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Managing Your PhD Part 3: BEING A
COMPLETER/FINISHER
The PhD Process - Psychological Aspects
EnthusiasmIsolationIncreased interest in workTransfer of dependence from supervisorBoredomFrustrationA job to be finishedEuphoria
Dr C Wilson 2009
The Form of the Thesis
Background theoryFocal TheoryData TheoryContribution
Dr C Wilson 2009
Having a ‘Thesis’ for the Thesis
The Cocktail ResponseCan you explain to someone from a different
discipline what you are trying to do using the following phase:
“ I am going to argue that…”
The Martini Method
Set yourself a targetReward yourself when you reach itHave mini martini’s
Dr C Wilson 2009
Activity- Your Martini’s
What are your Martini’s?
Spend a couple of minutes and plan out a day on your thesis using the Martini method
Share you ideas with a partner
Dr C Wilson 2009
The Concept of Originality
The PhD is awarded for ‘an original contribution to knowledge’
Carrying out empirical work that hasn’t been done before Making a synthesis that has not been made before Using already known materials with a new interpretation Taking a particular technique and applying to a new area Bringing new evidence to bear on an old issue Adding to knowledge in a way that’s not been done
before Setting down a major piece of information in writing for
the first time You do something in this country that has only been done
else where You continue an original piece
Dr C Wilson 2009
Activity – Consider your Own Originality!
Write for 5 minutes
My work is/will be original in the sense that…
My work is/will not be original in the sense that…
Dr C Wilson 2009
The Thesis Structure
Introduction (including aims)LiteratureMethod (data theory including a description
of what you have done)Results (focal theory including what was
found)Discussion (development of focal theory and
suggestions for future work)Conclusions (summary and contribution)
Dr C Wilson 2009
Conclusions
Dr C Wilson 2009
Remind reader of the purpose of your thesis – recap your aims/research questions
Neatly summarise the middle bits.In the context of your findings and the work of
others, clearly specify the contribution's) you have made in relation to the research question. You may wish to say something about the limitations of your research but you can also include this in a final section on:
Building on your research – the ‘limitations’ can be dealt with in the context of further research required.
Everything in the conclusions should relate to what has gone before – nothing new in this section!
Writing - What can I write in 5 mins!
Write continuously, non stop, in sentences on this question:
What do you think of the idea of writing 1000 in an hour?
Count the number of words you wrote
Dr C Wilson 2009
Writing: Getting Going
Dr C Wilson 2009
Establish writing goalsPromptsWhen you finish make a note of what you
will do next timeFree writingWrite yourself a letterTape yourself and transcribeWrite on a scrap of paperThink of writing as thinking
Writing Tips
Allow sufficient time for all stages of the writing process Read, think, plan write (1st draft), revise….read, think,
plan, write (2nd draft)… Draft early – don’t wait until all the results
are in or the night before the document is due
Write don’t edit or correct Seek specific and detailed feedback Revise twice, once for content, once for
structure and expression Edit and proof readDr C Wilson 2009
Dr C Wilson 2009
Start Writing – Keep Writing
Delaying the inevitable can often be seriously detrimental to the written product.
There is universal agreement among those who advise on this subject that it is essential to begin writing early and to continue writing as the research develops’
Paul Boyle (2005:304)
Dr C Wilson 2009
Writing Strategies
Planning and regular work habits can help to transform writing into perfectly manageable everyday activities.’ (Delamont et al)
Learn to write regularly, in short bursts.
Beginning each writing session by writing for no more than five minutes to a simple ‘prompt’, which might go along the lines of:
What did I write about last time?What am I going to write about today?
Dr C Wilson 2009
Write Daily!
You can fix, edit change, reject later onThe process of writing helps your thinkingRegular writing helps you see how the project is
progressingYou cannot produce something good in a hurryYou cannot make something better that’s not yet
been writtenThink of the task in manageable terms
200 quality words a day 1,400 words a week 5,600 words a month 50,000 in 9 months
Dr C Wilson 2009
Writing as Thinking
While many ‘argue that writing reflects thinking, [it is arguable that] writing is a form of thinking’ (Boyle 2005:304, original emphasis).
