Producing a Ph.D.

Thesis
Patricia de Winter Kings College London

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Producing a Ph.D thesis

The majority of
Arts/Humanities theses are written chapter by chapter throughout the PhD programme
Scientific theses are written once the data have been collected at the end of the PhD programme

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Producing a Ph.D thesis

At least four months before submission

Obtain a PhD examination entry pack from BBK registry Complete the following and return to the Registry: examination entry form (including approved title) two address labels (home or parents address) description of thesis (300 words) - NOT abstract Your supervisor must nominate two examiners, one internal and one external
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What happens next?

Registry forwards documents to Senate House You should receive acknowledgement that Senate House has received your forms (but this doesnt always happen) - go to Room 1.62 if necessary Senate House examinations office sends the nomination of examiners and the description of thesis to the Subject Area Board for approval of examiners
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 Information on the PhD degree and thesis can be obtained in pdf format at:
http://www.lon.ac.uk/Services/Academic/phd/regulations/regs.asp

- Instructions and notes on submission and format of thesis - University of London Regulations for the degrees of Ph.D and M.Phil
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The University states that the Ph.D. thesis must

be the candidates own account of their research be original (discovery of new facts and/or demonstration of independent critical power) be an integrated whole and present a coherent argument (a series of papers is not acceptable but published papers may be adapted) give a critical assessment of the literature
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 describe the method of research (reproducible) discuss results and demonstrate how they advance the subject be written in English include a full bibliography and references demonstrate relevant research skills be of publishable quality

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Producing a Ph.D thesis

Word limit
100,000 words except for certain subject areas where the limit is lower See subject list in exam entry pack or check with your supervisor or research degrees co-ordinator for the limit for your subject

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Producing a Ph.D thesis

The University does NOT stipulate

the font type or size to use (best to use a serifed font for body text and a plain font for figures such as graphs)
specific chapter or thesis formats (but best to use scientific format for scientific theses)
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The University stipulates that:

theses must be typed or printed on good quality A4 paper and on one side only line spacing should be double or one-andhalf the binding edge margin must be at least 40 mm and other margins at least 20 mm photographs etc. must be permanently mounted and bound in with the theses
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the use of sellotape or similar is prohibited errors must be corrected before submission all pages must be numbered, including any bound in material the thesis must include a title page, an abstract, a table of contents and a list of tables and figures collaborative work must acknowledged and certified by supervisor
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Hints on producing a thesis

It is advisable to have a general introduction as the first chapter (review the literature here) and a general discussion as the last (to pull together the conclusions from previous chapters) Save each chapter as a separate file and back up all work (save to the BBK server if possible as this is backed up daily)
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 Figures and tables should preferably not be inserted into text - put them on individual pages
Save figures and tables as separate files and either print separately or insert into chapter only when you are about to print Inserting figures into (borderless) text boxes anchors them on a page and makes positioning them easier (MS Word)
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 Use reference management software (e.g. Endnote, Reference Manager) to insert citations and create a bibliography/reference list BUT manually check all your references in the completed thesis (MS Word).

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Thesis Contents
Title page (numbered page 1) Officially approved thesis title Candidates full name Name of College or Institute Degree for which thesis is submitted and month/year of submission
It is assumed that submission of the thesis implies it is entirely your own work and not plagiarised.
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Intracellular Signalling and Phagocytosis by Haemocytes of Manduca sexta Larvae

Maria Patricia de Winter

School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Birkbeck, University of London

Submitted for the degree of Doctor of

Philosophy of the University of London November, 2004
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Abstract of Thesis
Follows the title page 300 words maximum Summarises context, methods, results and conclusions contained in the thesis A duplicate Abstract must be submitted to Senate House with the thesis Published in ASLIB Index of Theses
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Acknowledgements
Optional, but most people include them and acknowledge those who supported and helped them throughout their Ph.D. If included keep acknowledgements to one side of A4

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Table of Contents
Follows Abstract, or Acknowledgements where included Must include all headings and subheadings and their page numbers Does not include Figures or Tables MS word can create a TOC for you if you merge all your chapters into one document or you can generate your own (make a two-column table without borders)
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Chapters
Each chapter must be numbered sequentially Usually theses contain an Introduction, three or four research/experimental chapters and a general discussion In Biology theses each experimental chapter contains its own specific intro, methods, results, discussion and conclusions Give completed draft chapters to your supervisor for comments
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References
Use a reference system that is recognised by your discipline. Examiners are fond of checking for missing references so check reference list manually against references in the main text (this is really boring and takes hours)

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Appendices
Include extra material that does not need to be in the body of the thesis
Copies of publications that arose from the thesis can be placed here

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Production time
Allow at least a WEEK to assemble, check, print and correct last-minute errors that you have missed

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Printing
Allow at least TWO days just to print and check your thesis - it really does take this long Print a draft copy first and check for errors before printing final copies - get a friend or partner to proof-read the thesis to check for typos Buy lots of extra print cartridges and good quality (90 gsm) paper in advance
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 For a 300 page thesis buy 4 reams of paper (to allow for printing errors). Search the internet for good deals - you should be able to get this for about 16 + P&P If you have photos to print check out www.inkclub.com for glossy paper - 20 sheets cost about 4 + P&P www.inkcycle.co.uk sell very cheap cartridges by mail order (from about 3 for a black inkjet cartridge
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 Print one chapter at a time - dont try to merge the thesis into one document and print it as a whole Check each thesis copy to ensure that all the pages are numbered sequentially Senate House initially requires two copies, either two soft-bound or one soft and one hard-bound Make an extra copy for yourself, which you should take with you to the viva Dont make any extra copies at this stage - there are bound to be corrections to make If you submit two soft-bound copies, you will have to submit a hard-bound copy after the viva.
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Binding
The spine of the thesis should have the degree, your initials and surname and the year of the award in gold lettering University of London theses are bound in medium blue cloth Hard bound copies currently cost 25 each and soft bound copies cost 16 each at The Printing Centre in Store Street (two day service)
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Submitting the Thesis

Take two copies of the thesis together with the completed Abstract of Thesis form to the PhD Examinations Office in Senate House The title of the thesis must correspond EXACTLY to the title on the exam entry form previously submitted
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 Although you should make every effort to correct mistakes prior to submission, you will inevitably find a few after youve submitted Youll even find them in the corrected version submitted after your viva - I still do!

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