phd thesis in two weeks

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Two weeks prior to PhD viva, what should I do?

update: I passed my viva this week, thank you so much for your kind support!

Thank you so much for your encouraging comments in my previous post regarding PhD thesis submission ( What should I do the day before submitting my PhD thesis? ). Now 1.5 months have passed by and my viva will take place in two weeks. I took a short break after submission and have recently started looking at my thesis again. I am wondering if you have any tips for PhD viva? P.S. I am a PhD student in social science in the UK and my viva will take place via zoom. Thanks so much!

So, @JoseeLuis, did you pass? :D – astronat supports the strike Commented May 22, 2021 at 16:21
@astronat yes!! Thanks for asking! I will update in the original post :) – Josee Luis Commented May 23, 2021 at 18:51
Congratulations Dr! – astronat supports the strike Commented May 23, 2021 at 21:30

Here are some of my tips, coming from someone who had a Zoom viva in February (in the UK) . My field is physics rather than social sciences, but I think all of these tips apply nonetheless.

Make a list of potential questions that you could be asked in the viva. I did some of this as I was writing my thesis, as inevitably you have to summarise or cut parts that are too long, so these are ripe topics for questions. I also made use of lists of viva questions that other people have prepared; a particularly extensive and useful example is at the end of this blog post: http://salmapatel.co.uk/academia/phd-viva-preparation-steps/ .

Practice answering these questions out loud. Get someone to quiz you if you can. Especially practice the length of your answers -- don't just say yes or no, but don't waffle for five minutes either. Focus on answers to "soft" questions such as "tell us about your thesis", as they'll likely start the viva with something along those lines and it will relax you if you can answer that confidently and smoothly.

Summarise your thesis. I made notes on the key points/arguments of each chapter, as well as noting any key figures or tables that I might need to refer to. Since your viva is on Zoom, you can even add bookmarks and annotations to your pdf document, and have that open on your computer while the viva is ongoing (I did this, but in the end didn't refer to a single one).

Re-read key papers. I identified about fifteen key papers in the literature that my research was based on, or whose methodologies I had followed, or had key results that mine agreed/disagreed with. I made sure I knew the main points of all these papers and how they related to my work. I think this was the most valuable piece of preparation I did, as it made me very confident that I knew the literature, and I answered some questions in the viva very well by explicitly referring to these key works.

Have a mock viva. You can ask your supervisor to arrange this. It doesn't have to be as long as the real thing (mine was about an hour). It's a chance for you to get familiar with the set up (although we're probably all old hands at Zoom by now), and practice answering some of the more general questions. This really helped relax me and demystify the process. Make sure to arrange it about a week before the real thing, so you have time to act on any suggestions they might have.

Don't over-prepare! You know your own work better than you think. I was so worried that I needed to revise all of undergraduate physics and the background to every topic in cosmology, but in reality the examiners asked me very few questions that didn't directly relate to my research. It was also fine when I said "I don't know" (which happened quite a lot!); they guided me through an answer and seemed happy to hear my reasoning.

Other observations: the external examiner asked me the more "nit picky" questions, while the internal asked basically the same questions for each chapter: "tell me about this chapter", "what was your contribution?" for chapters based on multi-author papers and "choose a result or figure from this chapter and explain it to me". You will probably have an independent chair in the meeting too, though they will stay silent throughout unless there is a problem. The Zoom viva will probably be shorter than if it was in real life -- mine was barely over two hours and I left almost disappointed that it wasn't longer!

A great answer about what to expect in a viva and how to answer those "soft questions" is here: https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/59811/49043 .

2 Great answer, one small addition, it can be helpful to have a quick look at recent publications of the opponent to get a feel for what they are interested in. – Noiralef Commented May 3, 2021 at 22:40
2 What not to do: get defensive (or worse, combative). When I was a grad student, I watched a PhD student who had a simple (and obvious) error on one of his slides try to argue his way out of it. All of us grad students watching wanted to run up, and whisper into his ear "change the sign on the second term in the equation" (or whatever it was), but we couldn't. It was a horrible thing to watch. When you are asked a question, think about it, don't think "oh, this guy is trying to 'gotcha' me", listen to what is being asked – Flydog57 Commented May 3, 2021 at 22:57
1 I too had a viva in the UK and this is a great answer. One question that I hadn't expected was: The chair asked me about a mathematical condition I had in the appendix, a monster of a condition that I'm very much ashamed of in retrospect: He asked me if I could give an intuitive interpretation. He probably wanted to test my reaction and/or crack a joke. I was lucky that I'd struggled enough with that condition to be able to mumble some sort of answer. Point is: if you try to bury stuff in the appendix, some of the committee are sharp enough to "gotcha"! But don't overthink it. – PatrickT Commented May 4, 2021 at 9:07
1 Thank you so much! This answer and people's replies are super helpful. I will come back and share my experiences once it's over. – Josee Luis Commented May 4, 2021 at 18:19

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8 Rules to write a PhD Thesis

Rule 4: make a phd timetable.

A PhD thesis can not be written in one week. Get this through your head. It is hard, maybe even the hardest thing you have to do during your PhD. It is going to be a painful task for most of you (it was for me). So schedule it in a proper time-wise manner. Do not wait until it’s just two weeks before the deadline to start writing. Here is a proposal: make a document with your PhD plan . Write down in that document the important things that need to be done in the last six months of your PhD, preferably in some chronological order. 3 Examples of things to write can be submission of papers, finishing data analyses or other leftover work, writing the thesis, preparing for the defence, sending some important emails, etc. Allocate at least two months of your time for the writing of the thesis . That’s a minimum proposed time frame and it might be far from ideal for you. Time equals money as they say, and that’s definitively the case for the PhD. So you might not want to spend too much of your time in thesis writing. On the other hand, you surely don’t want to underestimate the time that is required for such a colossal task. Therefore, you need to make a well-balanced estimate and plan your thesis writing accordingly. How can then someone derive such an estimate ?

For starters, you need to understand that the exact amount of time that is necessary to finish the thesis writing is hard to predict. The reason for this is that during such a large time period, your life is going to be influenced by a lot of factors. Some of these factors are uncontrollable and there is no way to prepare for them (the phenomenon also simply known as “ life happens ”). Some other factors are directly related to the practical task at hand and can thus be more easily predicted and regulated to your advantage. Using this knowledge, you can make a rough calculation of how much time it will take to write your PhD thesis. I personally think three factors are of significant importance to derive such an estimate. First, the format of the thesis , i.e. a paper-based thesis or a monograph, the latter of which will surely require more time to finish. Second, your personal writing speed , measured in the amount of chapters that you will be able to write on average in a specified time period (usually a week). Third, the number of chapters you need to write. Choosing the format of the thesis should be fairly obvious, based on common practices in your research field, the regulations of your academic institution and the existence or not of published PhD work (papers). Moreover, you should already have a pretty good estimate on the amount of total chapters, based on the modular way of constructing your PhD story as was explained in Rule 3 . Then all that is left, is for you to make an educated guess of your writing speed. The combination of the aforementioned three factors will then help you make a realistic estimation of how long the PhD thesis writing will take.

Let me share with you my personal experience on this matter. My thesis was paper-based. Following the rules in the section During writing , I was writing one to two thesis chapters per week. These were chapter drafts, so definitely not polished material. Therefore, my minimum writing speed was around one chapter per week . Continuing, I had a total of eight chapters to write + the abstract (derived from my initial story structure), which let’s say was equivalent to approximately nine chapters. Worst case scenario, I write one chapter per week, so a total of nine weeks are required. Best case scenario, I write two chapters per week, so a total of five weeks are required (rounding it up). Chapter size plays a huge role as you can probably guess. The proposed estimate of two months time is somewhere between five and nine weeks and closer to the second (the maximum of the two). So, eight weeks, equal to two months, sounded like a good deadline for my writing project. In the end, I finished the thesis writing in seven weeks, which was one week before the deadline. That included also reviewing the edits and comments from my supervisor and several rewrites. The important thing to remember here is that the calculation of your thesis time frame is going to be a personal rough estimate . Therefore, using an average writing speed of one chapter per week without further thought is justifiable (see Rule 7 on how to have more control over this). To summarize, my advice is to 1) calculate the number of chapters you are going to write 2) directly translate that number to weeks and 3) round it up to months. 4

Responsibly follow the time schedule you set up for yourself and be aware to not procrastinate on your thesis writing. This has also been stated more empirically as the notion that “ work expands to fill the time available for its completion ” (Parkinson’s Law). Procrastination can lead to unpleasant and stressful days before the thesis submission, that anyone would gladly dispense with. I have seen people doing rewrites, last minute additions, or otherwise work that could have been done a week or so ago, if properly scheduled. I have heard of people literally running to submit a printed copy in their respective department one hour before the deadline. Doesn’t sound too good to me. It’s a million times better to be prepared and follow your time plan religiously . Try to schedule your thesis writing in an anticipatory manner. This will happen when unfortunate scenarios that you can personally deal with, are managed to a satisfying degree. See also related discussion in the Epilogue .

Make a PhD timetable and allocate a realistic time frame for your thesis writing.

Of course you can make such a plan document from the start of your PhD. I just want to stress here the importance of including in this document what needs to be done during the last stages of your PhD. ↩︎

Remember to round up the resulting number to months! A basic arithmetic example is appropriate here. If you have a total of \(11\) chapters, the time required to write them down would be calculated as follows: \(\frac{11 \text{ chapters }}{1 \text{ chapter/week }}=11 \text{ weeks } \approx 12 \text{ weeks }\) (closest multiple of \(4\) ), which is equal to \(3\) months, assuming that \(1\) month is equal to \(4\) weeks. ↩︎

PhD Thesis Guide

This phd thesis guide will guide you step-by-step through the thesis process, from your initial letter of intent to submission of the final document..

All associated forms are conveniently consolidated in the section at the end.

Deadlines & Requirements

Students should register for HST.ThG during any term in which they are conducting research towards their thesis. Regardless of year in program students registered for HST.ThG in a regular term (fall or spring) must meet with their research advisor and complete the Semi-Annual PhD Student Progress Review Form to receive credit.

Years 1 - 2

Students participating in lab rotations during year 1, may use the optional MEMP Rotation Registration Form , to formalize the arrangement and can earn academic credit by enrolling in HST.599.
A first letter of intent ( LOI-1 ) proposing a general area of thesis research and research advisor is required by April 30th of the second year of registration.
A second letter of intent ( LOI-2 ) proposing a thesis committee membership and providing a more detailed description of the thesis research is required by April 30th of the third year of registration for approval by the HST-IMES Committee on Academic Programs (HICAP).

Year 4

Beginning in year 4, (or after the LOI-2 is approved) the student must meet with their thesis committee at least once per semester.
Students must formally defend their proposal before the approved thesis committee, and submit their committee approved proposal to HICAP by April 30 of the forth year of registration.
Meetings with the thesis committee must be held at least once per semester.

HST has developed these policies to help keep students on track as they progress through their PhD program. Experience shows that students make more rapid progress towards graduation when they interact regularly with a faculty committee and complete their thesis proposal by the deadline.


September 2023	April 30, 2025	April 30, 2026	April 30, 2027
September 2022	April 30, 2024	April 30, 2025	April 30, 2026
September 2021	April 30, 2023	April 30, 2024	April 30, 2025
September 2020	April 30, 2022	April 30, 2023	April 30, 2024

Getting Started

Check out these resources for finding a research lab.

The Thesis Committee: Roles and Responsibilities

Students perform doctoral thesis work under the guidance of a thesis committee consisting of at least three faculty members from Harvard and MIT (including a chair and a research advisor) who will help guide the research. Students are encouraged to form their thesis committee early in the course of the research and in any case by the end of the third year of registration. The HST IMES Committee on Academic Programs (HICAP) approves the composition of the thesis committee via the letter of intent and the thesis proposal (described below).

Research Advisor

The research advisor is responsible for overseeing the student's thesis project. The research advisor is expected to:

oversee the research and mentor the student;
provide a supportive research environment, facilities, and financial support;
discuss expectations, progress, and milestones with the student and complete the Semi-Annual PhD Student Progress Review Form each semester;
assist the student to prepare for the oral qualifying exam;
guide the student in selecting the other members of the thesis committee;
help the student prepare for, and attend, meetings of the full thesis committee, to be held at least once per semester;
help the student prepare for, and attend, the thesis defense;
evaluate the final thesis document.

The research advisor is chosen by the student and must be a faculty member of MIT* or Harvard University and needs no further approval. HICAP may approve other individuals as research advisor on a student-by-student basis. Students are advised to request approval of non-faculty research advisors as soon as possible. In order to avoid conflicts of interest, the research advisor may not also be the student's academic advisor. In the event that an academic advisor becomes the research advisor, a new academic advisor will be assigned.

The student and their research advisor must complete the Semi-Annual PhD Student Progress Review during each regular term in order to receive academic credit for research. Download Semi Annual Review Form

*MIT Senior Research Staff are considered equivalent to faculty members for the purposes of research advising. No additional approval is required.

Thesis Committee Chair

Each HST PhD thesis committee is headed administratively by a chair, chosen by the student in consultation with the research advisor. The thesis committee chair is expected to:

provide advice and guidance concerning the thesis research;
oversee meetings of the full thesis committee, to be held at least once per semester;
preside at the thesis defense;
review and evaluate the final thesis document.

The thesis committee chair must be well acquainted with the academic policies and procedures of the institution granting the student's degree and be familiar with the student's area of research. The research advisor may not simultaneously serve as thesis committee chair.

For HST PhD students earning degrees through MIT, the thesis committee chair must be an MIT faculty member. A select group of HST program faculty without primary appointments at MIT have been pre-approved by HICAP to chair PhD theses awarded by HST at MIT in cases where the MIT research advisor is an MIT faculty member.**

HST PhD students earning their degree through Harvard follow thesis committee requirements set by the unit granting their degree - either the Biophysics Program or the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).

** List of non-MIT HST faculty approved to chair MIT thesis proposals when the research advisor is an MIT faculty member.

In addition to the research advisor and the thesis committee chair, the thesis committee must include one or more readers. Readers are expected to:

attend meetings of the full thesis committee, to be held at least once per semester;
attend the thesis defense;

Faculty members with relevant expertise from outside of Harvard/MIT may serve as readers, but they may only be counted toward the required three if approved by HICAP.

