completing your thesis (hass) 18th february 2016
TRANSCRIPT
COMPLETIN
G YOUR TH
ESIS
(HASS)
K E L L Y P R E E C E
R E S E A R C H E R D E V E L O P M E N T P R O G R A M M E M A N A G E R
( P G R S )
Venue: Forum Street
Showcase dates: 25 - 27 April
Postgraduate Research Showcase 2016
More information can be found at: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/events/postgraduateresearchshowcase2016/
/
Submission closing date: Friday 18 March
An 80,000 word thesiswould take 9 hours to present. Their time limit… 3 minutes
Three Minute Thesis CompetitionApplications Open 15th February 2016
Applications Close 1st April 2016, 5pm GMTMore information: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/rdp/funding/3minutethesis/
COURSE CONTENT
Taking stockProject managing the write-up Structuring your thesisDrafting and managing feedbackExaminationGoal setting
PADLET
http://padlet.com/UofE_RD/completingyourthesisHASS18_02_2016
PART 1: TAKING STOCK
REVIEW YOUR WRITING PROGRESS TO DATE
• What stage are you at with your write-up?• What have you achieved so far? • Are you experiencing any issues with your
progress? • What do you still have left to do?
PART 2: PROJECT MANAGING THE WRITE-UP
SO…
You’ve conducted your primary research. You’ve analysed your findings. You’ve identified your original contribution to knowledge. You’re ready to write your thesis!
TASK 1:
Produce a mind map of everything you need to do, from planning right up until submission
Think about:• Key milestones• When should they occur
TASK 2:
Produce a ‘drill down’ for your task. Consider:• What are the different activities/stages of
completing that task? • How long will each activity take?• In what order should they occur?
RISK ANALYSIS
GANTT CHARTS
TASK 3: PROJECT MANAGE A CHAPTERSet timescale List and organise content Identify key message and subheadingsPlot skeletonDraftEmploy some ‘critical friends’Step awayRe-draft and re-draft again
SOME TIPS
Make sure your activities are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Bound)
Drill down – keep tasks small not bigBuild slack in to your planDon’t forget to build in the re-drafts!
PART 3: STRUCTURING YOUR THESIS
EXETER REGULATIONSSEQUENCE: Material should be arranged in the following sequence:- Title Page, with declaration- Abstract- List of Contents- List of Tables, Illustrations, etc (if any)- List of accompanying material (if any)- Author's declaration - Definitions (if any, being a list of definitions of any terms specific to the work); abbreviations (if any)- Introduction (when 2.2 applies)- Text (divided into chapters, sections, etc)- Appendices (if any)- Glossary (if any)- Bibliography- Index (if any)
From: Presentation of Theses/Dissertations for Degrees in the Faculty of Graduate Research: Statement of Procedures
BASIC STRUCTURES Overview of PhD
Literature Review
Methods
Theme oneeg class
Theme twoeg gender
Theme threeeg race
Conclusion/drawing strands together
BASIC STRUCTURES
Introduction + Literature Review + a little theory/methodology
Conclusion/drawing strands together
Topic one•Introduction• Methods• ResultsDiscussion
Topic two •Introduction• Methods• ResultsDiscussion
Topic three•Introduction• Methods• ResultsDiscussion
Topic four •Introduction• Methods• ResultsDiscussion
Topic five •Introduction• Methods• ResultsDiscussion
BASIC STRUCTURES Introduction
Topic one• Introduction• Lit review• Results• Discussion
Topic two• Introduction• Lit review• Results• Discussion
Conclusion/drawing strands together
Methods
Topic three• Introduction• Lit review• Results• Discussion
BASIC STRUCTURES Introduction
Topic one• Introduction• Methods• Results• Discussion
Topic two• Introduction• Methods• Results• Discussion
Conclusion/drawing strands together
Literature Review
Topic three• Introduction• Methods• Results• Discussion
STRATEGIES TO IDENTIFY YOUR STRUCTUREDiscuss the structure with a colleague,
explaining it as a continuous story you're trying to write
Use visual techniques like mind-mappingCreate a storyboard for your thesis. This tells
the ‘story' of the thesis in a small number of panels that mix text and pictures
Sort index cards with key ideas into a coherent structure
Use post-it notes with key ideas on a whiteboard to make connections with lines and colours
(Vitae, 2015)
ANALYSING EXISTING THESES
How many chapters?How long is each chapter?How have key sections like the introduction,
literature review, methodology and conclusion been dealt with?
