how to write a good phd thesis pdf

Authoring a PhD

How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation

• © 2003
• Latest edition
• Patrick Dunleavy 0

London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

• Covers all the core aspects of doctoral research, from forming research questions through to final submission
• Includes a chapter on getting published, with practical guidance on writing and submitting journal papers and reshaping a thesis into a monograph
• Draws on the author’s own experience of supervising over 30 PhD students

Part of the book series: Macmillan Study Skills (MASTSK)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

Front matter, becoming an author.

Patrick Dunleavy

Envisioning the Thesis as a Whole

Planning an integrated thesis: the macro-structure, organizing a chapter or paper: the micro-structure, writing clearly: style and referencing issues, developing your text and managing the writing process, handling attention points: data, charts and graphics, the end-game: finishing your doctorate, publishing your research, back matter.

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About this book

This engaging and highly regarded book takes readers through the key stages of their PhD research journey, from the initial ideas through to successful completion and publication. It gives helpful guidance on forming research questions, organising ideas, pulling together a final draft, handling the viva and getting published. Each chapter contains a wealth of practical suggestions and tips for readers to try out and adapt to their own research needs and disciplinary style.

Authors and Affiliations

About the author, bibliographic information.

Book Title : Authoring a PhD

Book Subtitle : How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation

Authors : Patrick Dunleavy

Series Title : Macmillan Study Skills

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-80208-7

Publisher : Red Globe Press London

eBook Packages : Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies Collection , Social Sciences (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2003

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XIII, 297

Additional Information : Previously published under the imprint Palgrave

Topics : Research Methods in Education

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Think of yourself as a member of a jury, listening to a lawyer who is presenting an opening argument. You'll want to know very soon whether the lawyer believes the accused to be guilty or not guilty, and how the lawyer plans to convince you. Readers of academic essays are like jury members: before they have read too far, they want to know what the essay argues as well as how the writer plans to make the argument. After reading your thesis statement, the reader should think, "This essay is going to try to convince me of something. I'm not convinced yet, but I'm interested to see how I might be."

An effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. "Reasons for the fall of communism" is a topic. "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" is a fact known by educated people. "The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe" is an opinion. (Superlatives like "the best" almost always lead to trouble. It's impossible to weigh every "thing" that ever happened in Europe. And what about the fall of Hitler? Couldn't that be "the best thing"?)

A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should "telegraph" how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay.

Steps in Constructing a Thesis

First, analyze your primary sources.  Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication. Does the author contradict himself or herself? Is a point made and later reversed? What are the deeper implications of the author's argument? Figuring out the why to one or more of these questions, or to related questions, will put you on the path to developing a working thesis. (Without the why, you probably have only come up with an observation—that there are, for instance, many different metaphors in such-and-such a poem—which is not a thesis.)

Once you have a working thesis, write it down.  There is nothing as frustrating as hitting on a great idea for a thesis, then forgetting it when you lose concentration. And by writing down your thesis you will be forced to think of it clearly, logically, and concisely. You probably will not be able to write out a final-draft version of your thesis the first time you try, but you'll get yourself on the right track by writing down what you have.

Keep your thesis prominent in your introduction.  A good, standard place for your thesis statement is at the end of an introductory paragraph, especially in shorter (5-15 page) essays. Readers are used to finding theses there, so they automatically pay more attention when they read the last sentence of your introduction. Although this is not required in all academic essays, it is a good rule of thumb.

Anticipate the counterarguments.  Once you have a working thesis, you should think about what might be said against it. This will help you to refine your thesis, and it will also make you think of the arguments that you'll need to refute later on in your essay. (Every argument has a counterargument. If yours doesn't, then it's not an argument—it may be a fact, or an opinion, but it is not an argument.)

This statement is on its way to being a thesis. However, it is too easy to imagine possible counterarguments. For example, a political observer might believe that Dukakis lost because he suffered from a "soft-on-crime" image. If you complicate your thesis by anticipating the counterargument, you'll strengthen your argument, as shown in the sentence below.

Some Caveats and Some Examples

A thesis is never a question.  Readers of academic essays expect to have questions discussed, explored, or even answered. A question ("Why did communism collapse in Eastern Europe?") is not an argument, and without an argument, a thesis is dead in the water.

A thesis is never a list.  "For political, economic, social and cultural reasons, communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" does a good job of "telegraphing" the reader what to expect in the essay—a section about political reasons, a section about economic reasons, a section about social reasons, and a section about cultural reasons. However, political, economic, social and cultural reasons are pretty much the only possible reasons why communism could collapse. This sentence lacks tension and doesn't advance an argument. Everyone knows that politics, economics, and culture are important.

