stages of final thesis

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."

How to write a PhD thesis: a step-by-step guide

A draft isn’t a perfect, finished product; it is your opportunity to start getting words down on paper, writes Kelly Louise Preece

Kelly Louise Preece

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Congratulations; you’ve finished your research! Time to write your PhD thesis. This resource will take you through an eight-step plan for drafting your chapters and your thesis as a whole.

Infographic with steps on how to draft your PhD thesis

Organise your material

Before you start, it’s important to get organised. Take a step back and look at the data you have, then reorganise your research. Which parts of it are central to your thesis and which bits need putting to one side? Label and organise everything using logical folders – make it easy for yourself! Academic and blogger Pat Thomson calls this “Clean up to get clearer” . Thomson suggests these questions to ask yourself before you start writing:

What data do you have? You might find it useful to write out a list of types of data (your supervisor will find this list useful too.) This list is also an audit document that can go in your thesis. Do you have any for the “cutting room floor”? Take a deep breath and put it in a separate non-thesis file. You can easily retrieve it if it turns out you need it.
What do you have already written? What chunks of material have you written so far that could form the basis of pieces of the thesis text? They will most likely need to be revised but they are useful starting points. Do you have any holding text? That is material you already know has to be rewritten but contains information that will be the basis of a new piece of text.
What have you read and what do you still need to read? Are there new texts that you need to consult now after your analysis? What readings can you now put to one side, knowing that they aren’t useful for this thesis – although they might be useful at another time?
What goes with what? Can you create chunks or themes of materials that are going to form the basis of some chunks of your text, perhaps even chapters?

Once you have assessed and sorted what you have collected and generated you will be in much better shape to approach the big task of composing the dissertation.

Decide on a key message

A key message is a summary of new information communicated in your thesis. You should have started to map this out already in the section on argument and contribution – an overarching argument with building blocks that you will flesh out in individual chapters.

You have already mapped your argument visually, now you need to begin writing it in prose. Following another of Pat Thomson’s exercises, write a “tiny text” thesis abstract. This doesn’t have to be elegant, or indeed the finished product, but it will help you articulate the argument you want your thesis to make. You create a tiny text using a five-paragraph structure:

The first sentence addresses the broad context. This locates the study in a policy, practice or research field.
The second sentence establishes a problem related to the broad context you have set out. It often starts with “But”, “Yet” or “However”.
The third sentence says what specific research has been done. This often starts with “This research” or “I report…”
The fourth sentence reports the results. Don’t try to be too tricky here, just start with something like: “This study shows,” or “Analysis of the data suggests that…”
The fifth and final sentence addresses the “So What?” question and makes clear the claim to contribution.

Here’s an example that Thomson provides:

Secondary school arts are in trouble, as the fall in enrolments in arts subjects dramatically attests. However, there is patchy evidence about the benefits of studying arts subjects at school and this makes it hard to argue why the drop in arts enrolments matters. This thesis reports on research which attempts to provide some answers to this problem – a longitudinal study which followed two groups of senior secondary students, one group enrolled in arts subjects and the other not, for three years. The results of the study demonstrate the benefits of young people’s engagement in arts activities, both in and out of school, as well as the connections between the two. The study not only adds to what is known about the benefits of both formal and informal arts education but also provides robust evidence for policymakers and practitioners arguing for the benefits of the arts. You can find out more about tiny texts and thesis abstracts on Thomson’s blog.

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Write a plan

You might not be a planner when it comes to writing. You might prefer to sit, type and think through ideas as you go. That’s OK. Everybody works differently. But one of the benefits of planning your writing is that your plan can help you when you get stuck. It can help with writer’s block (more on this shortly!) but also maintain clarity of intention and purpose in your writing.

You can do this by creating a thesis skeleton or storyboard , planning the order of your chapters, thinking of potential titles (which may change at a later stage), noting down what each chapter/section will cover and considering how many words you will dedicate to each chapter (make sure the total doesn’t exceed the maximum word limit allowed).

Use your plan to help prompt your writing when you get stuck and to develop clarity in your writing.

Some starting points include:

This chapter will argue that…
This section illustrates that…
This paragraph provides evidence that…

Of course, we wish it werethat easy. But you need to approach your first draft as exactly that: a draft. It isn’t a perfect, finished product; it is your opportunity to start getting words down on paper. Start with whichever chapter you feel you want to write first; you don’t necessarily have to write the introduction first. Depending on your research, you may find it easier to begin with your empirical/data chapters.

Vitae advocates for the “three draft approach” to help with this and to stop you from focusing on finding exactly the right word or transition as part of your first draft.

This resource originally appeared on Researcher Development .

Kelly Louse Preece is head of educator development at the University of Exeter.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter .

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Reaching the Finish Line: Writing and Presenting Your Thesis

First Online: 26 April 2024

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David Julian McClements 4 ,
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If you are a graduate student, the final stage of your studies typically involves writing a PhD thesis and then defending it in front of a thesis committee. Writing a PhD thesis from scratch can be a daunting and laborious experience. For this reason, it’s a good idea to plan your thesis as early as possible and write parts of it as you move through the different stages of your graduate studies. The best way to do this is to write a review article, which can serve as your background literature chapter, and several original research articles, which can serve as chapters in the main body of your thesis. However, your ability to write several scientific manuscripts during your PhD is highly dependent on your field of study. In some fields, it is normal to publish none or only one paper from a thesis, whereas in other fields, it is possible to publish several papers. Your oral presentation should accurately describe what you did, why you did it, what you found, and why it’s important. It should also be clear, concise, and engaging to the audience. You should therefore design your oral presentation to flow well and be visually compelling. This chapter gives advice on writing the different sections of a PhD thesis. It also gives tips on how to design a final PhD oral defense that is impactful and engaging.

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It has been reported that the PhD thesis of David Rector, who did his graduate studies at MIT, was only 9 pages long (“An Unstable Adams Spectral Sequence”, 1966).

Allen JE (2019) The productive graduate student writer: how to manage your time, process, and energy to write your research proposal, thesis, and dissertation and get published, 1st edn. Stylus Publishing, Stirling

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Fisher EM, Thompson RC (2014) Enjoy writing your science thesis or dissertation! A step-by-step guide to planning and writing a thesis or dissertation for undergraduate and graduate science students, 2nd edn. Imperial College Press, London

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Turabian KL, Booth WC, Colomb GG, Williams JM, Bizup J, FitzGerald WT (2018) A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, ninth edition: Chicago style for students and researchers, 9th edn. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago

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McClements, D.J., McClements, J., McClements, I.F. (2024). Reaching the Finish Line: Writing and Presenting Your Thesis. In: How to be a Successful Scientist. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51402-9_10

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Thesis Structure

This page outlines the stages of an honours thesis and provides links to other pages that will give you more information and some examples from past theses.

A diagram of possible steps to planning an essay.

Stages of a thesis (in order)

Write this last. It is an overview of your whole thesis, and is between 200-300 words.

See writing abstracts for honours theses for what to include in your abstract or see some example abstracts .

Introduction

Usually longer than an abstract, and provides the following:

background to the topic;
brief review of current knowledge (Can include literature review in some schools);
indicates gap in knowledge, states aim of your research and how it fits into the gap;
can include hypotheses; can include an outline of the following chapters.

See thesis introductions exercises for more information.

Literature review

Often part of the Introduction, but can be a separate section. It is an evaluation of previous research on your topic, where you show that there is a gap in the knowledge that your research will attempt to fill. The key word here is evaluation.

See literature reviews for more information and examples to get you started on your literature review.

Often the easiest part of the thesis to write. Outlines which method you chose and why (your methodology); what, when, where, how and why you did what you did to get your results.

Here are some sample methods .

Outlines what you found out in relation to your research questions or hypotheses, presented in figures and in written text.

Results contain the facts of your research. Often you will include a brief comment on the significance of key results, with the expectation that more generalised comments about results will be made in the Discussion section. Sometimes Results and Discussion are combined: check with your supervisor and with highly rated past theses in your School.

Here are some suggestions for writing up results .

The Discussion section:

comments on your results;
explains what your results mean;
interprets your results in a wider context; indicates which results were expected or unexpected;
provides explanations for unexpected results.

The Discussion should also relate your specific results to previous research or theory. You should point out what the limitations were of your study, and note any questions that remain unanswered. The Discussion CAN also include Conclusions/Future Research. Check with your supervisor.

See our theses in discussion page for more information or try these exercises .

Conclusions

Very important! This is where you emphasise that your research aims/objectives have been achieved.

You also emphasise the most significant results, note the limitations and make suggestions for further research.

Conclusions can include Future Directions. Check with your supervisor.

For more information see conclusions in honours theses or sample conclusions .

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Dissertation

How to Write a Dissertation | A Guide to Structure & Content

A dissertation or thesis is a long piece of academic writing based on original research, submitted as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

The structure of a dissertation depends on your field, but it is usually divided into at least four or five chapters (including an introduction and conclusion chapter).

The most common dissertation structure in the sciences and social sciences includes:

An introduction to your topic
A literature review that surveys relevant sources
An explanation of your methodology
An overview of the results of your research
A discussion of the results and their implications
A conclusion that shows what your research has contributed

Dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay , building an argument by analysing primary and secondary sources . Instead of the standard structure outlined here, you might organise your chapters around different themes or case studies.

Other important elements of the dissertation include the title page , abstract , and reference list . If in doubt about how your dissertation should be structured, always check your department’s guidelines and consult with your supervisor.

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Acknowledgements, table of contents, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review / theoretical framework, methodology, reference list.

The very first page of your document contains your dissertation’s title, your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date. Sometimes it also includes your student number, your supervisor’s name, and the university’s logo. Many programs have strict requirements for formatting the dissertation title page .

The title page is often used as cover when printing and binding your dissertation .

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The acknowledgements section is usually optional, and gives space for you to thank everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation. This might include your supervisors, participants in your research, and friends or family who supported you.

The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation, usually about 150-300 words long. You should write it at the very end, when you’ve completed the rest of the dissertation. In the abstract, make sure to:

State the main topic and aims of your research
Describe the methods you used
Summarise the main results
State your conclusions

Although the abstract is very short, it’s the first part (and sometimes the only part) of your dissertation that people will read, so it’s important that you get it right. If you’re struggling to write a strong abstract, read our guide on how to write an abstract .

In the table of contents, list all of your chapters and subheadings and their page numbers. The dissertation contents page gives the reader an overview of your structure and helps easily navigate the document.

All parts of your dissertation should be included in the table of contents, including the appendices. You can generate a table of contents automatically in Word.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

If you have used a lot of tables and figures in your dissertation, you should itemise them in a numbered list . You can automatically generate this list using the Insert Caption feature in Word.

If you have used a lot of abbreviations in your dissertation, you can include them in an alphabetised list of abbreviations so that the reader can easily look up their meanings.

If you have used a lot of highly specialised terms that will not be familiar to your reader, it might be a good idea to include a glossary . List the terms alphabetically and explain each term with a brief description or definition.

In the introduction, you set up your dissertation’s topic, purpose, and relevance, and tell the reader what to expect in the rest of the dissertation. The introduction should:

Establish your research topic , giving necessary background information to contextualise your work
Narrow down the focus and define the scope of the research
Discuss the state of existing research on the topic, showing your work’s relevance to a broader problem or debate
Clearly state your objectives and research questions , and indicate how you will answer them
Give an overview of your dissertation’s structure

Everything in the introduction should be clear, engaging, and relevant to your research. By the end, the reader should understand the what , why and how of your research. Not sure how? Read our guide on how to write a dissertation introduction .

Before you start on your research, you should have conducted a literature review to gain a thorough understanding of the academic work that already exists on your topic. This means:

Collecting sources (e.g. books and journal articles) and selecting the most relevant ones
Critically evaluating and analysing each source
Drawing connections between them (e.g. themes, patterns, conflicts, gaps) to make an overall point

In the dissertation literature review chapter or section, you shouldn’t just summarise existing studies, but develop a coherent structure and argument that leads to a clear basis or justification for your own research. For example, it might aim to show how your research:

Addresses a gap in the literature
Takes a new theoretical or methodological approach to the topic
Proposes a solution to an unresolved problem
Advances a theoretical debate
Builds on and strengthens existing knowledge with new data

The literature review often becomes the basis for a theoretical framework , in which you define and analyse the key theories, concepts and models that frame your research. In this section you can answer descriptive research questions about the relationship between concepts or variables.

