Writing a PhD Dissertation

1. Writing a PhD Dissertation Chad Williams

2. Overview Purpose of dissertation Why its unique Dissertation process Requirements Committee Defense Writing best practices

3. Purpose of dissertation Institutional Demonstrate candidate's preparedness Must represent significant and original research Communicative Contribution to scholarly knowledge Personal Earn a degree Learning experience Institutional � Demonstrate candidate's fitness to conduct and publish research Communicative - Purpose is not to persuade or express personal feeling but to inform - Take seriously the expectation your dissertation should contribute to scholarly knowledge Personal - Earn a degree - Should also see it as a learning experienceInstitutional � Demonstrate candidate's fitness to conduct and publish research Communicative - Purpose is not to persuade or express personal feeling but to inform - Take seriously the expectation your dissertation should contribute to scholarly knowledge Personal - Earn a degree - Should also see it as a learning experience

4. What you should learn Topic Writing as a way of expressing knowledge and thinking Understanding the meaning of the results Training for communicating with other scientists Arguments that will convince other scientists Learn what your weaknesses and how to address Strengthen through personal development Learn how to leverage research group - Topic - Writing as a way of expressing knowledge and thinking - Requires not understanding the results but the meaning of the results - Opportunity to learn what your weaknesses are so you can either develop this area or learn how to leverage research group to address these points - Topic - Writing as a way of expressing knowledge and thinking - Requires not understanding the results but the meaning of the results - Opportunity to learn what your weaknesses are so you can either develop this area or learn how to leverage research group to address these points

5. Why unique? Audience You Your committee Depth Audience - You need to be happy with it - Your committee � Will examine page by page direct reflection on them - Faculty as a whole � Reflection on quality of graduates - Profession � Read by other doctoral students and researchers in fieldAudience - You need to be happy with it - Your committee � Will examine page by page direct reflection on them - Faculty as a whole � Reflection on quality of graduates - Profession � Read by other doctoral students and researchers in field

6. Special Style Characteristics Intended primarily for scholarly audience Usually 100-300 pages Dense in citations Very formal writing style and guidelines Common organization Oral defense component Special Characteristics Intended primarily for scholarly audience - Due to intersection of purpose and audience, special type of writing - Not a collection of claims and opinions, it is an objective, documented, and detailed report of your research 100-300 pages � Only guidelines, write long enough to clearly tell your story Dense in citations - Dissertation expected to build upon previous knowledge - Expected to know the literature and cite it appropriately - Can�t make assertions, either must cite or support all statements More formal writing style than usually found in conference and workshop proceedings Common organization � Intro, review, method, results, summary/discussion Special Characteristics Intended primarily for scholarly audience - Due to intersection of purpose and audience, special type of writing - Not a collection of claims and opinions, it is an objective, documented, and detailed report of your research 100-300 pages � Only guidelines, write long enough to clearly tell your story Dense in citations - Dissertation expected to build upon previous knowledge - Expected to know the literature and cite it appropriately - Can�t make assertions, either must cite or support all statements More formal writing style than usually found in conference and workshop proceedings Common organization � Intro, review, method, results, summary/discussion

7. Dissertation requirements Formalness of requirements vary greatly by school DePaul (2 pgs) � Outline of review process Berkley (33 pgs) � Paper that can be used, style, process, etc. Common requirements Dissertation committee Dissertation proposal Written dissertation Dissertation defense

8. Two ways to finish Perseverance - given size of dissertation unlikely to finish with perseverance alone Planning Be aware of major milestones and lead time Set interim milestones Make your advisor aware of key draft dates Perseverance - given size of dissertation unlikely to finish with perseverance alone Planning Be aware of major milestones and lead time Set interim milestones Make your advisor aware of key draft dates Holds you to these dates Helps advisor plan accordingly Perseverance - given size of dissertation unlikely to finish with perseverance alone Planning Be aware of major milestones and lead time Set interim milestones Make your advisor aware of key draft dates Holds you to these dates Helps advisor plan accordingly

9. Dissertation committee Advisor Set and understand expectations early on Keep up to date Make them your ally Selecting committee � Coverage of key roles Theory Knowledge of literature Editor Keep committee informed Advisor Set and understand expectations early on Keep up to date Make them your ally Once problem and methodology chosen select dissertation committee Selecting committee � Coverage of key roles Theory Knowledge of literature Editor Keep committee informed - Stop by or send brief update 2-3 times a yearAdvisor Set and understand expectations early on Keep up to date Make them your ally Once problem and methodology chosen select dissertation committee Selecting committee � Coverage of key roles Theory Knowledge of literature Editor Keep committee informed - Stop by or send brief update 2-3 times a year

10. Dissertation proposal Decides viability of topic �Contract� with committee �Trial run� for dissertation defense Establishes tone Decides viability of topic �Contract� with faculty that applies to the dissertation itself �Trial run� for dissertation itself, practice for Oral defense Establishes tone and pattern of relationships with dissertation-supervising facultyDecides viability of topic �Contract� with faculty that applies to the dissertation itself �Trial run� for dissertation itself, practice for Oral defense Establishes tone and pattern of relationships with dissertation-supervising faculty