The members of the thesis committee should have complementary expertise that collectively covers the areas needed to advise a student's thesis research. The committee should also be diverse, so that members are able to offer different perspectives on the student's research. When forming a thesis committee, it is helpful to consider the following questions:

Do the individuals on the committee collectively have the appropriate expertise for the project?
Does the committee include at least one individual who can offer different perspectives on the student's research? The committee should include at least one person who is not closely affiliated with the student's primary lab. Frequent collaborators are acceptable in this capacity if their work exhibits intellectual independence from the research advisor.
If the research has a near-term clinical application, does the committee include someone who can add a translational or clinical perspective?
Does the committee conform to HST policies in terms of number, academic appointments, and affiliations of the committee members, research advisor, and thesis committee chair as described elsewhere on this page?

[Friendly advice: Although there is no maximum committee size, three or four is considered optimal. Committees of five members are possible, but more than five is unwieldy.]

Thesis Committee Meetings

Students must meet with their thesis committee at least once each semester beginning in the fourth year of registration. It is the student's responsibility to schedule these meetings; students who encounter difficulties in arranging regular committee meetings can contact Henrike Besche at hbesche [at] mit.edu (hbesche[at]mit[dot]edu) .

The format of the thesis committee meeting is at the discretion of the thesis committee chair. In some cases, the following sequence may be helpful:

The thesis committee chair, research advisor, and readers meet briefly without the student in the room;
The thesis committee chair and readers meet briefly with the student, without the advisor in the room;
The student presents their research progress, answers questions, and seeks guidance from the members of the thesis committee;

Please note that thesis committee meetings provide an important opportunity for students to present their research and respond to questions. Therefore, it is in the student's best interest for the research advisor to refrain from defending the research in this setting.

Letters of Intent

Students must submit two letters of intent ( LOI-1 and LOI-2 ) with applicable signatures.

In LOI-1, students identify a research advisor and a general area of thesis research, described in 100 words or less. It should include the area of expertise of the research advisor and indicate whether IRB approval (Institutional Review Board; for research involving human subjects) and/or IACUC approval (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; for research involving vertebrate animals) will be required and, if so, from which institutions. LOI-1 is due by April 30 of the second year of registration and and should be submitted to HICAP, c/o Traci Anderson in E25-518.

In LOI-2, students provide a description of the thesis research, describing the Background and Significance of the research and making a preliminary statement of Specific Aims (up to 400 words total). In LOI-2, a student also proposes the membership of their thesis committee. In addition to the research advisor, the proposed thesis committee must include a chair and one or more readers, all selected to meet the specified criteria . LOI-2 is due by April 30th of the third year of registration and should be submitted to HICAP, c/o Traci Anderson in E25-518.

LOI-2 is reviewed by the HST-IMES Committee on Academic Programs (HICAP) to determine if the proposed committee meets the specified criteria and if the committee members collectively have the complementary expertise needed to advise the student in executing the proposed research. If HICAP requests any changes to the proposed committee, the student must submit a revised LOI-2 for HICAP review by September 30th of the fourth year of registration. HICAP must approve LOI-2 before the student can proceed to presenting and submitting their thesis proposal. Any changes to the thesis committee membership following HICAP approval of LOI-2 and prior to defense of the thesis proposal must be reported by submitting a revised LOI-2 form to HICAP, c/o tanderso [at] mit.edu (Traci Anderson) . After final HICAP approval of LOI-2, which confirms the thesis committee membership, the student may proceed to present their thesis proposal to the approved thesis committee, as described in the next section.

Students are strongly encouraged to identify tentative thesis committee members and begin meeting with them as early as possible to inform the direction of their research. Following submission of LOI-2, students are required to hold at least one thesis committee meeting per semester. Students must document these meetings via the Semi- Annual PhD Student Progress Review form in order to receive a grade reflecting satisfactory progress in HST.ThG.

Thesis Proposal and Proposal Presentation

For MEMP students receiving their degrees through MIT, successful completion of the Oral Qualifying Exam is a prerequisite for the thesis proposal presentation. For MEMP students receiving their degrees through Harvard, the oral qualifying exam satisfies the proposal presentation requirement.

Proposal Document

Each student must present a thesis proposal to a thesis committee that has been approved by HICAP via the LOI-2 and then submit a full proposal package to HICAP by April 30th of the fourth year of registration. The only exception is for students who substantially change their research focus after the fall term of their third year; in those cases the thesis proposal must be submitted within three semesters of joining a new lab. Students registering for thesis research (HST.THG) who have not met this deadline may be administratively assigned a grade of "U" (unsatisfactory) and receive an academic warning.

The written proposal should be no longer than 4500 words, excluding references. This is intended to help students develop their proposal-writing skills by gaining experience composing a practical proposal; the length is comparable to that required for proposals to the NIH R03 Small Research Grant Program. The proposal should clearly define the research problem, describe the proposed research plan, and defend the significance of the work. Preliminary results are not required. If the proposal consists of multiple aims, with the accomplishment of later aims based on the success of earlier ones, then the proposal should describe a contingency plan in case the early results are not as expected.

Proposal Presentation

The student must formally defend the thesis proposal before the full thesis committee that has been approved by HICAP.

Students should schedule the meeting and reserve a conference room and any audio visual equipment they may require for their presentation. To book a conference room in E25, please contact Joseph Stein ( jrstein [at] mit.edu (jrstein[at]mit[dot]edu) ).

Following the proposal presentation, students should make any requested modifications to the proposal for the committee members to review. Once the committee approves the proposal, the student should obtain the signatures of the committee members on the forms described below as part of the proposal submission package.

[Friendly advice: As a professional courtesy, be sure your committee members have a complete version of your thesis proposal at least one week in advance of the proposal presentation.]

Submission of Proposal Package

When the thesis committee has approved the proposal, the student submits the proposal package to HICAP, c/o Traci Anderson in E25-518, for final approval. HICAP may reject a thesis proposal if it has been defended before a committee that was not previously approved via the LOI-2.

The proposal package includes the following:

the proposal document
a brief description of the project background and significance that explains why the work is important;
the specific aims of the proposal, including a contingency plan if needed; and
an indication of the methods to be used to accomplish the specific aims.
signed research advisor agreement form(s);
signed chair agreement form (which confirms a successful proposal defense);
signed reader agreement form(s).

Thesis Proposal Forms

SAMPLE Title Page (doc)
Research Advisor Agreement Form (pdf)
Chair Agreement Form (pdf)
Reader Agreement Form (pdf)

Thesis Defense and Final Thesis Document

When the thesis is substantially complete and fully acceptable to the thesis committee, a public thesis defense is scheduled for the student to present his/her work to the thesis committee and other members of the community. The thesis defense is the last formal examination required for receipt of a doctoral degree. To be considered "public", a defense must be announced to the community at least five working days in advance. At the defense, the thesis committee determines if the research presented is sufficient for granting a doctoral degree. Following a satisfactory thesis defense, the student submits the final thesis document, approved by the research advisor, to Traci Anderson via email (see instructions below).

[Friendly advice: Contact jrstein [at] mit.edu (Joseph Stein) at least two weeks before your scheduled date to arrange for advertising via email and posters. A defense can be canceled for insufficient public notice.]

Before the Thesis Defense

Committee Approves Student to Defend: The thesis committee, working with the student and reviewing thesis drafts, concludes that the doctoral work is complete. The student should discuss the structure of the defense (general guidelines below) with the thesis committee chair and the research advisor.

Schedule the Defense: The student schedules a defense at a time when all members of the thesis committee will be physical present. Any exceptions must be approved in advance by the IMES/HST Academic Office.

Reserve Room: It is the student's responsibility to reserve a room and any necessary equipment. Please contact imes-reservation [at] mit.edu (subject: E25%20Room%20Reservation) (IMES Reservation) to reserve rooms E25-140, E25-141, E25-119/121, E25-521.

Final Draft: A complete draft of the thesis document is due to the thesis committee two weeks prior to the thesis defense to allow time for review. The thesis should be written as a single cohesive document; it may include content from published papers (see libraries website on " Use of Previously Published Material in a Thesis ") but it may not be a simple compilation of previously published materials.

Publicize the Defense: The IMES/HST Academic Office invites the community to attend the defense via email and a notice on the HST website. This requires that the student email a thesis abstract and supplemental information to jrstein [at] mit.edu (Joseph Stein) two weeks prior to the thesis defense. The following information should be included: Date and time, Location, (Zoom invitation with password, if offering a hybrid option), Thesis Title, Names of committee members, with academic and professional titles and institutional affiliations. The abstract is limited to 250 words for the poster, but students may optionally submit a second, longer abstract for the email announcement.

Thesis Defense Guidelines

Public Defense: The student should prepare a presentation of 45-60 minutes in length, to be followed by a public question and answer period of 15–30 minutes at discretion of the chair.

Committee Discussion: Immediately following the public thesis presentation, the student meets privately with the thesis committee and any other faculty members present to explore additional questions at the discretion of the faculty. Then the thesis committee meets in executive session and determines whether the thesis defense was satisfactory. The committee may suggest additions or editorial changes to the thesis document at this point.

Chair Confirms Pass: After the defense, the thesis committee chair should inform Traci Anderson of the outcome via email to tanderso [at] mit.edu (tanderso[at]mit[dot]edu) .

Submitting the Final Thesis Document

Please refer to the MIT libraries thesis formatting guidelines .

Title page notes. Sample title page from the MIT Libraries.

Program line : should read, "Submitted to the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, in partial fulfillment of the the requirements for the degree of ... "

Copyright : Starting with the June 2023 degree period and as reflected in the MIT Thesis Specifications , all students retain the copyright of their thesis. Please review this section for how to list on your title page Signature Page: On the "signed" version, only the student and research advisor should sign. Thesis committee members are not required to sign. On the " Accepted by " line, please list: Collin M. Stultz, MD, PhD/Director, Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology/ Nina T. and Robert H. Rubin Professor in Medical Engineering and Science/Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The Academic Office will obtain Professor Stultz's signature.

Thesis Submission Components. As of 4/2021, the MIT libraries have changed their thesis submissions guidelines and are no longer accepting hard copy theses submissions. For most recent guidance from the libraries: https://libguides.mit.edu/mit-thesis-faq/instructions

Submit to the Academic Office, via email ( tanderso [at] mit.edu (tanderso[at]mit[dot]edu) )

pdf/A-1 of the final thesis should include an UNSIGNED title page

A separate file with a SIGNED title page by the student and advisor, the Academic Office will get Dr. Collin Stultz's signature.

For the MIT Library thesis processing, fill out the "Thesis Information" here: https://thesis-submit.mit.edu/

File Naming Information: https://libguides.mit.edu/

Survey of Earned Doctorates. The University Provost’s Office will contact all doctoral candidates via email with instructions for completing this survey.

Links to All Forms in This Guide

MEMP Rotation Form (optional)
Semi-Annual Progress Review Form
Letter of Intent One
Letter of Intent Two

Final Thesis

HST Sample thesis title page (signed and unsigned)
Sample thesis title page (MIT Libraries)

The Online Thoughts

Life is online, so are thoughts.

7-Day PhD Thesis Writing Mastery: Proven Tips from My Personal Journey.

“Coelho wrote The Alchemist in only two weeks in 1987. He explained that he was able to write at this pace because the story was “already written in [his] soul.” -Wikipedia

Can you imagine writing a literary masterpiece like The Alchemist in just two short weeks? It may sound impossible, but it is the truth! This iconic novel, with over 65 million copies sold and translated into 80 languages, was written from the soul of its author in just 14 days.

Now, from the perspective of a PhD thesis, while not all PhD students may have the ability to write their thesis straight from the soul, it is still possible to accomplish the daunting task of writing a thesis in a matter of days, if you have a clear understanding of the work you’ve done in the past. I, myself, was a bit sceptical when I set out to write my thesis in a week. The thought of condensing years of research into just ~120 pages seemed impossible. But, with a little push from my professor and the encouragement of friends, I took on the challenge and finally succeeded.

In this guide, I’ll share tips and tricks that I learned from my own experience to help you write your PhD thesis in a week. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and dive in, let’s get started!

This article is divided into four sections: 1. Assumptions, 2. Two bits of advice, 3. Day 0 to 7, 4. Writing Tips.

ASSUMPTIONS

Science PhDs, are you ready to conquer the thesis writing challenge?

With moderate writing skills and a good understanding of your research, you’re off to a great start.
Figures ready? Most PhD students have multiple figures from their published papers, any remaining figures can be plotted during the writing process or taken from other papers with proper citations.
Essential tools at the ready? Laptop, writing software, and resources such as Grammarly Pro to rectify mistakes in real time.
These tips are for preparing the 1st draft, additional time will be needed to polish and incorporate feedback from mentors and reviewers.

TWO BITS OF ADVICE:

1. Start early

Are you in the early stages of your PhD journey? Great news! It’s the perfect time to start honing your writing skills.

You don’t have to limit yourself to just keeping a hand-book of your progress, think outside the box and start a blog. Populate it with content, the more the better. It doesn’t matter what the content is about, just start writing. You don’t even have to publish it publicly. This habit of writing consistently will shape your writing muscles perfectly.

I can attest to this as I started my blog in 2015 with the sole purpose of developing my writing skills for my PhD thesis. My writing was terrible at first, and I received many disappointing comments. But, I couldn’t stop writing. Over time, I slowly learned how to write efficiently and quickly. I still have a lot to learn, but it all started with taking that first step.

So, if you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late. And for those of you who are finished with your PhD work and about to start writing your thesis, don’t worry about starting a blog now, focus on your thesis.

2. Overcome writer’s block

Feeling unmotivated to start writing? You’re not alone, many people experience the same thing, it’s called Writer’s Block. Even the most accomplished authors can feel it. But, don’t let it hold you back! Writer’s block is a mental barrier, that often comes from overthinking. The more you try to force yourself to write, the harder it becomes. The solution is simple, just start writing. Don’t wait for motivation, it will come once you begin. One trick to overcoming writer’s block is to set small goals for yourself. For example, tell yourself, “I will only write a paragraph today, the rest can wait till tomorrow.” Often, once you start writing, ideas will flow and you’ll naturally continue. But, if you still find yourself struggling, try a cup of coffee or a short walk, and try again. The key is to change the way your brain neurons are firing.

Don’t let writer’s block hold you back. Just start writing, and the rest will fall into place.

Day 0: Preparation

Today is the day of preparation, and it’s just as important as the actual writing.

Take out a pen and paper and make a list of everything you’ve accomplished throughout your PhD journey. No need for details, just jot down the main experiments, results, discussions, and concepts. It doesn’t have to be in any particular order, just write as you remember. You can also refer to your records, papers, and research logbooks for help. Each bullet point should be brief, two or three sentences long.

For example, “2D materials such as graphene and TMDs were optically characterized by two-photon microscopy using excitation wavelengths of a femtosecond laser, spanning from 1000 nm to 1500 nm.”

If you find yourself getting distracted, take a few deep breaths and refocus on the task at hand. This process may take anywhere from two to three hours or more, depending on the depth of your work.