The methodology chapter or section describes how you conducted your research, allowing your reader to assess its validity. You should generally include:

The overall approach and type of research (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, experimental, ethnographic)
Your methods of collecting data (e.g. interviews, surveys, archives)
Details of where, when, and with whom the research took place
Your methods of analysing data (e.g. statistical analysis, discourse analysis)
Tools and materials you used (e.g. computer programs, lab equipment)
A discussion of any obstacles you faced in conducting the research and how you overcame them
An evaluation or justification of your methods

Your aim in the methodology is to accurately report what you did, as well as convincing the reader that this was the best approach to answering your research questions or objectives.

Next, you report the results of your research . You can structure this section around sub-questions, hypotheses, or topics. Only report results that are relevant to your objectives and research questions. In some disciplines, the results section is strictly separated from the discussion, while in others the two are combined.

For example, for qualitative methods like in-depth interviews, the presentation of the data will often be woven together with discussion and analysis, while in quantitative and experimental research, the results should be presented separately before you discuss their meaning. If you’re unsure, consult with your supervisor and look at sample dissertations to find out the best structure for your research.

In the results section it can often be helpful to include tables, graphs and charts. Think carefully about how best to present your data, and don’t include tables or figures that just repeat what you have written – they should provide extra information or usefully visualise the results in a way that adds value to your text.

Full versions of your data (such as interview transcripts) can be included as an appendix .

The discussion is where you explore the meaning and implications of your results in relation to your research questions. Here you should interpret the results in detail, discussing whether they met your expectations and how well they fit with the framework that you built in earlier chapters. If any of the results were unexpected, offer explanations for why this might be. It’s a good idea to consider alternative interpretations of your data and discuss any limitations that might have influenced the results.

The discussion should reference other scholarly work to show how your results fit with existing knowledge. You can also make recommendations for future research or practical action.

The dissertation conclusion should concisely answer the main research question, leaving the reader with a clear understanding of your central argument. Wrap up your dissertation with a final reflection on what you did and how you did it. The conclusion often also includes recommendations for research or practice.

In this section, it’s important to show how your findings contribute to knowledge in the field and why your research matters. What have you added to what was already known?

You must include full details of all sources that you have cited in a reference list (sometimes also called a works cited list or bibliography). It’s important to follow a consistent reference style . Each style has strict and specific requirements for how to format your sources in the reference list.

The most common styles used in UK universities are Harvard referencing and Vancouver referencing . Your department will often specify which referencing style you should use – for example, psychology students tend to use APA style , humanities students often use MHRA , and law students always use OSCOLA . M ake sure to check the requirements, and ask your supervisor if you’re unsure.

To save time creating the reference list and make sure your citations are correctly and consistently formatted, you can use our free APA Citation Generator .

Your dissertation itself should contain only essential information that directly contributes to answering your research question. Documents you have used that do not fit into the main body of your dissertation (such as interview transcripts, survey questions or tables with full figures) can be added as appendices .

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7 stages of academic writing - and the different thesis types

At the beginning of your academic writing project you have to decide on a type of thesis. An overview of the seven stages of the research and academic writing helps. Each of these stages has its own characteristics with regard to the task, the goal, the methods, the sources and the challenges. And with each stage the difficulties increase, like in mountaineering. The right decision for one of the stages makes it easier to start the thesis. Here are the seven stages.

Stage 1 - Creating a knowledge system (thesis type: literature analysis)

The literature analysis thesis is the first and therefore the easiest of all stages. It is simply an overview of previous knowledge on a specific topic. This kind of thesis is possible when there is already quite a lot to a question. The task is to compile content from all kinds of reliable sources and present it clearly. The goal is thus an overview of secured knowledge about a question. Suitable sources for this kind of thesis are scientific publications such as textbooks and articles, but also statistics and publications of all kinds by experts.

The challenge is to maintain an overview in the diversity of information and to make the presentation systematic and comprehensible. In addition, the knowledge gained should also be critically examined and interpreted. This is the own contribution to new knowledge.

Stage 2 - Overview of the current state of research (Thesis type: Literature Review)

The Literature Review is a special kind of thesis. It is a very structured and systematic overview of current research findings from selected scientific articles. The sources for this type of thesis are exclusively professional journals. Other sources are only used for the introduction. Prerequisite for the success of this type of thesis is the existence of suitable professional articles on the topic. Therefore, at the beginning of the thesis there is a specific search for such professional articles. If there are not enough professional articles available, the topic has to be adapted accordingly. At least 15 relevant professional articles are required. The tangible result of this type of thesis is a matrix of the contents of the selected articles. The challenge is to quickly find one's way in a relatively new field of research without having the necessary experience.

Stage 3 - Survey with standardized questionnaire (Thesis type: empirical thesis with questionnaire)

In this type of thesis certain target groups are analyzed. A prerequisite for the survey is the existence of knowledge about the research subject. Therefore, the state of research is to be compiled from literature, either in the form of a literature review or a literature thesis. For the survey a separate questionnaire has to be developed. The challenge of this kind of thesis is the development of the questionnaire, the research hypotheses and the statistical evaluation of the collected data. Usually these activities are not sufficiently trained during the studies. Therefore, before deciding on such a type of thesis, one has to think carefully about whether one can master these challenges.

The result of this type of thesis is self-generated knowledge about the target group.

Stage 4 - Survey with partially standardized expert interviews (Thesis-Type: Empirical thesis with interview guide)

If there are still few findings on a specific research topic, it is useful to interview experts with the help of interview guidelines. This can build on existing knowledge. This should be gathered from economic sources. The challenges of this type of thesis are the preparation of the interview guide, working with qualitative methods of evaluation and the interpretation of the information obtained. Finding and winning experts are also major challenges.

The results of this type of thesis are findings that significantly expand the current state of knowledge in a certain direction.

Stage 5 - Survey with explorative interviews (Thesis type: Empirical thesis with open interview)

This type of thesis is to be used when there is still very little knowledge available on a specific research topic. In this case, basic information about the field has to be collected first. This type of thesis is always considered when relatively rare or completely new phenomena are involved. The challenge is to find the right interlocutors and to familiarize oneself with the subject area without having to resort to a variety of sources.

The result of this type of thesis is a first and fundamental insight into a certain narrowly defined research question.

Step 6 - Carrying out an experiment (thesis type: empirical thesis with protocols)

This type of thesis is typical for scientific subjects. It is about gaining new knowledge under narrowly defined conditions. In the social sciences, experiments are also used time and again. However, these are very complex and very difficult to design realistically. Experiments must be prepared very carefully. For this purpose, literature sources on previous findings must be evaluated and the framework conditions must be precisely defined. The results of experiments are new findings that can be easily checked by other scientists.

Tip: Enter this stage only if you study natural or technical sciences and therefore have to!

Stage 7 - Making an observation (Thesis type: Empirical thesis with an observation sheet)

The seventh and final stage of scientific thesis comes into question when you know almost nothing about something. The first step is to collect and evaluate basic information about the relevant facts. One challenge is that there are still few findings on this specific subject in the literature. This kind of thesis therefore requires quite a lot of time, self-confidence. Courage and expertise in a scientific thesis.

Tip: This type of thesis is therefore better saved for a dissertation. The results of observations are new findings that have a chance to make scientific breakthroughs.

Enjoy writing your text! Silvio and the Aristolo Team

PS: Check out the Thesis-ABC and the Thesis Guide for writing a bachelor or master thesis in 31 days.

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

12.2 Developing a Final Draft of a Research Paper

Learning objectives.

Revise your paper to improve organization and cohesion.
Determine an appropriate style and tone for your paper.
Revise to ensure that your tone is consistent.
Edit your paper to ensure that language, citations, and formatting are correct.

Given all the time and effort you have put into your research project, you will want to make sure that your final draft represents your best work. This requires taking the time to revise and edit your paper carefully.

You may feel like you need a break from your paper before you revise and edit it. That is understandable—but leave yourself with enough time to complete this important stage of the writing process. In this section, you will learn the following specific strategies that are useful for revising and editing a research paper:

How to evaluate and improve the overall organization and cohesion
How to maintain an appropriate style and tone
How to use checklists to identify and correct any errors in language, citations, and formatting

Revising Your Paper: Organization and Cohesion

When writing a research paper, it is easy to become overly focused on editorial details, such as the proper format for bibliographical entries. These details do matter. However, before you begin to address them, it is important to spend time reviewing and revising the content of the paper.

A good research paper is both organized and cohesive. Organization means that your argument flows logically from one point to the next. Cohesion means that the elements of your paper work together smoothly and naturally. In a cohesive research paper, information from research is seamlessly integrated with the writer’s ideas.

Revise to Improve Organization

When you revise to improve organization, you look at the flow of ideas throughout the essay as a whole and within individual paragraphs. You check to see that your essay moves logically from the introduction to the body paragraphs to the conclusion, and that each section reinforces your thesis. Use Checklist 12.1 to help you.

Checklist 12.1

Revision: Organization

At the essay level

Does my introduction proceed clearly from the opening to the thesis?
Does each body paragraph have a clear main idea that relates to the thesis?
Do the main ideas in the body paragraphs flow in a logical order? Is each paragraph connected to the one before it?
Do I need to add or revise topic sentences or transitions to make the overall flow of ideas clearer?
Does my conclusion summarize my main ideas and revisit my thesis?

At the paragraph level

Does the topic sentence clearly state the main idea?
Do the details in the paragraph relate to the main idea?
Do I need to recast any sentences or add transitions to improve the flow of sentences?

Jorge reread his draft paragraph by paragraph. As he read, he highlighted the main idea of each paragraph so he could see whether his ideas proceeded in a logical order. For the most part, the flow of ideas was clear. However, he did notice that one paragraph did not have a clear main idea. It interrupted the flow of the writing. During revision, Jorge added a topic sentence that clearly connected the paragraph to the one that had preceded it. He also added transitions to improve the flow of ideas from sentence to sentence.

Read the following paragraphs twice, the first time without Jorge’s changes, and the second time with them.

Follow these steps to begin revising your paper’s overall organization.

Print out a hard copy of your paper.
Read your paper paragraph by paragraph. Highlight your thesis and the topic sentence of each paragraph.
Using the thesis and topic sentences as starting points, outline the ideas you presented—just as you would do if you were outlining a chapter in a textbook. Do not look at the outline you created during prewriting. You may write in the margins of your draft or create a formal outline on a separate sheet of paper.
Next, reread your paper more slowly, looking for how ideas flow from sentence to sentence. Identify places where adding a transition or recasting a sentence would make the ideas flow more logically.
Review the topics on your outline. Is there a logical flow of ideas? Identify any places where you may need to reorganize ideas.
Begin to revise your paper to improve organization. Start with any major issues, such as needing to move an entire paragraph. Then proceed to minor revisions, such as adding a transitional phrase or tweaking a topic sentence so it connects ideas more clearly.

Collaboration

Please share your paper with a classmate. Repeat the six steps and take notes on a separate piece of paper. Share and compare notes.

Writers choose transitions carefully to show the relationships between ideas—for instance, to make a comparison or elaborate on a point with examples. Make sure your transitions suit your purpose and avoid overusing the same ones. For an extensive list of transitions, see Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , Section 8.4 “Revising and Editing” .

Revise to Improve Cohesion

When you revise to improve cohesion, you analyze how the parts of your paper work together. You look for anything that seems awkward or out of place. Revision may involve deleting unnecessary material or rewriting parts of the paper so that the out-of-place material fits in smoothly.

In a research paper, problems with cohesion usually occur when a writer has trouble integrating source material. If facts or quotations have been awkwardly dropped into a paragraph, they distract or confuse the reader instead of working to support the writer’s point. Overusing paraphrased and quoted material has the same effect. Use Checklist 12.2 to review your essay for cohesion.

Checklist 12.2

Revision: Cohesion

Does the opening of the paper clearly connect to the broader topic and thesis? Make sure entertaining quotes or anecdotes serve a purpose.
Have I included support from research for each main point in the body of my paper?
Have I included introductory material before any quotations? Quotations should never stand alone in a paragraph.
Does paraphrased and quoted material clearly serve to develop my own points?
Do I need to add to or revise parts of the paper to help the reader understand how certain information from a source is relevant?
Are there any places where I have overused material from sources?
Does my conclusion make sense based on the rest of the paper? Make sure any new questions or suggestions in the conclusion are clearly linked to earlier material.

