Academic excellence for business and the professions

What works for completing your thesis on time?

Dr Siân LindsayDepartment of Learning Enhancement and Development (LEaD)13th June 2014

Overview

• Sharing experiences of completing the PhD• Development of my research question and background• Main findings• Discussion• Developing an action plan to complete on time• Close

2006-2007 = the year that I wrote my PhD thesis

• Most stressful year of my life?• How did I feel?• How did I cope?• What did I wish I had done?• Did I complete on time?• Is there life after a PhD?

Over to you…

• In pairs, please share:– Why you are here today– Where you are from– Where you are with your PhD and thesis (if applicable)– What works for you in getting things done on time (in general

and/or in relation to your thesis)

My research question:“From the student’s perspective, what are the impact factors that affect the rate of progression and completion of their PhD study?”

What does the literature say about

the student experience of PhD

completion?

Relevant literature

• Most literature in this area focuses on peripheral student characteristics and links these to PhD completion rates , e.g.:– Seagram (1998): Full-timers more likely to complete– Wright & Cochrane (2000): Part-timers more likely to complete in

equivalent of 4 years• Latona and Browne’s useful 2001 review and framework of 3

categories of impact factors:

1. institutional/ environmental

2. individual supervisory arrangements

3. student cohorts and characteristics

Relevant literature cont.

• Manathunga (2005) study:– Experiences of PhD students in varying stages of candidature at

University of Queensland– Focus groups with students– In relation to difficulties students would not otherwise share with

their supervisors– Links these to strategies offered by experienced PhD

supervisors (interviewed)– Purpose is to provide comprehensive solution to detect ‘early

warning signs’ of possible non-completion

Where is the novelty?- Positive impact factors too- One-to-one interviews with PhD students in or beyond their writing up year

Perspectives from Senior Tutors for Research

• Talking to five Senior Tutors for Research (STRs) at City• What were their opinions with regards to factors affecting PhD

completion rates?– 4 out of 5 STRs said that PhD completion rates in their School /

Department were not ideal– When asked why, all STRs agreed that the writing-up stage of

the PhD represented a significant stumbling block for most PhD students, and that what is needed is support (predominantly financial) and time to write-up properly.

• Is financial support really the answer?• What do you think?

1. Jennifer2. Tom3. Natasha4. Evan5. Lilly6. Samantha7. Sofia8. Luke

* All names are pseudonyms to protect participant identity

March – May 2011: interviews with 8 PhD students* at City

Name Status TTC TTWU Funded? In employment during write-up?

Jennifer FT 4 years 9 months Self No

Tom FT 10 years 5 years Self and department

Yes full-time employment for 5 years

Natasha FT then PT

6 years 8 months Self and department

Yes part-time employment for 6 years

Evan FT 4 years 8 months Self Yes – part time for 3 years

Lilly FT 4 years 8 months Self Yes – part time for 3 years

Samantha PT 7 years* 2 years* Self No

Sofia FT then PT

7 years* N/A as writing continuously*

Self No

Luke PT 7 years 7 months Self Yes part-time employment for 7 years

TTC = Time To Completion (from start of PhD until viva voce)TTWU = Time Taken to Write-Up thesis* indicates still writing thesis during time of interview

Writing up throughout PhD study• Motivated to do this as parts of it were assessed along the way• Being encouraged to do this from first year by HoD

– This included keeping an ongoing research journal• Not seeing doing the research and writing up as separate activities• Writing all the way through at same time as collecting data, a

continual process

“...at the time, the head of the department gave a few talks to us and I remember he said, ‘make sure you write your literature review early on, when you read because that is going to be helpful. And also make sure you write as you go along and write it with methodologies because you are going to forget, by the time you finish it, you are going to forget’...I really appreciated this advice, right back then...it made such a huge difference at the end...because I had quite a bit of work done, maybe a third of the thesis more or less done” Natasha

What does the literature say about continuous writing?• The notion of ‘writing up’ as a detached phase of doctoral study should

be rejected - writing should be viewed as a way of developing knowledge rather than just “knowledge telling” (Wellington, 2010, p 148)

• Central message to Murray’s self-help guide for PhD students - How to Write a Thesis (2011) – advises a model of continuous writing that she terms ‘serial writing’:– thesis is written in ‘instalments’– writing occurs regularly and with clear intervals between instalments– allows the writer to work to a pattern that suits their working and

social environment, with the latter sustaining the writing process– serial writing is “critical for the development of our thinking through

writing” (Murray, 2011, p 179)

Questions / discussion point

• Is continuous writing of the thesis a realistic goal?• What if…

– I haven’t been writing up from the start, I’ve left it too late, I haven’t got anything written – now what?

– I don’t have time to write and research (not to mention do all other things in my life)

– Its better use of my time for me to get my data collection done first, writing really isn’t a priority now

– I can’t actually start writing until I know the whole story– Anything else?

Murray’s 10 steps to fast-track thesis writing

1. Take stock (quantify writing, don’t keep it to yourself)

2. Start writing (don’t wait for someone to tell you to start, free-write)

3. Outline your thesis (outline your whole study, sketch it out, ignore gaps, errors)

4. Make up a programme of writing (outline what you need to do, when)

5. Communicate with your supervisor(s) (negotiate when to receive feedback on drafts)

6. Outline each chapter (headings, sub-headings, sub-sub headings)

7. Write regularly (write everyday, type only, record no of words)

8. Revise (translate supervisor comments into actions)

9. Pull it altogether (links btw chapters, back to your research question, aims and conclusions)

10. Do final tasks (in line with your institution’s regulations)Taken directly from Murray, R. (2011) How to Write a Thesis (Maidenhead, McGraw Hill and Open University Press), p 239-257.