A thesis should never be vague, combative or confrontational.  An ineffective thesis would be, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because communism is evil." This is hard to argue (evil from whose perspective? what does evil mean?) and it is likely to mark you as moralistic and judgmental rather than rational and thorough. It also may spark a defensive reaction from readers sympathetic to communism. If readers strongly disagree with you right off the bat, they may stop reading.

An effective thesis has a definable, arguable claim.  "While cultural forces contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of economies played the key role in driving its decline" is an effective thesis sentence that "telegraphs," so that the reader expects the essay to have a section about cultural forces and another about the disintegration of economies. This thesis makes a definite, arguable claim: that the disintegration of economies played a more important role than cultural forces in defeating communism in Eastern Europe. The reader would react to this statement by thinking, "Perhaps what the author says is true, but I am not convinced. I want to read further to see how the author argues this claim."

A thesis should be as clear and specific as possible.  Avoid overused, general terms and abstractions. For example, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because of the ruling elite's inability to address the economic concerns of the people" is more powerful than "Communism collapsed due to societal discontent."

Copyright 1999, Maxine Rodburg and The Tutors of the Writing Center at Harvard University

How to tackle the PhD dissertation

Finding time to write can be a challenge for graduate students who often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. Mabel Ho provides some tips to make the process less daunting

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Writing helps you share your work with the wider community. Your scholarship is important and you are making a valuable contribution to the field. While it might be intimidating to face a blank screen, remember, your first draft is not your final draft! The difficult part is getting something on the page to begin with. 

As the adage goes, a good dissertation is a done dissertation, and the goal is for you to find balance in your writing and establish the steps you can take to make the process smoother. Here are some practical strategies for tackling the PhD dissertation.

Write daily

This is a time to have honest conversations with yourself about your writing and work habits. Do you tackle the most challenging work in the morning? Or do you usually start with emails? Knowing your work routine will help you set parameters for the writing process, which includes various elements, from brainstorming ideas to setting outlines and editing. Once you are aware of your energy and focus levels, you’ll be ready to dedicate those times to writing.

While it might be tempting to block a substantial chunk of time to write and assume anything shorter is not useful, that is not the case. Writing daily, whether it’s a paragraph or several pages, keeps you in conversation with your writing practice. If you schedule two hours to write, remember to take a break during that time and reset. You can try:

• The Pomodoro Technique: a time management technique that breaks down your work into intervals
• Taking breaks: go outside for a walk or have a snack so you can come back to your writing rejuvenated
• Focus apps: it is easy to get distracted by devices and lose direction. Here are some app suggestions: Focus Bear (no free version); Forest (free version available); Cold Turkey website blocker (free version available) and Serene (no free version). 

This is a valuable opportunity to hone your time management and task prioritisation skills. Find out what works for you and put systems in place to support your practice. 

• Resources on academic writing for higher education professionals
• Stretch your work further by ‘triple writing’
• What is your academic writing temperament?

Create a community

While writing can be an isolating endeavour, there are ways to start forming a community (in-person or virtual) to help you set goals and stay accountable. There might be someone in your cohort who is also at the writing stage with whom you can set up a weekly check-in. Alternatively, explore your university’s resources and centres because there may be units and departments on campus that offer helpful opportunities, such as a writing week or retreat. Taking advantage of these opportunities helps combat isolation, foster accountability and grow networks. They can even lead to collaborations further down the line.

• Check in with your advisers and mentors. Reach out to your networks to find out about other people’s writing processes and additional resources.
• Don’t be afraid to share your work. Writing requires constant revisions and edits and finding people who you trust with feedback will help you grow as a writer. Plus, you can also read their work and help them with their editing process.
• Your community does not have to be just about writing!  If you enjoy going on hikes or trying new coffee shops, make that part of your weekly habit.  Sharing your work in different environments will help clarify your thoughts and ideas.

Address the why

The PhD dissertation writing process is often lengthy and it is sometimes easy to forget why you started. In these moments, it can be helpful to think back to what got you excited about your research and scholarship in the first place. Remember it is not just the work but also the people who propelled you forward. One idea is to start writing your “acknowledgements” section. Here are questions to get you started:

• Do you want to dedicate your work to someone? 
• What ideas sparked your interest in this journey? 
• Who cheered you on? 

This practice can help build momentum, as well as serve as a good reminder to carve out time to spend with your community. 

You got this!

Writing is a process. Give yourself grace, as you might not feel motivated all the time. Be consistent in your approach and reward yourself along the way. There is no single strategy when it comes to writing or maintaining motivation, so experiment and find out what works for you. 

Suggested readings

• Thriving as a Graduate Writer by Rachel Cayley (2023)
• Destination Dissertation by Sonja K. Foss and William Waters (2015)
• The PhD Writing Handbook by Desmond Thomas (2016).