As Jorge reread his draft, he looked to see how the different pieces fit together to prove his thesis. He realized that some of his supporting information needed to be integrated more carefully and decided to omit some details entirely. Read the following paragraph, first without Jorge’s revisions and then with them.

Jorge decided that his comment about pizza and birthday cake came across as subjective and was not necessary to make his point, so he deleted it. He also realized that the quotation at the end of the paragraph was awkward and ineffective. How would his readers know who Kwon was or why her opinion should be taken seriously? Adding an introductory phrase helped Jorge integrate this quotation smoothly and establish the credibility of his source.

Follow these steps to begin revising your paper to improve cohesion.

Print out a hard copy of your paper, or work with your printout from Note 12.33 “Exercise 1” .
Read the body paragraphs of your paper first. Each time you come to a place that cites information from sources, ask yourself what purpose this information serves. Check that it helps support a point and that it is clearly related to the other sentences in the paragraph.
Identify unnecessary information from sources that you can delete.
Identify places where you need to revise your writing so that readers understand the significance of the details cited from sources.
Skim the body paragraphs once more, looking for any paragraphs that seem packed with citations. Review these paragraphs carefully for cohesion.
Review your introduction and conclusion. Make sure the information presented works with ideas in the body of the paper.
Revise the places you identified in your paper to improve cohesion.

Please exchange papers with a classmate. Complete step four. On a separate piece of paper, note any areas that would benefit from clarification. Return and compare notes.

Writing at Work

Understanding cohesion can also benefit you in the workplace, especially when you have to write and deliver a presentation. Speakers sometimes rely on cute graphics or funny quotations to hold their audience’s attention. If you choose to use these elements, make sure they work well with the substantive content of your presentation. For example, if you are asked to give a financial presentation, and the financial report shows that the company lost money, funny illustrations would not be relevant or appropriate for the presentation.

Using a Consistent Style and Tone

Once you are certain that the content of your paper fulfills your purpose, you can begin revising to improve style and tone . Together, your style and tone create the voice of your paper, or how you come across to readers. Style refers to the way you use language as a writer—the sentence structures you use and the word choices you make. Tone is the attitude toward your subject and audience that you convey through your word choice.

Determining an Appropriate Style and Tone

Although accepted writing styles will vary within different disciplines, the underlying goal is the same—to come across to your readers as a knowledgeable, authoritative guide. Writing about research is like being a tour guide who walks readers through a topic. A stuffy, overly formal tour guide can make readers feel put off or intimidated. Too much informality or humor can make readers wonder whether the tour guide really knows what he or she is talking about. Extreme or emotionally charged language comes across as unbalanced.

To help prevent being overly formal or informal, determine an appropriate style and tone at the beginning of the research process. Consider your topic and audience because these can help dictate style and tone. For example, a paper on new breakthroughs in cancer research should be more formal than a paper on ways to get a good night’s sleep.

A strong research paper comes across as straightforward, appropriately academic, and serious. It is generally best to avoid writing in the first person, as this can make your paper seem overly subjective and opinion based. Use Checklist 12.3 on style to review your paper for other issues that affect style and tone. You can check for consistency at the end of the writing process. Checking for consistency is discussed later in this section.

Checklist 12.3

My paper avoids excessive wordiness.
My sentences are varied in length and structure.
I have avoided using first-person pronouns such as I and we .
I have used the active voice whenever possible.
I have defined specialized terms that might be unfamiliar to readers.
I have used clear, straightforward language whenever possible and avoided unnecessary jargon.
My paper states my point of view using a balanced tone—neither too indecisive nor too forceful.

Word Choice

Note that word choice is an especially important aspect of style. In addition to checking the points noted on Checklist 12.3, review your paper to make sure your language is precise, conveys no unintended connotations, and is free of biases. Here are some of the points to check for:

Vague or imprecise terms
Repetition of the same phrases (“Smith states…, Jones states…”) to introduce quoted and paraphrased material (For a full list of strong verbs to use with in-text citations, see Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” .)
Exclusive use of masculine pronouns or awkward use of he or she
Use of language with negative connotations, such as haughty or ridiculous
Use of outdated or offensive terms to refer to specific ethnic, racial, or religious groups

Using plural nouns and pronouns or recasting a sentence can help you keep your language gender neutral while avoiding awkwardness. Consider the following examples.

Gender-biased: When a writer cites a source in the body of his paper, he must list it on his references page.
Awkward: When a writer cites a source in the body of his or her paper, he or she must list it on his or her references page.
Improved: Writers must list any sources cited in the body of a paper on the references page.

Keeping Your Style Consistent

As you revise your paper, make sure your style is consistent throughout. Look for instances where a word, phrase, or sentence just does not seem to fit with the rest of the writing. It is best to reread for style after you have completed the other revisions so that you are not distracted by any larger content issues. Revising strategies you can use include the following:

Read your paper aloud. Sometimes your ears catch inconsistencies that your eyes miss.
Share your paper with another reader whom you trust to give you honest feedback. It is often difficult to evaluate one’s own style objectively—especially in the final phase of a challenging writing project. Another reader may be more likely to notice instances of wordiness, confusing language, or other issues that affect style and tone.
Line-edit your paper slowly, sentence by sentence. You may even wish to use a sheet of paper to cover everything on the page except the paragraph you are editing—that forces you to read slowly and carefully. Mark any areas where you notice problems in style or tone, and then take time to rework those sections.

On reviewing his paper, Jorge found that he had generally used an appropriately academic style and tone. However, he noticed one glaring exception—his first paragraph. He realized there were places where his overly informal writing could come across as unserious or, worse, disparaging. Revising his word choice and omitting a humorous aside helped Jorge maintain a consistent tone. Read his revisions.

Using Checklist 12.3, line-edit your paper. You may use either of these techniques:

Print out a hard copy of your paper, or work with your printout from Note 12.33 “Exercise 1” . Read it line by line. Check for the issues noted on Checklist 12.3, as well as any other aspects of your writing style you have previously identified as areas for improvement. Mark any areas where you notice problems in style or tone, and then take time to rework those sections.
If you prefer to work with an electronic document, use the menu options in your word-processing program to enlarge the text to 150 or 200 percent of the original size. Make sure the type is large enough that you can focus on only one paragraph at a time. Read the paper line by line as described in step 1. Highlight any areas where you notice problems in style or tone, and then take time to rework those sections.

Please exchange papers with a classmate. On a separate piece of paper, note places where the essay does not seem to flow or you have questions about what was written. Return the essay and compare notes.

Editing Your Paper

After revising your paper to address problems in content or style, you will complete one final editorial review. Perhaps you already have caught and corrected minor mistakes during previous revisions. Nevertheless, give your draft a final edit to make sure it is error-free. Your final edit should focus on two broad areas:

Errors in grammar, mechanics, usage, and spelling
Errors in citing and formatting sources

For in-depth information on these two topics, see Chapter 2 “Writing Basics: What Makes a Good Sentence?” and Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” .

Correcting Errors

Given how much work you have put into your research paper, you will want to check for any errors that could distract or confuse your readers. Using the spell-checking feature in your word-processing program can be helpful—but this should not replace a full, careful review of your document. Be sure to check for any errors that may have come up frequently for you in the past. Use Checklist 12.4 to help you as you edit:

Checklist 12.4

Grammar, Mechanics, Punctuation, Usage, and Spelling

My paper is free of grammatical errors, such as errors in subject-verb agreement and sentence fragments. (For additional guidance on grammar, see Chapter 2 “Writing Basics: What Makes a Good Sentence?” .)
My paper is free of errors in punctuation and mechanics, such as misplaced commas or incorrectly formatted source titles. (For additional guidance on punctuation and mechanics, see Chapter 3 “Punctuation” .)
My paper is free of common usage errors, such as alot and alright . (For additional guidance on correct usage, see Chapter 4 “Working with Words: Which Word Is Right?” .)
My paper is free of spelling errors. I have proofread my paper for spelling in addition to using the spell-checking feature in my word-processing program.
I have checked my paper for any editing errors that I know I tend to make frequently.

Checking Citations and Formatting

When editing a research paper, it is also important to check that you have cited sources properly and formatted your document according to the specified guidelines. There are two reasons for this. First and foremost, citing sources correctly ensures that you have given proper credit to other people for ideas and information that helped you in your work. Second, using correct formatting establishes your paper as one student’s contribution to the work developed by and for a larger academic community. Increasingly, American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines are the standard for many academic fields. Modern Language Association (MLA) is also a standard style in many fields. Use Checklist 12.5 to help you check citations and formatting.

Checklist 12.5

Citations and Formatting

Within the body of my paper, each fact or idea taken from a source is credited to the correct source.
Each in-text citation includes the source author’s name (or, where applicable, the organization name or source title) and year of publication. I have used the correct format of in-text and parenthetical citations.
Each source cited in the body of my paper has a corresponding entry in the references section of my paper.
My references section includes a heading and double-spaced, alphabetized entries.
Each entry in my references section is indented on the second line and all subsequent lines.
Each entry in my references section includes all the necessary information for that source type, in the correct sequence and format.
My paper includes a title page.
My paper includes a running head.
The margins of my paper are set at one inch. Text is double spaced and set in a standard 12-point font.

For detailed guidelines on APA and MLA citation and formatting, see Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” .

Following APA or MLA citation and formatting guidelines may require time and effort. However, it is good practice for learning how to follow accepted conventions in any professional field. Many large corporations create a style manual with guidelines for editing and formatting documents produced by that corporation. Employees follow the style manual when creating internal documents and documents for publication.

During the process of revising and editing, Jorge made changes in the content and style of his paper. He also gave the paper a final review to check for overall correctness and, particularly, correct APA or MLA citations and formatting. Read the final draft of his paper.

A Cover Page for the Paper: Beyohd the Hype: Evaluating Low-Carb Diets

Key Takeaways

Organization in a research paper means that the argument proceeds logically from the introduction to the body to the conclusion. It flows logically from one point to the next. When revising a research paper, evaluate the organization of the paper as a whole and the organization of individual paragraphs.
In a cohesive research paper, the elements of the paper work together smoothly and naturally. When revising a research paper, evaluate its cohesion. In particular, check that information from research is smoothly integrated with your ideas.
An effective research paper uses a style and tone that are appropriately academic and serious. When revising a research paper, check that the style and tone are consistent throughout.
Editing a research paper involves checking for errors in grammar, mechanics, punctuation, usage, spelling, citations, and formatting.

Instructions for the Thesis

Thesis Workshop
Thesis Guidance and Allocation of Responsibilities
Research Ethics and Data Protection
Sources of Thesis Guidelines
Ideation, Selection, and Approval of Your Topic
Project Plan or Research Plan
Planning and Initiation of the Thesis
Formats of a Thesis
Writing the Theoretical Framework
Selection and Description of the Method
Guidelines for Reporting
Citations and Creating a Reference List
Language Guidance for the Thesis
Plagiarism Check
Guidelines for Theseus
Maturity Test

Instructions for the Final Stage of Master’s Thesis

Evaluation of the Thesis
Defining the search topic
Evaluating the search results
Choosing and using sources
Finna search services
Open access (OA)
Google Scholar
Evaluating online sources
Good to know about search engines
Databases and articles
Other resources

It is recommended to present the results and recommendations of your thesis to the client, for example, in a team or unit meeting. It is advisable to do this in the final stages of the process, considering any feedback received and incorporating it into your report.

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Last Updated: May 17, 2024 10:30 AM
URL: https://vamk.libguides.com/instructions_thesis

How To Write A Dissertation Introduction

A Simple Explainer With Examples + Free Template

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewed By Dr Eunice Rautenbach (D. Tech) | March 2020

If you’re reading this, you’re probably at the daunting early phases of writing up the introduction chapter of your dissertation or thesis. It can be intimidating, I know.

In this post, we’ll look at the 7 essential ingredients of a strong dissertation or thesis introduction chapter, as well as the essential things you need to keep in mind as you craft each section. We’ll also share some useful tips to help you optimize your approach.

