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Producing a Ph.D. Thesis. Patricia de Winter King’s College London. The majority of…. Arts/Humanities theses are written chapter by chapter throughout the PhD programme Scientific theses are written once the data have been collected at the end of the PhD programme. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 1
Producing a Ph.D. Thesis
Patricia de Winter
King’s College London
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 2
The majority of…
• Arts/Humanities theses are written chapter by chapter throughout the PhD programme
• Scientific theses are written once the data have been collected at the end of the PhD programme
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 3
At least four months before submission…
• Obtain a PhD examination entry pack from BBK registry• Complete the following and return to the Registry:
examination entry form (including approved title)
two address labels (home or parents’ address)
description of thesis (300 words) - NOT abstract• Your supervisor must nominate two examiners, one internal
and one external
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 4
What happens next?
• Registry forwards documents to Senate House
• You should receive acknowledgement that Senate House has received your forms (but this doesn’t always happen) - go to Room 1.62 if necessary
• Senate House examinations office sends the nomination of examiners and the description of thesis to the Subject Area Board for approval of examiners
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 5
• Information on the PhD degree and thesis can be obtained in pdf format at:
http://www.lon.ac.uk/Services/Academic/phd/regulations/regs.asp
- Instructions and notes on submission and format of thesis- University of London Regulations for the degrees of Ph.D
and M.Phil
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 6
The University states that the Ph.D. thesis must…
• …be the candidate’s own account of their research• …be original (discovery of new facts and/or
demonstration of independent critical power)• …be an integrated whole and present a coherent
argument (a series of papers is not acceptable but published papers may be adapted)
• …give a critical assessment of the literature
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 7
• …describe the method of research (reproducible)• …discuss results and demonstrate how they advance
the subject• …be written in English • …include a full bibliography and references• …demonstrate relevant research skills• …be of publishable quality
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 8
Word limit
• 100,000 words except for certain subject areas where the limit is lower
• See subject list in exam entry pack or check with your supervisor or research degrees co-ordinator for the limit for your subject
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 9
The University does NOT stipulate…
…the font type or size to use (best to use a serifed font for body text and a
plain font for figures such as graphs)
…specific chapter or thesis formats (but best to use scientific format for scientific
theses)
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 10
The University stipulates that:
…theses must be typed or printed on good quality A4 paper and on one side only
…line spacing should be double or one-and-half…the binding edge margin must be at least 40
mm and other margins at least 20 mm…photographs etc. must be permanently mounted
and bound in with the theses
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 11
…the use of sellotape or similar is prohibited…errors must be corrected before submission…all pages must be numbered, including any
bound in material…the thesis must include a title page, an abstract, a
table of contents and a list of tables and figures…collaborative work must acknowledged and
certified by supervisor
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 12
Hints on producing a thesis
• It is advisable to have a general introduction as the first chapter (review the literature here) and a general discussion as the last (to pull together the conclusions from previous chapters)
• Save each chapter as a separate file and back up all work (save to the BBK server if possible as this is backed up daily)
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 13
• Figures and tables should preferably not be inserted into text - put them on individual pages
• Save figures and tables as separate files and either print separately or insert into chapter only when you are about to print
• Inserting figures into (borderless) text boxes anchors them on a page and makes positioning them easier (MS Word)
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 14
• Use reference management software (e.g. Endnote, Reference Manager) to insert citations and create a bibliography/reference list BUT manually check all your references in the completed thesis (MS Word).
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 15
Thesis Contents • Title page (numbered page 1)Officially approved thesis titleCandidate’s full nameName of College or InstituteDegree for which thesis is submitted and
month/year of submission
It is assumed that submission of the thesis implies it is entirely your own work and not plagiarised.
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 16
Intracellular Signalling and Phagocytosis
by Haemocytes of Manduca sexta Larvae
Maria Patricia de Winter
School of Biological and Chemical Sciences
Birkbeck, University of London
Submitted for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy of the University of London
November, 2004
1
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 17
Abstract of Thesis
• Follows the title page
• 300 words maximum
• Summarises context, methods, results and conclusions contained in the thesis
• A duplicate Abstract must be submitted to Senate House with the thesis
• Published in ASLIB Index of Theses
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 18
Acknowledgements
• Optional, but most people include them and acknowledge those who supported and helped them throughout their Ph.D.
• If included keep acknowledgements to one side of A4
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 19
Table of Contents• Follows Abstract, or Acknowledgements where
included• Must include all headings and subheadings and their
page numbers• Does not include Figures or Tables• MS word can create a TOC for you if you merge all
your chapters into one document or you can generate your own (make a two-column table without borders)
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 20
Chapters• Each chapter must be numbered sequentially• Usually theses contain an Introduction, three or four
research/experimental chapters and a general discussion
• In Biology theses each experimental chapter contains its own specific intro, methods, results, discussion and conclusions
• Give completed draft chapters to your supervisor for comments
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 21
References
• Use a reference system that is recognised by your discipline.
• Examiners are fond of checking for missing references so check reference list manually against references in the main text (this is really boring and takes hours)
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 22
Appendices
• Include extra material that does not need to be in the body of the thesis
• Copies of publications that arose from the thesis can be placed here
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 23
Production time
• Allow at least a WEEK to assemble, check, print and correct last-minute errors that you have missed
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 24
Printing• Allow at least TWO days just to print and check
your thesis - it really does take this long• Print a draft copy first and check for errors
before printing final copies - get a friend or partner to proof-read the thesis to check for typos
• Buy lots of extra print cartridges and good quality (90 gsm) paper in advance
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 25
• For a 300 page thesis buy 4 reams of paper (to allow for printing errors). Search the internet for good deals - you should be able to get this for about £16 + P&P
• If you have photos to print check out www.inkclub.com for glossy paper - 20 sheets cost about £4 + P&P
• www.inkcycle.co.uk sell very cheap cartridges by mail order (from about £3 for a black inkjet cartridge
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 26
• Print one chapter at a time - don’t try to merge the thesis into one document and print it as a whole
• Check each thesis copy to ensure that all the pages are numbered sequentially
• Senate House initially requires two copies, either two soft-bound or one soft and one hard-bound
• Make an extra copy for yourself, which you should take with you to the viva
• Don’t make any extra copies at this stage - there are bound to be corrections to make
• If you submit two soft-bound copies, you will have to submit a hard-bound copy after the viva.
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 27
Binding• The spine of the thesis should have the degree,
your initials and surname and the year of the award in gold lettering
• University of London theses are bound in medium blue cloth
• Hard bound copies currently cost £25 each and soft bound copies cost £16 each at The Printing Centre in Store Street (two day service)
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 28
Submitting the Thesis
• Take two copies of the thesis together with the completed Abstract of Thesis form to the PhD Examinations Office in Senate House
• The title of the thesis must correspond EXACTLY to the title on the exam entry form previously submitted
23rd March 2005 Producing a Ph.D thesis 29
• Although you should make every effort to correct mistakes prior to submission, you will inevitably find a few after you’ve submitted
• You’ll even find them in the corrected version submitted after your viva - I still do!
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