11. Writing guidelines Unlike conference proceedings no space limitations Essence of dissertation is critical thinking not experimental data Every statement supported Citation Original experimental results Carefully separate cause-effect from statistical correlation Unlike conference proceedings no space limitations Essence of dissertation is critical thinking no experimental data - State lessons learned and insights supported by experimental results rather than just results Every statement supported - Every statement supported by either citation or experimental results Unlike conference proceedings no space limitations Essence of dissertation is critical thinking no experimental data - State lessons learned and insights supported by experimental results rather than just results Every statement supported - Every statement supported by either citation or experimental results

12. Dissertation Defense Formality or serious last stage? Keep committee informed ahead of time Prepare for the defense Total mastery of substance of the dissertation �Packaging� material for presentation Be realistic Avoid traps Formality or serious last stage? - Like the length of requirements varies greatly - Sometimes no more than mere formality of the process - Sometimes grueling 2 or more hour adversary proceedings Prepare for the defense Total mastery of substance - play devil�s advocate to identify weaknesses - Strong grasp of scope �Packaging� material for presentation �originality and significance - Convey points clearly - Organized to defend points Be realistic - Rare able to answer every question to everyone�s satisfaction Avoid traps - Overstating scope or findings - Making up answer, best to answer as best as you can and not to get flustered Formality or serious last stage? - Like the length of requirements varies greatly - Sometimes no more than mere formality of the process - Sometimes grueling 2 or more hour adversary proceedings Prepare for the defense Total mastery of substance - play devil�s advocate to identify weaknesses - Strong grasp of scope �Packaging� material for presentation �originality and significance - Convey points clearly - Organized to defend points Be realistic - Rare able to answer every question to everyone�s satisfaction Avoid traps - Overstating scope or findings - Making up answer, best to answer as best as you can and not to get flustered

13. Challenges of dissertation writing Don�t underestimate writing process Time from start until completion Notation changes over time Significance of results Organizing the volume of work and results Advisor/committee Underestimate - Common problem is to think research is the most challenging and underestimate time required for writing dissertation - Often first 2 or 3 drafts completely discarded - Over course of several years of research - probably change notation several times - results that looked significant at the time may seem to contribute little towards final product - Sorting through all your work and reorganizing is a very lengthy process - Advisor will likely have strong opinions of how work should be presented, require flexibility and work to get to something you are both happy withUnderestimate - Common problem is to think research is the most challenging and underestimate time required for writing dissertation - Often first 2 or 3 drafts completely discarded - Over course of several years of research - probably change notation several times - results that looked significant at the time may seem to contribute little towards final product - Sorting through all your work and reorganizing is a very lengthy process - Advisor will likely have strong opinions of how work should be presented, require flexibility and work to get to something you are both happy with

14. Best Practices Write up every new result Keep careful notes of setup Write up each piece for publication Don�t need to write dissertation in order Often most productive to skip around Write up every new result Keep careful notes of setup - Methodology and experimental parameters - Save copies of code - in case need additional results with same setup - more detailed analysis of experimental differences Write up each piece for publication - Practice technical writing - Best case get additional publications - Worst case have a good draft of results with valuable feedback on content and style Write up every new result Keep careful notes of setup - Methodology and experimental parameters - Save copies of code - in case need additional results with same setup - more detailed analysis of experimental differences Write up each piece for publication - Practice technical writing - Best case get additional publications - Worst case have a good draft of results with valuable feedback on content and style

15. One suggested writing order Abstract Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Related Work Chapter 3: Definitions Chapter 4: Methodology/Conceptual Model Chapter 5: Experimental Measurements Chapter 6: Corollaries/Consequences Chapter 7: Conclusions Easiest way to build a dissertation is from the inside out From proposal - Related work, expand as read relevant publications - Proposed methodology New - Begin by writing what is most familiar - Methodology - Interim publications usually fit into these 3 sections - Collect terms and add them to the definition section as you go - Write conclusions from results - Write introduction with insight of what primary conclusions will be - Write abstract lastEasiest way to build a dissertation is from the inside out From proposal - Related work, expand as read relevant publications - Proposed methodology New - Begin by writing what is most familiar - Methodology - Interim publications usually fit into these 3 sections - Collect terms and add them to the definition section as you go - Write conclusions from results - Write introduction with insight of what primary conclusions will be - Write abstract last

16. Writing tools Write up every new result Keep careful notes of setup Write up each piece for publication Writing tools TeX, AMS-TeX, LaTeX, BibTeX Eases submitting to multiple venues

17. 0th Draft approach For you, not intended to be of quality to share Write 15 min a day Periodically categorize writing by closest chapter When have raw content organize 1st draft

18. Outline approach Start with high level outline Make the outline as detailed as possible Anytime write iterate through outline

19. References Additional Sources Glatthorn, A. Writing the Winning Dissertation Bolker, J. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day Sternberg, D. How to Complete and Survive a Doctoral Dissertation Class Sources O�Leary, D. The Thesis Writing Process Levine, S. Writing and Presenting YourThesis or Dissertation Chinneck, J. How to Organize your Thesis How To Write A Dissertation Wolfe, J. How to Write a PhD Thesis Bem, D. Writing the Empirical Journal Article