Clark and Ivanic: You think and write at the same time.
Helpful look at writing as ‘a way of pinning thoughts down…so you can go back to [them], refine them, build on them, discard or develop them’.
Techniques to Assist the Reader
ForecastingSummarisingSignallingSignposting
Dr C Wilson 2009
Free writing
What is Free writing? Writing for 5 minutes Without stopping In sentences Private writing: no external reader Topic what you want to write about next No structure needed
Dr C Wilson 2009
Activity
Write for 15 minutes, without stopping on one of the following:
All the questions you currently have about your study
The question ‘what can I write about now’Why I have nothing to write about…’One of the prompts from the earlier activity
Dr C Wilson 2009
12 Handy Hints for Writing Up
Dr C Wilson 2009
Never read something without writing a summary Make sure you keep track of all your references Write a Table of Contents with headings and sub-headings of
how your proposed thesis will look Write one page summaries of the various sections and pass
them to colleagues for feedback Start anywhere on the thesis Don’t stop writing until you reach a ‘pick up point’ Set obtainable sub goals Place tables and diagrams in a logical order Work on a draft of one chapter, while editing another and
preliminary research on another Form a group of PhD students to work on drafts Commit yourself to a daily writing routine
The last 385 Yards
Preparing to let go!Concentrated writing phaseWell beingPeer supportNew Goal !Enough is enough
Dr C Wilson 2009
Polishing!
Check you are using the University approved formatCrosscheck: Match chapter headings (sub-headings)
on the contents page to headings and sub-headings in each chapter.
Turn the grammar checker back onCheck you have consecutive page numbers, for every
page, no errorsDo the spell check againCheck the bibliography line by lineCheck all reference dates match those in the
bibliographyLocate a thesis binding service (how long will the
binding take?)Show the final draft all together to your supervisor (s)Dr C Wilson 2009
Your Intellectual Property
Dr C Wilson 2009
1: It is difficult for the student to prove that the ideas were hers/his in the first place
Be certain that you are clear yourself, in the context of your written work, about what are your own ideas and which are the ideas of others
Make sure that you name and date all your work - attach a ‘header’ section to everything you share with anyone.
Your Intellectual Property
Dr C Wilson 2009
2. Value your work and protect it
If you are sharing work with others as part of a discussion group (either face-to-face or on-line), or if you leave your work out on your desk and others see it, there will be no question about who it belongs to and when it was written.
At conferences, if the formal presentation of your work is accompanied by handouts, ensure that your name is on each of these. Make a note of what you presented where, and what the date was on each occasion
Your Intellectual Property
Dr C Wilson 2009
3: Don’t give away your ideas voluntarily
One reason why students’ work may be plagiarised by others is because the student herself, has given the perpetrator permission to use it. Don’t loan out work which the borrower may then submits, presents, or publish in their own name, without giving due credit to you
If someone asks for a copy of your unpublished written work, or seeks to use it for any purpose think very carefully before you say ‘yes’. Ask the borrower what s/he intends to use it for, whether s/he plan to give due credit to you, and when it will be returned to you.
Your Intellectual Property
Dr C Wilson 2009
Requests: very occasionally, faculty might seek permission to use a student’s work. If this happens to you it is perfectly reasonable to seek further information about why your work is wanted, and how much will be used.
Supervision: If you are working closely with your supervisor (s), be clear about what is your work and what is shared. This is important in terms of gaining your PhD as well as with regard to future publications
References
Dr C Wilson 2009
How to Get a PhD: A Handbook for Students and Their Supervisors Estelle Phillips, Derek S. Pugh (2005) Open University Press
How to Write a ThesisRowena Murray(2002) Open University Press
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