A Comprehensive Guide to Crafting the Structure of PhD Thesis

There are few things that most students dread in their academic career and PhD thesis writing is undoubtedly one of them. The thesis is a scholarly document doctoral candidates must write to obtain the PhD degree. It establishes the academic prowess of students in their respective fields of study and helps them master their analytical and research skills. Unfortunately, writing a thesis is an overwhelming task that makes a majority of students struggle to get a grip.

Managing all the elements of the dissertation to ensure quality work is naturally challenging for every PhD aspirant. What seems manageable initially translates into a series of complex tasks that become difficult to handle as the writing task progresses further. A major question that plagues their mind is how to structure the thesis. Understandably, the guidelines of thesis writing may vary but the structure is inherently generic. So, you need to grasp the writing techniques to create a flawless structure in the dissertation but before that,you need to know the main sections that comprise the thesis.

Sections of the PhD thesis

There are some standard sections in every thesis writing and let us find out what they are:

Abstract

In the abstract of PhD thesis, a student needs to pen the summary of the entire writing task and is inclusive of all the sections of your writing in a brief manner. It may be a small part of the thesis but answers the most important question of the reviewer.

Introduction

The introduction section helps the evaluator grasp the essence of the dissertation what it entails, why is the research work important, a brief description of the methodology, and the layout of the thesis.

Framing the theory

In this section, a PhD aspirant explains the theoretical concepts used in the writing task and how it is relevant to the existing ideas and knowledge.

Literature review

In the literature review, one needs to initiate the case of new research through works that have already been done. It must contain the history of the topic andhow your study addresses the present and the future.

Methodology

The methodology section is entirely descriptive and is largely based on the research topic. Here, you will discuss in detail the techniques used in acquiring the information. Besides, it is essential to explain the relevance of each method.

Result

The result includes your findings and should have all the details laid out simply and technically.

Discussion

This is the section that demonstrates your skills of writing as you build up on the results and push ahead with the new information before concluding the writing task.

How to create the PhD thesis structure

So, let us find out how to create the PhD thesis structure through this step-by-step guide:

Structuring the abstract

When structuring the thesis, you need to mention the reasons for writing the thesis, the existing approaches and gaps in the literature, the research question, the methodology used, the primary findings, and the main conclusion. One thing you need to remember is that structuring the abstract is possible only when you complete the entire work. So, it should be kept for the last.

Structuring the introduction

During structuring the introduction, you need to have a straightforward approach and tell the reviewer what the thesis is about, its significance, the way you conduct the research and how it is to be laid out.

Structuring the theory

Structuring the theory part can be tricky as you need to go down to certain details. This part of the thesis needs to establish the theoretical concepts used in the research and what is the hypothesis if any. It must also include the reasons for choosing the theory, the outcome of using the theory and how it addresses the problem statement and the existing literature. Through this section, you can connect the existing knowledge to the empirical data and present concepts or propositions to answer the questions.

Structuring the literature review

The PhD thesis structure for the literature review needs to present the existing research and findings in this field which establishes your understanding of the research topic and the study. It needs to highlight the deficiencies and gaps in the existing research. Thereafter, you need to identify the methods, studies, and theories in the field of research.

Structuring the methodology

The methodology is the most descriptive section of the PhD thesis where you need to mention how you answered the research question vis-à-vis the methods used by previous aspirants. Furthermore, you need to mention the methods used for data collection, how the techniques are relevant to the aims and objectives of the study, and the methods of using them.

Structuring the discussion

The discussion is an integral part of thesis writing and when structuring it, you need to discuss about the empirical findings. Here, you have to push ahead your usual boundaries of knowledge.

Structuring the conclusion

In the conclusion part, the doctoral candidates need to sound expressive and fluent.  They need to discuss how the research is relevant to the aims and objectives of the research, the importance of the work, the gaps, and suggesting avenues for further research. In this section, you need to write everything authoritatively.

Each PhD research work is different and hence, the structuring format mentioned here may also vary. A good idea would be to check with your university as to how you need to frame the PhD thesis structure. Overall, you need to plan the layout of the writing task. That way you will know how much time to devote to structuring each section and how to frame it appropriately.At Decode DNA, we specialise in PhD writing services and ensure that your research gains significance and is more likely to be accepted by publishers. Our expertise PhD thesis structuring can also help you stay ahead of the competition. Navigate https://decodedna.in/ to learn more about our services.