How to Write a Thesis for PhD

How to Write PhD Thesis

The speciality of a PhD thesis lies in its uniqueness. Against all the other kinds of research works, a PhD thesis is a matter of great importance for respective Academic field. The target of a PhD thesis is not only to get an academic degree but to make a very valuable contribution in the determined field of research. Universities take great pride in possessing a PhD thesis that has innovative discoveries and path breaking ideas to resolve issues.

It is the high quality expectations that a PhD thesis holds, makes it a very complex and complicated piece of work. During the submission period, the PhD scholar undergoes enormous questions and queries regarding the thesis. It is the though knowledge about the research field that adds validity to the thesis. A well-constructed and appropriately structured thesis attained great credibility.     

Background Purpose to resolve Research Issue

The background purpose of writing a PhD thesis is not only to earn a degree but to motivate a very innovatively researched new idea. This new idea aims to resolve a determined concern that has not been resolved till date. This is the reason that the question of - How to write a PhD thesis? - is not only challenging but also demands extensive background knowledge about the particular selected topic. It is important for the researcher to offer an original and a very scientifically convincing paper to the University to get recognised as PhD scholar.

The figure below illustrate the background for initiating a PhD thesis. The foremost step in this process is to identify the Research Problem that has not been solved yet. As the research problem gets detected the research need to plan for a new research in the respective field. This needs voracious reading and skimming of literature in the relevant field.

The phase for voracious reading will make the reader about the specific domain related to the research field that is not yet researched by any former researcher. This is called the ‘Gap’. As the gap gets identified the researcher is all set to start with the process of collecting data to bridge the gap. This leads to the ultimate process of writing the PhD thesis.

As the writing process starts the researcher needs to have a clear picture about the structure of the thesis. The following guidelines offers the best tips for writing a PhD thesis through a clear structural distribution.

Structure of a Thesis Writing

The structure of a Thesis must comprise of the following section. It is important to note here that the titles enlisted below is subject to get named or structured as per the researcher. However, the chapter wise distributions will remain same. The figure noted below offers basic framework to guide you towards - How to write a thesis for PhD?

 

Cover Page

The ‘Cover Page’ of a PhD thesis must declare the Title of the Research. The researcher can choose to have a watermark about the case or the University in this page.

 

Title Page

The page for the ‘Title Page’ comprises of the title of the thesis. It must be accompanied by the following information-

• Title of the PhD thesis in ALL CAPS.
• Name of the Research Scholar
• Name of the Department
• Name of the University
• Name of the Degree Program
• Name of the Supervisor
• Date of Submission

 

Acknowledgments

This page for ‘Acknowledgements’ is very important as in this page the researcher needs to make declarations about all those people who guided and supported him/her in accomplishing the research process. It usually starts with- “I would like to thank …”

 

Abstract

This page is meant to offer the core idea about the objectives and the process of results. The results and conclusion of the research also gets expressed here. However, is the researcher is inclined to offer more detail declarations about the research, then this abstract should be termed as ‘Executive Summary’. The ‘Executive Summary’ is a detailed description about the research process that has been stated in a very concise manner in the ‘Abstract’.

 

Table of Contents

The page for ‘Table of Contents’ is like a map to the research work with specific page numbers. It declares all the headings and subheadings that are noted in the research work. This page in the soft copy of the PhD thesis offers direct accessibility to the required page.

 

List of Figures, Graphs & Tables

This page enlists the offered figures, graphs and tables as added to the research paper. For easy accessibility, it gives the page numbers along with the title of thefigures, graphs and tables.

 

Chapter 1: Introduction

This is usually noted as the 1str Chapter of the PhD thesis. The most important inclusions in this chapter are –

• Research statement
• Research Background
• Aims of the Research
• Research Question/ Problem
• Research Objectives
• Research Hypotheses (if any)
• Research Relevance
• Research Structure

 

Chapter 2: Literature Review

In the process of how to write a thesis or how to write a PhD thesis, this chapter is very important. It is all about going from unknown to known. In this chapter, the researcher needs to understand the responsibility of evaluating all those aspects that can add information to the research objectives.  For this purpose this chapter must include-

• Empirical Knowledge
• Conceptual Realisations
• Theoretical Introspections

For meeting the aforementioned targets the researcher must read relevant books, peer-reviewed journal articles, various official data and information as made available by the University library. Moreover, in order to search the relevant information in the internet, it is necessary to consider most reliable sources like- Google Scholar, JSTOR, Emerald, EBSCO, etc. To resolve the issues related to the concerned topic, the research must follow the following approach -

 

Note: Every source must be well acknowledged here to avoid Plagiarism.

 

Chapter 3: Research Methodology

This chapter gets constructed once the researcher decides the ways to collect primary data. The primary data gets collected to bridge the gap identified in the secondary data. Selection of right research methodology depends on the type of data the researcher aims to have. Under the best tips for writing a PhD thesis, the research methodology declares the way to analyse the collected data.

• Qualitative Approach is for data in the form of words
• Quantitative approach is data in the form of statistical variables. 
• Descriptive Approach measures information at its original form.
• Experimental Approach is about performing experiment.

 

Chapter 4: Results & Analyses

This chapter on Results & Analyses must be structured in such a way that the reader feels comfortable in absorbing the idea and the derivations, as presented by the researcher. This chapter must follow the points noted below-

• Results should be declared by actual observations, statistical derivations
• Results must be analysed in statements, tables & graphs, for better understanding.
• The analyses of the results must remain in relation with the secondary data attained through the Literature Review.

 

Chapter 5: Discussion

This chapter on Discussion remains focused in meeting the research objectives by establishing the relation between the primary and secondary data. The researcher must consider the following best tips for writing a PhD thesis-

• Both positive and negative derivations in an unbiased manner.
• The discussion should open doors for further investigations.

 

Chapter 6: Conclusions

This chapter sums up all the entire research work. In this chapter the researcher needs to explain the process of research and the ways he/she attained the relevance of the study.

 

Chapter 7: Recommendations & Future Study

The chapter on Recommendations & Future Study is very significant as pot paves way for solutions and future means of developing research in the respective fields. This is a chapter that offers a vision to the research and thus is very important part of the entire study.

 

References

In this section, the researcher needs to enlist all those secondary sources that are used in the research. This list must be structured as per the University recommended and subject-oriented Harvard, APA, MLA or Chicago styles. Error of any kind in this section is can lead to disapproval of the work. 

 

Bibliography

In this list the researcher needs to mention all those literary sources that can support wider and better understanding of the research topic.

 

Appendices

This is a section that needs to include additional information about the research work. This section can include-

• Explained Calculations
• Excerpts of important Texts
• Additional Resourceful Material
• List of various equipment used in the research
• Necessary Figures and Tables

 

Proofreading, Editing, & Publication

As the research compilation comes to an end, it is the responsibility of the researcher to scrutinise the work thoroughly. Under the query of how to write thesis or how to write a thesis for PhD, the necessary check list has been mentioned below-

Ensure that the entire work gets investigated well. The research needs to -

• Check the entire content for integration
• Editing spelling and grammar
• Appropriate mode of referencing as per prescribed style
• Removal of ambiguity for clear understanding
• Maintaining word-count to meet prescribed length
• Check the entire document for plagiarism to avoid legal action
• Submission for final approval and publication