Before starting day one of your writing, make sure that all your tools such as your laptop, writing software, hard disk or cloud storage are working properly.

NOTE: ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR WRITING REGULARLY. DISASTERS CAN HAPPEN IF YOU DON’T DO.

Day 1: Storyline development

Rise and shine at 7 am, fueled by a strong cup of coffee, and tackle your writing with determination and focus.

[UPDATE: Coffee is not mandatory. I significantly reduced my coffee usage recently, and I still produce dopamines!]

Eliminate distractions such as desktop notifications and messaging apps to stay on track. Trust that the world will go on without you checking your phone every five minutes. Take a moment to review your list from the preparation stage and read it mindfully. Consider how to connect the sentences and make any necessary corrections. As you read and re-read, a story will begin to take shape. Don’t rush this process, as developing your storyline is the most crucial step of your thesis. Keep in mind that once you begin writing, it will be difficult to make major changes. Be clear and confident about your theme, and don’t hesitate to discuss it with colleagues.

After lunch, assign broad captions to the sentences in your list that have been reordered according to your story. For example, “Two-photon microscopy of 2D materials.” Don’t worry about using every caption, many of them can be used for your index with some minor changes once your thesis is complete. After captions, it’s time to fit your existing figures into your storyline. This task will be a breeze since you already know the content of each figure.

Enjoy an evening coffee and some chit-chat with friends before organizing your story into chapters such as Introduction, Experimental techniques, Theoretical models, and Conclusion. Take your time to create a cohesive structure for your thesis. Now, it’s time to start writing. Kick things off with something you feel confident about, such as your published papers. If self-plagiarism is allowed in your university, feel free to copy and paste your articles as a confidence booster. With three published papers, you’ll have several chapters completed on the first day alone. We’ll tackle connecting the chapters tomorrow.

Take a deep breath and get some rest, you deserve it. Remember, even if your storyline appears disordered or unreadable at first, it will come together in the end. Trust in your ability to create a clear and polished thesis.

Take a look at the content of this blog, it’s a prime example of my pre-writing preparation. Don’t worry if your own storyline appears messy or disorganized at first, mine was too. But with time and effort, it all comes together. Trust in your ability to create a polished and clear thesis, even if it doesn’t look perfect at first glance. I have faith that your PhD storyline will be even more organized and presentable than mine.

Day 2 and 3: Preparing background Information

Good morning! You now have a clear idea of the flow of your thesis, making it easy to write the connecting paragraphs between your published works. Incorporate these paragraphs into the chapters you completed yesterday. Take some time to review and make any necessary corrections. You’ve made great progress and should feel proud of what you’ve accomplished.

After your lunch break, it’s time to tackle the “Experimental or Theoretical” chapter(s). Writing equations can be time-consuming, so be patient with yourself. To save time, it’s best to prepare all equations beforehand and then copy-paste them into the appropriate places in your chapter. The same goes for figures. By taking this approach, you’ll feel a sense of completion at every stage of the writing process. It’s likely that you’ll need one or two days to finish these chapters.

Note: Leave yourself a little reminder to add references by leaving a note in the sentences where you plan to include them. Each day, take some time to download and organize all your references in a folder, making sure to give each one a clear and descriptive name. By the 7th day, you’ll have a neat and organized folder ready to use as you complete your thesis.

Day 4 and 5: Introduction

This is the chapter where you’ll really want to shine and show the world how important and groundbreaking your research is. It’s crucial to clearly define any unfamiliar terms or concepts, give a comprehensive overview of current research in your field, and highlight the pros and cons of existing methods, techniques, or ideas. Make sure to highlight how your research stands out from the rest and include relevant figures and information from other papers with proper citations. Crafting the perfect narrative for this chapter will take time and effort, so take your time to brainstorm and create a compelling argument that truly showcases the significance of your research. By the end of this chapter, readers should be convinced of the value and originality of your contributions.

Day 6: Conclusion

Celebrate, you’ve made it to the home stretch! Your “conclusion and future directions” chapter is where you get to showcase the significance and future impact of your research. Gather all of your key takeaways and potential next steps and organize them into a compelling narrative. This is your chance to leave a lasting impression and inspire future work in your field. Now, take a step back and admire all of your hard work. The pages you’ve written, the notes you’ve taken, the tabs you’ve opened – it’s all evidence of the progress you’ve made. Give yourself a pat on the back, because tomorrow is all about fine-tuning and making those final revisions.

Day 7: References, style, revision and corrections

It’s time to add the final touches to your thesis! Organize your references with ease using tools like EndNote or Mendeley for a polished and professional look. Start with the references from your introduction, which you’ve been gathering over the last six days. Make sure to follow your university’s guidelines for formatting, including font type, size, line spacing, and placement of figures. Give your thesis one final review to catch any minor corrections before submitting it to your mentor for feedback. Congrats, the hard work is done!

A FEW TIPS:

Write without fear of mistakes, focus on completing your thoughts first and come back later to edit.
Keep your end goal in mind, and imagine the sense of accomplishment and pride you’ll feel once your thesis is finished.
Have accountability partners who can push you to stay on track and meet deadlines.
Take breaks and have fun to recharge and come back to writing with renewed energy.
Remember, the more you push yourself to write, the more natural and effortless it will become.
Stay organized by keeping track of your references and adding them to your document after all chapters are complete.

Caution: Don’t procrastinate on your writing by thinking you can power through it quickly. Start early and take your time. The goal isn’t to set a record for how quickly you can finish, but to create a high-quality thesis.

I hope these tips have provided valuable insights on how to approach your thesis writing in an efficient manner. I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to share your comments.

4 thoughts on “ 7-Day PhD Thesis Writing Mastery: Proven Tips from My Personal Journey. ”

I am very interested in writing my PhD but very lazy and postponing. Please advise

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To the theonlinethoughts.com administrator, Thanks for the well-researched and well-written post!

Hi Dileep, Could you please send me your contact number

please use the contact menu to contact me. Thanks

Emeritus Professor, Edinburgh Napier University

How long does it take to write a PhD thesis?

My short answer is 68 days, but please read the detail below…

Bold resolutions: “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham www.phdcomics.com

As a PhD supervisor I have often been asked ‘How long do you think it will take me to write up my thesis?’ My answer always begins ‘It depends…’ We then continue the conversation with an audit of material already drafted that may contribute (in edited format) to the final thesis. These include the initial literature review from the first year transfer report, and posters, conference papers and journal articles presented and/or published from the on-going work.

For example third year PhD student John Mowbray , who is currently based within the Centre for Social Informatics (CSI) at Edinburgh Napier University , has a strong basis for his literature review chapter in the form of a conference paper delivered at CoLIS 2016 , which is due to be published in full in Information Research later this year. Similarly John’s fellow student Frances Ryan has already published an account of research design for her study. This paper will underpin the writing of her methods chapter.

Then we consider less formal sources, such as any discussions or debates that the student has documented publicly elsewhere, for example in blog posts. See, for instance Lyndsey Jenkins ‘ recent thoughts about the importance of research domain at http://lyndseyjenkins.org. These may well contribute to a section of Lyndsey’s methods chapter when she comes to write up her work in 2018.

The students also have ‘non-public’ material about their work that will be adapted for their theses. These include interim reports for their supervisors and/or other stakeholders. For example, last semester CSI PhD student Iris Buunk wrote a report on some of the empirical work that she has conducted for the body that gave her access to survey respondents. Handwritten ideas and remarks kept in notebooks over the course of PhD registration are also very valuable ‘private’ resources.

Once we have completed this audit, the challenge of transforming all the work completed to date into an 80,000 word thesis appears not to be so great – but of course, it still all needs to be done!

Records from writing up my own PhD have also recently served as another source for answering questions about preparing the main output of the doctoral study. I undertook my PhD part-time over a period of just over four years while working full-time. Throughout this period there were weeks when I could not progress my work at all. This was largely due to other commitments in intensive periods related to teaching such as the marking season towards the end of each semester. There were other times when it was much easier to devote myself to my PhD. For example, I took annual leave in University vacation time for this purpose (rather than went away on holiday). To guard against losing track of my PhD at times when I was too busy to devote any time to it I kept detailed notes of my progress. As a result of this, I know exactly how much time I spent writing up each chapter for the final version of the thesis. Although all PhD theses are different, the proportion of time on each type of chapter may be helpful to those who have resolved to submit their theses in 2017.

In total it took me 68 days to write up my thesis (NB 68 to write up the work, not 68 days to complete the PhD!) This is the equivalent of approximately 14 working weeks, assuming a five day week. It needs to be borne in mind, however, that I was a part-time student. In practice the writing up was done over the last seven months of the four and half years in which I worked on the entire doctoral study.

The largest portion of the writing-up time – around three quarters – was spent on the two chapters that related the findings of my research, and about a fifth on the discussion chapter. My literature review took very little time to write up (just 5 days) because I had already presented much of it in published form. The methods and conclusions chapters did not take very long either (3.5 and 2.5 days respectively) largely because their content was straightforward. My introductory chapter was very short at a page and a half and was thus drafted in just a couple of hours.

As might be deduced from the time allocations given above, I found the results and discussion chapters most heavy-going. The former was due to the quantity of empirical data to convert into a fluent account of the findings, and the latter because of the intellectual challenge of expressing the meaning of the findings and how the outcomes of my study represented an original contribution to the domain. However, once these two elements were ‘cracked’ it was a relatively easy task to pull all the other chapters together.

If you are reading this blog post as a PhD student in the later stages of your work, I would advise you to be prepared for the long haul of writing up your results and the discussion chapters, and ensure that you allocate a high proportion of your write-up time to these accordingly. It is also worth noting that I found that the closer I came to the target of completing my write-up, the more important it was for me to avoid other distractions. You cannot control for all of them (for example, illness), but I would caution against getting actively involved in anything that will take you away from your PhD at this intensive stage, such as planning a big event (for example, a major holiday, a house move, or a family wedding) or starting a new job.

If you are still in the early stages of your doctoral study, my first piece of advice is to plan your conference participation and journal paper publishing activity with the final thesis in mind. Be selective and strategic so that you prioritise engagement in external events that are valuable to the completion of your thesis and/or your future career. Each piece of work that you present externally should progress your study by encouraging you to write-up as you go along (for example in the form of a poster, a set of slides, a full paper), defend your ideas in person within your academic community, seek feedback on work completed to date, and solicit advice on the later stages. You should also be documenting any thoughts or ideas that may be valuable to writing up in a format that make sense to you, whether this be in a set of handwritten notes or in a more public format such as a series of structured blog posts.

Good luck to all those who will submit their theses in 2017!

1.) GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY— YES, REALLY .

NEWS FLASH: you can start working on your thesis or dissertation almost from the moment you decide on a lab/advisor .

In the beginning, there were papers …

The starting point for any newbie graduate student is to read boatloads of relevant papers so that you can learn your advisor’s repertoire of experimental techniques or areas of interest, what has been done so far in the field, what questions remain to be answered, and where your research will contribute.

Keep in mind that these seminal papers will be heavily integrated into your thesis or dissertation:

a) The introduction, in which you give all the pertinent background to set the stage for your research and make everyone on your committee (and beyond!) understand why it’s important

b) Data chapters, where previously published data lend validity to your findings, or are at least taken into consideration as you interpret your data

Let’s back up. How do you find these papers? Hopefully, your advisor will provide you with a few of the original papers that got the ball rolling. Find out what papers cite them . You can perform Boolean searches in Pubmed and Google Scholar (great tips explaining how to do this can be found at Boolean.pdf ).

Note that in Pubmed, you will need to go to “Advanced Search,” where the builder constructs the Boolean search for you (Figure 1). Pubmed offers another great strategy: you can set up citation alerts that notify you via e-mail every time one of these pivotal articles is cited. Pubmed has a tutorial on how to do this here: myncbi.html . You can control how often you receive these alerts, or adjust later based on how inundated your inbox becomes.

FIGURE 1. PubMed’s Boolean Search builder.

Google scholar offers a similar citation alert service. Go to Google Scholar, http://scholar.google.com/ , and click on “Alerts” (see Figure 2). From the next screen, click “Create Alert” (Figure 3). You can set up alerts based on Boolean searches (Figure 4), or by author . Also, since many principal authors have varied interests, you can customize by using a combination Boolean/search-by-author approach (Figure 5). Enter your e-mail address, and you’re good to go.

FIGURE 2. Setting up alerts in Google Scholar. First, click “Alerts.”

FIGURE 3. Setting up alerts in Google Scholar, part 2. Next, click “Create Alert.”

FIGURE 4. Setting up alerts in Google Scholar, part 3. Setting up your search criteria using Boolean operators.

FIGURE 5. Setting up alerts in Google Scholar, part 4. The combined Author/Boolean operator search in Google Scholar.

ORGANIZING your boatloads of papers…

Let’s back up again. Realize that unless you are a genius, you will probably have to revisit these nuggets of wisdom several times during your graduate career, particularly when you have a better grasp on the research. Also, unless you are a genius, you will find yourself wondering, “What was that paper that explained________?” This is where being organized will save you TONS of time.

I am a big fan of saving paper and not printing out reams of articles to be read and then stuffed into filing cabinets . I highly recommend a citation management program, such as Endnote . Find out which program your advisor uses (see if he or she will let you install the program on your computer). Some departments even offer this software free of charge. Not only are all of the citations in your library searchable, but you can also file them into folders based on the subject matter (Figure 6).

FIGURE 6. Filing papers in EndNote–beats a filing cabinet!

As you do your literature search, you download the citations into your citation manager. Most e-journals have a “download to citation manager” link. Google Scholar also recently added a very nice “Cite” function that lets you import citations directly into your citation manager (Figure 7).

FIGURE 7. Google Scholar’s Cite function.

You can also search PubMed from within Endnote, which saves you several steps (Figure 8). In addition, the program has a lovely feature called Cite-While-You-Write that links with Microsoft Word. No more the parenthetical “ need citation !” statements in your text. With the CWYW feature, you can pull up all of the papers in your Endnote library that pertain to your text, and with the click of one button in Word—voilà! Citations inserted (Figure 9)! You can format the bibliography later, when your behemoth is completely written—yet another convenient, automatic feature.

FIGURE 8. Searching for papers from within EndNote.

FIGURE 8. EndNote’s Cite While You Write function.

2) Intermediate documents: the thesis/dissertation proposal and grant applications

Think of your thesis or dissertation proposal and any grant applications as being a big first step toward the first chapter of your final document: the introduction. Preparation of these documents entails a thorough review of pertinent literature to set the stage and explain the rationale for the research you are proposing. So by this logic, you should have taken a very large bite out of the first chapter of your thesis or dissertation by the time you take your preliminary exams.