Mabel Ho is director of professional development and student engagement at Dalhousie University.

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What is a Good Masters GPA for PhD

Now that you’re looking to further your academic career, a question often arises: What is a good Master’s GPA for a PhD? Having a good GPA is very important for PhD programs as it reflects your academic performance, a good GPA score is considered to be between 3.5 to 4.0 on a 4.0 scale. But these GPA requirements depend on the field of study, the strength of the PhD program, and the university’s specific admissions criteria. 

Having a high GPA score is great but it is not enough for PhD admissions. Your research experience, recommendation letters, statement of purpose, and standardized test scores (scores (such as GRE) are also very important. It is very important to cover these in PhD, which shows your performance at a good level, PhD programs have specific GPA requirements or minimum thresholds that you must meet.

Ultimately you have to achieve a GPA between 3.5 to 4.0 in your masters which increases your chances of admission into a PhD program. But this program requires that you do good research to improve your GPA and the community you want to apply to and complete good research to strengthen your GPA.

Importance of Grades in the Academic Journey

Your Master’s GPA is very important when you apply for a PhD. This shows your academic performance. Those who want to pursue higher education should score good marks in their subjects, which shows their ability in the field.

PhD Admissions Process

The admissions process for a PhD is quite competitive. Apart from your GPA, there are also factors like research experience, recommendation letters, and a statement of purpose.

Understanding the PhD Admission Process: Key Steps and Considerations

Why is it important to choose the right courses for a strong master’s gpa challenge, how long does it take to get a phd degree – time needed for completion, what is the importance of a thesis in master’s and research, how can we get a master’s degree even without a phd degree, what after masters: mphil or phd, get advice on master’s gpa requirements for phd admission from a dissertation helper, consult essay writing expert & get premium essay topics.

Applying to a PhD program is very important but also challenging. When you apply for PhD admission, admissions committees use your academic records, standardized test scores, recommendation letters, research experience, and interviews. Its purpose is to look at your qualifications and evaluate what your qualification level is.

1). Academic Qualifications :

Transcripts And GPA: Admissions committees look at your academic records, including your undergraduate and/or master’s studies. A good GPA, especially in relevant subjects, is very important.

2). Standardized Test Scores:

GRE/GMAT:   Some universities ask for your scores on standardized tests like the GRE or GMAT. These tests are important to assess your academic ability. The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) tests general aptitude and subject-specific skills necessary for graduate-level studies. The GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is for business schools and measures quantitative, verbal, analytical writing, and combined reasoning skills.

3). Letters of Recommendation:

Professional aur Academic References:- You must submit recommendation letters from professors, supervisors, or professionals who attest to your academic abilities and research potential.

4). Statement of Purpose (SOP) or Personal Statement:

Research Interests and Goals:- In a statement of purpose (SOP) you explain your research interests, academic background, and reason for doing PhD in which complete information is explained. This is an opportunity to show alignment with your program.

5). Research Experience:

Publications and Projects: If you have done prior research and shown its results in publications or independent projects, this shows your readiness for advanced research. Publications, such as research papers or articles, and independent projects, such as self-initiated studies or experiments, allow you to demonstrate your research skills and make a positive impact in your academic journey. These activities highlight your curiosity, analytical abilities, and problem-solving skills.

6). Interviews (if applicable):

Selection Process: Some PhD programs also conduct interviews to assess your qualifications and fit with the program. In this interview, the admissions committee tries to understand your academic background, research interests, and goals. This is an opportunity to interact with you directly and evaluate your suitability.

7). Fit with Program and Faculty:

Research Alignment: Admissions committees prefer applicants whose research interests match those of the program’s faculty members. When the applicant’s interest matches the faculty’s expertise, it shows the potential for collaboration and contribution to ongoing research. When applicants’ interests align with the faculty’s expertise, it creates a supportive environment for research and academic growth.

8). Overall Application Strength:

When you take the next step to apply for PhD admission, your qualifications are looked at, while the most impotent GPA and test scores are important, which also includes your research experience, recommendation letters, and personal statement. It is very important. All these together show how well ready you are and how suitable you are for the program. All information Keep in Mind because these information are very important for your PhD Admission.

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It is very important for you to choose these courses to get a good GPA in the Master Program. In which field are you interested, it is important for you to choose a course in that field, some reasons are given below.

1). Connecting with Your Goals: 

You should choose the course in which you are interested; you can study for a lifetime. It is very important for you to choose a course that will help you complete your future goals. If you choose the subject according to your interest, then your performance also improves. 

