchor your argument.
5. Writing your chapters: write your literature review, methodology, findings, discussion, and conclusion. Your mentor coaches the critical depth and justification examiners look for, and reviews each draft before it reaches your supervisor.
6. Finalisation and submission: referencing and formatting, an originality self-check before you submit, and the required appendices, so your manuscript is submission-ready.
7. Viva and defense: a mock viva with anticipated questions and rehearsing how you present your contribution; for doctoral work, post-viva corrections and publication support follow.

Between meetings you work on focused tasks set by your mentor and submit each one for review first, so your supervisor only ever sees work the two of you have refined together. The cadence is flexible and agreed at the kick-off, because a topic phase and a data phase rarely move at the same speed. Each stage after your proposal is engaged as you reach it, so the journey scales to where you are.

How does MAAS scope your project before the kick-off?

Before your mentor is matched, MAAS confirms your academic level, country and institution, discipline, supervisor requirements, and university template against your actual documents rather than a summary, so the kick-off starts from an accurate picture.

• Academic level, country, institution, and the discipline your topic sits in
• Your university's thesis or dissertation template, and any structure it mandates
• Supporting documents, meaning the module handbook, reading list, and any sample your supervisor has approved
• Your submission timeline, and any interim milestones your supervisor already expects

Anything missing goes back to you before the kick-off is booked. Your personal details and your supervisor's details are masked before anything reaches a mentor.

What questions shape your kick-off conversation?

At kick-off, MAAS works through the same questions worth asking yourself before a research project starts: what stage you're at, what your supervisor expects, and how you plan to handle data.

• Is your topic chosen, supervisor-approved and fixed, or is it still open to guidance?
• Is there a proposal or exposé, and has it been approved?
• Is there a schedule for sending work to your supervisor, and at which milestones?
• Does your university set a required structure and a word count per chapter?
• Is there an ethics form, and do you need help with it?
• Primary or secondary research, and what data-collection method?
• Quantitative or qualitative, and which analysis software?
• Can you share your university's referencing guide and your supervisor's profile?
• Do you have a module handbook, reading list, or library access for the literature search?

Viva or defense preparation is arranged as a later phase, once you reach it, and is scoped separately.

How does MAAS match your mentor to your project?

A mentor is chosen for the research, not for the calendar. MAAS looks at your exact subject area, a mentor whose academic level sits strictly above yours, the right country's academic system, and evidence of an equivalent module completed to a Distinction or higher.

• Exact discipline match, not an adjacent one
• Country and academic system (UK, US, Australian, or Canadian), which shapes how an argument is expected to be built
• Whether they can hold a research conversation over months, returning to the same argument as it develops
• Ongoing measurement on guidance quality, reliability, and client satisfaction, never on volume produced

Read the full vetting standard and the dissertation scoping checklist on how MAAS works.

Mentor identity and records stay restricted and are never shared with clients.

What is the reschedule policy?

MAAS allows one reschedule for packages of five to nine sessions, two for ten to fourteen sessions, and three for fifteen or more, provided you notify your mentor at least eight hours beforehand.

• 1 reschedule allowed for packages of 5–9 sessions
• 2 reschedules for packages of 10–14 sessions
• 3 reschedules for packages of 15+ sessions
• Notifications must be 8+ hours before the session

What does MAAS commit to?

MAAS commits to discipline-matched experts verified through a three-stage vetting process, on-time and structured guidance at every phase, full confidentiality of your materials and identity, and a recording of every session.

• Discipline-matched experts verified through the three-stage MAAS vetting process
• On-time attendance and structured, high-quality guidance at every phase
• Confidentiality of all materials and conversations, with your identity protected on every call
• A recording of every session, retained and shared for your reference

What does MAAS not commit to?

MAAS does not commit to specific grade outcomes on assignments or exams you take separately, nor to your supervisor's acceptance of any coached approach, since your supervisor always remains the ultimate decision-maker.

• Specific grade outcomes on assignments or exams you take separately
• Acceptance by your supervisor of any specific approach we coach, your supervisor remains the decision-maker

Deep dive

For a longer narrative on how dissertation mentoring works at MAAS, including the supervisor-feedback translation workflow, viva preparation cycle, and three-tier outcome guarantee, see our Dissertation Mentoring resource hub.

Want a mentor in your discipline? Book a free 15-minute discovery, support@maasedtech.com or +84 979 422 393 (Zalo / WhatsApp).

Frequently asked questions

Academic mentoring pairs you with a discipline-matched expert who guides your thesis through phased stages while you research and write every word yourself, which is the opposite delivery model from Academic Support's model-draft pipeline.

What does a mentoring engagement include?
A discipline-matched expert who guides your research project through clear phases: topic and research question, proposal or exposé, then outline and data analysis. Each phase produces a deliverable you author, your mentor reviews every draft, and you receive a recording of each session. You drive the work; the mentor advises.

How is mentoring different from Academic Support?
The delivery model is the opposite. Academic Support (Group A) follows an outline-to-draft-to-final pipeline and delivers a structured model draft, with a grade-committed tier. Mentoring (Group B) is phased advisory for master's and PhD-level research: you research and write every word yourself while your expert guides the direction, reviews your drafts, and supports your methodology and data. One hands you a draft to learn from; the other coaches you to produce your own.

Will the mentor write my dissertation?
No. Your mentor coaches methodology, structure, and argument, and reviews what you write, but you remain the sole author of every chapter. Any example wording shared in a session is illustrative only and must be rewritten in your own words, in line with your university's rules.

Do you provide hands-on data analysis?
Yes, where your study calls for it. Mentoring covers data-collection strategy, statistical analysis in tools such as SPSS or R, and model building, for example a cost-effectiveness model with sensitivity analysis. Your mentor guides the method and helps you interpret the output; you run and own the analysis in your thesis.

Does mentoring continue through the whole dissertation, including writing and the viva?
Yes. Mentoring can run the full journey. After your topic, proposal, and data analysis, your expert guides each chapter you write (literature review, methodology, findings, discussion, and conclusion), then finalisation: referencing, formatting, and an originality self-check before submission, followed by viva or defense rehearsal. You write every chapter yourself; your mentor reviews each draft and coaches the critical depth and justification that examiners look for. Later stages are arranged as add-on phases as you reach them.

Can I prepare for my viva with MAAS?
Yes. Viva and defense rehearsal with mock questions is part of the mentoring journey once you reach that stage.

Do you mentor Vietnamese international students studying in the UK?
Yes. MAAS runs remote one-on-one academic mentoring for Vietnamese and international students in the UK, in English and Vietnamese, matched to your discipline. We coach structure, critical argument, and academic English so you build the skill; you stay the author of your work.

Do you offer academic mentoring for international students in Singapore?
Yes. MAAS provides remote academic mentoring for international students in Singapore, working around NUS, NTU, and SMU assessment calendars. Sessions run in English and Vietnamese; we coach structure, methodology, and academic English while you remain the author and submitter of your own work.

Is academic mentoring the same as an essay-writing service?
No. Mentoring coaches you on structure, argument, methodology, and academic English while you research and write your own work. A service that writes the assignment for you is an integrity risk and teaches you nothing, MAAS does not do that.