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During the summer, PhD students engage in research and directed reading programs, and take courses in the university’s other schools and departments.

During this time of individual study and one-on-one contact with faculty, you’ll have the opportunity to accelerate your growth as a research scholar. You’ll be required to submit a research paper at the end of either the first or the second summer. Some fields require papers following both summers.

You’ll have access to faculty guidance and supervision during the summer period, and you’ll present your paper in a seminar format and/or before field faculty.

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ThePhDHub

How to write a Research Paper for PhD?- 10 Things to know

A brief elaborative assay, findings or original research work showing either positive or negative interpretation in a written form is known as a research paper.  

To publish a research work or research paper is yet another important criterion to award a PhD degree. After all, it is the uppermost academic honor. A common question prospective PhD students ask on the internet is “how to write a research paper”, “how to publish a research paper in a peer-review journal”, “how to write an introduction for a research paper” etc. 

In order to pursue the PhD degree, students have to complete coursework, research work, thesis writing, publishing an article and defending the thesis. Those who fail to complete, can’t go ahead. So from the first day when you start your PhD, you should know that you will have to publish a research paper sooner or later. 

Publishing an article or research work in a peer-review journal needs at least some intermediate level writing expertise. One should have to write according to the style and requirement of a journal. 

Peer-reviewed journals are reputed and professional and hence accept only high-quality research work and writing assignments. Until students understand the key things publications want, they will pay for it. It is better to find a way to publish a research paper, rather than paying for it.

In this article, I will explain to you some proven ways, you can say it “tips” that may help you to publish a research paper. 

  • Try from beginning
  • The writing style of a journal  
  • Structurize your article 

Things must be there

  • Importance of abstract 
  • Cite every bit of information 
  • List references 
  • Discuss recent finding
  • Final interpretation- conclusion 
  • Avoid common writing mistakes 

Try from the beginning: 

Understand the writing style of a journal , structurize your article: , understand the importance of abstract: , cite every bit of information: , list references or bibliography: , discuss recent findings: , final interpretation- conclusion , avoid common writing mistakes: , steps to writing a research paper: , conclusion: , how to write a research paper- 10 things to know.

The first thing prospective candidates have to do when starting their doctorate is to study or read related literature to their research topic. From that day, start writing a research paper. I know, you won’t research anything but first, publish a review article. 

A review article will help you in many ways, first, you will gain experience of how you can publish an article. Second, your 70% of the review literature portion will be completed and third, you may start your research work soon because you have done substantial work to start experiments. 

Writing style varied from journals to journals and so the citation and referencing methods too. Though abstract, introduction, material & methods, results and discussion, interpretation and references are common in almost every journal style. 

Journals have different citation and referencing styles, depending on what a writer has to write and submit their article or research paper. 

Pro tips: If you write an article as per the need, requirement and writing style of a journal 80% of your chance of getting published will increase. 

Some popular and common journal styles are: 

  • American Psychological Association (APA)
  • Modern language association (MLA)
  • Chicago: notes and bibliography
  • Chicago: Author and date
  • Chicago humanities style
  • Harvard: Australian style 
  • Harvard: Author-Date Style

Check out this box to how you can use those styles: 

American Psychological association technique (APA):

Chauhan, T. N., Patel, R. K., Suthar, J. V. (2018). Genetic status of Eunuchs- A review. Clinical Biotechnology and Microbiology, 2(5), 472-484. 

Modern language association (MLA)   

Chauhan T, Patel R and Suthar J. “Genetic status of Eunuch -A review.” Clinical Biotechnology and Microbiology , vol. 2, no 5, 2018, pp. 472-484. 

Chicago style Bibliography: 

Chauhan T, Patel R and Suthar J. “Genetic status of Eunuch -A review.” Clinical Biotechnology and Microbiology 2(2018): 472-484. 

An article citation style also varies that you can learn on the internet. Apart from the citation and referencing style, writing style (one-column or two-column), font style, font size, placement of image and other things also vary. 