(Vitae, 2015)
ANALYSING EXISTING THESES
Macro level:• Structure• Signposting
Mid level:• Linking between
chapters• Repetition
(Vitae, 2009)
ANALYSING EXISTING THESES
Micro level:• Paragraph structure• Sentence structure• Choice of words
(Vitae, 2009)
ANALYSING EXISTING THESES – KEY ISSUES
• how originality is shown• how the gap in knowledge is shown• how certainty/uncertainty is acknowledged• how weaknesses in the work are dealt with
ANALYSING EXISTING THESES – KEY ISSUES
• style variation in the thesis (introduction through to further work)
• what were the author’s reasons/objectives for writing that way
• how is the writer’s voice shown• what writing do you like/dislike and why?
(Vitae, 2009)
OPEN RESEARCH EXETER
PART 4: DRAFTING AND MANAGING FEEDBACK
7 POINT PLAN
7 Point Plan
1. Organise
your material 2. Decide
on the key
message
3. Write an outline plan
and first draft 5. Stop and reflect
6. Clarify& edit your
drafts
7. Proofread, re-draft final copy
SUBMIT
ORGANISING YOUR MATERIAL: CONCEPT MAPPING
YOUR KEY MESSAGEA key message is a summary of new
information communicated in your thesis
You will need to have a key message and a series of subsidiary findings which collectively lead to that message
KEY MESSAGESubsidiary FindingsResearch on sensitive subjects often encounters
censorshipConflict of interest between researcher and participantObligations to research subjects when researching
sensitive subjectsKEY MESSAGE: Social scientists must pay
attention to ethical and methodological issues in their research
WRITING YOUR DRAFT
How to Write 1000 words a day and not go bat shit crazy
http://thesiswhisperer.com/2011/03/24/how-to-write-1000-words-a-day-and-not-go-bat-shit-crazy/
How to be Productive Writing 2 hours a dayhttp://
getalifephd.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/how-to-be-productive-by-writing-two.html
DEALING WITH WRITER’S BLOCK
Free writingReturn to your key
messageConcept mapping
ReadTalkTake breaks!Do something else!
WHEN REVIEWING YOUR DRAFTS ASK YOURSELF:Does the content match the title?Are important points emphasised enough? Is the content within each section
appropriate? Is there a logical sequence?
Are information sources acknowledged? Do the conclusions relate to the objectives? Is the meaning of each sentence clear - or
open to interpretation?Can long sentences be broken down?
(Vitae, 2015)
SCAN READING
1 Read the title2 Read the abstract3 Read the introduction, the headings, the first
and last sentence of every paragraph and the conclusion and then
4 Tell your neighbour what you thought the article was about
(Thomson, 2012)
REVERSE OUTLINE1. Number your paragraphs. (Paragraphs are the
essential unit of analysis here; next week we will look at why paragraphs are so important.)
2. Identify the topic of each paragraph. At this point, you can also make note of the following:a. Is there a recognizable topic sentence?b. How long is the paragraph?i. Does the topic seem sufficiently developed?ii. Is there more than one topic in the paragraph?
3. Arrange these topics in an outline.
REVERSE OUTLINE4. Analyze this outline, assessing the logic (where
elements have been placed in relation to one another) and the proportion (how much space is being devoted to each element).
5. Use this analysis to create a revised outline.6. Use this revised outline to reorganize your text.7. Go back to your answers in 2a and 2b to help you
create topic sentences and cohesion in your paragraphs.
(Explorations of Style, 2011)
5 WAYS TO KILL YOUR DARLINGS
1)Use that strike through tool 2)Move the questionable text to the footnotes 3)Start a ‘maybe later’ folder4)Triage your text5)Preform bypass surgery
(The Thesis Whisperer, 2010)
‘A [thesis] is never finished, it is just abandoned at the least damaging point.’
(Race, 1999: 121)
MANAGING FEEDBACK
RECEIVING FEEDBACK ON YOUR WORK
‘We’re supposed to receive feedback like a gift, but it feels like a rebuke. Few things are more agonising than a thorough dressing down of your work.’
Anon for The Thesis Whisperer
‘Whenever I receive written feedback, I cast my eyes quickly over it. Inevitably there’s something that causes pain or anger but I try not to read the comments too intently. I immediately thank the person/editor via email and tell them how I much I appreciate their time and that of the reviewers and that I’ll think about it for a little while and get back to them.
This is a lie.
Instead, I brood, and gnash my teeth. I get angry and upset. I call it the grief cycle. I focus on the grieving and I don’t talk about the feedback or allow myself to form solid opinions about it. It might take days, weeks or months, but when I’ve finally emerged out of the other side, I open up the feedback and give it a proper read. When I’m really really ready, I open up a blank document and I number each piece of feedback and formulate a response to it. Point is, you need some time off from it before you can set your mind to stringing together that mish-mash of advice and suggestions to something that works for you.’
