21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis1 Producing a Ph.D. Thesis Patricia de Winter Kings College London

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis2 The majority of… Arts/Humanities theses are written chapter by chapter throughout the PhD programme Scientific theses are written once the data have been collected at the end of the PhD programme

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis3 At least four months before submission… Obtain a PhD examination entry pack from BBK registry Complete the following and return to the Registry: examination entry form (including approvedtitle) two address labels (home or parents address) description of thesis (300 words) - NOT abstract Your supervisor must nominate two examiners, one internal and one external

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis4 What happens next? Registry forwards documents to Senate House You should receive acknowledgement that Senate House has received your forms (but this doesnt always happen) - go to Room 1.62 if necessary Senate House examinations office sends the nomination of examiners and the description of thesis to the Subject Area Board for approval of examiners

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis5 Information on the PhD degree and thesis can be obtained in pdf format at: -Instructions and notes on submission and format of thesis -University of London Regulations for the degrees of Ph.D and M.Phil

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis6 The University states that the Ph.D. thesis must… …be the candidates own account of their research …be original (discovery of new facts and/or demonstration of independent critical power) …be an integrated whole and present a coherent argument (a series of papers is not acceptable but published papers may be adapted) …give a critical assessment of the literature

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis7 …describe the method of research (reproducible) …discuss results and demonstrate how they advance the subject …be written in English …include a full bibliography and references …demonstrate relevant research skills …be of publishable quality

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis8 Word limit 100,000 words except for certain subject areas where the limit is lower See subject list in exam entry pack or check with your supervisor or research degrees co-ordinator for the limit for your subject

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis9 The University does NOT stipulate… …the font type or size to use (best to use a serifed font for body text and a plain font for figures such as graphs) …specific chapter or thesis formats (but best to use scientific format for scientific theses)

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis10 The University stipulates that: …theses must be typed or printed on good quality A4 paper and on one side only …line spacing should be double or one-and- half …the binding edge margin must be at least 40 mm and other margins at least 20 mm …photographs etc. must be permanently mounted and bound in with the theses

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis11 …the use of sellotape or similar is prohibited …errors must be corrected before submission …all pages must be numbered, including any bound in material …the thesis must include a title page, an abstract, a table of contents and a list of tables and figures …collaborative work must acknowledged and certified by supervisor

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis12 Hints on producing a thesis It is advisable to have a general introduction as the first chapter (review the literature here) and a general discussion as the last (to pull together the conclusions from previous chapters) Save each chapter as a separate file and back up all work (save to the BBK server if possible as this is backed up daily)

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis13 Figures and tables should preferably not be inserted into text - put them on individual pages Save figures and tables as separate files and either print separately or insert into chapter only when you are about to print Inserting figures into (borderless) text boxes anchors them on a page and makes positioning them easier (MS Word)

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis14 Use reference management software (e.g. Endnote, Reference Manager) to insert citations and create a bibliography/reference list BUT manually check all your references in the completed thesis (MS Word).

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis15 Thesis Contents Title page (numbered page 1) Officially approved thesis title Candidates full name Name of College or Institute Degree for which thesis is submitted and month/year of submission It is assumed that submission of the thesis implies it is entirely your own work and not plagiarised.

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis16 Intracellular Signalling and Phagocytosis by Haemocytes of Manduca sexta Larvae Maria Patricia de Winter School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Birkbeck, University of London Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of London November,

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis17 Abstract of Thesis Follows the title page 300 words maximum Summarises context, methods, results and conclusions contained in the thesis A duplicate Abstract must be submitted to Senate House with the thesis Published in ASLIB Index of Theses

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis18 Acknowledgements Optional, but most people include them and acknowledge those who supported and helped them throughout their Ph.D. If included keep acknowledgements to one side of A4

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis19 Table of Contents Follows Abstract, or Acknowledgements where included Must include all headings and subheadings and their page numbers Does not include Figures or Tables MS word can create a TOC for you if you merge all your chapters into one document or you can generate your own (make a two-column table without borders)

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis20 Chapters Each chapter must be numbered sequentially Usually theses contain an Introduction, three or four research/experimental chapters and a general discussion In Biology theses each experimental chapter contains its own specific intro, methods, results, discussion and conclusions Give completed draft chapters to your supervisor for comments

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis21 References Use a reference system that is recognised by your discipline. Examiners are fond of checking for missing references so check reference list manually against references in the main text (this is really boring and takes hours)

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis22 Appendices Include extra material that does not need to be in the body of the thesis Copies of publications that arose from the thesis can be placed here

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis23 Production time Allow at least a WEEK to assemble, check, print and correct last-minute errors that you have missed

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis24 Printing Allow at least TWO days just to print and check your thesis - it really does take this long Print a draft copy first and check for errors before printing final copies - get a friend or partner to proof-read the thesis to check for typos Buy lots of extra print cartridges and good quality (90 gsm) paper in advance

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis25 For a 300 page thesis buy 4 reams of paper (to allow for printing errors). Search the internet for good deals - you should be able to get this for about £ 16 + P&P If you have photos to print check out for glossy paper - 20 sheets cost about £4 + P&P sell very cheap cartridges by mail order (from about £ 3 for a black inkjet cartridgewww.inkcycle.co.uk

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis26 Print one chapter at a time - dont try to merge the thesis into one document and print it as a whole Check each thesis copy to ensure that all the pages are numbered sequentially Senate House initially requires two copies, either two soft-bound or one soft and one hard-bound Make an extra copy for yourself, which you should take with you to the viva Dont make any extra copies at this stage - there are bound to be corrections to make If you submit two soft-bound copies, you will have to submit a hard-bound copy after the viva.

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis27 Binding The spine of the thesis should have the degree, your initials and surname and the year of the award in gold lettering University of London theses are bound in medium blue cloth Hard bound copies currently cost £ 25 each and soft bound copies cost £ 16 each at The Printing Centre in Store Street (two day service)

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis28 Submitting the Thesis Take two copies of the thesis together with the completed Abstract of Thesis form to the PhD Examinations Office in Senate House The title of the thesis must correspond EXACTLY to the title on the exam entry form previously submitted

21st March 2005Producing a Ph.D thesis29 Although you should make every effort to correct mistakes prior to submission, you will inevitably find a few after youve submitted Youll even find them in the corrected version submitted after your viva - I still do!