The first draft is only the start of the writing-up process for a PhD thesis. Editing, revision and a careful look at presentation are key to producing good work.
Think about how our project, our discipline and the wider intellectual world have changed or are likely to change since we came up with working title. Is the current title going to have the same fashionable connotations it once did ? Is it going to stand up in the future ?
We have to make thesis more readable by checking spelling, grammar and phrasing, as well as font sizes of headings and subheadings, the referencing format and the labelling of figures and illustrations. We need to leave a good few weeks for this work.
Editing is notoriously hard work, for which one must have untired eyes and a well-rested brain. We set aside a few weeks to check mechanical issues such as spelling. By the time return to editing, we should be removed enough to see where changes are needed.
We have to read work aloud because it helps to appreciate whether writing makes sense. It is also important to check citations for ambiguity. We cannot rely on the examiners knowing the work of all the authors we are referring to.
It has been recommended to save small-scale edits until we have finished thesis, but we should not leave everything to do with presentation until the last minute. We should find out what the conventions are for writing a thesis in our discipline early on by talking to supervisor and looking at theses produced by others.
Writing thesis should be a constant process of drafting and revision. Between ten and 20 drafts of each chapter is typical. We need to keep a potential reader in mind. While supervisor knows about our research, the examiners will need to be persuaded that our approach is valid.
We need to state explicitly how work makes a contribution to knowledge. Point this out in conclusion and check to ensure that the chapters add up to this conclusion. The concluding sections of the main chapters need to link to themes discussed in the opening chapter.
The theme that each conclusion links to should be wholly relevant to the specific materials in that chapter and also adapted to the role that the chapter plays in the thesis as a whole.
Assign one function to each chapter and make sure that this role does not overlap with those of its neighbours- say it once; say it right.
The main text of the thesis should be about four fifths of the formal university word limit, leaving the rest for the bibliography, notes, appendices, preface and acknowledgements.
- If cuts are necessary, we should try to make edits in the introductory chapters to safeguard the core of the thesis.
- If we find ourself making substantial changes and dropping what our thought were important concepts in favour of new themes at this stage- don't worry !
We can see what works and what doesn't only when we see the complete thesis. But we should not lose faith in what we have done or be tempted to go off in another direction entirely.
The General Idea:
- A thesis is a hypothesis or conjecture.
- A PhD dissertation is a lengthy, formal document that argues in defense of a particular thesis. (So many people use the term thesis to refer to the document that a current dictionary now includes it as the third meaning of thesis).
Two important adjectives used to describe a dissertation are "original and substantial". The research performed to support a thesis must be both, and the dissertation must show it to be so.
In particular, a dissertation highlights original contributions. The scientific method means starting with a hypothesis and then collecting evidence to support or deny it. Before one can write a dissertation defending a particular thesis, one must collect evidence that supports it. Thus, the most difficult aspect of writing a dissertation consists of organizing the evidence and associated discussions into a coherent form.
The essence of a dissertation is critical thinking, not experimental data. Analysis and concepts form the heart of the work. A dissertation concentrates on principles: it states the lessons learned, and not merely the facts behind them.
In general, every statement in a dissertation must be supported either by a reference to published scientific literature or by original work. Moreover, a dissertation does not repeat the details of critical thinking and analysis found in published sources; it uses the results as fact and refers the reader to the source for further details.
Each sentence in a dissertation must be complete and correct in a grammatical sense. Moreover, a dissertation must satisfy the stringent rules of formal grammar (e.g., no contractions, no colloquialisms, no slurs, no undefined technical jargon, no hidden jokes, and no slang, even when such terms or phrases are in common use in the spoken language).
Indeed, the writing in a dissertaton must be crystal clear. Shades of meaning matter; the terminology and prose must make fine distinctions. The words must convey exactly the meaning intended, nothing more and nothing less.
Each statement in a dissertation must be correct and defensible in a logical and scientific sense. Moreover, the discussions in a dissertation must satisfy the most stringent rules of logic applied to mathematics and science.
What One Should Learn From The Exercise:
All scientists need to communicate discoveries; the PhD dissertation provides training for communication with other scientists. Writing a dissertation requires a student to think deeply, to organize technical discussion, to muster arguments that will convince other scientists, and to follow rules for rigorous, formal presentation of the arguments and discussion.
A Rule Of Thumb:
Good writing is essential in a dissertation. However, good writing cannot compensate for a paucity of ideas or concepts. Quite the contrary, a clear presentation always exposes weaknesses.
Definitions And Terminology:
Each technical term used in a dissertation must be defined either by a reference to a previously published definition (for standard terms with their usual meaning) or by a precise, unambiguous definition that appears before the term is used (for a new term or a standard term used in an unusual way).
Each term should be used in one and only one way throughout the dissertation. The easiest way to avoid a long series of definitions is to include a statement: the terminology used throughout this document follows that given in [CITATION]. Then, only define exceptions. The introductory chapter can give the intuition (i.e., informal definitions) of terms provided they are defined more precisely later.
Further information:
- Patrick Dunleavy, Authoring a PhD: How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation, Palgrave Study Guides, 2003.
- Rowena Murray, How to Write a Thesis, Second edition, Open University Press, 2006.