3) Methods: you do them every day, why not take the time to write them up?

In the STEM fields, theses and dissertations require a chapter devoted to methods. You have your own set of experimental and/or statistical techniques that you presumably learn from your advisor, then troubleshoot and tweak based on your specific needs. You know how you write detailed notes on the conditions of each experiment every time you do them in your lab notebook? (RIGHT?!) This is all information that you can take even an hour per week to write up in your thesis document. Check out the previous papers from your advisor to get ideas on wording, and then re-work it so it’s your own (citing relevant papers, of course). By the time you actually for-real start writing your thesis or dissertation, your methods chapter can be practically done already!

4) After the greenlight…careful planning and sticking to a schedule!

You’ve received the greenlight to “start” writing your thesis or dissertation from your committee. Now what? Well, you have a good chunk of the intro done already, right? Your chapter 2 is practically done as well! Be sure to check out the deadlines not only for getting your document to your committee, but also for depositing it with the graduate school. Wouldn’t it stink to defend your thesis in April, but not graduate until December because you missed the deadline?

Now, I will tell you a huge time-saving tip . Before you start (well, continue) writing, find a colleague who has recently turned in their thesis or dissertation and still has their final word document kicking around . Ask your colleague for permission to use their document in the following way: you are not going to copy anything in that document… EXCEPT THE FORMATTING.

You know the part where the clerk at the grad school pulls out the ruler and measures your margins, page number position and other random stuff while you hold your breath? All of that will already be in your colleague’s word document. Why re-invent the wheel? Just use the document as a template—delete ALL of the text and leave the margins and other formatting alone. (Of course, check over everything carefully before you deposit your document!) Anything you’ve written up to this point can easily be pasted into the template.

Next, agree upon deadlines : “I’ll have chapter 1 to you by________.” If you have been working ahead on your document and your reference library as described above, it should take you about a week to finish up chapter 1 (your introduction) and chapter 2 (methods). Can you do a chapter per week for each of the remaining chapters? Put the deadline in your calendar, and stick to it. Then, based on how much time you are still expected to spend in the lab, decide a set number of hours per day that you will spend on nothing but writing.

I would suggest asking your advisor for blocks of time to hole up at the library, or wherever it is that you do your best work . Then do it. You will be working weekends, no doubt, but try to work steadily and avoid all-nighters. Adjust as necessary—you may need to have an additional meeting with your advisor to request more time away from lab.

Do have a colleague read your document installments before you give them to your advisor . Run spell check and do all the basics before you offer up your baby to the red pen of death. If you really struggle with writing, or if you are not a native English speaker, there are services out there that will clean up your document on a by-the-hour basis. Spare your advisor the frustration of correcting simple errors.

Now, a caveat.

Just because you have a deadline that you are sticking to like an embedded tick does not mean that your advisor will adhere to similar deadlines in getting you edits and feedback . Many advisors, bless their hearts, are procrastinators (erm…busy with grant deadlines, writing their own papers, editing, and other important stuff that advisors do). Don’t sweat it… the ball is now in your advisor’s court, and you will now move steadily on to the next installment.

Which is due by __________in your calendar.

3) BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP!

And this time I do mean “backup”—as in your document. There is NO excuse for losing your thesis or dissertation . You should have MULTIPLE copies saved: on your computer, in Dropbox, on an external hard drive, etc. These copies should be clearly marked with dates in case you have to revert back to a prior version. They should also be marked after being edited by your advisor or others.

4) The final weeks

This will be a stressful time unless you are extremely lucky. It usually goes something like this: “Move this section to page 89.” Then two days later: “Put it back where it was.” Your advisor is stressed too—so try to take everything in stride.

If at all possible, try to get your thesis printed off for your committee a day or two in advance . This allows a cushion for the inevitable printer meltdown or copier jam. In my case, I got my final edits at 11 pm the night before my dissertation was due. Luckily, there weren’t a lot of changes to make, and there were no printer fiascos. I finished the edits by midnight and had the whole thing printed off by about 2 in the morning. Although I won’t say that I wasn’t completely stressed out and about to melt down myself…

You want your dissertation to look nice for your committee and to be easy for them to handle and write in . I’m a fan of bindings—I used three ring binders with pockets so that I could also include a CD with a copy of the document. But that’s not for everybody. Spiral bindings are just as good, but again, require planning because you’ll have to take your stack of documents somewhere like FedEx Kinkos. Even though it can be like herding cats to track down all the members of your committee, try to personally deliver your documents to them—not only for security’s sake, but to remind them of who you are.

I kid. Sort of.

5) After the defense

You may have loads of changes to make to your thesis or dissertation based on your committee members’ comments . You feel elated and relieved to have your defense over with. After the effects of the all-night post-defense bender have worn off, try to work diligently on the edits so that you don’t run up against the grad school’s deposit deadline. Make an appointment for a pre-check of your document to catch any formatting errors well in advance of the deadline.

Once you have deposited your thesis or dissertation with the graduate school (congratulations!), investigate how many bound copies you need. Most departments require a bound copy, as will your advisor. Then you need one, of course, and then there’s your parents…

University towns usually have at least one book bindery in addition to services on campus. There are online services as well—but be careful to check their ratings. You generally have to figure up the number of color-copy and high-resolution pages you have versus regular black and white. You send this estimate along with a digital copy of your dissertation and your selections for binding color, lettering, etc. There is something deeply satisfying about finally holding that beautifully bound book—that YOU wrote—in your hands at last.

In summary, it is possible to write your thesis or dissertation in under a month with good preparation, organization, and planning . The end result makes it all worthwhile. Keep in mind that if you move on to a postdoc or any other position that requires writing papers and grants, these same strategies apply.

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How I wrote a PhD thesis in just 3 months

by James Hayton, PhD
February 28th, 2012

Need help? Book a free introductory session

Dealing with phd research stress, the invincible mindset.

In the summer of 2006, almost 3 years after starting my PhD, I was ready to quit. I had nowhere near enough results, the equipment I was using didn’t work most of the time, and I could barely summon the motivation to get up in the morning.

Just over a year later I’d managed to;

turn things around and get the data for a few publications
write my entire PhD thesis from scratch in just 3 months.
pass my thesis defence with zero corrections

And, on top of all that, I actually started to enjoy the process.

So how did I do all this? The tips below are not easy and many go against common thesis-writing advice, but they worked.

1. Dealing with stress

After a near-breakdown, I started taking walks around the campus when I faced a problem or found myself getting stressed. I took the time to think about what I needed to do and get myself in the right frame of mind to go back.

Previously, I would have found myself killing time on the internet just to get through to the end of the day. This was one of the key habits that probably saved my PhD .

2. Slowing down

This may seem counter intuitive, but slowing down helped me to go faster. By taking more time over my experiments and doing thingscarefully, I eliminated a lot of time-consuming mistakes.

3. Limiting the time available

Though my productivity increased once I figured out how to deal with stress, I was still doing experiments well into my fourth year.

I had a final submission date (at the end of my 4th year), but my research was still a bit chaotic. It wasn’t focused on finishing.

My supervisor (the brilliant Professor Moriarty ) then told me that I would no longer be allowed into the lab after the end of March 2007, and that I would have to write whatever I had.

4. Adapting and acting decisively

Because of the limited time, I had to make some tough decisions. Anything I did, I would either have to finish or let go . There would be some loose ends, but that was OK as long as I tied up others.

I had to decide not to do certain things, and focus with energy and determination on others.

Still, though, the thesis would be a little thin. So I took on a side project based on another student’s research, which could produce some results quickly.

This side project produced the most interesting result of my scientific career .

5. Finishing research before writing

By the time I stopped doing experiments, I knew I had enough for a PhD. Not the best PhD ever, and not world-changing, but with two publications and enough data for another, I felt it was good enough.

Because I wasn’t allowed back in the lab, I just had to focus on writing. The hard part was behind me. The results weren’t going to change, so it was just a matter of making sure I was productive when writing.

It is much, much easier to write when you know the raw material isn’t going to change.

Tip: If there’s research or analysis still to do, prioritize this over writing

6. Preparation

I decided to work at home, not at the office, because there would be fewer distractions.

I got rid of the TV, and had no internet connection on my computer. The lack of internet meant I had to gather all the papers I would need beforehand, forcing me to think about what I would need.

I also set up a dedicated space (2 large desks joined together and a very comfortable chair, next to a large window for plenty of natural light), just for thesis writing.

7. Targets and consistency

I set myself a target of 3 months, broken down into targets for each chapter. This would give me about 3 months in reserve before the final absolute deadline.

I had a daily minimum target of 500 words , which I knew I could meet even on the least productive days.

This meant that because I smashed the target most days, I finished every day feeling good about my progress, which in turn meant I started the next day feeling confident.

Tip: Set your target as something you know you can achieve daily, then beat it. Don’t set it as high as you can possibly imagine.

The two most important parts of the day are the beginning and end. It’s important to build momentum early, and have a routine for ending the day too.

At the end of each day I always left myself something easy to do to get started with the next day, so I woke up knowing what I was going to do.

I also tidied the desk at the end of every day, which also helped close the day mentally and stopped my brain going over and over the thesis at night.

9. Applying ruthless standards to what I included

Whether it was the lit review, or my own work, I cut anything sub-standard.

I focused only on the very best literature, saving myself a huge amount of time. It also had the result of associating my work with the very best in the field.

I only wrote about what I knew about, which made the thesis shorter, faster and easier to write, and of higher quality than if I had included everything whether I understood it or not.

Tip: You choose the syllabus, not the examiner . Only include what you can comfortably defend.

10. Taking time over details that matter

I took painstaking care over the clarity of the writing, the diagrams and the overall look of the thesis.

If a diagram took 2 hours, so be it. If I couldn’t find a high-quality image in a paper to paste in, I would re-draw it myself. Why? Because it adds so much to the feel of quality running through the thesis.

By applying obsessive focus to one detail at a time , I could make sure that I wouldn’t have to do it again. This brings me to the final point…

11. One draft

I always edit as I write, with one goal only: to make sure I’ve expressed the idea in my head clearly on the page. I don’t move on until I feel the sentence makes sense, with no ambiguity of meaning.

Clarity of thought is always the number one aim. But it is very difficult to come back to a piece of writing days or weeks later and sort out a mess of thought if you don’t clarify your writing while the thought is still fresh in your head.

This means I was constantly re-reading and revising what I’ve just written, but also means that when I submitted something to my supervisor it needed very few revisions and saved months, simply by getting as close to submittable as I could the first time round.

Another key factor

Throughout the course of my PhD, event though a lot went wrong, I built up a lot of experience and skill in the techniques I’d been using and in the data analysis. This is one of the reasons why, when I slowed down and did experiments more carefully, I was able to analyse the results quickly.

Too often, I meet students who have left analysis to the very final months, having done virtually none throughout the course of their PhD. This is a difficult situation to be in, as you have to learn analytical skills very fast under immense pressure. Practice analysis early and don’t neglect your data!

Please Note

I’ve had some comments on this post reacting as if I completed my entire PhD in 3 months. No, I did three and a half years of research first, then wrote the thesis. I also do not claim that anyone can write that fast, as it depends on a lot of different factors. This is why the title is “How I wrote…”, not “How to write…”

What to do if you only have 3 months to finish your PhD

Your final PhD year: Moving towards completion

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PhD: An uncommon guide to research, writing & PhD life

By james hayton (2015).

PhD: an uncommon guide to research, writing & PhD life is your essential guide to the basic principles every PhD student needs to know.

Applicable to virtually any field of study, it covers everything from finding a research topic, getting to grips with the literature, planning and executing research and coping with the inevitable problems that arise, through to writing, submitting and successfully defending your thesis.

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All the text on this site (and every word of every video script) is written by me, personally, because I enjoy writing. I enjoy the challenges of thinking deeply and finding the right words to express my ideas. I do not advocate for the use of AI in academic research and writing, except for very limited use cases.

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Dissertating Like a Distance Runner: Ten Tips for Finishing Your PhD

The above photo is of Sir Mo Farah running past Buckingham Palace into the home stretch of the London Marathon. I took the photo two days after my viva, in which I defended my PhD dissertation. Farah become a British hero when he and his training partner, Galen Rupp, won the gold and silver medals in the 10k at the London Olympic Games.

I had the honor of racing against Rupp at Nike’s Boarder Clash meet between the fastest high school distance runners in my home state of Washington and Rupp’s home state of Oregon. I’m happy to provide a link to the results and photos of our teenage selves since I beat Galen and Washington won the meet. (Note: In the results, ‘Owen’ is misspelled with the commonly added s , which I, as a fan of Jesse Owens, feel is an honor.) By the time we were running in college—Rupp for the University of Oregon and myself for the University of Washington—he was on an entirely different level. I never achieved anything close to the kind of running success Rupp has had. Yet, for most of us mortals, the real value in athletics is the character traits and principles that sports instill in us, and how those principles carry over to other aspects of life. Here I want to share ten principles that the sport of distance running teaches, which I found to be quite transferrable to writing my doctoral dissertation.

To provide some personal context, I began as a doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham in 2014. At that time my grandparents, who helped my single father raise my sister and me, continued their ongoing struggle with my Grandfather’s Alzheimer’s. It was becoming increasingly apparent that they would benefit from having my wife and I nearby. So, in 2015 we moved to my hometown of Yakima, Washington. That fall I began a 2/2 teaching load at a small university on the Yakama Nation Reservation as I continued to write my dissertation. Since finishing my PhD four years ago, in 2018, I have published one book , five research articles , and two edited volume chapters related in various ways to my dissertation. As someone living in rural Eastern Washington, who is a first-gen college grad, I had to find ways to stay self-motivated and to keep chipping away at my academic work. I found the following principles that I learned through distance running very helpful.

(1) Establish community . There are various explanations, some of which border on superstitious, for why Kenyan distance runners have been so dominant. Yet one factor is certainly the running community great Kenyan distance runners benefit from at their elite training camps, as discussed in Train Hard, Win Easy: The Kenyan Way . Having a community that values distance running can compel each member of the community to pursue athletic excellence over a long period of time. The same can be said for academic work. Many doctoral researchers have built-in community in their university departments, but for various reasons this is not true for everyone. Thankfully, alternative ways to establish community have never been easier, predominantly due to technology.

Since my dissertation applied Aristotelian causation and neo-Thomistic hylomorphism to mental causation and neural correlates of consciousness, I found it immensely helpful to meet consistently with neuroscientist, Christof Koch, and philosopher of mind, Mihretu Guta. Mihretu does work on the philosophy of consciousness and Christof propelled the dawn of the neurobiology of consciousness with Francis Crick . Though Mihretu lives in Southern California, we met monthly through Skype, and I would drive over the Cascade Mountains once a month to meet with Christof in Seattle. As my dissertation examiner, Anna Marmodoro, once reminded me: the world is small—it’s easier than ever before to connect with other researchers.