Overview: Writing An Introduction Chapter

The purpose and function of the intro chapter
Craft an enticing and engaging opening section
Provide a background and context to the study
Clearly define the research problem
State your research aims, objectives and questions
Explain the significance of your study
Identify the limitations of your research
Outline the structure of your dissertation or thesis

A quick sidenote:

You’ll notice that I’ve used the words dissertation and thesis interchangeably. While these terms reflect different levels of research – for example, Masters vs PhD-level research – the introduction chapter generally contains the same 7 essential ingredients regardless of level. So, in this post, dissertation introduction equals thesis introduction.

Free template for a dissertation or thesis introduction

Start with why.

To craft a high-quality dissertation or thesis introduction chapter, you need to understand exactly what this chapter needs to achieve. In other words, what’s its purpose ? As the name suggests, the introduction chapter needs to introduce the reader to your research so that they understand what you’re trying to figure out, or what problem you’re trying to solve. More specifically, you need to answer four important questions in your introduction chapter.

These questions are:

What will you be researching? (in other words, your research topic)
Why is that worthwhile? (in other words, your justification)
What will the scope of your research be? (in other words, what will you cover and what won’t you cover)
What will the limitations of your research be? (in other words, what will the potential shortcomings of your research be?)

Simply put, your dissertation’s introduction chapter needs to provide an overview of your planned research , as well as a clear rationale for it. In other words, this chapter has to explain the “what” and the “why” of your research – what’s it all about and why’s that important.

Simple enough, right?

Well, the trick is finding the appropriate depth of information. As the researcher, you’ll be extremely close to your topic and this makes it easy to get caught up in the minor details. While these intricate details might be interesting, you need to write your introduction chapter on more of a “need-to-know” type basis, or it will end up way too lengthy and dense. You need to balance painting a clear picture with keeping things concise. Don’t worry though – you’ll be able to explore all the intricate details in later chapters.

The core ingredients of a dissertation introduction chapter

Now that you understand what you need to achieve from your introduction chapter, we can get into the details. While the exact requirements for this chapter can vary from university to university, there are seven core components that most universities will require. We call these the seven essential ingredients .

The 7 Essential Ingredients

The opening section – where you’ll introduce the reader to your research in high-level terms
The background to the study – where you’ll explain the context of your project
The research problem – where you’ll explain the “gap” that exists in the current research
The research aims , objectives and questions – where you’ll clearly state what your research will aim to achieve
The significance (or justification) – where you’ll explain why your research is worth doing and the value it will provide to the world
The limitations – where you’ll acknowledge the potential limitations of your project and approach
The structure – where you’ll briefly outline the structure of your dissertation or thesis to help orient the reader

By incorporating these seven essential ingredients into your introduction chapter, you’ll comprehensively cover both the “ what ” and the “ why ” I mentioned earlier – in other words, you’ll achieve the purpose of the chapter.

Side note – you can also use these 7 ingredients in this order as the structure for your chapter to ensure a smooth, logical flow. This isn’t essential, but, generally speaking, it helps create an engaging narrative that’s easy for your reader to understand. If you’d like, you can also download our free introduction chapter template here.

Alright – let’s look at each of the ingredients now.

#1 – The Opening Section

The very first essential ingredient for your dissertation introduction is, well, an introduction or opening section. Just like every other chapter, your introduction chapter needs to start by providing a brief overview of what you’ll be covering in the chapter.

This section needs to engage the reader with clear, concise language that can be easily understood and digested. If the reader (your marker!) has to struggle through it, they’ll lose interest, which will make it harder for you to earn marks. Just because you’re writing an academic paper doesn’t mean you can ignore the basic principles of engaging writing used by marketers, bloggers, and journalists. At the end of the day, you’re all trying to sell an idea – yours is just a research idea.

So, what goes into this opening section?

Well, while there’s no set formula, it’s a good idea to include the following four foundational sentences in your opening section:

1 – A sentence or two introducing the overall field of your research.

For example:

“Organisational skills development involves identifying current or potential skills gaps within a business and developing programs to resolve these gaps. Management research, including X, Y and Z, has clearly established that organisational skills development is an essential contributor to business growth.”

2 – A sentence introducing your specific research problem.

“However, there are conflicting views and an overall lack of research regarding how best to manage skills development initiatives in highly dynamic environments where subject knowledge is rapidly and continuously evolving – for example, in the website development industry.”

3 – A sentence stating your research aims and objectives.

“This research aims to identify and evaluate skills development approaches and strategies for highly dynamic industries in which subject knowledge is continuously evolving.”.

4 – A sentence outlining the layout of the chapter.

“This chapter will provide an introduction to the study by first discussing the background and context, followed by the research problem, the research aims, objectives and questions, the significance and finally, the limitations.”

As I mentioned, this opening section of your introduction chapter shouldn’t be lengthy . Typically, these four sentences should fit neatly into one or two paragraphs, max. What you’re aiming for here is a clear, concise introduction to your research – not a detailed account.

PS – If some of this terminology sounds unfamiliar, don’t stress – I’ll explain each of the concepts later in this post.

#2 – Background to the study

Now that you’ve provided a high-level overview of your dissertation or thesis, it’s time to go a little deeper and lay a foundation for your research topic. This foundation is what the second ingredient is all about – the background to your study.

So, what is the background section all about?

Well, this section of your introduction chapter should provide a broad overview of the topic area that you’ll be researching, as well as the current contextual factors . This could include, for example, a brief history of the topic, recent developments in the area, key pieces of research in the area and so on. In other words, in this section, you need to provide the relevant background information to give the reader a decent foundational understanding of your research area.

Let’s look at an example to make this a little more concrete.

If we stick with the skills development topic I mentioned earlier, the background to the study section would start by providing an overview of the skills development area and outline the key existing research. Then, it would go on to discuss how the modern-day context has created a new challenge for traditional skills development strategies and approaches. Specifically, that in many industries, technical knowledge is constantly and rapidly evolving, and traditional education providers struggle to keep up with the pace of new technologies.

Importantly, you need to write this section with the assumption that the reader is not an expert in your topic area. So, if there are industry-specific jargon and complex terminology, you should briefly explain that here , so that the reader can understand the rest of your document.

Don’t make assumptions about the reader’s knowledge – in most cases, your markers will not be able to ask you questions if they don’t understand something. So, always err on the safe side and explain anything that’s not common knowledge.

#3 – The research problem

Now that you’ve given your reader an overview of your research area, it’s time to get specific about the research problem that you’ll address in your dissertation or thesis. While the background section would have alluded to a potential research problem (or even multiple research problems), the purpose of this section is to narrow the focus and highlight the specific research problem you’ll focus on.

But, what exactly is a research problem, you ask?

Well, a research problem can be any issue or question for which there isn’t already a well-established and agreed-upon answer in the existing research. In other words, a research problem exists when there’s a need to answer a question (or set of questions), but there’s a gap in the existing literature , or the existing research is conflicting and/or inconsistent.

So, to present your research problem, you need to make it clear what exactly is missing in the current literature and why this is a problem . It’s usually a good idea to structure this discussion into three sections – specifically:

What’s already well-established in the literature (in other words, the current state of research)
What’s missing in the literature (in other words, the literature gap)
Why this is a problem (in other words, why it’s important to fill this gap)

Let’s look at an example of this structure using the skills development topic.

Organisational skills development is critically important for employee satisfaction and company performance (reference). Numerous studies have investigated strategies and approaches to manage skills development programs within organisations (reference).

(this paragraph explains what’s already well-established in the literature)

However, these studies have traditionally focused on relatively slow-paced industries where key skills and knowledge do not change particularly often. This body of theory presents a problem for industries that face a rapidly changing skills landscape – for example, the website development industry – where new platforms, languages and best practices emerge on an extremely frequent basis.

(this paragraph explains what’s missing from the literature)

As a result, the existing research is inadequate for industries in which essential knowledge and skills are constantly and rapidly evolving, as it assumes a slow pace of knowledge development. Industries in such environments, therefore, find themselves ill-equipped in terms of skills development strategies and approaches.

(this paragraph explains why the research gap is problematic)

As you can see in this example, in a few lines, we’ve explained (1) the current state of research, (2) the literature gap and (3) why that gap is problematic. By doing this, the research problem is made crystal clear, which lays the foundation for the next ingredient.

#4 – The research aims, objectives and questions

Now that you’ve clearly identified your research problem, it’s time to identify your research aims and objectives , as well as your research questions . In other words, it’s time to explain what you’re going to do about the research problem.

So, what do you need to do here?

Well, the starting point is to clearly state your research aim (or aims) . The research aim is the main goal or the overarching purpose of your dissertation or thesis. In other words, it’s a high-level statement of what you’re aiming to achieve.

Let’s look at an example, sticking with the skills development topic:

“Given the lack of research regarding organisational skills development in fast-moving industries, this study will aim to identify and evaluate the skills development approaches utilised by web development companies in the UK”.

As you can see in this example, the research aim is clearly outlined, as well as the specific context in which the research will be undertaken (in other words, web development companies in the UK).

Next up is the research objective (or objectives) . While the research aims cover the high-level “what”, the research objectives are a bit more practically oriented, looking at specific things you’ll be doing to achieve those research aims.

Let’s take a look at an example of some research objectives (ROs) to fit the research aim.

RO1 – To identify common skills development strategies and approaches utilised by web development companies in the UK.
RO2 – To evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies and approaches.
RO3 – To compare and contrast these strategies and approaches in terms of their strengths and weaknesses.

As you can see from this example, these objectives describe the actions you’ll take and the specific things you’ll investigate in order to achieve your research aims. They break down the research aims into more specific, actionable objectives.

The final step is to state your research questions . Your research questions bring the aims and objectives another level “down to earth”. These are the specific questions that your dissertation or theses will seek to answer. They’re not fluffy, ambiguous or conceptual – they’re very specific and you’ll need to directly answer them in your conclusions chapter .

The research questions typically relate directly to the research objectives and sometimes can look a bit obvious, but they are still extremely important. Let’s take a look at an example of the research questions (RQs) that would flow from the research objectives I mentioned earlier.

RQ1 – What skills development strategies and approaches are currently being used by web development companies in the UK?
RQ2 – How effective are each of these strategies and approaches?
RQ3 – What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of these strategies and approaches?

As you can see, the research questions mimic the research objectives , but they are presented in question format. These questions will act as the driving force throughout your dissertation or thesis – from the literature review to the methodology and onward – so they’re really important.

A final note about this section – it’s really important to be clear about the scope of your study (more technically, the delimitations ). In other words, what you WILL cover and what you WON’T cover. If your research aims, objectives and questions are too broad, you’ll risk losing focus or investigating a problem that is too big to solve within a single dissertation.

Simply put, you need to establish clear boundaries in your research. You can do this, for example, by limiting it to a specific industry, country or time period. That way, you’ll ringfence your research, which will allow you to investigate your topic deeply and thoroughly – which is what earns marks!

Need a helping hand?

#5 – Significance

Now that you’ve made it clear what you’ll be researching, it’s time to make a strong argument regarding your study’s importance and significance . In other words, now that you’ve covered the what, it’s time to cover the why – enter essential ingredient number 5 – significance.

Of course, by this stage, you’ve already briefly alluded to the importance of your study in your background and research problem sections, but you haven’t explicitly stated how your research findings will benefit the world . So, now’s your chance to clearly state how your study will benefit either industry , academia , or – ideally – both . In other words, you need to explain how your research will make a difference and what implications it will have .

Let’s take a look at an example.

“This study will contribute to the body of knowledge on skills development by incorporating skills development strategies and approaches for industries in which knowledge and skills are rapidly and constantly changing. This will help address the current shortage of research in this area and provide real-world value to organisations operating in such dynamic environments.”

As you can see in this example, the paragraph clearly explains how the research will help fill a gap in the literature and also provide practical real-world value to organisations.

This section doesn’t need to be particularly lengthy, but it does need to be convincing . You need to “sell” the value of your research here so that the reader understands why it’s worth committing an entire dissertation or thesis to it. This section needs to be the salesman of your research. So, spend some time thinking about the ways in which your research will make a unique contribution to the world and how the knowledge you create could benefit both academia and industry – and then “sell it” in this section.

#6 – The limitations

Now that you’ve “sold” your research to the reader and hopefully got them excited about what’s coming up in the rest of your dissertation, it’s time to briefly discuss the potential limitations of your research.

But you’re probably thinking, hold up – what limitations? My research is well thought out and carefully designed – why would there be limitations?