Anon for The Thesis Whisperer
TEN STEPS FOR DEALING WITH FEEDBACK
Step One: Read or listen to the feedbackStep Two: Take some time out.Step Three: Create an Excel File to List the RevisionsStep Four: Extract the suggestions from your
supervisor’s commentStep Five: Re-arrange the suggestions for revision in
a logical fashion
Step Six: Decide how you will respond to all of the suggestions
Step Seven: Tackle your revision plan, step by stepStep Eight: Double-checkStep Nine: Do a final read-overStep Ten: Submit!
Adapted from: Get a Life, PhD
SOME TOP TIPS
GETTING FEEDBACK ON YOUR WORK‘Ask your colleagues, especially those who
have recently completed a doctorate, to review your thesis or a chapter for content, and ask other friends to proof-read’
(Vitae, 2015)
SUGGESTIONS NOT DICTATIONS‘Don’t ever import feedback wholesale, or promise to
either. Think about it and see what works for you. Some of it will be really useful but a lot won’t or won’t make much sense immediately. I often find that feedback misses the mark somehow. Don’t ignore it because the comment seems misguided. Think about the processes your reviewer went through to misunderstand something. What can you do to make sure your readers don’t stray from the path?’
Anon for The Thesis Whisperer
ARE YOU ON THE SAME PAGE AS YOUR SUPERVISOR? PLANNERS AND DRAFTERS
YOUR THESIS?‘Your thesis is not really yours. Yes, your thesis follows
you around, wakes you from your sleep, gazes down on you while you cook, interrupts you when you’re having coffee with friends. Yes, you live and breathe your thesis. But, the moment you hand over the first (full or partial) draft of your thesis, it becomes a negotiated work, as you deal with feedback, advice, and demands from your supervisor and committee members.’
Alison Crump for The Thesis Whisperer
KNOWING WHEN YOUR THESIS IS FINISHED
(Vitae, 2015)
What does your supervisor think? Have you explicitly asked ‘will it pass?' and ‘should I submit now?'
What institutional, personal and financial deadlines are you working to?
How does it compare to other recent theses? In theory it only has to be good enough to pass: it doesn't have to be better than the best
What else could you do? If your ideas for improving the thesis all involve months more work, they probably aren't realistic
‘Your thesis being ‘ready’ does not mean that it is perfect. Perfect is…
the enemy of Good. Perfect is also the enemy of Done.’
The Thesis Whisperer
PART 5: EXAMINATION
REGULATIONS: WHEN TO SUBMIT
PhD (FT) 4 years max – you are encouraged to submit after 3 years
PhD (PT) 7 years max – you are encouraged to submit after 6 years
From: Statement of Procedures: Periods of Registration and Changes to Registration Status for Graduate Research Students
, p.2
REGULATIONS: HOW TO SUBMITLength in accordance with Regulations for the
degree
2 temporary bound copies to the Student Information Desk in the FORUM
+ a copy for your own use in the viva!
Submission form signed by your supervisorFrom:
Presentation of Theses/Dissertations for Degrees in the Faculty of Graduate Research: Statement of Procedures, p.7-8
WHAT IS BEING EXAMINED?
WHAT IS BEING EXAMINED?In assessing the thesis, the examiners will require:
(a) evidence that it forms a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject
(b) evidence of originality
(c) evidence of the candidate's ability to relate the subject matter of the thesis to the existing body of knowledge within the field, and
(d) a satisfactory level of literary presentation
From: Code of Good Practice: Boards of Examiners for Degrees by Research, p.11
You do not get a PhD because of a good viva; you get it because of a good thesis!
The viva is certainly important, but it is a critical discussion of your thesis. You are not personally on trial.
‘The viva is an opportunity for the Board of Examiners to thoroughly question the student on any aspect of their dissertation/thesis that the Board of Examiners deem necessary in order to satisfactorily reach a judgement with regard to their recommendation and completion of the Board of Examiners’ report.’
From: Code of Good Practice: Boards of Examiners for Degrees by Research, p.9
PREPARING FOR YOUR VIVA – RD SESSION
• Submission and examination procedures• Appointing an external examiner• Preparation• The viva itself
To book visit: www.mycareerzone.exeter.ac.uk
PART 6: GOAL SETTING
PEER COACHING: GROW MODEL
FINAL THOUGHTS
FINISHING YOUR PHD THESIS: 15 TOP TIPS
1)Make sure you meet the PhD requirements for your institution
2)Keep perspective3)Write the introduction last4)Use apps5)Address the unanswered questions
6) Buy your own laser printer7) Checking is important8) Get feedback on the whole thesis9) Make sure you know when it will end10) Prepare for the viva
11) Develop your own style12) Remember that more is not always better13) Get a buddy14) Don’t pursue perfectionism15) Look after yourself
