Thesis: Structures

Making a Thesis: Structures Workshop

< ADM training

Outline:
Preface
University regulations
Some suggested structures
From chaos to structure
Time structures
Summary
References

.

Preface

This session covers the basic structures for written theses. Students should complete answers to Brown’s Eight Questions in advance and bring this text to the session.

Students ideally should have previously attended the 'Writing a Thesis' session run by the Graduate Research School.

Students ideally should go on to attend the 'Writing a Thesis: Media Options' session run by Beryl Graham.

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University Regulations

The extract below is from the University of Sunderland document Regulations for the Award of the University's degree of Doctor of Philosophy available from https://docushare.sunderland.ac.uk/

“12.3 There will be an abstract of approximately 300 words bound into the thesis which will provide a synopsis of the thesis stating the nature and scope of the work undertaken and of the contribution made to the knowledge of the subject treated. [...]

12.6 The text of the thesis should normally not exceed the following length (excluding ancillary data):
a) for a PhD in Science, Engineering, Creative Arts and Design 40,000 words
b) for a PhD in Humanities, Social Sciences, Education and Business 80,000 words
c) for MPhil in Science, Engineering, Creative Arts and Design 20,000 words
d) for MPhil in Humanities, Social Sciences, Education and Business 40,000 words

12.7 Following the award of the degree the Graduate Research Support Administrator will lodge one copy of the thesis in the library of the University. An electronic copy will also be filed in an electronic repository. A copy of the abstract, title page will be forwarded to the British Library (PhD only).”

Thus, regulations for thesis structures often simply concernstructural standards, with some indication of word count. At viva stage, examiners are asked to complete a form which asks:

3.1 Does the thesis represent a significant contribution to knowledge of the subject by:
(i) The discovery of new facts, and/or
ii) The exercise of independent critical powers?

3.2 Does the thesis provide evidence of originality?

3.3 Is the thesis satisfactory as regards literary presentation and succinctness?

3.4 Is the abstract of the thesis submitted acceptable?

Some University regulations mention that the thesis should be of "professional standard". Standards for referencing and images are mentioned in Writing a Thesis: Media Options.

^ to top

Some suggested structures

One the key ways in which writing a dissertation is different to writing a long essay is in the structure of the writing process itself – it is a cyclical one of many drafts, amendments and re-writes, which should not be taken personally as a rejection of submitted texts, but merely as part of the usual process. This cyclical nature (like prototyping?) can actually be very helpful in getting started with rough ideas and drafts: or “Writing in layers” (Murray, 2000, p.118).

Helpful basic suggestions for the structure of the thesis itself include:

Allison (1997, p.19-20) provides a helpful list of the order in which acknowledgements, references etc. occur.

Murray (2000, p.116-117) outlines a more detailed overview of "Designing a Thesis".

Of particular use at an early stage are Brown’s Eight Questions (Murray, 2000, p.187-189):

Who are the intended readers? (list 3-5 names)
What did I do? (50 words)
Why did I do it? (50 words)
What happened? (50 words)
What do the results mean in theory? (50 words)
What do the results mean in practice? (50 words)
What is the key benefit for readers? (25 words)
What remains unresolved? (no word limit)

Write your responses concerning your research so far. Discuss this with fellow researchers. Here is an example, and a question for reflection.

^ to top

From chaos to structure

All of the books referenced here stress the importance of spending lots of time on planning the overall structure before moving onto ‘prose’, but sooner or later, the writing must be done.

Rather than honing the many skills of writing-avoidance, try to enjoy the craft, and look on it as “Writing to learn” (Murray, 2000, p.36). Some things only become apparent to us when we write them down. Murray recommends, as part of getting "from notes to draft" (Murray, 2000, p.125-128):
1. Freewriting – very loose, continuous writing, for your own eyes only. Good for getting over writer’s block, like ‘brainstorming for one person’.
2. Generative Writing – rough drafts on a specific theme, which could be discussed with other people.

Brown, Smallwood and Bragan-Turner (1996, p.253-255) recommend seeing writing as integrated with “Thinking-Noting-Talking-Writing”; and several strategies include the use of research notebooks as starting points.

The structure of workbooks, databases and notes can often inform the structure of the thesis itself (see Bunnel and Hogarth in Writing a Thesis: Media Options).

^ to top

Time structures

J. Bolker (1998) wrote a book called “Writing your dissertation in fifteen minutes a day …”. This is certainly possible, and certainly less painful than leaving it too late!

Orna (1995, p.84) suggests two models of time management.

Murray (2000, p.207-226) suggests that It’s Never Too Late to Start, and takes you through a fast-track condensed period of 26 weeks, including a detailed daily timetable (p.242).

