Writing a Thesis
Zosia Chrzanowska-Lightowlers
Postgraduate Tutor - IAH MRes – Curriculum Chair, Director for Admissions and Recruitment
Faculty of Medical SciencesNewcastle University
6th February, 2015
Types of thesis
• Standard– Divided into chapters with results and interpretations
• By publication Only for staff candidates• Need to make a prima facie case for the submission A series of ≥4 related papers in period of registration
• All authors must agree you were the major contributor ≥10,000 word introduction
• Potentially publishable as a review Can be difficult to examine as papers have already satisfied
external referees! Please see:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/regulations/docs/2003/rscdoctor.html
How to start ?
• Read the information • Talk to your supervisor – make a plan,
- structure your thesis
- plot completion dates
Preparation is key
• Read the information • Talk to your supervisor – make a plan,
- structure your thesis
- plot completion dates• Daunting prospect
• Divide your thesis into many smaller sections
• Many short journeys with each taking less time seems more achievable !
• This requires good planning or you will produce lots of small pieces of text that do not link together
• Read the information • Talk to your supervisor• Graduate School – long documents course
Preparation is key
• Read the information • Talk to your supervisor• Graduate School – long documents course• Writing development centre
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/combined/current/help/writingdev.htm one to one sessions lectures and workshops throughout the academic year
Help is at hand
• Writing development centre http://www.ncl.ac.uk/combined/current/help/writingdev.htm lectures and workshops throughout the academic year
understanding assignment and examination questions planning, structuring and revising assignments using reading sources without plagiarism developing an argument writing critically using an appropriate authorial voice writing different types of assignment (e.g. essays, reports, reviews,
reflective pieces) writing theses and dissertations answering examination questions using grammar and punctuation accurately and effectively using appropriate vocabulary and style learning from feedback on previous assignments
Help is at hand
A word of caution
Be careful who you ask for advise• Former students / postdocs• Friends• Parents
• Read the information • Talk to your supervisor• Graduate School – long documents course
PlagiarismYou will submit an electronic form
of your thesis in parallel with the 2 paper copies
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/right-cite/http://mbbs-tutorials.ncl.ac.uk/plag/
A word of caution
Looking at other theses
• Your supervisor’s shelf– Often groups evolve a “house style” that may not suit you
• The library – Will have a wide range of theses similar to your field
• BE CAUTIOUS ! - it is your thesis– No one else has your project, your intro and discussions must be
tailored to your research– If you feel strongly about a particular format, discuss it with your
supervisor first and agree on the strategy before starting work
Another word of caution
A example of a typical thesis layout
• Title page (what is your title!)• Abstract (one page; 300 words)• Table of contents• List of Figures and Tables• Abbreviations• Acknowledgements
plans can vary by subject area
• Introduction• Materials + Methods• Results chapter(s)
– Typically have one per aim– Often have separate mini introductions and specific
discussions
• Concluding discussion chapter– Context with literature– Strengths, weaknesses, – How far through your original aims did you get ?– future work
• Bibliography
A example of a typical thesis layout
What is the point of a thesis ?
• Prove you have developed the skills to be an independent, competent scientist
What is the point of a thesis ?
• Prove you have developed the skills of an independent, competent scientist
• Criteria – all theses – Authentic– Scholarly– Professional– Well-structured, written and presented
MPhil candidates
• Should– Demonstrate advanced knowledge– Have good knowledge of literature
• Theses need not, but often do– Contain material worthy of publication
PhD/MD candidates
• Should – Provide evidence of adequate industry– Demonstrate training in the scientific process– Demonstrate ability for originality– Understand relationship with wider field– Thesis should contain material worthy of publication
Plan, plan, plan
• What are your chapters?
• What is the story ?
• Do you have the data ?
• Get the flow right
How to BEFRIEND your reader
Plan, plan, plan
• Get your chapters in order – 3rd year report – but be flexible
• Follow the story NOT the calendar
• Make a time plan, what written by when
Table of contents
1 Introduction Page1.1 History of problem 11.2 First issue 1
1.2.1 sub issue 1 21.2.2 sub issue 2 4
1.3 Second issue1.3.1 sub issue 1 51.3.2 sub issue 2 71.3.3 sub issue 3 81.3.4 sub issue 4 12
1.4 Third issue1.4.1 sub issue 1 14
1.4.1.a sub sub issue 1 151.4.1.b sub sub issue 2 16
1.4.2 sub issue 2 181.5 Fourth issue 201.6 Fifth issue
1.6.1 25etc, etc…
Plan, plan, plan
• Get your chapters in order
What are the easy bits ?
•Abbreviations
•Materials and methods
• product code, source, concentration
• manufacturer’s protocol ? or modified ?