Well, no piece of research is perfect . This is especially true for a dissertation or thesis – which typically has a very low or zero budget, tight time constraints and limited researcher experience. Generally, your dissertation will be the first or second formal research project you’ve ever undertaken, so it’s unlikely to win any research awards…

Simply put, your research will invariably have limitations. Don’t stress yourself out though – this is completely acceptable (and expected). Even “professional” research has limitations – as I said, no piece of research is perfect. The key is to recognise the limitations upfront and be completely transparent about them, so that future researchers are aware of them and can improve the study’s design to minimise the limitations and strengthen the findings.

Generally, you’ll want to consider at least the following four common limitations. These are:

Your scope – for example, perhaps your focus is very narrow and doesn’t consider how certain variables interact with each other.
Your research methodology – for example, a qualitative methodology could be criticised for being overly subjective, or a quantitative methodology could be criticised for oversimplifying the situation (learn more about methodologies here ).
Your resources – for example, a lack of time, money, equipment and your own research experience.
The generalisability of your findings – for example, the findings from the study of a specific industry or country can’t necessarily be generalised to other industries or countries.

Don’t be shy here. There’s no use trying to hide the limitations or weaknesses of your research. In fact, the more critical you can be of your study, the better. The markers want to see that you are aware of the limitations as this demonstrates your understanding of research design – so be brutal.

#7 – The structural outline

Now that you’ve clearly communicated what your research is going to be about, why it’s important and what the limitations of your research will be, the final ingredient is the structural outline.The purpose of this section is simply to provide your reader with a roadmap of what to expect in terms of the structure of your dissertation or thesis.

In this section, you’ll need to provide a brief summary of each chapter’s purpose and contents (including the introduction chapter). A sentence or two explaining what you’ll do in each chapter is generally enough to orient the reader. You don’t want to get too detailed here – it’s purely an outline, not a summary of your research.

Let’s look at an example:

In Chapter One, the context of the study has been introduced. The research objectives and questions have been identified, and the value of such research argued. The limitations of the study have also been discussed.

In Chapter Two, the existing literature will be reviewed and a foundation of theory will be laid out to identify key skills development approaches and strategies within the context of fast-moving industries, especially technology-intensive industries.

In Chapter Three, the methodological choices will be explored. Specifically, the adoption of a qualitative, inductive research approach will be justified, and the broader research design will be discussed, including the limitations thereof.

So, as you can see from the example, this section is simply an outline of the chapter structure, allocating a short paragraph to each chapter. Done correctly, the outline will help your reader understand what to expect and reassure them that you’ll address the multiple facets of the study.

By the way – if you’re unsure of how to structure your dissertation or thesis, be sure to check out our video post which explains dissertation structure .

Keep calm and carry on.

Hopefully you feel a bit more prepared for this challenge of crafting your dissertation or thesis introduction chapter now. Take a deep breath and remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day – conquer one ingredient at a time and you’ll be firmly on the path to success.

Let’s quickly recap – the 7 ingredients are:

The opening section – where you give a brief, high-level overview of what your research will be about.
The study background – where you introduce the reader to key theory, concepts and terminology, as well as the context of your study.
The research problem – where you explain what the problem with the current research is. In other words, the research gap.
The research aims , objectives and questions – where you clearly state what your dissertation will investigate.
The significance – where you explain what value your research will provide to the world.
The limitations – where you explain what the potential shortcomings and limitations of your research may be.
The structural outline – where you provide a high-level overview of the structure of your document

If you bake these ingredients into your dissertation introduction chapter, you’ll be well on your way to building an engaging introduction chapter that lays a rock-solid foundation for the rest of your document.

Remember, while we’ve covered the essential ingredients here, there may be some additional components that your university requires, so be sure to double-check your project brief!

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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How to write the conclusion chapter of a dissertation

42 Comments

Thanks very much for such an insight. I feel confident enough in undertaking my thesis on the survey;The future of facial recognition and learning non verbal interaction

Glad to hear that. Good luck with your thesis!

Thanks very much for such an insight. I feel confident now undertaking my thesis; The future of facial recognition and learning non verbal interaction.

Thanks so much for this article. I found myself struggling and wasting a lot of time in my thesis writing but after reading this article and watching some of your youtube videos, I now have a clear understanding of what is required for a thesis.

Thank you Derek, i find your each post so useful. Keep it up.

Thank you so much Derek ,for shedding the light and making it easier for me to handle the daunting task of academic writing .

Thanks do much Dereck for the comprehensive guide. It will assist me queit a lot in my thesis.

thanks a lot for helping

i LOVE the gifs, such a fun way to engage readers. thanks for the advice, much appreciated

Thanks a lot Derek! It will be really useful to the beginner in research!

You’re welcome

This is a well written, easily comprehensible, simple introduction to the basics of a Research Dissertation../the need to keep the reader in mind while writing the dissertation is an important point that is covered../ I appreciate the efforts of the author../

The instruction given are perfect and clear. I was supposed to take the course , unfortunately in Nepal the service is not avaialble.However, I am much more hopeful that you will provide require documents whatever you have produced so far.

Thank you very much

Thanks so much ❤️😘 I feel am ready to start writing my research methodology

This is genuinely the most effective advice I have ever been given regarding academia. Thank you so much!

This is one of the best write up I have seen in my road to PhD thesis. regards, this write up update my knowledge of research

I was looking for some good blogs related to Education hopefully your article will help. Thanks for sharing.

This is an awesome masterpiece. It is one of the most comprehensive guides to writing a Dissertation/Thesis I have seen and read.

You just saved me from going astray in writing a Dissertation for my undergraduate studies. I could not be more grateful for such a relevant guide like this. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much Derek, this has been extremely helpful!!

I do have one question though, in the limitations part do you refer to the scope as the focus of the research on a specific industry/country/chronological period? I assume that in order to talk about whether or not the research could be generalized, the above would need to be already presented and described in the introduction.

Thank you again!

Phew! You have genuinely rescued me. I was stuck how to go about my thesis. Now l have started. Thank you.

This is the very best guide in anything that has to do with thesis or dissertation writing. The numerous blends of examples and detailed insights make it worth a read and in fact, a treasure that is worthy to be bookmarked.

Thanks a lot for this masterpiece!

Powerful insight. I can now take a step

Thank you very much for these valuable introductions to thesis chapters. I saw all your videos about writing the introduction, discussion, and conclusion chapter. Then, I am wondering if we need to explain our research limitations in all three chapters, introduction, discussion, and conclusion? Isn’t it a bit redundant? If not, could you please explain how can we write in different ways? Thank you.

Excellent!!! Thank you…

Thanks for this informative content. I have a question. The research gap is mentioned in both the introduction and literature section. I would like to know how can I demonstrate the research gap in both sections without repeating the contents?

I’m incredibly grateful for this invaluable content. I’ve been dreading compiling my postgrad thesis but breaking each chapter down into sections has made it so much easier for me to engage with the material without feeling overwhelmed. After relying on your guidance, I’m really happy with how I’ve laid out my introduction.

Thank you for the informative content you provided

Hi Derrick and Team, thank you so much for the comprehensive guide on how to write a dissertation or a thesis introduction section. For some of us first-timers, it is a daunting task. However, the instruction with relevant examples makes it clear and easy to follow through. Much appreciated.

It was so helpful. God Bless you. Thanks very much

I thank you Grad coach for your priceless help. I have two questions I have learned from your video the limitations of the research presented in chapter one. but in another video also presented in chapter five. which chapter limitation should be included? If possible, I need your answer since I am doing my thesis. how can I explain If I am asked what is my motivation for this research?

Thank you guys for the great work you are doing. Honestly, you have made the research to be interesting and simplified. Even a novice will easily grasp the ideas you put forward, Thank you once again.

Excellent piece!

I feel like just settling for a good topic is usually the hardest part.

Thank you so much. My confidence has been completely destroyed during my first year of PhD and you have helped me pull myself together again

Happy to help 🙂

I am so glad I ran into your resources and did not waste time doing the wrong this. Research is now making so much sense now.

Gratitude to Derrick and the team I was looking for a solid article that would aid me in drafting the thesis’ introduction. I felt quite happy when I came across the piece you wrote because it was so well-written and insightful. I wish you success in the future.

thank you so much. God Bless you

Thank you so much Grad Coach for these helpful insights. Now I can get started, with a great deal of confidence.

It’s ‘alluded to’ not ‘eluded to’.

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Steps for Completing a Thesis

The process of developing and completing a thesis project may seem a bit daunting at first, so we’ve put together the following steps to help make this process manageable..

Ideally, you start this process in the term before your final year—for instance, if you plan to graduate in a spring term, you would start in previous spring term. That timeline gives you ample opportunity to find a faculty advisor, determine the range of your project, conduct research and write the thesis. Of course, some students work on a slightly different timeline, and if you have questions, please get in touch with your advisor.

Suggested (but not required) timeline: Three semesters before you intend to graduate

Deciding the exact topic and scope of your thesis is often an ongoing process, but it is important to start with a particular vision for what you’d like to complete. It is equally important to find a faculty member to serve as your thesis advisor. Your faculty advisor will guide you through the thesis process and help you determine the focus and scope of your project.

Thesis projects frequently grow out of a paper or project that a student completed as part of an undergraduate course in English. For instance, you might decide to expand the original paper/project from a course that you’ve taken with your faculty advisor. Then, what started out as a 10-page research paper with five sources may evolve into a 50-page thesis that responds to and builds upon the work of some 20 scholars and critics. Your thesis advisor will help you determine what is appropriate for your particular project.

Most students work with faculty members with whom they have taken classes and on topics that are in the faculty member’s area of interest. It is extremely rare for a student to have a thesis advisor with whom they have never taken a class or did not know prior to embarking on the project.

To inquire about a faculty member’s interest in directing your thesis, you might attend their office hours to speak about the proposed project or email them about the project. If you email them, you should remind them of the class(es) you took with them, describe the project that you’d like to undertake and offer to meet with them to discuss further, if the faculty member would like to do so. Please be aware that faculty members may be unavailable to direct theses for a wide variety of professional and personal reasons.

Suggested (but not required) timeline: Two semesters before you intend to graduate

Once you have a faculty advisor and a project idea, you should complete a thesis application. This application includes a summary of the proposed thesis project, your thesis advisor’s signature and the Undergraduate Program Manager’s signature.

The application must be submitted to the appropriate College of Arts and Sciences office no later than one term prior to the student's graduation term ; however, it is strongly recommended that students complete and submit the thesis application before they begin their thesis coursework.

Students who are not in Arts and Sciences Honors should see the “ Research Distinction ” section of College of Arts and Sciences website for application instructions.

Students who are in Arts and Sciences Honors should see the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program website for instructions.

Suggested (but not required) timeline: Enrolled in two credits per term for the semester prior to the one you intend to graduate and the semester that you intend to graduate

To graduate with research distinction, you must complete at least four credit hours of thesis coursework in English 4999 (or English 4999H for Arts & Sciences Honors students). Typically, students enroll in two credit hours in the autumn and in the spring of their senior year. Occasionally, other arrangements are made: For instance, some students enroll in thesis hours in the spring of their junior year and through senior year, or they may enroll for thesis hours over the summer, or they might complete all of the credit hours in a single term (this final scenario is not advised).

To enroll in thesis coursework, email the Undergraduate Program Manager Elizabeth Falter (.44), cc-ing your faculty advisor, prior to the first day of the term.

Suggested (but not required) timeline: Two semesters (the one prior to the one you intend to graduate and the semester that you intend to graduate)

Most students work on their thesis over the course of an academic year. How that work develops very much depends on the exact project, and your faculty advisor will help you create a plan. Research projects involve identifying, (re)reading and analyzing primary texts, as well as collecting and considering scholarly work, theoretical concepts and/or archival material—plus, of course, writing and revising the thesis itself. Creative writing projects involve meticulous drafts and revisions of the manuscript.

Required timeline: The defense must be completed and the accompanying paperwork signed and turned into the appropriate College of Arts and Sciences office before 5:00pm on the last day of classes of your graduation term.

All students must participate in a one-hour defense of their thesis project after it is complete. The defense is run by your faculty advisor and is attended by a second English department faculty reader. Arts and Sciences Honors students must have a third faculty reader from another department. Your faculty advisor will help with identifying and asking these faculty members.