It can also be helpful to keep in mind that your community can be large or small. As some athletes train in large camps consisting of many runners, others have small training groups, such as the three Ingebrigtsen brothers . Likewise, your community could be a whole philosophy department or several close friends. You can also mix it up. As an introvert, I enjoyed my relatively small consistent community, but I also benefitted from attending annual regional philosophy conferences where I could see the same folks each year. And I especially enjoyed developing relationships with other international researchers interested in Aristotelian philosophy of mind at a summer school hosted by the University of Oxford in Naples, which Marmodoro directed. For a brief period, we all stayed in a small villa and talked about hylomorphism all day, each day, while enjoying delicious Italian food.

Whatever your community looks like, whatever shape it takes, what matters is that you’re encouraged toward accomplishing your academic goal.

(2) Know your goal. Like writing a dissertation, becoming a good distance runner requires a lot of tedious and monotonous work. If you don’t have a clear goal of what you want to achieve, you won’t get up early, lace up your running shoes, and enter the frosty morning air as you take the first of many steps in your morning run. There are, after all, more enticing and perhaps even more pressing things to do. Similarly, if you don’t have a clear goal of when you want to finish your dissertation, it is easy to put off your daily writing for another day, which can easily become more distant into the future.

(3) Be realistic about your goal . While it is important to have a clear goal as a distance runner and as a doctoral researcher, it is important for your goal to be realistic. This means your goal should take into account the fact that you are human and therefore have both particular strengths and limitations. Everyone enters the sport of distance running with different strengths and weaknesses. When Diddy ran the city it would have been unrealistic for him to try to break the two-hour barrier in the marathon, as Eliud Kipchoge did . If Diddy made that his goal, he probably would have lost all hope in the first mile of the marathon and never finished. Because he set a more realistic goal of breaking four hours, not two hours, he paced himself accordingly and actually finished.

The parent of two young children who is teaching part-time can certainly finish a dissertation. But the parent will have a greater likelihood of doing so with a reasonable goal that fits that individual’s strengths and limitations. If the parent expects to finish on the same timescale as someone who is single with no children nor teaching responsibilities, this will likely lead to disappointment and less motivation in the middle of the process. Motivation will remain higher, and correspondingly so will productivity that is fueled by motivation, if one’s goal is realistic and achievable.

Another element of having a realistic goal is being willing to adapt the goal as your circumstances change. Sometimes a runner might enter a race expecting to place in the top five and midway through the race realize that she has a great chance of winning (consider, for example, Des Linden’s victory at the Boston Marathon ). At that point, it would be wise to revise one’s goal to be ‘win the race’ rather than simply placing in the top five. At other times, a runner might expect to win the race or be on the podium and midway realize that is no longer possible. Yet, if she is nevertheless within striking distance of placing in the top five, then she can make that her new goal, which is realistic given her current situation and will therefore sustain her motivation to the finish line. Sara Hall, who could have and wanted to crack the top three, held on for fifth at the World Championships marathon because she adjusted her goal midrace.

The PhD candidate who initially plans to finish her dissertation in three years but then finds herself in the midst of a pandemic or dealing with a medical issue or a family crisis may not need to give up on her goal of finishing her dissertation. Perhaps, she only needs to revise her goal so that it allows more time, so she finishes in five years rather than three. A PhD finished in five years is certainly more valuable than no PhD.

(4) Know why you want to achieve your goal . My high school cross-country coach, Mr. Steiner, once gave me a book about distance running entitled “Motivation is the Name of the Game.” It is one of those books you don’t really need to read because the main takeaway is in the title. Distance running requires much-delayed gratification—you must do many things that are not intrinsically enjoyable (such as running itself, ice baths, going to bed early, etc.) in order to achieve success. If you don’t have a solid reason for why you want to achieve your running goal, you won’t do the numerous things you do not want to do but must do to achieve your goal. The same is true for finishing a PhD. Therefore, it is important to know the reason(s) why you want to finish your dissertation and why you want a PhD.

As a side note, it can also be immensely helpful to choose a dissertation topic that you are personally very interested in, rather than a topic that will simply make you more employable. Of course, being employable is something many of us must consider. Yet, if you pick a topic that is so boring to you that you have significant difficulty finding the motivation to finish your dissertation, then picking an “employable dissertation topic” will be anything but employable.

(5) Prioritize your goal . “Be selfish” were the words of exhortation my college cross-country team heard from our coaches before we returned home for Christmas break. As someone who teaches ethics courses, I feel compelled to clarify that “be selfish” is not typically good advice. However, to be fair to my coaches, the realistic point they were trying to convey was that at home we would be surrounded by family and friends who may not fully understand our running goals and what it takes to accomplish them. For example, during my first Christmas break home from college, I was trying to run eighty miles per week. Because I was trying to fit these miles into my social schedule without much compromise, many of these miles were run in freezing temps, in the dark, on concrete sidewalks with streetlights, rather than dirt trails. After returning to campus following the holidays, I raced my first indoor track race with a terribly sore groin, which an MRI scan soon revealed was due to a stress fracture in my femur. I learned the hard way that I have limits to what I can do, which entails I must say “no thanks” to some invitations, even though that may appear selfish to some.

A PhD researcher writing a dissertation has a substantial goal before her. Yet, many people writing a dissertation have additional responsibilities, such as teaching, being a loving spouse, a faithful friend, or a present parent. As I was teaching while writing my dissertation, I often heard the mantra “put students first.” Yet, I knew if I prioritized my current students over and above finishing my dissertation, I would, like many, never finish my dissertation. However, I knew it would be best for my future students to be taught by an expert who has earned a PhD. So, I put my future students first by prioritizing finishing my PhD . This meant that I had to limit the teaching responsibilities I took on. Now, my current students are benefitting from my decision, as they are taught by an expert in my field.

While prioritizing your dissertation can mean putting it above some things in life, it also means putting it below other things. A friend once told me he would fail in a lot of areas in life before he fails as a father, which is often what it means to practically prioritize one goal above another. Prioritizing family and close friendships need not mean that you say ‘yes’ to every request, but that you intentionally build consistent time into your schedule to foster relationships with the people closest to you. For me, this practically meant not working past 6:00pm on weekdays and taking weekends off to hang out with family and friends. This relieved pressure, because I knew that if something went eschew with my plan to finish my PhD, I would still have the people in my life who I care most about. I could then work toward my goal without undue anxiety about the possibility of failing and the loss that would entail. I was positively motivated by the likely prospect that I would, in time, finish my PhD, and be able to celebrate it with others who supported me along the way.

(6) Just start writing . Yesterday morning, it was five degrees below freezing when I did my morning run. I wanted to skip my run and go straight to my heated office. So, I employed a veteran distance running trick to successfully finish my run. I went out the door and just started running. That is the hardest part, and once I do it, 99.9% of the time I finish my run.

You may not know what exactly you think about a specific topic in the chapter you need to write, nor what you are going to write each day. But perhaps the most simple and helpful dissertation advice I ever received was from David Horner, who earned his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford. He told me: “just start writing.” Sometimes PhD researchers think they must have all their ideas solidified in their mind before they start writing their dissertation. In fact, writing your dissertation can actually help clarify what you think. So “just start writing” is not only simple but also sage advice.

(7) Never write a dissertation . No great marathoner focuses on running 26.2 miles. Great distance runners are masters of breaking up major goals into smaller goals and then focusing on accomplishing one small goal at a time, until they have achieved the major goal. Philosophers can understand this easily, as we take small, calculated steps through minor premises that support major premises to arrive at an overall conclusion in an argument.

Contained within each chapter of a dissertation is a premise(s) in an overall argument and individual sections can contain sub-premises supporting the major premise of each chapter. When you first start out as a doctoral researcher working on your dissertation, you have to construct an outline of your dissertation that maps out the various chapters and how they will relate to your overall conclusion. Once you have that outline in place, keep it in the back of your mind. But do not focus on writing the whole, which would be overwhelming and discouraging. Rather, focus on writing whichever chapter you are working on. The fastest American marathoner, Ryan Hall, wrote a book that sums up the only way to run long distances in the title Run the Mile You’re In . And Galen Rupp discusses in this interview how he mentally breaks up a marathon into segments and focuses on just finishing one segment at a time. Whatever chapter you’re writing, make it your goal to write that chapter. Once you’ve accomplished that goal, set a new goal: write the next chapter. Repeat that process several times and you will be halfway through your dissertation. Repeat the process a few more times, and you will be done.

By the time you have finished a master’s degree, you have written many chapter-length papers. To finish a dissertation, you essentially write about eight interconnected papers, one at a time, just as you have done many times before. If you just write the chapter (which you could call a “paper” if that feels like a lighter load) you’re writing, before you know it, you will have written a dissertation.

(8) Harness the power of habits . Becoming a great distance runner requires running an inordinate number of miles, which no one has the willpower to do. The best marathoners in the world regularly run well over one hundred miles a week, in addition to stretching, lifting weights, taking ice baths, and eating healthy. Not even the most tough-minded distance runner has the gumption to make all the individual decisions that would be required in order to get out the door for every run and climb into every ice bath apart from the development of habits. The most reliable way around each distance runner’s weakness of will, or akrasia , is developing and employing habits. The same can be true for writing.

If you simply try to write a little bit each weekday around the same time, you will develop a habit of writing at that time each day. Once you have that habit, the decision to write each weekday at that time will require less and less willpower over time. Eventually, it will take some willpower to not write at that time. I have found it helpful to develop the routine of freewriting for a few minutes just before starting my daily writing session of thirty minutes during which I write new content, before working on editing or revising existing content for about thirty minutes. My routine helped me develop the daily habit of writing, which removes the daily decision to write, as I “just do it” (to use Nike’s famous line) each day.

I have also found it helpful to divide my days up according to routines. As a morning person, I do well writing and researching in the morning, doing teaching prep and teaching during the middle of the day, and then doing mundane tasks such as email at the end of the day.

(9) Write for today and for tomorrow . Successful distance runners train for two reasons. One reason—to win upcoming races—is obvious. However, in addition to training for upcoming races, the successful distance runner trains today for the training that they want to be capable of months and years ahead. You cannot simply jump into running eighty, ninety, or one-hundred-mile weeks. It takes time to condition your body to sustain the stress of running high mileage weeks. A runner must have a long-term perspective and plan ahead as she works toward her immediate goals on the way to achieving her long-term goals. Similarly, for the PhD researcher, writing a dissertation lays the groundwork for future success.

For one, if the PhD candidate develops healthy, sustainable, productive habits while writing a dissertation, these habits can be continued once they land an academic job. It is no secret that the initial years on the job market, or in a new academic position, can be just as (or more) challenging than finishing a PhD. Effective habits developed while writing a dissertation can be invaluable during such seasons, allowing one to continue researching and writing even with more responsibilities and less time.

It is also worth noting that there is a sense in which research writing becomes easier, as one becomes accustomed to the work. A distance runner who has been running for decades, logging thousands of miles throughout their career, can run relatively fast without much effort. For example, my college roommate, Travis Boyd, decided to set the world record for running a half marathon pushing a baby stroller nearly a decade after we ran for the University of Washington. His training was no longer what it once was during our collegiate days. Nevertheless, his past training made it much easier for him to set the record, even though his focus had shifted to his full-time business career and being a present husband and father of two. I once asked my doctoral supervisors, Nikk Effingham and Jussi Suikkanen, how they were able to publish so much. They basically said it gets easier, as the work you have done in the past contributes to your future publications. Granted, not everyone is going to finish their PhD and then become a research super human like Liz Jackson , who finished her PhD in 2019, and published four articles that same year, three the next, and six the following year. Nevertheless, writing and publishing does become easier as you gain years of experience.

(10) Go running . As Cal Newport discusses in Deep Work , having solid boundaries around the time we work is conducive for highly effective academic work. And there is nothing more refreshing while dissertating than an athletic hobby with cognitive benefits . So, perhaps the best way to dissertate like a distance runner is to stop writing and go for a run.

Acknowledgments : Thanks are due to Aryn Owen and Jaden Anderson for their constructive feedback on a prior draft of this post.

Matthew Owen

Matthew Owen (PhD, University of Birmingham) is a faculty member in the philosophy department at Yakima Valley College in Washington State. He is also an affiliate faculty member at the Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan. Matthew’s latest book is Measuring the Immeasurable Mind: Where Contemporary Neuroscience Meets the Aristotelian Tradition .

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Tips for writing a PhD dissertation: FAQs answered

From how to choose a topic to writing the abstract and managing work-life balance through the years it takes to complete a doctorate, here we collect expert advice to get you through the PhD writing process

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Embarking on a PhD is “probably the most challenging task that a young scholar attempts to do”, write Mark Stephan Felix and Ian Smith in their practical guide to dissertation and thesis writing. After years of reading and research to answer a specific question or proposition, the candidate will submit about 80,000 words that explain their methods and results and demonstrate their unique contribution to knowledge. Here are the answers to frequently asked questions about writing a doctoral thesis or dissertation.

What’s the difference between a dissertation and a thesis?

Whatever the genre of the doctorate, a PhD must offer an original contribution to knowledge. The terms “dissertation” and “thesis” both refer to the long-form piece of work produced at the end of a research project and are often used interchangeably. Which one is used might depend on the country, discipline or university. In the UK, “thesis” is generally used for the work done for a PhD, while a “dissertation” is written for a master’s degree. The US did the same until the 1960s, says Oxbridge Essays, when the convention switched, and references appeared to a “master’s thesis” and “doctoral dissertation”. To complicate matters further, undergraduate long essays are also sometimes referred to as a thesis or dissertation.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “thesis” as “a dissertation, especially by a candidate for a degree” and “dissertation” as “a detailed discourse on a subject, especially one submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of a degree or diploma”.

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The title “doctor of philosophy”, incidentally, comes from the degree’s origins, write Dr Felix, an associate professor at Mahidol University in Thailand, and Dr Smith, retired associate professor of education at the University of Sydney , whose co-authored guide focuses on the social sciences. The PhD was first awarded in the 19th century by the philosophy departments of German universities, which at that time taught science, social science and liberal arts.

How long should a PhD thesis be?

A PhD thesis (or dissertation) is typically 60,000 to 120,000 words ( 100 to 300 pages in length ) organised into chapters, divisions and subdivisions (with roughly 10,000 words per chapter) – from introduction (with clear aims and objectives) to conclusion.