Self factors• Self -determination and

motivation• Being highly organised• Working to self-imposed

deadlines which led to a reward / break and use of deadlines that outside circumstances dictate so it is harder to go back and change them

• Self-discipline, e.g. forcing self to work in the library, seeing that as a place of work

• Breaking task into manageable chunks

• Response to interpersonal traumas – writing up offered distraction ‘therapy’

• Good self-awareness with respect to knowing when ‘in the writing zone’ and working in tune with this, conversely knowing when the time for writing is not right

• Confidence in writing abilities as confirmed by previous assignments and qualifications

“me being me I kind of knew I wasn’t going to give up...because I had gone so far” Evan

“I’d have a wall planner in my bedroom, and I literally planned out – this month I’m going to do this, this month I’m going to do that – set a lots of interim deadlines and my supervisor found that hilarious because I was saying ‘right, we need to meet on this date because by then I will have done this’ and he was like ‘okay – calm down’. But I found that was the only way that I could take this incredibly daunting, overwhelming project, was to break it down into small chunks and set yourself goals and celebrate each goal” Jennifer

“Just, grit your teeth and get on with it, one foot in front of the other, don’t panic” Lilly

Distractions, distractions…

How to finish your PhD when you’re addicted to the internet…

Supervisor support

• Supervisor who is proactive in making and sustaining contact during writing up

• Supervisor demonstrating that he/she knew how their student ‘worked’

• Supervisors encouraging / being ruthless in chasing the student for evidence of written work and reads full drafts

• Supervisor giving positive, frequent, timely and targeted feedback

• Supervisor who is easily contactable, tech-savvy, offers ‘online continuity’

• Supervisor believing in their student’s ability and in the research they are doing

• Supervisor who is approachable, calming, reassuring and encouraged student to keep going

• Supervisor awareness of the research, offered reassurance, goals to work toward, was aware of how far away from completing the student was

• Supervisor who offered an approach which balanced between being supportive and critical

“...every couple of weeks I would come in and have a meeting with the supervisors and that really helped...she (the supervisor) didn’t mince her words either, which is a bit soul destroying at times, but I suppose you need that...it was the fact that it (the feedback on thesis drafts) was really targeted and you knew what you needed to work on rather than just kind of an overview of a chapter” Sofia

“...I don’t know how I would have finished this because she knew exactly what I was about...and what I wanted to achieve with it...she also made me aware of the fact that it’s (the thesis) not quite there yet” Luke

Other positive factors

• Having support and encouragement from friends and family (5) • Support and encouragement from peers (5)• Having financial support during write-up period (4)• Having some form of part-time employment to help structure

their life around writing up (4)• Having a good working environment in which to write-up in (4)• The prestige of having a doctorate (2)• Presenting their work at departmental research symposiums,

conferences or in journals (2)• Other (self-help books) (1)

Mystery of the PhD thesis

• Uncertainty in what academic work / thesis should look like and what is expected

• Being confused by the subjectivity, overall uncertainty about different people’s opinions on style and formatting of the thesis

• No support for writing the thesis• Difficulty in expressing research through writing• Being overwhelmed by what is required• Unfamiliarity of academic culture

“...it was all these little things (such as writing in the third person) that no-one knew the answer to, and when you went to say to your supervisor, she said ‘well if you want to, you can’. And it was a case of well I may want to, but is it correct? ...Everytime you finished something you were asking yourself, is this correct? ...My supervisor was quite good, you know she said ‘that sounds fine, I don’t see anything wrong with that’, but then it wasn’t your supervisor who was going to looking at it” Evan

“I know that what I’m doing is important and interesting and is fascinating to me mercifully, but I know that, but I can’t get it across! I can but which way? How? Who to? That sort of mystery, fog, what is it I’m trying to convey to people” Lilly

Action Plan

• Working in pairs or small groups:• Consider the perspectives of the PhD students, are

there any findings or issues that resonate with you?

Why?• Now please consider - what practical measures

could you put into place to help you write your

thesis on time? (or support those who are writing

theirs?)

Any questions?sian.lindsay.1@city.ac.ukhttp://uk.linkedin.com/in/siany #sianylindsay

Image and video credits

• Bookshelf spectrum: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pio1976/3330670980/sizes/l/ (accessed 26/11/10)

• Dave climbs a mountain: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chodhound/3607638672/sizes/l/ (accessed 26/11/10)

• Fractal # 65 Psybient: http://www.flickr.com/photos/craft_uas/1759684120/ (accessed 30/11/10)

• Longleat hedge maze: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyberslayer/952121271/ (accessed 30/11/10)

• How to finish your PhD when you’re addicted to the internet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMaqdQWleUw (accessed 05/06/14)

References• Latona, K. and Browne, M. (2001) Factors associated with completion of

research higher degrees. Higher Education Series 37: 1 – 8

• Manathunga, C. (2005) Early warning signs in postgraduate research education: a different approach to ensuring timely completions, Teaching in Higher Education 10: 219 – 233

• Murray, R. (2011) How to Write a Thesis (Maidenhead, McGraw Hill and Open University Press).

• Seagram, B., Gould, J. & Pyke, S. (1998) An investigation of gender and other variables on time to completion of doctoral degrees, Research in Higher Education, 39: 319 – 335

• Wellington, J. (2010) More than a matter of cognition : an exploration of affective writing problems of post-graduate students and their possible solutions. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(2), 135-150.

• Wright, T. & Cochrane, R. (2000) Factors influencing successful submission of PhD theses, Studies in Higher Education 25: 181 – 195