“Defense” is the traditional name, but a thesis defense is more of a discussion. Your faculty advisor and reader(s) will have read the thesis prior to the defense, and in the defense, they will ask you questions about your work and offer comments. The discussion often covers topics such as why you undertook this project, your process, the thesis content, potential areas for improvement and avenues for further exploration. If you have questions about the structure of your particular thesis defense, consult with your faculty advisor—they will make sure you know what to expect and that you are prepared for it.

After this discussion, the faculty members will confer to discuss the merits of the project and if they would like any revisions to be made. We strongly encourage you to upload a copy of your thesis to the university’s Knowledge Bank.

For Reference

Forthcoming..

Finishing Your Doctorate - a guide for students approaching the end of their studies

Learn about about the different stages you will go through to complete your doctorate. find out about the timescales and the issues you will need to consider..

Introduction

As you approach the end of your doctoral studies there are many things to consider including finishing off your research, writing and submitting your thesis, preparing for your viva voce examination and completing any corrections before your doctorate is awarded.

This step-by-step guide will help you understand the different stages you will need to go through. If you are completing an MPhil, please contact your supervisor or the Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College for specific advice for finishing your award as the process will be different. They are on hand to provide help and further detailed information about each step.

Timeline for completion of your doctorate

The timeline from when you formally tell us that you intend to submit your thesis or portfolio to when your award is approved, can vary from six to 18 months, depending on the outcome of your viva voce examination. You can see the timeline in full on this diagram .

You should aim to submit in advance of your expected registration end date, in order to allow time for the examination process to be completed before your registration period runs out.

Funding and visa issues

If you are in receipt of funding for a fixed period, you should bear this in mind when considering when to submit. Whilst technically it is still possible to submit your thesis on the last day of your formal registration period, or after your funding ends, you are strongly advised not to do this: you will need extensions to cover the examination period and you will still be required to pay fees until the date you submit your thesis. If you are a Tier 4 visa holder, you may also need to consider that your visa could expire before your viva examination can be held.

For those students who find themselves in financial difficulty, The University of Bath Hardship Fund is available.

Step 1: Decide how to submit your thesis

A doctoral thesis submitted for the award of MPhil, PhD, DBA, DPRP or DHealth may be submitted in one of two differing formats:

a traditional thesis consisting of chapters

an alternative format thesis which integrates academic papers into the text.

You will need to decide, if you haven’t already, which format you plan to submit. Ideally, you will have discussed with your supervisory team at an appropriately early stage in your studies how you wish to present your work.

The programme regulations for each Degree will describe how the research work may be presented: in a thesis, a portfolio (EngD, and DClinPsy only) or via a body of published works (MD MS only). Only students registered on an EdD prior to 2014 are able to present their work in either a thesis or portfolio format.

Further details of the University’s specifications for Higher Degree Theses and Portfolios can be found in Appendix 6 of QA7 . You may also want to read the Alternative Format Thesis FAQs .

You can access the Library’s collection of successful thesis submissions online via the Research Portal. You may wish to look at a few from your department as examples, taking note of content and organisation.

Step 2: Transfer to Writing Up Status

Once you have completed the minimum period of study required for your particular degree as stipulated in Regulation 16 , and you have finished the specified amount of work, you may be able to apply for transfer to 'Writing Up' status.

Each Faculty / School has its own requirements for what needs to be in place before you can transfer to writing up status. These are as follows:

Engineering - supervisor confirms that you have finished all experimental work and analysis and that you are now writing up the results

Science - laboratory work has been completed where appropriate, and the required data has been collected in preparation for writing up

Humanities & Social Sciences – a clear outline of the thesis structure, including methodological and analytical approaches to be used, a detailed content of all chapters has been agreed, and, where appropriate, data collection has been completed.

School of Management - data collection and analysis has been completed and you have started writing up analysis

Fees associated with writing up

There are two writing up fee levels: Continuation and Administration, both of which are a significant drop from the regular fee rate. The one you choose will depend on the level of supervision you will need and the extent to which you will require access to the Library. Please note that Tier 4 students who wish to stay in the UK to write up are required to transfer to the Continuation fee and maintain regular supervisory contact.

Continuation fee - requires continued supervision and use of University facilities at a reduced level.

Administration fee - no longer requires supervision or the use of University facilities

Whether you transfer to the Continuation or Administration fee, your supervisor will still be expected to provide a critical proof reading of your thesis, prior to its submission. In addition, a member of the supervisory team will be available for consultation with the Board of Examiners on the day of the examination, and your supervisor will be with you at the point the examiners tell you about the outcome of the exam.

Writing up fee levels can be found here . They are paid on an annual basis.

Approval process

You should consider making an application for transfer to writing up status at the earliest point, as changes of status may take time to be approved. In order to apply to transfer to writing up status and for your fee status to be changed you must:

complete the PGR10 form

ask your lead supervisor and your Director of Studies to sign the form to authorise the change in your status

submit the form to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College for consideration by Board of Studies (Doctoral) for formal approval.

Impact of change of status

You should note that if you are in receipt of funding, such as a full studentship or a fee waiver, this funding will end at the point at which you transfer to writing up status. You should also be aware that a change in your status may impact on your liability to pay Council Tax .

Step 3: Notice of intention to submit

At least two months before you intend to submit your thesis or portfolio, and before your registration period ends, you should complete the HD1 form, which can be accessed through your SAMIS in-tray.

By completing this form you are providing formal notice of your intention to submit, which then prompts your supervisors and Director of Studies to start the appointment of examiners process by nominating an appropriate internal and an external examiner. It will also alert the graduation team that you are likely to be completing in the near future, so your name can be added to the invitation list for the next available graduation ceremony.

Most students will receive an email notification, reminding them to complete the HD1 form, six months prior to their registration end date. Students on the DClinPsy programme will be told by their Programme team when and how to complete a version of HD1. If you wish to submit your HD1 form earlier than six months before your end date, please contact your Doctoral Programme Administrator in the Doctoral College.

Step 4: Restriction of access to your thesis

You should talk to your supervisor and/or funder about whether there is a need to restrict access to your thesis. Typical reasons for restricting access can include:

contractual agreements with companies or funders to not make findings public for a fixed period

deferral of open release of the e-thesis until after a paper’s publication

delay in making results public as they are being used to prepare patent applications.

If, for reasons of confidentiality, you want to restrict access to your thesis, it is possible to request a 12 month restriction. This applies to the electronic copy of the final thesis at the point when it is uploaded to the Library repository, Pure .

If you wish to secure a more comprehensive restriction of both the electronic and printed copies, or would like a restriction of a longer duration, you will need to make a formal request for approval from the Board of Studies (Doctoral) using the PGR7 form . On this form you will need to indicate why you need access to be restricted, and for how long.

The University has an open access policy on research outputs, and the expectation is that all theses/ portfolios will be available within the Library repository, therefore you will need to provide some details about why your work should not be shared. You will then need to submit the form to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College.

Step 5: Appointment and role of examiners

Your supervisors and your departmental Director of Studies are responsible for nominating a Board of Examiners for the viva voce examination of your thesis or portfolio. This team will consist of an internal examiner who is usually, but not always, an academic from your department, and an external examiner from another university or organisation.

The team of examiners may also consist of an additional examiner, as a condition of funding, or an independent chairperson who can be appointed when the Director of Studies considers that the presence of an additional academic would be of assistance.

Criteria for appointment and role of examiners

For information on the criteria for the appointment of examiners, see section 14 of QA7 . You can also find further information in QA7 (section 13) on the role of examiners.

Nominations for doctoral examiners will be submitted using the PGR13 form: Appointment of Examiners for Doctoral Research Degrees. This form includes details of who the proposed examiners are and what previous examination experience they have, and it is signed by the lead supervisor and the Director of Studies.

The appointment of examiners needs to be approved by Board of Studies (Doctoral) before a viva voce examination can take place, so this form should be submitted to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College in good time prior to the submission of your thesis or portfolio. When you submit your Notice of Intention to Submit form you might want to also check with your lead supervisor that they have begun the process of identifying potential examiners.

Step 6: Final preparation for submission

Word counts

The guidelines on word limits for final theses/portfolios vary by faculty or department. In order to be sure that you stay within any prescribed limits please consult the Doctoral College guidance document on word counts .

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. You will have by now completed the academic integrity training and are expected to be aware of the rules around plagiarism.

All theses are checked for plagiarism using appropriate software. Whether it is detected by the supervisor when proof-reading a draft copy, or by the examiners in a thesis actually submitted for examination, QA53 (Examination and Assessment Offences) outlines the investigation process that will be followed if a suspected plagiarism offence is detected. The viva examination cannot go ahead until the investigation is completed, and where plagiarism is found to have taken place this may result in a disciplinary hearing where an appropriate penalty will be decided.

For a refresher on academic integrity whilst writing your thesis, see the Library guide on citing references and how to avoid plagiarism .

Seeking advice from your supervisor on draft(s)

The lead supervisor is responsible for advising you on the format of the thesis to be adopted and for carrying out a critical reading of the draft. When you are ready, your lead supervisor should read a complete draft of your thesis or portfolio and advise you of any changes or additions that should be made prior to submission. You may need to produce more than one draft before it is finalised.

You should give your supervisors not less than two weeks notice that you will be providing them with a copy of the draft thesis. They will need at least six weeks to read the draft and make their comments. The supervisor’s opinion is only advisory, and you have the right to decide whether to make any of the edits they recommend, and to decide when you are ready to submit your work for examination (subject to the requirements of the Regulations for the degree for which you are registered). Addressing the comments made by your supervisor does not guarantee that your thesis/portfolio will subsequently be passed by the examiners.

Specification for submission

There are detailed specifications for the presentation of a thesis or portfolio for examination and these can be found in Appendix 6 of QA7 . Please take note of these before submitting your work.

Printing / binding costs

You will need to print one hard-bound copy after the examination is completed. Information on the prices and process for printing your thesis/portfolio can be found here. You will be expected to bear the cost of printing this copy and as such may wish to speak with your supervisor about what assistance might be available.

Step 7: Submission of your thesis/portfolio

What do I submit?

You are required to submit your thesis/portfolio in electronic format to the Doctoral College Submission page in Moodle where it will be checked for plagiarism. If an investigation into a potential plagiarism offence has to take place, the examination process will be stopped until this is concluded.

You will also need to complete the HD2 form: Record of submission of a thesis or portfolio , and email it to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator. Upon receipt of the HD2 form, and your submission onto Moodle, the Doctoral College will email you, your supervisor and the Director of Studies to formally confirm receipt of your submission.

When do I submit?

You are strongly advised to submit before the last day of your formal registration period so that the examination process can be completed before your registration ends, and if you are a Tier 4 visa holder, before your visa runs out.

If you do not submit before your registration end date, you will have to seek permission from Board of Studies to re-register as a student.

Your registration end date can be found on your SAMIS page or you can check this with your Doctoral College Programme Administrator.

If your visa runs out before the examination process is complete, you may be required to obtain a new visa (such as a short-term study visa) or return to your home country. If this happens, it may be possible to return to the UK at a later date to attend the viva voce examination in person, or alternatively a video conference can be arranged to facilitate the examination.  Find out more about visas .

What happens to my tuition fees after I submit?

Tuition fees will no longer be incurred but may still be charged from the point of submission. Depending on the outcome of your viva examination, and the level of access you may need to supervision and resources in order to complete your corrections/revisions, you may be charged a writing up fee for the corrections period.

Do I have to start paying Council Tax after I submit?

Full-time students are exempt from paying Council Tax until their expected, or actual, end date of registration. If you submit your thesis/portfolio on, or close to, your end date, you will need to contact your Doctoral Programmes Administrator to request an examination extension, which will extend your end of registration date. The actual end date of registration will then be the day of the Board of Studies (Doctoral) meeting where your final award is approved.

Step 8: Preparing for the viva voce examination

Purpose of the viva voce

The main purpose of the viva voce is for you to defend the content of your thesis/portfolio and demonstrate your understanding of the broader aspects of the field of research and the subject of the thesis. It is an essential part of the examination process, and you must pass the viva as well as present a satisfactory thesis/portfolio in order to gain the award.

The examiners will test your ability to defend the work presented for examination. They need to ensure that your work is robust and that you fully understand the implications of your findings. They want to check the foundations of your research to ensure that the basic assumptions underpinning the work are sound, and that nothing major has been overlooked. Being able to discuss the work with you in person is of particular help if there is disagreement between the examiners about the outcome, or when the decision is marginal.