I have found that a common problem with theses is that the end is weaker and shorter than the beginning, because the first chapters have had more drafts, and people run out of time at the end. I often advise:

Draft a Table of Contents and put strict word counts by each section, like a 'maquette' of the shape of the whole document.

Start in the middle (with notes rather than finished prose), which is often where you are talking about your practice, and perhaps most confindent about.

Draft the Conclusions at an early stage, even if only in brief notes. Ask yourself your research question(s) and jot down answers even if they are hesitant gut feelings. Then you can make sure that your previous chapters lead to your conclusions. Keep adding to your conclusion notes and things occurr to you in other chapters, and make sure that your conclusion has as many drafts and feedback cycles as your other chapters, if not more.

What are good tips for avoiding common structure problems?

^ to top
Think ahead, think positive

The craft of making a thesis adds to your transferrable skill base, and many books, articles and web resources have come from theses (Mollerup 1997; Staniszewski 1998). Don't be afraid to have fun with the processes, and think ahead to being published, see PhD2Published (Frost 2012-) which includes the fabulous PhDometer 2.0 app.

^ to top

Summary:

Don't start writing too late - all crafts take time. Get plenty of feedback from potential 'users' all the way along. Remember this is a professional product.

^ to top

References for this session (see also full bibliography)

Allison, Brian (1993) A guide to dissertation preparation. Leicester: Ariad associates.

Allison, Brian (1996). Research skills for students. London: Kogan Page.

Bolker, J. (1998) Writing your dissertation in fifteen minutes a day: a guide to starting, revising, and finishing your doctoral thesis. London: H. Holt.

Brown, G., A. Smallwood and D. Bragan-Turner (1996) Introducing Arts and Humanities Graduates to Research. Universities and Colleges’ Staff Development Agency.

Frost, Charlotte (2012-) PhD2Published. Available from URL: http://www.phd2published.com/

Mollerup, Per (1997) Marks of excellence. The history and taxonomy of trademarks. London: Phaidon.

Murray, Rowena (2002) How to Write a Thesis. Buckingham: OU.

Orna, Elizabeth with Graham Stevens (1995) Managing information in research. Buckingham: Open University.

Staniszewski, Mary Anne (1998) The power of display: A history of exhibition installations at the Museum of Modern Art. Cambridge: MIT. .

