Doctoral Resource - PhD Thesis

Resources for Doctoral Students

PhD Specific:
What Makes a Good PhD | Choosing a Topic | Organising Your Ideas | Oral Presentations | PhD Day 2001 |
Mid-Winter Doctoral Forum Tip Swap | Marking the Doctoral Thesis: A Discussion | Faculty Advice to First Year Doctoral Students | Starting to Write: a Shared Perspective | Summary of 'Qualitative Research: A Panel Discussion'

Oral Examination:
The Oral Examination | Examination Process at the University

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Research Proposals

In postgraduate papers you may be asked to design a proposal for an imaginary or intended research project. Apart from relevant background reading, you are not required to 'do' the research at this stage. A proposal outlines what you will study for the project and how you will go about it.

Purpose

Research proposals are the starting point for most large research projects, including Masters and PhD theses. They provide a clear statement of the topic and the methods that will be used to collect and analyse information. Research proposals are often used as supporting documentation for departmental and ethics approval of projects, as well as applications for scholarships or research grants. They also help researchers to clarify their ideas about the project and elicit feedback from others.

A research proposal should indicate the scope of the project, similar research that has already been done in the field, how the collecting and analysing of data will be carried out, along with any other methodological or practical considerations.

Structure

The components of a research proposal depend on the purposes for which the research is intended, the topic chosen, and the discipline within which you are working. They could include some or all of the following:

• title of the study
  
• overall purpose of the research, aims and objectives
  
• abstract or summary
  
• research questions or hypotheses to be tested
  
• background - a brief literature review to put your research topic into context
  
• theoretical framework
  
• operational definitions of key terms
  
• research methodology - a detailed description of how the research will be conducted and why
  
• expected results
  
• plan for interpreting and analysing results
  
• significance of the research
  
• ethical considerations
  
• Treaty of Waitangi considerations
  
• anticipated problems or limitations
  
• resources required and how these might be obtained and funded
  
• research timetable
  
• references or bibliography
  
• appendices of materials (such as questionnaires) that could be used or adapted for your study
  

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Will this topic work?

Your thesis should pose questions that are not only answerable, but worth answering. You may need to seek advice or feedback from other more experienced scholars. Consider the following:

• Is the topic possible? Will you be able to find subjects to interview, samples to study?
  
• Can it be done within the time available?
  
• Are there expenses involved? How will you gain funding for these?
  
• Is your research ethical? If you are planning to conduct research with human subjects, ethics approval must be completed before research commences.
  
• Is the research within your range of competence? Can you actually do it? Graduate research projects should be challenging, but if the project is too ambitious you may be setting yourself up to fail.

A good thesis topic is firmly located in current literature, asks useful questions, and addresses these through original research. Is there an existing field of literature in which you can work? Is there enough literature available? Does your topic allow you to show knowledge of the field? Search the literature to answer these questions.

Is your research original? Does it make a contribution to the field? Even if you discover that someone else has published exactly on your topic, your focus may pose different questions or use alternative methodology.

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Literature Reviews

A literature review is an extensive, detailed survey of relevant research and/or theory related to a specific topic. A good literature review does not just describe previous research but is analytical and evaluative. It should:

• demonstrate your understanding of current thinking and research, and any recent developments in your field of study
  
• identify key authors and important theoretical, technical and/or methodological issues
  
• show any relationships between previous studies and/or theories
  
• identify gaps or limitations in previous research
  
• show how previous research is related to your own topic (if the literature review is part of a research proposal or project) and provide a justification for your work
  

Steps for writing a literature review

1. Define your topic and more specifically, determine its focus and the parameters.
   


2. Gather relevant information from a variety of sources and paradigms, such as books, journal articles, research studies, theses, reviews, interviews, case studies or statistics.
   


3. As you read, make brief notes in your own words. Writing short summaries for each chapter or article as you finish reading is useful. But it is also important to make interconnections between the different articles. Focus on understanding and evaluating what you read. Think about what you have learnt from the article, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it might be useful for future research. Identify important key topic words/headings. Record your personal reflections, criticisms, and any points to follow up or clarify.
   


4. When writing your literature review, organise the material into key themes or concepts. Don't just present a series of abstracts! Group similar studies, with the most important ones described in detail. Mention less important studies by stating "the results are confirmed in similar studies...", without describing them in detail. Use examples or evidence, such as theories, studies, or statistics, to support the points you make.
   


5. Think about the wider significance of the material by:
   
   • discussing the implications of previous research
     eg ' Much of the research suggests....'
     
   • relating this research to important theoretical concepts and to your own insights
     eg ' These studies all support the idea that....'
     
   • pointing out gaps that exist in current knowledge on the topic
     eg ' While there has been much research in the area of..., there is a need for more extensive study in....
     
   • indicating directions for further study
     eg ' Further research must focus on...', ' There is a need for...', ' It is necessary to investigate...'.
     

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Research Journals

Research journals can be a bit like diaries in that they are often very personal. It is also entirely up to you what you choose to use your journal for; the ideas that follow are merely suggestions. A research journal might be a covered exercise book or notebook or a fancy store bought blank book. Choose a small size journal if you would like to carry it with you at all times, or a large one if you like to mind-map and make notes in detail. Your journal could be used for ...

Organising

Your research journal could be where you write down your goals and their intended time frame. It's also a great location to keep track of those references which must be followed-up, library searches and interloan requests. Some students also like to log their research by date, processes tried or results.

Thinking aloud on paper

Make brief notes in your research journal after reading articles, books, or other relevant literature. Use your journal for freewriting and brainstorming. Use it for notes or mind-maps as you select your topic, and for the mapping and re-mapping of your thesis/assignment structure.

Recording

• What you do, where, how and why you do it, with dates, and an indication of time spent.
  
• Supervision; questions for your supervisor, comments from your supervisor, notes from meetings, plans made
  thoughts that come into your mind while collecting data, when reading, while writing other parts of your thesis or assignment.
  
• Special achievements, dead-ends, surprises.
  
• Good definitions.
  
• Contact details (names, phone numbers, addresses) of people or organisations that may be useful.
  
• What you think or feel about what is happening.
  
• Anything else that is influencing you.