OPD_My Thesis in 10 Steps. 31 Jan 2019

My Thesis in 10 Steps

• 80,000 words for Arts & Humanities, plus a practice-based output
• Size of a small paperback. Problematic, in that it is small and yet has a lot of requirements.
• A thesis is....an exam paper
• Viva is about the candidate
• 2 examiners (1 internal, 1 external)
• Review university rules about who can choose the external examiner
• Send the university rules to the external examiner
• The candidate can play an active role in selecting
• the external examiner
• Include the external examiner in the reference list
• The thesis is a written document to satisfy one person's needs (the external examiner)
• 18 months into the PhD, make a list of dialogue partners (externals). Meet at conferences and watch them. See their posters. Who would I like to work for?
• Ask people who've done a viva and thesis, what their experience was like.
• Research what is required in terms of presentation
• Papers are a condensed version of a thesis.
• Any papers written or published, outline on the bottom of email signatures
• The thesis is never going to be perfect, but it can be passed
• This is my shiny idea that I am going to defend in my thesis
• Thesis to be ONE idea. With three of four pieces of work (chunks of research/chapters) that point to that one idea. 
• Stand on the shoulders of giants
• I may make an incremental change, but I won't change the world
• Choose a high grade journal and map their paragraph sequence for papers and inflate for
• thesis papers
• Use mindview mindmapping tool and export to word or excel 

Chapters:

• Between 6 - 8 including the intro and conclusion

Intro

•  2 refs per paragraph
• These are the known knowns and having established what is known....identify an unknown which the research is going to resolve

Literature Review

• 8 refs per paragraph

3 - 4 Research Chapters

• 3 lumps of publishable work.
• Twice the size of a paper (expanded papers)
• Why method? Why not other methods?
• By the Viva - one published paper, one ready to be published, one to be published

Discussion

• 10 -12 pages, as discussions will have already happened in previous chapters

Conclusion

• 2 - 6 pages. Don't go on!

How much content is enough?

• In Humanities this equates to approx 200 words per paragraph
• E.g 80,000 words
• 150 words per paragraph = 540 paragraphs. 
• Say 6 chapters, 90 paragraphs per chapter. 
• 90 paragraphs/5 = 18 
• 18 clusters of parapgrahs (subheadings)
• Paragraphs are arguments. 1. Hello 2. Argument 3. Argument. 4 Argument. 5 Closing
• Beyond 6, it would then be getting into 'sixthly' arguments, which is too much

• keywords and external examiner's language
• Reason for sentence. 1] My research allows me to write that 2] Existing research allows me to write that
• LIVE THE CONSTRAINT.

Writing pattern

• write 3-5 paragraphs within a sub-heading and then take a break

How many references should be in a thesis?

• Researchers gather evidence and approximately 250 references will be included in a thesis. 1/3 - 1/4 of what I will read will be included. 600- 900 will be in my database

Readability

• Royal Literacy Society in the university as a resource
• Check readability score on Google (or in word)
• Paste supervisor's papers into Google to find readability score
• Plain English society
• Look at top journals in territory

Design

• Simple
• Design element, stunning and readable
• Print on nice paper. 80g white with clay on both sides. Ryman
• Find out university rules regarding margins. 
• Running header on each page, with 3 or 4 words relating to chapter summary
• Page number at bottom (depending on university rules)