2). Balancing Difficulty and Interest : 

It is very important to challenge yourself in choosing your courses and choose the course according to your interest. If you select your favorite subject then you will not face any problem. Choosing a very easy course is best for you as you do not have to face any challenges.

3). Building a Strong Foundation:

Masters programs also include core courses, which provide basic knowledge in your field of study. These core courses prepare you for advanced topics or project research. Giving a good performance in the foundation courses is very important for you so that you can build a strong academic foundation.

4). Demonstrating Depth of Knowledge:

There are some programs like this in the Masters Program where you get a chance to choose elective courses on the specific topic of your field of study. In elective courses, you get a chance to choose a course based on your interest. These courses increase your knowledge and show your dedication to your field.

5). Maximizing GPA Impact:

To have a greater impact on GPA, certain courses that have more credit hours or difficulty levels that are difficult to cover are more heavily weighted in GPA calculations. Courses should be chosen strategically where you have a chance of better performance, so that your overall GPA can be positively influenced. And get a good performance score.

6). Preparing for advanced study For career:

In a master’s program, it is important to choose courses that enhance research, analytical, and critical thinking skills and can prepare you for advanced academic study at the doctoral level or for specific careers. Courses that focus more on research methodologies, data analysis, and problem-solving help you enhance your skills. Strategic course selection in a master’s program can be very important for your long-term career aspirations and academic success.

To reach a PhD, you have to complete a lot of qualifications. It takes approximately 13 years in the USA to get a PhD degree. This journey has been full of hard work. You have to work hard to get a PhD degree, and you have to complete the special requirements of your programs. You have to do a lot of hard work or research to get a PhD degree. Then you had success.

To help you understand each stage, here is a simple explanation of each stage:

Writing a thesis is very important in a Master’s program as it mainly helps in building research and academic knowledge. And there are some key reasons why thesis is important for Master’s education and research:

Demonstrates Research Skills:

When students write a thesis, it helps students to do research alone, analyze important topics and hone their learning skills, and gives them a chance to participate in academic research. This shows their ability to perform in research methodologies, data collection, literature review, and academic writing.

Application of Knowledge:

The reason students need to write a thesis is because they bring a lot of knowledge from the theory they read in coursework that they can apply to real-world research problems. Writing a thesis is beneficial for the students as it develops the mind, improves creative thinking, and helps them in solving complex issues in their field of study. 

Contribution to Scholarship:

Writing a thesis helps students in getting a scholarship. Writing a thesis is very important for students because writing a thesis helps students to gain knowledge and ideas in their academic field. It  is important for students as it gives them an opportunity to advance their original scholarship. This process helps promote scholarships and provides students with a valuable part of academic research.

Preparation for Doctoral Studies:

If you want to study at the doctoral level in the future, then the thesis helps you a lot in your study and also prepares you for writing the dissertation. Thesis writing enables you to manage a long-term project and face academic challenges.

Enhancement of Writing and Presentation Skills

Writing a thesis involves drafting, revising, and presenting a substantial document. This helps students improve their academic writing skills, clarity of expression, and ability to effectively communicate complex ideas.

Professional Development:

Completing the thesis demonstrates dedication, perseverance, and intellectual curiosity, which are highly valued qualities in academic and professional settings. It enhances the credentials of students and provides them opportunities for research-oriented careers or doctoral programs.

Personal Achievement and Growth:

Successfully completing a thesis is a significant milestone that enhances personal growth and confidence. It demonstrates the student’s ability to undertake a long term project, do effective time management, and overcome intellectual challenges.

In summary, a thesis is an essential part of a master’s education that develops research skills, contributes to academic scholarship, and prepares students for future academic and professional endeavors. It is proof of students’ intellectual capabilities and a strong foundation for future growth and success in their chosen field of study.

There is no chance of getting a PhD without a master’s degree, it is very difficult to get this result, but in some special situations it is possible that we can get a PhD degree. Below are some ways by which you can get a PhD without a master’s degree:

Traditional Master’s Programs: 

The most common way to get a master’s degree is if you have an undergraduate degree with high grades, a master’s degree, and relevant research skills provided by a university. These are generally required for admission to a bachelor’s degree and may include coursework, research, and sometimes a thesis or capstone project. For example, Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), Master of Business Administration (MBA), and others.

Professional Master’s Degrees: 

Professional master’s degrees are offered in certain areas that prepare students for specific careers. Examples include Master of Social Work (MSW), Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Education (MEd), and Master of Fine Arts (MFA). Professional master’s programs often depend on business capabilities and may include international situations or field experiences. To meet the requirements of a master’s degree, you must have some practical teaching and research experience.

After completing your master’s degree, you may be wondering whether you should pursue an MPhil or PhD. The choice between MPhil and PhD depends on career objectives and academic goals.

Here is the difference between the two:

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