The structure of a dissertation will vary depending on discipline (humanities, social sciences and STEM all have their own conventions), location and institution. Examples and guides to structure proliferate online. The University of Salford , for example, lists: title page, declaration, acknowledgements, abstract, table of contents, lists of figures, tables and abbreviations (where needed), chapters, appendices and references.

A scientific-style thesis will likely need: introduction, literature review, materials and methods, results, discussion, bibliography and references.

As well as checking the overall criteria and expectations of your institution for your research, consult your school handbook for the required length and format (font, layout conventions and so on) for your dissertation.

A PhD takes three to four years to complete; this might extend to six to eight years for a part-time doctorate.

What are the steps for completing a PhD?

Before you get started in earnest , you’ll likely have found a potential supervisor, who will guide your PhD journey, and done a research proposal (which outlines what you plan to research and how) as part of your application, as well as a literature review of existing scholarship in the field, which may form part of your final submission.

In the UK, PhD candidates undertake original research and write the results in a thesis or dissertation, says author and vlogger Simon Clark , who posted videos to YouTube throughout his own PhD journey . Then they submit the thesis in hard copy and attend the viva voce (which is Latin for “living voice” and is also called an oral defence or doctoral defence) to convince the examiners that their work is original, understood and all their own. Afterwards, if necessary, they make changes and resubmit. If the changes are approved, the degree is awarded.

The steps are similar in Australia , although candidates are mostly assessed on their thesis only; some universities may include taught courses, and some use a viva voce. A PhD in Australia usually takes three years full time.

In the US, the PhD process begins with taught classes (similar to a taught master’s) and a comprehensive exam (called a “field exam” or “dissertation qualifying exam”) before the candidate embarks on their original research. The whole journey takes four to six years.

A PhD candidate will need three skills and attitudes to get through their doctoral studies, says Tara Brabazon , professor of cultural studies at Flinders University in Australia who has written extensively about the PhD journey :

master the academic foundational skills (research, writing, ability to navigate different modalities)
time-management skills and the ability to focus on reading and writing
determined motivation to do a PhD.

Socrates' methods can still help university student in the battle with misinformation

How do I choose the topic for my PhD dissertation or thesis?

It’s important to find a topic that will sustain your interest for the years it will take to complete a PhD. “Finding a sustainable topic is the most important thing you [as a PhD student] would do,” says Dr Brabazon in a video for Times Higher Education . “Write down on a big piece of paper all the topics, all the ideas, all the questions that really interest you, and start to cross out all the ones that might just be a passing interest.” Also, she says, impose the “Who cares? Who gives a damn?” question to decide if the topic will be useful in a future academic career.

The availability of funding and scholarships is also often an important factor in this decision, says veteran PhD supervisor Richard Godwin, from Harper Adams University .

Define a gap in knowledge – and one that can be questioned, explored, researched and written about in the time available to you, says Gina Wisker, head of the Centre for Learning and Teaching at the University of Brighton. “Set some boundaries,” she advises. “Don’t try to ask everything related to your topic in every way.”

James Hartley, research professor in psychology at Keele University, says it can also be useful to think about topics that spark general interest. If you do pick something that taps into the zeitgeist, your findings are more likely to be noticed.

You also need to find someone else who is interested in it, too. For STEM candidates , this will probably be a case of joining a team of people working in a similar area where, ideally, scholarship funding is available. A centre for doctoral training (CDT) or doctoral training partnership (DTP) will advertise research projects. For those in the liberal arts and social sciences, it will be a matter of identifying a suitable supervisor .

Avoid topics that are too broad (hunger across a whole country, for example) or too narrow (hunger in a single street) to yield useful solutions of academic significance, write Mark Stephan Felix and Ian Smith. And ensure that you’re not repeating previous research or trying to solve a problem that has already been answered. A PhD thesis must be original.

What is a thesis proposal?

After you have read widely to refine your topic and ensure that it and your research methods are original, and discussed your project with a (potential) supervisor, you’re ready to write a thesis proposal , a document of 1,500 to 3,000 words that sets out the proposed direction of your research. In the UK, a research proposal is usually part of the application process for admission to a research degree. As with the final dissertation itself, format varies among disciplines, institutions and countries but will usually contain title page, aims, literature review, methodology, timetable and bibliography. Examples of research proposals are available online.

How to write an abstract for a dissertation or thesis

The abstract presents your thesis to the wider world – and as such may be its most important element , says the NUI Galway writing guide. It outlines the why, how, what and so what of the thesis . Unlike the introduction, which provides background but not research findings, the abstract summarises all sections of the dissertation in a concise, thorough, focused way and demonstrates how well the writer understands their material. Check word-length limits with your university – and stick to them. About 300 to 500 words is a rough guide – but it can be up to 1,000 words.

The abstract is also important for selection and indexing of your thesis, according to the University of Melbourne guide , so be sure to include searchable keywords.

It is the first thing to be read but the last element you should write. However, Pat Thomson , professor of education at the University of Nottingham , advises that it is not something to be tackled at the last minute.

How to write a stellar conclusion

As well as chapter conclusions, a thesis often has an overall conclusion to draw together the key points covered and to reflect on the unique contribution to knowledge. It can comment on future implications of the research and open up new ideas emanating from the work. It is shorter and more general than the discussion chapter , says online editing site Scribbr, and reiterates how the work answers the main question posed at the beginning of the thesis. The conclusion chapter also often discusses the limitations of the research (time, scope, word limit, access) in a constructive manner.

It can be useful to keep a collection of ideas as you go – in the online forum DoctoralWriting SIG , academic developer Claire Aitchison, of the University of South Australia , suggests using a “conclusions bank” for themes and inspirations, and using free-writing to keep this final section fresh. (Just when you feel you’ve run out of steam.) Avoid aggrandising or exaggerating the impact of your work. It should remind the reader what has been done, and why it matters.

How to format a bibliography (or where to find a reliable model)

Most universities use a preferred style of references , writes THE associate editor Ingrid Curl. Make sure you know what this is and follow it. “One of the most common errors in academic writing is to cite papers in the text that do not then appear in the bibliography. All references in your thesis need to be cross-checked with the bibliography before submission. Using a database during your research can save a great deal of time in the writing-up process.”

A bibliography contains not only works cited explicitly but also those that have informed or contributed to the research – and as such illustrates its scope; works are not limited to written publications but include sources such as film or visual art.

Examiners can start marking from the back of the script, writes Dr Brabazon. “Just as cooks are judged by their ingredients and implements, we judge doctoral students by the calibre of their sources,” she advises. She also says that candidates should be prepared to speak in an oral examination of the PhD about any texts included in their bibliography, especially if there is a disconnect between the thesis and the texts listed.

Can I use informal language in my PhD?

Don’t write like a stereotypical academic , say Kevin Haggerty, professor of sociology at the University of Alberta , and Aaron Doyle, associate professor in sociology at Carleton University , in their tongue-in-cheek guide to the PhD journey. “If you cannot write clearly and persuasively, everything about PhD study becomes harder.” Avoid jargon, exotic words, passive voice and long, convoluted sentences – and work on it consistently. “Writing is like playing guitar; it can improve only through consistent, concerted effort.”

Be deliberate and take care with your writing . “Write your first draft, leave it and then come back to it with a critical eye. Look objectively at the writing and read it closely for style and sense,” advises THE ’s Ms Curl. “Look out for common errors such as dangling modifiers, subject-verb disagreement and inconsistency. If you are too involved with the text to be able to take a step back and do this, then ask a friend or colleague to read it with a critical eye. Remember Hemingway’s advice: ‘Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.’ Clarity is key.”

How often should a PhD candidate meet with their supervisor?

Since the PhD supervisor provides a range of support and advice – including on research techniques, planning and submission – regular formal supervisions are essential, as is establishing a line of contact such as email if the candidate needs help or advice outside arranged times. The frequency varies according to university, discipline and individual scholars.

Once a week is ideal, says Dr Brabazon. She also advocates a two-hour initial meeting to establish the foundations of the candidate-supervisor relationship .

The University of Edinburgh guide to writing a thesis suggests that creating a timetable of supervisor meetings right at the beginning of the research process will allow candidates to ensure that their work stays on track throughout. The meetings are also the place to get regular feedback on draft chapters.

“A clear structure and a solid framework are vital for research,” writes Dr Godwin on THE Campus . Use your supervisor to establish this and provide a realistic view of what can be achieved. “It is vital to help students identify the true scientific merit, the practical significance of their work and its value to society.”

How to proofread your dissertation (what to look for)

Proofreading is the final step before printing and submission. Give yourself time to ensure that your work is the best it can be . Don’t leave proofreading to the last minute; ideally, break it up into a few close-reading sessions. Find a quiet place without distractions. A checklist can help ensure that all aspects are covered.

Proofing is often helped by a change of format – so it can be easier to read a printout rather than working off the screen – or by reading sections out of order. Fresh eyes are better at spotting typographical errors and inconsistencies, so leave time between writing and proofreading. Check with your university’s policies before asking another person to proofread your thesis for you.

As well as close details such as spelling and grammar, check that all sections are complete, all required elements are included , and nothing is repeated or redundant. Don’t forget to check headings and subheadings. Does the text flow from one section to another? Is the structure clear? Is the work a coherent whole with a clear line throughout?

Ensure consistency in, for example, UK v US spellings, capitalisation, format, numbers (digits or words, commas, units of measurement), contractions, italics and hyphenation. Spellchecks and online plagiarism checkers are also your friend.

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How do you manage your time to complete a PhD dissertation?

Treat your PhD like a full-time job, that is, with an eight-hour working day. Within that, you’ll need to plan your time in a way that gives a sense of progress . Setbacks and periods where it feels as if you are treading water are all but inevitable, so keeping track of small wins is important, writes A Happy PhD blogger Luis P. Prieto.

Be specific with your goals – use the SMART acronym (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely).

And it’s never too soon to start writing – even if early drafts are overwritten and discarded.

“ Write little and write often . Many of us make the mistake of taking to writing as one would take to a sprint, in other words, with relatively short bursts of intense activity. Whilst this can prove productive, generally speaking it is not sustainable…In addition to sustaining your activity, writing little bits on a frequent basis ensures that you progress with your thinking. The comfort of remaining in abstract thought is common; writing forces us to concretise our thinking,” says Christian Gilliam, AHSS researcher developer at the University of Cambridge ’s Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Make time to write. “If you are more alert early in the day, find times that suit you in the morning; if you are a ‘night person’, block out some writing sessions in the evenings,” advises NUI Galway’s Dermot Burns, a lecturer in English and creative arts. Set targets, keep daily notes of experiment details that you will need in your thesis, don’t confuse writing with editing or revising – and always back up your work.

What work-life balance tips should I follow to complete my dissertation?

During your PhD programme, you may have opportunities to take part in professional development activities, such as teaching, attending academic conferences and publishing your work. Your research may include residencies, field trips or archive visits. This will require time-management skills as well as prioritising where you devote your energy and factoring in rest and relaxation. Organise your routine to suit your needs , and plan for steady and regular progress.

How to deal with setbacks while writing a thesis or dissertation

Have a contingency plan for delays or roadblocks such as unexpected results.

Accept that writing is messy, first drafts are imperfect, and writer’s block is inevitable, says Dr Burns. His tips for breaking it include relaxation to free your mind from clutter, writing a plan and drawing a mind map of key points for clarity. He also advises feedback, reflection and revision: “Progressing from a rough version of your thoughts to a superior and workable text takes time, effort, different perspectives and some expertise.”

“Academia can be a relentlessly brutal merry-go-round of rejection, rebuttal and failure,” writes Lorraine Hope , professor of applied cognitive psychology at the University of Portsmouth, on THE Campus. Resilience is important. Ensure that you and your supervisor have a relationship that supports open, frank, judgement-free communication.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter .

Authoring a PhD Thesis: How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Dissertation (2003), by Patrick Dunleavy

Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis (1998), by Joan Balker

Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping with the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Spiritual Struggles (2015), by Noelle Sterne

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Dissertation Instructions

The dissertation is an original piece of scholarly research on a topic that has been jointly agreed upon by the student and her/his Supervisory Committee members. It is a major undertaking that should reflect the highest standards of scholarship and make a significant contribution to knowledge and practice in the field of social welfare and the profession of social work.

“A candidate must present a dissertation demonstrating original and independent investigation and achievement. A dissertation should reflect not only mastery of research techniques but also ability to select an important problem for investigation and to deal with it competently.” ( University of Washington Graduate School )

Dissertation Research

After the dissertation prospectus has been approved by the Supervisory Committee and the PhD Steering Committee, the student normally works primarily under the direction of the chair. The extent to which other members are involved during the course of the dissertation research is determined on a case-by-case basis. If a dissertation study significantly changes as it progresses from that originally approved in the Prospectus by the Supervisory Committee and Steering Committee, the changes must be reviewed and approved by the Reading Committee members of the Supervisory Committee. 1

Dissertation Research Colloquium

At some point during the dissertation process each candidate is required to make a 30-minute presentation of her/his research at a Dissertation Colloquium. 2 The colloquium is an open assembly of Social Welfare Faculty, PhD students, and others (e.g., faculty from the School of Social Work and other departments, MSW and BASW students, and community persons) who have interest in the proposed research. The Dissertation Colloquium provides (1) a forum for the productive and timely exchange of ideas, suggestions, and resources with doctoral candidates as they work on their first major independent research endeavor and (2) an opportunity for doctoral candidates to articulate to others their research goals, plans, and questions. The timing of the colloquium will depend on the specific needs of each student and be determined by the student and Supervisory Committee. Two options are available:

At any point during the dissertation research process when the student and Supervisory Committee determine that a public presentation of the research and findings would be useful for the student. (This could be as a practice job talk or for the general purpose of sharing the research with the community.) The student’s Supervisory Committee is typically in attendance, and one member serves as discussant and facilitator of the Colloquium.
As an opening presentation during the Oral Dissertation Defense. (If this option is chosen the Social Work community must be invited to the presentation. Note: Graduate School guidelines recommend that at least a portion of the Oral Dissertation Defense be open to the public.)

Consistent with the program’s emphasis on providing opportunities for students to strengthen their skills in presenting their work, students are strongly encouraged to invite not only social work faculty and students but also any other relevant university colleagues or community members to attend the Colloquium. At least two weeks prior to the date of the Colloquium the student sends an email announcement with the presentation information and an abstract.