Think about the viva voce as more than an examination. It is an opportunity for you to discuss and develop ideas with experts in the field, to receive guidance on future publication plans and to receive constructive feedback on your work.

When should the examination take place?

The viva voce examination should normally take place within three months of the submission of the thesis/portfolio. Efforts will be made, where possible, to arrange the viva examination on a date convenient to all parties involved, and to minimise the amount of time a student has to wait for a viva examination.

You will be advised of the date of the examination as soon as possible after the thesis has been submitted. As a minimum, you will be given at least one week’s notice of the date of the exam. Those Tier 4 students on an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) course who are coming back to the UK for their viva examination may require more notice, so that they can apply and receive their new ATAS certificate. The Doctoral Programmes Administrator for your department or programme/supervisor will work with the examiners to check availability and agree a date and time.

Where should the examination take place?

The venue for the viva voce examination will vary by discipline. In some cases it will take place in the office of the internal examiner. In other cases a room may be booked. In all cases, the venue should be a quiet, comfortable environment free from interruptions.

Video Conferencing

In certain circumstances, the use of video conferencing facilities may be permitted for your viva examination, although some programmes may have their own expectations with regards to the use of these facilities. This might be an option if you or your examiner are based outside the UK and for reasons of cost, time or restricted mobility are unable to travel to the University of Bath in order to participate in the viva exam at an appropriate time. Should you require further advice on this, or should you want to take advantage of this facility, you should contact your Doctoral Programmes Administrator as soon as you are notified of your viva date.

For further information on the use of video conferencing in viva examinations see QA7 Appendix 3 .

Who will attend?

In line with UK practice, the viva voce will be a closed examination rather than a public event. You and the examiners will attend, along with an independent Chairperson if they have been appointed. You may ask that your supervisor is permitted to attend the viva voce examination to provide moral support or reassurance, but they must not play an active role in the examination. If you want your supervisor to be in attendance you will need to notify the Doctoral College on your HD2 form at the point of submission.

Some departments may also require you to undertake a public lecture or presentation before your viva voce. Please contact your supervisor for further information about whether this applies to you.

Can I ask for adjustments to help me participate in the viva examination?

The University is responsible for ensuring that appropriate facilities are made available should you need them. Please raise details of any reasonable adjustments that you may require to enable you to participate fully in the viva examination at your earliest opportunity. These adjustments can be related to a long-standing disability or a short-term medical issue, for example a back problem. Student Services can provide you with advice about adjustments and will generate a Disability Action Plan to record the adjustments where appropriate.

Tips and advice for your viva voce

The following tips and advice will help you to prepare:

expect to be challenged!
be active - anticipate the questions that are likely to be asked in the viva examination
use your research skills to identify commonly asked questions, and, after they’ve proof-read the thesis, ask your supervisors to suggest some potential questions too
be prepared to discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of your work
if you’ve presented your work at a conference or departmental seminar consider the questions that other researchers have raised about your work
re-familiarise yourself with your examiners’ work in the field, as this can help you anticipate some of their likely questions
be ready to summarise their most significant findings or area of greatest strength in your thesis
be objective, and identify any areas of weaknesses within the body of work and be ready to discuss these, too
ask your supervisory team, fellow researchers, or doctoral students in your office to hold a practice viva voce examination, in order to gain experience in answering questions about your work.
re-read the thesis, particularly the first chapters that you wrote, in order to familiarise yourself with the contents once more
attend the DoctoralSkills workshop ' Preparing for your doctoral viva '. You'll discuss what is expected of you in the examination and there will be a Q&A session with experienced examiners. Alternatively, you can complete the online learning module . Find out more by emailing DoctoralSkills .
Further information about the viva voce

There are several useful resources in the library catalogue, the following list may be accessed online: Murray, R., (2009) How to Survive Your Viva: Defending a Thesis in an Oral Examination. Mansfield, N., (2007) Final hurdle: a guide to a successful viva. Potter, S., (2006) Doing postgraduate research.

The following Vitae guides may also prove helpful:

Finishing your doctorate
Completing your doctorate
Writing and submitting your doctoral thesis
Defending your thesis: the PhD viva
Thesis defence checklist
Thesis outcomes and corrections
I had my doctoral viva and I enjoyed it

ATAS requirements

If you are a visa-holding student on an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) course coming back to the UK for your viva voce examination on a short-term study visa, you will need to ensure that a new ATAS certificate has been applied for, and received, in good time before making your new visa application. This includes nationals who are able to ask for permission to enter the UK on arrival at the border, rather than apply for a visa in advance. If you return to the UK for your viva voce without having a new ATAS certificate in place then it may not be possible to proceed with the examination.

Step 9: Examiners' role in the viva voce

What do the examiners do?

Once appointed, internal and external examiners will read your thesis and each complete a preliminary report which records their initial independent thoughts on the work presented for examination. The examiners will refer back to these reports when they ask you questions in the viva voce examination. After the viva examination is concluded, the examiners will ask you to leave the room whilst they make their decision. You will be called back in, with your supervisor, to hear the examiners’ recommended outcome of the examination.

Examiners are asked to assess doctoral candidates' research and confirm their research as:

making an original and significant contribution to knowledge
giving evidence of originality of mind and critical judgement in a particular subject
containing material worthy of peer-reviewed publication
being satisfactory in its literary and/or technical presentation and structure with a full bibliography and references
demonstrating an understanding of the context of the research: this must include, as appropriate for the subject of the thesis, the scientific, engineering, commercial and social contexts

And passing a viva voce examination on the broader aspects of the field of research in addition to the subject of the thesis

Examiners' Report

On the day of the viva the examiners will complete an Examiners’ Report, which summarises how the examination went, their recommended outcome, and any minor corrections or revisions that are required. It is not always possible for these to be outlined in detail on the day of the examination, so the full list of corrections/revisions may be supplied by the examiners up to two weeks later.

The Examiners Report, and corrections list, goes to Board of Studies (Doctoral) for consideration and approval, and until this point their recommendations are only provisional. The official outcome of the examination will be confirmed to you by email from the Doctoral College/Secretary of the Board of Studies (Doctoral).

More information about the role and responsibilities of the Board of Examiners and how the examination will be conducted can be found in the Guidelines for Research Examiners .

Contact with examiners

You should have no contact with your examiners prior to the viva voce examination, other than with the internal examiner to arrange the date and time of your examination. After the examination, advice and supervision in support of any required corrections or revisions will be provided by your supervisors, not the examiners. If needed, your supervisor or the Doctoral College can liaise with examiners on your behalf.

Please note that examiners usually need between four and six weeks to read a thesis and prepare for the examination. Later, when presented with a corrected thesis, the internal examiner may take up to four weeks to determine whether the corrections have been done satisfactorily. Examiners should not be pressured to set an early viva date, or examine to a foreshortened schedule.

Step 10: Possible outcomes of the viva voce examination

The Board of Examiners will agree a recommended outcome following your viva examination. The list of potential outcomes of the examination are set out fully in both QA7 Section 17 and Regulation 16 but in summary, the examiners can recommend to:

award the degree
award the degree subject to satisfactory completion of minor corrections. These will either be of a trivial or typographical nature, or of a significant or substantial nature (but do not require major re-working of the intellectual content of the thesis/portfolio)
award the degree subject to satisfactory performance at a second viva voce examination and the satisfactory completion of any minor corrections to the thesis/portfolio. If the recommendation is to attend a second viva, the date will be arranged at the convenience of all involved
request that a revised thesis/portfolio be submitted before recommendation of the award can be considered. The Examiners may require the student to undergo a second viva voce examination, but may choose not make this decision until the revised thesis has been received and considered
award a lower degree (MPhil), subject to any minor revisions to the thesis/portfolio (not currently available for the DBA)
defer the decision to a Board of Examiners for the taught stage of the programme (for DBA, DHealth, DPRP and EdD)

Communication of the recommendation

You will be informed verbally of the recommended outcome by your examiners following the viva examination. Your supervisor should be in attendance at this point. The outcome is unconfirmed, and subject to approval by the Board of Studies (Doctoral).

You will have 30 days from the date of written notification of the outcome of the examination to complete minor corrections of a trivial or typographical nature and return them to the internal examiner.

In cases where the examiners require substantial amounts of work to be completed, the examiners will send their report and the details of the corrections/revisions to the Board of Studies (Doctoral) for consideration.

The Board of Studies (Doctoral) is responsible for checking that the examiners’ recommended outcome is supported by what is written in their report, and that any significant minor corrections or thesis revisions specified by the examiners may reasonably be expected to be completed within the time allowed. Written notification of the outcome of the exam will then be sent to you, and you will have up to 12 weeks to complete minor corrections of a more substantial nature, or up to 12 months to complete a revised thesis. You can find out more about Corrections in Step 12.

It is important that you meet the deadline for submission of your corrections or revised thesis, failure to do so may result in a fail outcome. In exceptional circumstances you may request an extension to the deadline for submitting the corrected or revised thesis/portfolio. Please contact your Doctoral Programme Administrator for information. If you have a disability access plan that relates to your ability to meet the deadline, please contact your Doctoral Programme Administrator.

Step 11: Approval by Board of Studies (Doctoral)

The Board of Studies (Doctoral) normally meets approximately every four-six weeks. You will receive formal notification of the outcome of your examination shortly after it is approved by Committee.

You are permitted to use your new academic title of ‘Doctor’ from the point at which you are awarded your degree by the Board of Studies (Doctoral). You will no longer hold student status from the date of the Board of Studies meeting where your award is approved.

You can appeal against an academic decision made by the Board of Studies (Doctoral) about your degree award. Regulation 17 sets out the grounds, process and timescales for which you can do this.

If you wish to raise an issue you are encouraged to:

speak with your supervisor or Director of Studies

seek independent advice from the Students’ Union Advice and Support Centre

-seek advice from the University Independent Advisors for Postgraduate Research Students

seek support from Student Services

-speak to the Doctoral College .

Step 12: Corrections to your Thesis or Portfolio

No Corrections

If no corrections are required, you will need to submit a hardbound copy of your final thesis/ portfolio to your Doctoral Programme Administrator in the Doctoral College and an electronic copy to Pure , before the outcome of your viva examination can be approved by the Board of Studies (Doctoral) - see Step 13, below.

Minor Corrections

Depending on the outcome of your examination, you may be required to complete some minor corrections. It is uncommon for a thesis or portfolio to be accepted without requiring some form of correction following the examination. Minor corrections can either be trivial or typographical where you are normally given 30 days in which to make the changes. They can also be more substantial, where you normally receive up to 12 weeks to complete them.

When the minor corrections are completed, you will need to submit the corrected thesis to Moodle.

The internal examiner will then determine, on behalf of the Board of Examiners, whether the corrections have been completed satisfactorily, and whether you may now receive the award. It may help your examiner to do this if you complete the corrections in a different colour ink, and/or provide a document listing how each of the required changes has been addressed.

The internal examiner will update the examiners’ recommended outcome, and inform the Doctoral College. The Doctoral College will email you to inform you of the recommended final outcome that will go to Board of Studies (Doctoral) for approval. When you receive this email, you should start the process of printing a hardbound copy of your thesis and uploading an electronic version to PURE (see Step 13 below).

Revised thesis/portfolio

If the recommendation is to submit a revised thesis/portfolio, you will be given a reasonable time frame to complete the work, usually up to 12 months. You may also be required to attend a second viva. Before this deadline expires, the revised thesis or portfolio should be submitted to Moodle and paper copies presented to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College, in the same way as you did for the first submission.

Extension to your deadline

Step 13: Submitting Your Final Thesis or Portfolio

Submitting a hardbound thesis/portfolio

Once your examination has been successfully completed, the final version of your thesis or portfolio should be submitted in hardbound copy to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College, along with a completed HD3 form before the final outcome can be approved by the Board of Studies (Doctoral).

You need to check the requirements for the colour of the hardbound case before proceeding with binding - see section 5iii of the thesis specifications document . Your hardbound thesis/ portfolio will be deposited in the Library by your Doctoral Programmes Administrator, and access will be subject to any approved restrictions. You are expected to cover the cost of printing the hardbound thesis yourself. Find further information about printing and binding a thesis here .

Uploading electronic thesis/portfolio to Pure

You will need to make the electronic copy of your thesis or portfolio publicly available by uploading it to the University’s research information system Pure . The Library provides guidance on submitting your final thesis/portfolio , including details on how to request a 12 month restriction to the electronic version.