Plan, plan, plan
• Get the easier sections
• Abbreviations
• Materials and methodscan you reference, did you modify ?
Plan, plan, plan
• Get the easier sections
• Abbreviations
• Materials and methodsare they accurate ?
Volumes are NOT useful without
Stock concentrations !
Language
• Accurate
• Scientifically stringent
• Grammatically correct
• Avoid colloquial phrasing
• “In the technical sense, it was much easier to use cell extracts or isolated enzymes alone with RNA templates.”
• “We chose to use…….” • “It was significantly different……”• “Each and every primer…..”• “About 3ug RNA…”
Results chapters
• Introduction – more defined
• Methods – does it need a section ?
• Results – are the data good enough ?
• Discussion – conclude points from this section of work
Results chapters
• Results – are the data good enough ?
- What form/size to present it ?
- Keep it near the relevant text !!!!!!!!
Results chapters
• Results – are the data good enough ?
- What form to present it ?
- Keep it near the relevant text !!!!!!!!
Results chapters
• Results – are the data good enough ?
- What form to present it ?
- Keep it near the relevant text !!!!!!!
- Make figures clear
Title and legend
ng template
Figure 3.5. Fluorescent MPAT RNA14 products separated on a 10% denaturing gel.
Title and legend
ng template
Figure 3.5. Assessing various PCR conditions for the fluorescent MPAT.
Figure 3.5. Fluorescent MPAT RNA14 products separated on a 10% denaturing gel.
Results chapters
• Results – are the data good enough ?
- What form/size to present it ?
- Keep it near the relevant text !!!
- Have a discussion section
Final discussion chapter
Aims – how far did your work get in answering
the original questions ?
Results – bring a general overview and
connection between all the chapters
Future work – IF the project were to continue
what would be the key experiments
Finale – make a strong concluding statement
• The university recommends the “Harvard” format (and supplies an appropriate Endnote format!)– So, in the main text use:
• (Kirby et al., 2010)– rather than
• [278]
• Ask your supervisors for advice as Institutes might suggest alternatives
References
• Publications• In prep• Plasmid maps• Antibody tables (Company/cat. no./dilution) • Primer tables (name/seq/position/acc number)
Appendix
• Make sure you cite references as you go, or else you might forget which goes where
• Use text boxes for graphics – keep them in place
• Appendices – use them• Backup, Backup, Backup!
Tips
• Get friends and family to proofread• If English is not your first language, it can be helpful
to employ a proof-reader– Lists are available in the Student’s Union.– The cost is quite reasonable– The proof-reader will (must!) only alter English and not
the concept you are trying to express.• Remember – your supervisor will focus mainly on
your science rather than your English.
Finished ?
CHECKAre your figure and tables consecutively labelled ?
Are they referred to correctly in the text ?
Are your subsections in the right order ?Are they referred to correctly ?
Understand what you have writtenIf it is in there, the examiners can ask youBe sure you can defend the content
Finished ?
Do – make your life easier
• Make sure you do enough expt repeats at the time
• Make sure they are of good enough standard
• Save high resolution JPEG/TIFFS
• Try and make them into figures as you go along for your lab book
• Keep good records, (electronic images and lab books)
• Backup your data
• Backup your writing (save by date)
Do – make your life easier
• Make a bibliography as you goAdd notes to the Endnote entries
Good ref for assembly factors Contradicts Bloggs et al. Had primers for PCR
• The university recommends the “Harvard” format(and supplies an appropriate Endnote format!)
Remember, in the main text use: (Kirby et al., 2010)
• Make sure you know when to use which reference Seminal or most recent ?
Do NOT
• Repeat yourself !
• Waffle
• Keep changing tense
• Use different abbreviations or spelling options
• Use 10 µl, 10µl, 10ul
• Have section 1.2.2.3.4.5
• Have 8 panel figures
Write the lot before showing it to your supervisor !!
Do NOT
• Have figures you don’t refer to
• Put in data that you don’t believe
• Overextrapolate !!!!!!!!
• Say anything you cannot defend
• Use ‘significant’ if it is not statistically valid
• Put in things you don’t understand
• Tell them ‘because my supervisor said to’
• Tell them it was too hard
• Say it was too expensive
• Say I didn’t know how
Before you are Finished
• Liaise with your supervisors– nominate examiners well in advance of submission
• Liaise with your supervisors– nominate examiners well in advance of submission
FINAL Title – what is your title!
Abstract – 1 page, 300 words
Before you are Finished
Finished ?
• Liaise with your supervisors– nominate examiners well in advance of submission
• Final printing takes much longer than you think !– Colour toner? – Enough paper? – Correct quality paper ?
• Binding– Soft binding first (Library)
REMEMBER
This is a report of YOUR project
Every PhD project is different
So EVERY thesis is DIFFERENT