Writing and Submitting the Dissertation

Two general formats have been approved by the Graduate School and the social welfare faculty. The first, more traditional within the Arts and Sciences, is the monograph or ‘book’ format for a dissertation. In this format, the dissertation is organized as an integrated set of chapters written as a logical progression of ideas pertaining to a central topic. The second dissertation format, more prevalent in the health sciences, is a series of three to four research papers that may differ in topic but are clearly reflective of a coherent program of research. (*When the dissertation is composed of a set of research papers that are inclusive of co-authored manuscripts, the candidate must be the primary contributor and lead author on all published papers.) Each format has advantages and disadvantages having to do with publication goals and career plans, and these should be carefully considered by the candidate in consultation with his/her dissertation committee.

For instructions on formatting the Dissertation, follow the School of Social Work Dissertation Style Guidelines . Also referenced in the guidelines document are templates for the required preliminary pages and for paragraph styles . The final dissertation must be submitted to the Doctoral Program Office for approval before it is submitted to the Graduate School, thus students need to contact the Program Office during the final stages of writing to ensure that all the guidelines are understood and complied with. For submitting the final to the Graduate School, students must follow the procedures outlined in the Graduate School’s Dissertation Submission Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations. This document outlines the process for submission of doctoral dissertations.

All members of the Supervisory Committee must be provided a draft of the dissertation chapters at least 6 weeks in advance of the Oral Defense and a complete draft of the dissertation (with all required sections) at least 2 weeks in advance of the Defense. 2

Resources for Dissertation Research and Writing

All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide This monthly newsletter provides practical strategies for successfully completing your doctoral dissertation, periodic interviews with scholars about the tips they wish they’d known at the beginning of their own careers, and teleworkshops.

Phinished A discussion and support site aimed at helping people finish their dissertations.

Summary Notes of Writing for Social Scientists Presents an outline of Howard S. Becker’s suggestions for writing. Taken from his book, Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986).

Thinking About Your Thesis This article by Erika Simpson provides guidelines for finishing a thesis or dissertation.

Writing and Presenting Your Thesis or Dissertation This article by S. Joseph Levine provides guidelines for thinking about a thesis or dissertation, writing a proposal, completing the project, and defending it..

Final Program Office Check

Before scheduling the oral defense, the student must contact the PhD Program Assistant Director for a final degree check, which will be done via email. This will ensure that all degree requirements have been met.

SSW Approval of the Dissertation

Once the entire dissertation is complete, it must be submitted it to the School of Social Work Doctoral Program Office for approval before submitting the final to the Graduate School. Each document will be checked page-by-page, and notations made of all errors to be fixed.

As a general guideline, the SSW check should be arranged at least 2 weeks prior to the time the final will be submitted to the Graduate School. For formatting guidelines, see the School of Social Work Dissertation Style Guidelines . Contact the PhD Program Assistant Director in advance to request this check. Provide electronic files for checking instead of paper copy. This check can usually be accomplished in 1-2 working days if scheduled in advance.

Final Examination: Oral Defense

When the dissertation is complete and the doctoral Supervisory Committee agrees that the candidate is prepared to take the Final Examination (Oral D efense), the Program Director, Assistant Director, and Graduate School must be informed of the decision . 3

All members of the Supervisory Committee must be provided an initial draft of all chapters at least 6 weeks prior to the Oral Defense and a complete draft of the dissertation (with all required sections) at least 2 weeks in advance of the Defense. 4

All members of the Supervisory Committee (including the GSR) must be consulted by the student and approve the date, time, and location for the Oral Defense. The student then logs in to MyGrad to request scheduling of the Defense . (This must be done at least 2 weeks prior to the date of the oral defense.) As soon as the request is made, the student must send an email to the Assistant Director of the Social Welfare Program indicating that the request has been made (the MyGrad system tells students that the departments are being notified, but that’s not true). The Assistant Director will approve the request through MyGrad.

The Final Oral Defense is intended as an opportunity for the student to clarify, elaborate, or justify the procedures used and the findings obtained. At least four members of the Supervisory Committee (including the Chair, all other members of the Reading Committee, and the GSR) must be present at the defense, and all members of the Reading Committee (composed of at least 3 members of the Supervisory Committee, including the Chair) must approve the final product. (The GSR must be there in person; any other members may participate by phone or video-conferencing.) The student may choose to present the public Dissertation Colloquium as part of the Defense (see Dissertation Colloquium section above).

The defense session is normally about 2 hours. The committee Chair completes the Dissertation Evaluation Form . After the defense has been conducted, the committee may approve the dissertation or require the student to make additional modifications or additions. Upon a successful defense and acceptance of the dissertation by the SSW and the Graduate School, the PhD in Social Welfare is conferred.

The Reading Committee approves a dissertation through an online process. All members of a Committee must log into MyGrad Committee View , including non-UW Reading Committee Members. Members log in using their UW NetIDs and will see the option to approve the dissertation after the student’s final exam has been scheduled. Any non-UW Reading Committee members must obtain a UW NetID when the join the committee. The PhD Program GPA can assist in this process.

Participating in Commencement Exercises

Consistent with the eligibility criteria for participation in the University of Washington’s June commencement exercises, individuals are eligible for participation in the School of Social Work’s June commencement exercises if the doctoral degree has been earned during the preceding Summer, or the Fall or Winter term of the current academic year. Alternatively, if a doctoral candidate has a reasonable expectation of graduating in either Spring or Summer of the current academic year he/she may choose to participate. ‘Reasonable expectation of graduation’ is interpreted as having progressed sufficiently in the writing of a dissertation that is of sufficient academic standard that there is strong consensus by the candidate’s Reading Committee that a dissertation defense can be scheduled in sufficient time for graduation by the end of the Summer term (after the commencement exercises).

The PhD Program Director must approve commencement participation for any student who has not completed all requirements, including submission of the final dissertation to the Graduate School.

For information on participating in the School of Social Work commencement . To apply and participate in the University of Washington’s June commencement exercises go to the Graduation, Commencement, and Diplomas page .
Approved by Steering Committee, 5/26/98.
Approved by the PhD Steering Committee, 11/6/2012.
Graduate School revisions in General Examination and Defense Process instituted May 2009.
Approved by Steering Committee, 12/7/2010.

Writing Dissertation In 2 Weeks

Usually, the process of dissertation writing evaluates timeline according to your topic and your effort in writing. Writing a dissertation in two weeks is very critical task to perform, due to its complications and deep interpretation of requirements for some academic works, in majority of cases the constrained deadline is not suggested. Incase if you struck with that situation, where you have no option but to finish your dissertation in a very confined timeline.

Approach us everything is possible with phdprojecs.org we will apply more of our resources and make use of our top writers to finish it within 2 weeks. We constantly stay updated on latest technologies and use proper methodologies and finish of your dissertation writing within the stipulated period. Citations and referred details along with proper guidance with explanation will be shared by us.

Don’t worry! We are here to provide some strategies that assist you for dealing this kind of issue:

Set Realistic Goals : When you are supposed to write a dissertation under a constrained timeline, realize that it can’t be possible to submit the best work. So, mainly concentrate on minimum requirements which are possible to attain.
Plan Rigorously : Make an extensive schedule by classifying your available time. For each part of your dissertation, assign particular blocks of times including research, writing and revision.
Choose a Manageable Topic : Yet you are confused in selecting a topic, decide one that must be simple, clear and requires the minimum original research. Most preferably, choose a topic that you are already well-known about.
Use Existing Resources : Depend significantly on the modern literature and research. You perform a task with a constrained deadline, so considering the comprehensive original research or complicated tests is not essential at this time.
Write Efficiently : Except concerning more about perfection in the first draft, you must mainly focus on obtaining your concepts. Later, you are able to modify and edit your dissertation.
Limit Distractions : A dedicated workspace is created for you and ignores all possible distractions. Inform your situation to your friends and family, so that they help you by concerning your requirements for concentration.
Prioritize Sections : Initially, you must mainly concentrate on sections which carry the high capacity and most significant for your dissertation. Usually, this prioritization inspires your literature review, methods and findings.
Use Tools and Software : To hurry up the writing and citation process, make use of writing and citation tools such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Zotero or EndNote.
Seek Immediate Feedback : Get reviews from our nobles or instructors, while you finish the draft of the dissertation. The feedback protects you from leading in the wrong direction.
Effective Writing : When you involve deeper into the dissertation, it decreases your efficiency. Conducts effective writing by taking short regular breaks to maintain a balance between work and personal life.
Edit and Proofread : For comprehensive editing and proofreading, spend at least a day or twice a day at the end. Most of the case, a document with minimal errors is highly acceptable.
Consider Extensions or Alternatives : Appeal an extension of your dissertation for describing your condition, if it is feasible. If this is not an option, try to concentrate on facing the key necessities to acquire a passing score.

Is 6000 words enough for a dissertation?

Based on the field of study, specific necessities of the program and the nature of search, the length of dissertation is varied from each other. Anyhow typically for a dissertation, 6000 words are considered as rather short. Maximum of the dissertation, especially in a Master’s or Doctor’s programs are crucially extensive.

Consider our following points for evaluating the word count in a specific dissertation, they are:

Master’s Dissertation : Relying on the field and the complications of research, it commonly ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 words. However, some programs might require up to 50,000 words.
D. Dissertation : Usually, these are longer compared to master’s dissertations and frequently it ranges from 40,000 to 80,000 words. Some fields like humanities and social sciences can even extend about 100,000 words.
Undergraduate Dissertation or Senior Thesis : Generally, these are shorter and it contains word count of around 6,000 to 12,000 words possibly that are more familiar.

Beyond the word count, this is very significant to determine the characteristics and intensity is more crucial. Generally, a dissertation extensively binds the research topic, comprising a literature review, methods, findings, discussion, and conclusion which usually demands a longer format.

Is it possible to write my dissertation in 2 weeks?

Easiest Way to Write a Dissertation

Experts can help you to write dissertation easily. By using the following steps dissertation can be easily written at first scholars have to chose the topics wisely by conducting in-depth research and literature review, here we refer to the primary sources and the methodologies that we are going to apply. The next step is dissertation writing which has to be done in a flawless way after proofreading and editing we must get feedback from our guide or professors then submit our paper.

Here is a compilation of dissertation topics that we have curated in prominent areas. Take a look at them and let our work ignite your inspiration.

Comparative Study of Adaptive Algorithms Using Matlab and Verilog
Matlab Simulation of Algorithms for Face Detection in Video Surveillance
Solution of the Decomposition Problem of Singularly Perturbed Complicated Dynamic Systems Models in MATLAB and Simulink
Design and Realisation of the Simulation Model of the Stewart Platform using the MATLAB-Simulink and the Simscape Multibody Library
MATLAB-Based PHY Simulators for Performance Study of the IEEE 802.11ah/af Systems
Integrating Machine Learning with MATLAB and Simulink in an Introductory Robotics Class
Cardiostimulator excitation signal generators in MATLAB and Simulink environment
A Method to Estimate the Yield of Photovoltaic Power Plant Solely in MATLAB/Simulink
PID-Design-Delay: A MATLAB Toolbox for Stability Parameter-Space Characterization
Development of MATLAB simulink model of Invelox to Analyze The Impact of Inlet Height On speed ratio
Impact of SCFCL on Fault Current Level in Active Distribution Networks: Matlab/Simulink Case Studies
Determining Human Presence through the Analysis of the Electric Field using MATLAB environment
The Use of MATLAB and GT-SUITE in Simulation and Optimization of The Diesel Exhaust After-treatment System
Elaboration of didactic manual using Matlab, to strengthen the teaching-learning process in a section of the course Intelligent Control Systems
Optimization Design Method of Impulse Current Generation Using MATLAB/SIMULINK
Simulation Technique of In-vehicle CAN Network Based on MATLAB
Using MATLAB for teaching transformations of random variables
Variable rate based microstepping of stepper motor using MATLAB GUI
Modeling of MATLAB-Simulink based photovoltaic module using flyback converter
Cascaded controller algorithm design for a brushless DC motor with Matlab/Simulink and MCU implementation
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How light and sleep quality affect burnout

Sophia Frick defended her PhD thesis at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences on September 6th.

Burnout is becoming increasingly common with many people reporting that they feel exhausted and detached from their work. Mild symptoms related to burnout are probably familiar to us all: most of us have moments, days, or even weeks during which we feel more exhausted and less engaged in our work than usual. Past research has shown that sleep helps us to recover from work, and that light regulates our sleep patterns, and affects our energy and mood throughout the day. Similarly, getting good quality sleep and the right amount of light may be important for reducing or preventing mild burnout symptoms, whereas poor sleep and insufficient light could worsen such symptoms. The focus of Sophia Frick’s PhD research was to investigate if and how sleep and light contribute to, and could potentially be used to mitigate, the experience and development of mild burnout-related symptoms.

Do burnout symptoms fluctuate throughout the day and week?

Although clinical burnout has traditionally been viewed as a phenomenon that does not change much over time, the PhD research of Sophia Frick explored whether mild burnout-related experiences fluctuate from moment to moment and day to day.

First, along with her collaborators at the Department of of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences, Frick repeatedly asked 65 participants to report how burnt-out they felt while working during their regular routine.

Findings from this part of her research showed that burnout-related experiences indeed fluctuate from moment to moment in working participants.

Energy levels peaked around midday and decreased towards the evening, suggesting that our most demanding work tasks should perhaps be tackled before noon.

What comes first: bad sleep or burnout?

When we sleep poorly, we often wake up in a bad mood and with low levels of energy. However, when we feel stressed from work and exhausted, this can also affect how well we sleep at night.

To understand which comes first (poor sleep or burnout), Frink then conducted a one-week field study involving 72 participants in which she employed surveys and wrist-worn sensors to monitor sleep. She found that poor sleep appears to precede burnout-related experiences, not the other way around.

Additionally, Frick found that a poor night’s sleep affects everyone differently: those experiencing high levels of burnout the previous months were more affected by sleeping poorly. This suggests that obtaining good quality sleep may be particularly important for those who are already (susceptible to) feeling burnt-out.

In addition, she was also interested in investigating relationships between sleep and burnout across longer periods of time. For this study, 150 people took part and the whole study lasted 12 months. Participants were repeatedly assessed over the course of the study.

Results from this longitudinal study showed that when participants felt more detached from their work they had more disturbed sleep three months later. Yet, when participants had more disturbed sleep, they experienced more exhaustion three months later.

Poor sleep may thus be one of the mechanisms whereby burnout worsens over time, suggesting that sleep health may help increase resilience against burnout.

Light and burnout

In addition to helping us to see, light is one of the most important factors determining many of our daily rhythms, including when we feel alert and when get sleepy.

In this part of her PhD research, Frick was interested in knowing whether light also influences burnout-related symptoms.

When people were exposed to more intense/brighter light (than they are used to normally during the day), she found that they felt less exhausted at the end of the hour. Basically, being in brighter light than usual for one hour made people feel less exhausted than they did before being in the brighter light.