DRAFT: last updated Mar 2015 Beryl Graham

Making a Thesis: Structures Workshop
< ADM training	Outline: Preface University regulations Some suggested structures From chaos to structure Time structures Summary References
.	Preface This session covers the basic structures for written theses. Students should complete answers to Brown’s Eight Questions in advance and bring this text to the session. Students ideally should have previously attended the 'Writing a Thesis' session run by the Graduate Research School. Students ideally should go on to attend the 'Writing a Thesis: Media Options' session run by Beryl Graham.
^ to top	University Regulations The extract below is from the University of Sunderland document Regulations for the Award of the University's degree of Doctor of Philosophy available from https://docushare.sunderland.ac.uk/ “12.3 There will be an abstract of approximately 300 words bound into the thesis which will provide a synopsis of the thesis stating the nature and scope of the work undertaken and of the contribution made to the knowledge of the subject treated. [...] 12.6 The text of the thesis should normally not exceed the following length (excluding ancillary data): a) for a PhD in Science, Engineering, Creative Arts and Design 40,000 words b) for a PhD in Humanities, Social Sciences, Education and Business 80,000 words c) for MPhil in Science, Engineering, Creative Arts and Design 20,000 words d) for MPhil in Humanities, Social Sciences, Education and Business 40,000 words 12.7 Following the award of the degree the Graduate Research Support Administrator will lodge one copy of the thesis in the library of the University. An electronic copy will also be filed in an electronic repository. A copy of the abstract, title page will be forwarded to the British Library (PhD only).” Thus, regulations for thesis structures often simply concernstructural standards, with some indication of word count. At viva stage, examiners are asked to complete a form which asks: 3.1 Does the thesis represent a significant contribution to knowledge of the subject by: (i) The discovery of new facts, and/or ii) The exercise of independent critical powers? 3.2 Does the thesis provide evidence of originality? 3.3 Is the thesis satisfactory as regards literary presentation and succinctness? 3.4 Is the abstract of the thesis submitted acceptable? Some University regulations mention that the thesis should be of "professional standard". Standards for referencing and images are mentioned in Writing a Thesis: Media Options.
^ to top	Some suggested structures One the key ways in which writing a dissertation is different to writing a long essay is in the structure of the writing process itself – it is a cyclical one of many drafts, amendments and re-writes, which should not be taken personally as a rejection of submitted texts, but merely as part of the usual process. This cyclical nature (like prototyping?) can actually be very helpful in getting started with rough ideas and drafts: or “Writing in layers” (Murray, 2000, p.118). Helpful basic suggestions for the structure of the thesis itself include: Allison (1997, p.19-20) provides a helpful list of the order in which acknowledgements, references etc. occur. Murray (2000, p.116-117) outlines a more detailed overview of "Designing a Thesis". Of particular use at an early stage are Brown’s Eight Questions (Murray, 2000, p.187-189): Who are the intended readers? (list 3-5 names) What did I do? (50 words) Why did I do it? (50 words) What happened? (50 words) What do the results mean in theory? (50 words) What do the results mean in practice? (50 words) What is the key benefit for readers? (25 words) What remains unresolved? (no word limit) Write your responses concerning your research so far. Discuss this with fellow researchers. Here is an example, and a question for reflection.
^ to top	From chaos to structure All of the books referenced here stress the importance of spending lots of time on planning the overall structure before moving onto ‘prose’, but sooner or later, the writing must be done. Rather than honing the many skills of writing-avoidance, try to enjoy the craft, and look on it as “Writing to learn” (Murray, 2000, p.36). Some things only become apparent to us when we write them down. Murray recommends, as part of getting "from notes to draft" (Murray, 2000, p.125-128): 1. Freewriting – very loose, continuous writing, for your own eyes only. Good for getting over writer’s block, like ‘brainstorming for one person’. 2. Generative Writing – rough drafts on a specific theme, which could be discussed with other people. Brown, Smallwood and Bragan-Turner (1996, p.253-255) recommend seeing writing as integrated with “Thinking-Noting-Talking-Writing”; and several strategies include the use of research notebooks as starting points. The structure of workbooks, databases and notes can often inform the structure of the thesis itself (see Bunnel and Hogarth in Writing a Thesis: Media Options).
^ to top	Time structures J. Bolker (1998) wrote a book called “Writing your dissertation in fifteen minutes a day …”. This is certainly possible, and certainly less painful than leaving it too late! Orna (1995, p.84) suggests two models of time management. Murray (2000, p.207-226) suggests that It’s Never Too Late to Start, and takes you through a fast-track condensed period of 26 weeks, including a detailed daily timetable (p.242). I have found that a common problem with theses is that the end is weaker and shorter than the beginning, because the first chapters have had more drafts, and people run out of time at the end. I often advise: Draft a Table of Contents and put strict word counts by each section, like a 'maquette' of the shape of the whole document. Start in the middle (with notes rather than finished prose), which is often where you are talking about your practice, and perhaps most confindent about. Draft the Conclusions at an early stage, even if only in brief notes. Ask yourself your research question(s) and jot down answers even if they are hesitant gut feelings. Then you can make sure that your previous chapters lead to your conclusions. Keep adding to your conclusion notes and things occurr to you in other chapters, and make sure that your conclusion has as many drafts and feedback cycles as your other chapters, if not more. What are good tips for avoiding common structure problems?
^ to top	Think ahead, think positive The craft of making a thesis adds to your transferrable skill base, and many books, articles and web resources have come from theses (Mollerup 1997; Staniszewski 1998). Don't be afraid to have fun with the processes, and think ahead to being published, see PhD2Published (Frost 2012-) which includes the fabulous PhDometer 2.0 app.
^ to top	Summary: Don't start writing too late - all crafts take time. Get plenty of feedback from potential 'users' all the way along. Remember this is a professional product.
^ to top	References for this session (see also full bibliography) Allison, Brian (1993) A guide to dissertation preparation. Leicester: Ariad associates. Allison, Brian (1996). Research skills for students. London: Kogan Page. Bolker, J. (1998) Writing your dissertation in fifteen minutes a day: a guide to starting, revising, and finishing your doctoral thesis. London: H. Holt. Brown, G., A. Smallwood and D. Bragan-Turner (1996) Introducing Arts and Humanities Graduates to Research. Universities and Colleges’ Staff Development Agency. Frost, Charlotte (2012-) PhD2Published. Available from URL: http://www.phd2published.com/ Mollerup, Per (1997) Marks of excellence. The history and taxonomy of trademarks. London: Phaidon. Murray, Rowena (2002) How to Write a Thesis. Buckingham: OU. Orna, Elizabeth with Graham Stevens (1995) Managing information in research. Buckingham: Open University. Staniszewski, Mary Anne (1998) The power of display: A history of exhibition installations at the Museum of Modern Art. Cambridge: MIT. . DRAFT: last updated Mar 2015 Beryl Graham