Step 14: Graduation

You will be contacted about the graduation ceremonies by email.

If you receive an invitation but have yet to have your final award approved, these invitations will be provisional. Deadlines for actions that must be completed before you are eligible to attend a graduation ceremony can be found here .

Your Bath student email address will be deactivated a short time after the Board of Studies (Doctoral) approves your award, so it is really important that you provide an alternate contact address within your SAMIS record. You may wish to switch to BathMail which is an @bath.edu email address that is exclusive to University of Bath graduates. Graduating students will automatically be sent a BathMail username and password to their student email account before it is deactivated.

Graduation Ceremony

The University holds graduation ceremonies twice a year, in December/January and July. Find more information on the dates of future ceremonies .

See eligibility to attend graduation ceremonies and doctoral deadlines for graduation ceremonies for more information.

If you are interested in attending a specific ceremony, please contact your Doctoral Programmes Administrator who will be able to inform you of the deadline for that ceremony.

See doctoral deadlines for graduation ceremonies , for more information on the next ceremony.

Preparation for Graduation

You can find out further information about how to prepare for your graduation ceremony . You should not book your travel until you have received confirmation that your successful outcome has been approved by Board of Studies (Doctoral) and the Graduation team have confirmed you have a place at the ceremony.

Certificate

Your degree certificate will be generated once the Vice Chancellor formally confers the award, following Board of Studies approval. Conferment is timed so that certificates can be released for the graduation ceremonies. If you decide not to attend a ceremony, or your ceremony is a while away, you can find out more information about receiving your certificate here .

Your Graduation certificate will include the following information: - your full name

degree awarded (such as Doctor of Philosophy)

date awarded

signatures from the Vice Chancellor, Director of Academic Registry and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International & Doctoral)

Please note that the University of Bath Doctoral certificate does not specify the subject studied.

Alumnus status

All graduates, former staff and students who have studied at Bath for at least one semester are members of our alumni community . Alumni receive invitations to events, regular updates about the latest news from campus and opportunities to get involved with University life.

There are University of Bath alumni groups or networks in more than 40 different locations around the world. Activities vary in each city or country, from an online network to a Chapter - where an international volunteer committee organises a programme of events for local alumni. Getting involved can be a great way to make new contacts and widen your social or professional circle.

University of Bath alumni can use the Sports Training Village and Library, which offer discounted membership and special rates to alumni. Alumni are also able to use the University Careers Service. To access these services you will need to provide your alumni ID number or other proof of alumni status, available by contacting the Alumni Relations team .

Further information

During the above timeline, you may also be thinking about your next steps after your doctorate, in terms of your career. The University Careers Service can provide support and guidance and specialist careers information.

INTRUSIVE SYSTEM: THE CASE OF AMERICAN POST-WAR INVOLVEMENT IN IRAN

Intrusive system is a theoretical concept developed by Louis J. Cantori and Steven L. Spiegel in the late 1960s to identify and explain external participation in the international politics of regions. The concept, defined as those aspects of foreign involvement which produce participation in the process of power distribution at the regional level, provides an effective tool of research within which data related to either historical or current events could be readily organized, carefully examined, and well understood. This dissertation is an attempt to demonstrate how the intrusive system approach could be applied to a case of foreign participation in the Middle East. American post-war involvement in Iran has been selected as the case study for two reasons. First, the official records of the U.S. government suggest that well before the final stage of World War II, American policymakers expected frictions among Allied Powers and planned accordingly to win the peace, not just the war. In this regard, Iran became a testing ground for the U.S. foreign policy to develop a pattern to be used for American relations with all less-favored associate nations. Second, the case is a success story of American intrusion into a country where Great Britain and the Soviet Union traditionally shared primacy in influence and involvement. The theoretical orientation is laid down in Part One through application of the intrusive system concept to the contemporary politics of the Middle East within the context of regional system theory. The conclusion is that the United States is the most intrusively involved power in the Middle East, and its participation fits into a pattern of superpowers' restrained mutual involvement. Part Two reviews the case of American post-war involvement in Iran and demonstrates that restrained mutual involvement was the pattern of Soviet and American participation from the beginning. It concludes that the U.S. intrusion enhanced the internal and external position of Iran enabling its Imperial leadership to overcome the peril of disintegration posed by the Soviet intrusion. The American intrusive involvement turned Iran into the first U.S.-Soviet contesting ground; influenced socio-political, economic, and ideological directions of Iranian post-war politics; and thus affected the course of events in the Middle East.

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Ambulance arrives at Britain’s Got Talent final after star’s shock injury on stage

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Britain's Got Talent finalist from Ssaulabi Performance Troupe in ambulance after on stage injury

Britain’s Got Talent was thrown into chaos over the weekend as an ambulance was on the scene after a finalist suffered an injury live on stage.

Ssaulabi Performance Troupe were part of Sunday’s grand final battling 10 other acts, but it was singer Sydnie Christmas who won the £250,000 prize and a chance to perform at the Royal Variety Show.

But for the high flying martial arts experts, things took a very different turn as one of the dance act’s members suffered a nasty fall during their routine.

After hitting an impressive somersault, two of the performers actually collided in mid-air, and one of them appeared to hit a bad landing and struggled to get to his feet.

He ended up collapsing to the ground and had to crawl off stage to get help, while cameras cut away as the rest of the group pushed on without them.

The performer did return for the judges’ comments as they came back on at the back of the troupe – who were a Golden Buzzer act for hosts Ant and Dec earlier in the series – while Alesha Dixon said she hoped they were OK.

In photos from the final, an ambulance was spotted with paramedics on the scene, and the performer appeared to be sat in the back getting checked over.

In other pictures, they were helped towards a waiting car, while other members of the group waved for the cameras as they left the venue.

There has be no public update from BGT or the act, but fans were immediately concerned as they watched everything unfold on television.

Paramedic and security outside Britain's Got Talent final

‘Did one of the performers just break their foot looked serious #bgtfinal,’ wrote one viewer on X, as someone else added: ‘This is ever so cool but did I just see mateyboi break his foot and crawl off? That’s gotta hurt #bgtfinal’

And a third person said: ‘These martial arts peeps should win tbf I’ve not seen half these people before and this is actual talent… plus one has literally crawled off stage and probably broken his foot in the process so fair play #BGT’

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Britain's Got Talent finalists Ssaulabi Performance Troupe

Five semi-finals were held last week , and Ssaulabi Performance Troupe and Sydnie Christmas were joined in the final by Abigail & Afronita, Northants Sings Out, Jack Rhodes, Haribow, Innocent Masuku , Mike Woodhams, Alex Mitchell, Trixy and wildcard act, the Trickstars.

Singer Sydnie, 28, was voted the winner, and jumped for joy before crying and being lost for words over her emotional win after singing Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz.

She then thanked everyone who had backed her: ‘I cannot believe the amount of love I have felt. I am overwhelmed with love. It’s amazing thank you so much.’

Winner of Britain's Got Talent 2024, Sydnie Christmas, celebrates in the final

Earlier in the show, Simon said this was the best final he could recall in years.

‘Everyone has stepped up their game but we also have acts from all over the world competing which has made people need to step up,’ he said.

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Metro.co.uk has contacted ITV and Britain’s Got Talent for comment.

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The Influence of Stator Endwall Clearances on Multistage Axial Compressor Aerodynamics

Investigating clearance flows and blockage generation in axial compressors represents a longstanding area of research for enhancing aerodynamic performance and operational stability in turbomachinery. With advancements in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), opportunities to explore these phenomena have expanded, allowing a deeper understanding of the turbomachine's inherently complex and highly unsteady flow fields. This work delves into these topics, focusing on the Purdue 3-Stage (P3S) compressor, an engine-representative, multistage, high-speed compressor.

The primary objective of this research is to compare the performance and stability characteristics of two distinct stator configurations: a shrouded baseline configuration and a cantilevered stator configuration. This comparison reveals the impacts of clearance flows and blockage generation on compressor operation. Through a series of experimental investigations, this study aims to identify the differences in performance and stability traits between these configurations and the flow structures responsible.

Experimental characterization has a central role in this study, involving the analysis of leakage flow structures, corner separations, wake structures, and resulting endwall blockage generation. This research seeks to provide detailed insights into the flow phenomena within the compressor by utilizing detailed measurement techniques, such as circumferential interrogation of the flow field using 7-element Kiel-head rakes. Pressure deficits associated with leakage flows, corner separations, and wakes are quantified to assess their impact on compressor performance.

In conjunction with experimental investigations, this work outlines the development and validation of the supporting high-fidelity CFD models. These models, employing scale-adaptive turbulence model simulations, aim to simulate the flow field within the compressor with accuracy and reliability. Validation of these models against experimental data ensures their fidelity in capturing the complex flow phenomena observed experimentally. Furthermore, a detailed exploration of convergence aspects, including iterative convergence, grid convergence, and periodic-unsteady signals, lays the foundations for building confidence in the model predictions.

The computational models complement experimental findings, allowing for a comprehensive flow field analysis focusing on endwall flow structures. Visualization of vortex core and three-dimensional blockage regions provides valuable insights into the flow physics governing compressor performance. Moreover, the comparative nature of computational simulations facilitates systematic exploration of geometric changes and their effects on compressor operation. This study leverages complementary methodologies of experimental measurements and high-fidelity computational models to advance the understanding of clearance flows and blockage generation in axial compressors.

The experimental analysis concludes that the cantilevered configuration achieves better performance and stability than the shrouded stator configuration. However, this conclusion is not apparent when the machine is considered holistically. The cantilevered stages show significant performance improvements, with increases in total pressure ratio of up to 1% and an increase in isentropic efficiency of as much as 2%. However, the common Stage 3 shrouded Stator 3 shows a corresponding deficit of as much as 2% loss in efficiency relative to the fully shrouded stator configuration baseline. These contrasting benefits in the cantilevered stator compressor show that Stage 3 seems to cancel the overall benefits gained by the cantilevered stator. Similar studies have been done on low-speed multistage compressors, but this shows the value of the study in a high-speed research compressor with appreciable stagewise temperature and density increase.

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy
Aeronautics and Astronautics

Campus location

West Lafayette

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Additional committee member 2, additional committee member 3, additional committee member 4, usage metrics.

Aerospace engineering not elsewhere classified
Energy generation, conversion and storage (excl. chemical and electrical)

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Through your thesis: You familiarize yourself with these instructions. You become acquainted with ethically responsible practices and adhere to them. You generate ideas for your topic and develop a research or project plan. You follow timelines and maintain communication with various stakeholders. You report on your work and results in accordance with the provided template and instructions ...
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7 stages of the PhD journey. A PhD has a few landmark milestones along the way. The three to four year you'll spend doing a PhD can be divided into these seven stages. Preparing a research proposal. Carrying out a literature review. Conducting research and collecting results. Completing the MPhil to PhD upgrade.
Intrusive System: the Case of American Post-war Involvement in Iran
American post-war involvement in Iran has been selected as the case study for two reasons. First, the official records of the U.S. government suggest that well before the final stage of World War II, American policymakers expected frictions among Allied Powers and planned accordingly to win the peace, not just the war.
Ambulance arrives at Britain's Got Talent final after shock ...
An ambulance arrived to the Britain's Got Talent final, after a Ssaulabi Performance Troupe member suffered an injury during their routine.
How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction
The introduction is the first section of your thesis or dissertation, appearing right after the table of contents. Your introduction draws your reader in, setting the stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose, and direction on a relevant topic.
4 Phases of the Project Management Lifecycle Explained
The project management lifecycle is a step-by-step framework of best practices used to shepherd a project from its beginning to its end. This project management process generally includes four phases: initiating, planning, executing, and closing. Some may also include a fifth "monitoring and controlling" phase between the executing and closing stages.
Singer Taylor Momsen bit by a bat while performing on stage
Musician and actor Taylor Momsen is seemingly taking everything in stride after being bit by a bat while on stage in Spain last week.
The Influence of Stator Endwall Clearances on Multistage Axial
The cantilevered stages show significant performance improvements, with increases in total pressure ratio of up to 1% and an increase in isentropic efficiency of as much as 2%. However, the common Stage 3 shrouded Stator 3 shows a corresponding deficit of as much as 2% loss in efficiency relative to the fully shrouded stator configuration baseline.