In addition, Frick also uncovered that while light may be a helpful tool for reducing exhaustion at work for everyone. Light was particularly important for those who already felt burnt-out.

Overall, Frick’s findings suggest that improving sleep quality and ensuring adequate light exposure, could be effective strategies for preventing and managing burnout, particularly for those who are already vulnerable.

Importance and motivation

For Frick, working on this topic was easy to relate to. “We all experience work stress every once in a while, and we have all felt the consequences of not sleeping well. I really appreciated that this research is relevant to so many people and has the potential to contribute to enhancing employee wellbeing and sustainable employment – topics I find very important.”

Added to that, the interdisciplinary nature of the project combined several topics that Frick is interested in. “I have a background in cognitive neuroscience, so I enjoyed linking psychology to more biological and physiological processes via sleep and light. I also appreciated the societal relevance and applied value of the project.”

Be adaptable

During any PhD project, there are key lessons to be learned with regards to content and the research process. For Frick, she learned that the key is to be adaptable.

“Many things do not go as planned (e.g., COVID-19). It is important not to be deterred by that but to find ways to work with and around it,” says Frick. “This may mean that the end result looks a bit different than originally planned, but can also lead to new and unexpected insights.”

Title of PhD-thesis: Fluctuations in Burnout: Uncovering the Role of Light and Sleep . Supervisors: Karin Smolders (TU/e), Leander van der Meij (TU/e), Evangelia Demerouti (TU/e), and Yvonne de Kort (TU/e).

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From Calgary to Castletroy: All roads lead to Limerick for lifelong learner Barbara

A photo of a woman in red ceremonial robes and a black graduation cap, holding a white scroll and smiling. In the background are grey steps and green grass and trees.

Life and work have led Barbara Watts down many interesting avenues, but it was her studies at University of Limerick that brought her back to a childhood passion she reluctantly strayed from long ago.

Barbara joined over 3,600 students being conferred this week as part of the University’s August ceremonies, graduating with a PhD from the School of History in UL’s Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Originally from Aberdare, Wales but now living in Alberta, Canada, Barbara undertook her PhD entirely remotely, encouraged to continue her studies at UL after completing the MA History of Family , also online.

For Barbara, whose father is originally from Listowel, Co. Kerry, undertaking her PhD – titled Searching for Celtic cousins: Welsh, Irish and Scottish immigrant worker experience in Alberta, Canada, 1880-1920 – combined a love of history with a natural curiosity for her own local and family heritage.

“History was always a passion. But it was as a child that I remember becoming interested in the past,” she explains.

“My mother told stories about people that figured in her life which, of course, were ‘ancient history’ to me then. I loved to hear about people in my family, the war years and my father’s Irish family.

“As a 10-year-old, between trips to the outdoor baths, I took the whole of the summer holidays to research the dates and history of old buildings. In the library, I studied photos of the buildings and the people who lived and worked in them. As a family we took day trips on the train to old churches and museums that my father loved …

“Unfortunately, once I went to grammar school, I could not relate my little bit of Welsh nineteenth century knowledge and my father’s passion for old buildings to the English based history of the curriculum. I dropped history as soon as I could.”

Barbara’s life and career would take many interesting turns. After completing a teacher’s certificate in Dress and Design at Cardiff, she worked in a Welsh comprehensive school as her husband pursued a PhD in Geology. The couple then relocated to Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Keen to re-enter the teaching profession, Barbara undertook a Bachelor of Education in the University of Calgary, meaning she could now teach locally.

“This became the start of a personal educational journey which seems not to have ended,” says Barbara, who further completed a Graduate Diploma in Instructional Development as well as a Master of Education in Teacher Professional Development.

After a fruitful career in which she held roles as diverse as a fine arts consultant and an assistant principal, in 2015 Barbara decided to retire – but that was far from the end of her education journey, and she was eager to ‘continue on her learning curve’.

It was during a holiday back to her native Wales, surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of her childhood, that Barbara decided the time was right to get back to the history books. After completing an online Local History course at the University of Oxford, and keen to broaden her knowledge, Barbara discovered UL’s MA History of Family Programme. After initial queries with her eventual supervisor, Dr Ciara Breathnach, Barbara knew this was the right choice for her.

“I immediately felt welcome,” recalls Barbara, who reserves special praise for Dr Breathnach – her ‘mentor’ and ‘first port of call’ for support throughout her MA and, later, her PhD.

Once Barbara had the time differences down to an art (“I kept a time conversion chart which I still use”), it was plain sailing; she was paired with another Welsh student on the course for team assignments, and her lectures were recorded and readily available online. Even field trips were recorded – although, Barbara admits, the thoughts of missing out on visits to the National Library of Ireland and Kilmainham Gaol had her wishing she could ‘just take a plane to Limerick’!

In the true spirit of a lifelong learner, Barbara was keen to build on her MA dissertation research into Irish migrants from Newtown, Cardiff. Seeking to delve further into the story, she developed a PhD topic that would explore the history of the migrants who became coal miners in four of Alberta’s coal towns from 1880 to 1920.

“Just as the Newtown community enabled me to add to my knowledge of Wales, studying the coal miners gave me an insight into not only how Alberta began and the difficulties migrants faced entering Canada, but also that Alberta was built on coal – something that history seems to have forgotten.”

Of course, studying remotely – particularly for a period during the Covid-19 pandemic – had its challenges; however, Barbara says, the support from her fellow students as well as academic and administrative staff from the History Department and UL Global Office helped to make her six years of remote study at UL a success. And those people were at the centre of her celebrations on graduation day.

“Apart from attending the ceremony … my most important plan is to meet, in person, people I have come to know over the last six years. I hope, too, to be able to thank those who have helped me along the way,” she says.

Looking forward, Barbara has not closed the book on her research; indeed, she hopes to develop some sections of her thesis into articles and is also looking into presenting her work as a monograph. No matter where the path takes her, one thing is clear: she will no doubt continue to maintain that sense of curiosity in life and learning.

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I have 2 months to write on my thesis. Please share with me your adhd-friendly pro tips on how to use this time as good as possible!

Hi everyone,

I recently accepted an offer for a job I really wanted, which I will start May 1 (80%, so I will have 1 day off + weekends. From October 1 on, it will be a full-time position). I am also a last year MA student in philosophy and political science and basically "only" have to write my thesis to finish my degree. The thesis will have around 80-100 pages. So far, I have completed an extensive proposal as well as read around 2500 pages of text (I'd say that's around half of what I will have to read in total)

I had my last day at my current job yesterday, so this gives me the luxury of almost 2 months to fully dedicate myself to my thesis before starting my new job. It's not realistic I will finish the complete thesis during that time knowing my pace but I'm hoping for around 50 pages. That should give me a good basis to complete the thesis by my deadline of December 1.

My only problem now is that I'm super demotivated at the moment. That and I am also anxious about not being able to complete the thesis and have adhd to round it all off. It just makes it difficult to actually start (and continue) working bc I get anxiety about starting the work and if I finally do manage to start, I get bored super easily (even though the topic is interesting).

So, long story short: does anyone of you have any adhd-friendly tips on how to use this time as good as possible, especially tips for a routine that works for you? Tips on how to minimise boredom, task-inhibition and distractions? I'd highly appreciate it.

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IMAGES

Get a Life, PhD: The Two Week Method of Writing Academic Articles
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Phd Thesis How To Write Acknowledgements

VIDEO

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COMMENTS

Has anyone tried writing a thesis in 2 weeks : r/GradSchool
It went terribly. At my university your thesis chapters are literally the papers you published as a graduate student. So yes, I plan to write my thesis in two weeks. Only requires section is introduction section. I know someone who did it in 3 as well. She also said it went terribly, BUT it was possible.
r/PhD on Reddit: I have two weeks to submit my thesis, and I am stuck
I have two weeks to submit my thesis, and I am stuck and can't progress. I only have two weeks to submit my thesis to my referees. I am still writing the results. It just sucks. I feel so down. I have delayed submitting for 2 years now because I was so disappointed and stressed and had mental break downs. This time around I have to do it.
Procrastinated and now I have 1 month to write my thesis
I procrastinated 3 months away and did 90% of the research and writing in about one month for my 40 page minimum master's thesis. You can see a flurry of activity on my github in the 1-1.5 weeks of writing. I'm now doing a PhD straight out of my master's. You'll be okay.
Two weeks prior to PhD viva, what should I do?
Thank you so much for your encouraging comments in my previous post regarding PhD thesis submission (What should I do the day before submitting my PhD thesis?). Now 1.5 months have passed by and my viva will take place in two weeks. I took a short break after submission and have recently started looking at my thesis again.
Insider's Guide: Writing A Thesis When You're Short On Time
Instead of inserting "work on thesis" into your calendar, insert measurable goals like "finish Figure 1" or "write two pages of Chapter 2.". 7. Write In Very Short Bursts. Writing in several short bursts is more efficient than writing in a few, long extended periods of time. If you ever tried to write for several hours in a row, you ...
Rule 4: Make a PhD timetable
Rule 4: Make a PhD timetable. A PhD thesis can not be written in one week. Get this through your head. It is hard, maybe even the hardest thing you have to do during your PhD. It is going to be a painful task for most of you (it was for me). So schedule it in a proper time-wise manner. Do not wait until it's just two weeks before the deadline ...
PhD Thesis Guide
This PhD Thesis Guide will guide you step-by-step through the thesis process, from your initial letter of intent to submission of the final document. All associated forms are conveniently consolidated in the section at the end. ... Final Draft: A complete draft of the thesis document is due to the thesis committee two weeks prior to the thesis ...
7-Day PhD Thesis Writing Mastery: Proven Tips ...
In this guide, I'll share tips and tricks that I learned from my own experience to help you write your PhD thesis in a week. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and dive in, let's get started! This article is divided into four sections: 1. Assumptions, 2. Two bits of advice, 3.
PDF Guidelines for The PhD Dissertation
guidelines-for-the-PhD-dissertation.pdf - HSPH.Harvard.edu
How long does it take to write a PhD thesis?
In total it took me 68 days to write up my thesis (NB 68 to write up the work, not 68 days to complete the PhD!) This is the equivalent of approximately 14 working weeks, assuming a five day week. It needs to be borne in mind, however, that I was a part-time student. In practice the writing up was done over the last seven months of the four and ...
Write Your PhD Thesis In One Month Or Less
FIGURE 8. EndNote's Cite While You Write function. 2) Intermediate documents: the thesis/dissertation proposal and grant applications. Think of your thesis or dissertation proposal and any grant applications as being a big first step toward the first chapter of your final document: the introduction.
How I wrote a PhD thesis in just 3 months
This was one of the key habits that probably saved my PhD. 2. Slowing down. This may seem counter intuitive, but slowing down helped me to go faster. By taking more time over my experiments and doing thingscarefully, I eliminated a lot of time-consuming mistakes. 3. Limiting the time available.
"How to Write Your Thesis in Two Weeks", Please, No
So many videos about writing your thesis/dissertation in under two weeks! Please, please no. You do not need to do this. You have time, both during your PhD ...
PDF How to write a good PhD thesis and survive the viva
The PhD thesis spans a much longer time scale and broader subject area, though, and requires correspondingly more care than any previously written thesis. 2.1 Structuring the thesis A thesis normally has the same rst-level structure as any research paper: 1.Introduction 2.Motivation 3.Related work 4.Experiments 5.Conclusions
Dissertating Like a Distance Runner: Ten Tips for Finishing Your PhD
That fall I began a 2/2 teaching load at a small university on the Yakama Nation Reservation as I continued to write my dissertation. Since finishing my PhD four years ago, in 2018, I have published one book, five research articles, and two edited volume chapters related in various ways to my dissertation. As someone living in rural Eastern ...
Update: "I have three weeks to write my thesis" : r/PhD
But at my university we can write our thesis using our published papers (biochemistry). So we just need to write an introduction and discussion, maybe 40-60 pages with some figures. When I actually got to sit down and write it went very quick. My old officemate did his in about 4 weeks though and he wrote a shit ton.
Tips for writing a PhD dissertation: FAQs answered
Tips for writing a PhD dissertation: FAQs answered
How I Wrote My Masters' Thesis in One Week
How I Wrote My Masters' Thesis in One Week | by S Pats
PHD Thesis in Two Weeks
This document provides an overview of writing a PhD thesis in two weeks. It notes that a PhD thesis typically requires extensive research, analysis, and writing over many months or years. Writing one in just two weeks would be extremely challenging and risk compromising quality. Some tips for attempting it include meticulous planning, prioritizing critical sections, and seeking support from ...
Dissertation Instructions
All members of the Supervisory Committee must be provided a draft of the dissertation chapters at least 6 weeks in advance of the Oral Defense and a complete draft of the dissertation (with all required sections) at least 2 weeks in advance of the Defense. 2. Resources for Dissertation Research and Writing. All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide
How Can I write my PhD Research dissertation in 2 weeks?
Writing Dissertation In 2 Weeks. Usually, the process of dissertation writing evaluates timeline according to your topic and your effort in writing. Writing a dissertation in two weeks is very critical task to perform, due to its complications and deep interpretation of requirements for some academic works, in majority of cases the constrained ...
I only have 15 days to write my thesis : r/PhD
Significant_Owl8974. •. So if your thesis is paper based 15 days is a tight amount of time to write an intro/background chapter and staple all your publications together. If that is the case invest in caffeine and prepare not to sleep. If you need to do any more than that you need an extension.
How light and sleep quality affect burnout
Do burnout symptoms fluctuate throughout the day and week? Although clinical burnout has traditionally been viewed as a phenomenon that does not change much over time, the PhD research of Sophia Frick explored whether mild burnout-related experiences fluctuate from moment to moment and day to day.. First, along with her collaborators at the Department of of Industrial Engineering and ...
From Calgary to Castletroy: All roads lead to Limerick for lifelong
Life and work have led Barbara Watts down many interesting avenues, but it was her studies at University of Limerick that brought her back to a childhood passion she reluctantly strayed from long ago. Barbara joined over 3,600 students being conferred this week as part of the University's August ceremonies, graduating with a PhD from the School of History in UL's Faculty of Arts ...
Can you write your master's thesis in 1 week? : r/GradSchool
canttouchthisJC. •. You can probably do two revisions in one week but any masters advisor would have wanted a copy of your thesis a while back. I had 19 revisions of my thesis and it took me two and a half months from my initial revision till what was actually written, submitted, and published.
I have 2 months to write on my thesis. Please share with me ...
My dissertation was in a biology field, so it was mostly writing up manuscripts/chapters of the work I had done the previous 5ish years. Much of that data was analyzed and organized, so the 6 weeks was just the writing. 1.5 chapters was already written having published one paper and having another prepared (but rejected).