You can read the policy page or rules of publishing the article page on the official website of the publisher or journal. It’s an easy thing to follow their style. 

Note that a sample article editable article style is also there on their website, you can download it and use it to start writing. 

Publishers or journals are also taken into consideration, the structure of the article, means, how you have bifurcated your article. A common thumb rule is to use abstract, introduction, material and methods, results and interpretation in the article, along with bibliography at the end. 

This structure is widely accepted by almost all journals, however, it may differ as per the requirement of the journal and your article as well. 

For example, if your article is review- literature, probably material method or interpretation section can’t be there. If you are publishing a case study, you need to include a case history too. 

Article’s structure is crucial to be accepted, unstructured research articles can’t create an impact on the reviewer to publish. You need to fragment every bit of information as per the topic headings. 

For example, some common information is included in the introduction, which technique or chemicals you have used, should be there in the material method section, other related review or literature should be there in the discussion section. 

To learn more on how to structure your article, read the related published articles in a journal you wish to publish. 

As I said, the Abstract, introduction, material & methods, results & discussion, conclusion and references must be there in a research article. In addition to this, Acknowledge others who helped you. Add funding information too. 

Acknowledgment and funding information should be inserted at the end of the article, after the bibliography. 

The common formats for various type of article are as followed;

Research article: Abstract, introduction, material & methods, results & discussion, interpretation, references and acknowledgment. 

Case study: Abstract, background, case history, material & methods, results & discussion, interpretation, references and acknowledgment. 

Review article: Abstract, Introduction or background, Applications, future prospective, final remark, references and acknowledgment. 

Note that the structure may vary for book chapters, conference papers, presentations or magazine articles. 

The abstract is an uncited, 250 to 400 words long writeup or a brief summary of the article. Usually, students avoid structuring an abstract, even though everything is excellent, their article can’t be accepted, the reason is inappropriate or poorly written abstract. 

The abstract is a portion or preface explaining ‘what you have done’ in your research and article. Again the style of abstract may fairly vary depending upon the journal you choose. 

A direct, single paragraph and shorter abstract having results included is a common choice for many, nonetheless, some prefer sectioning such as background, material & methods, results & discussion and conclusion in short. 

Note: your abstract shouldn’t be longer than 400 words. 

Huge information the internet possesses, some are correct, rest isn’t! Making information correct, trustworthy and liable is crucial. Academicians and researchers trust those data, which are cited. 

Citing a sentence, article, information or data means you are providing authenticity and a source from where you have taken it. However, that doesn’t mean copying that portion directly from others. 

Citation makes the article free of plagiarism and authenticates information. Moreover, citation methods vary from publisher to publisher depending upon which technique they generally use. 

Citation is added at the end of the sentence, after the end of the page or after the end of the paragraph by mentioning the first name of the author and year of publication. 

Related article: How to Check Plagiarism for PhD Thesis?- Top 10 Plagiarism Checkers

Referencing is crucial to publish an article, much like the references. It fairly shows from where you have taken information, readers can use to verify. 

Various formats of references we already have discussed somewhere in the article. 

Follow rules, instructions and style of the journal to elevate acceptance chances. Usually, references are enlisted at the end of the article, chronologically- as per the citation provided or alphabetically. 

Again it depends on the writing style of the journal. Common reference text includes name or names of researchers, year of publication, the title of the article, name of the journal, volume number, section or portion number and page numbers. 

If the journal articles are available online, DOI is also indicated at the end of the reference. 

You can list references, alphabetically, numerically and chronologically as per the citations. Most journals prefer the last method in which bibliography is enlisted in chronology as per citations. 

Mendeley an online citation and references management system helps you to do so. You can read about it here: Mendeley- an online citation platform.

If you wish, common below, we will cover a separate article on Mednely, how to use Mendeley MS word extension and other options. 

Your research, findings, discoveries only matter when you compare it with others. The discussion part of the article is so important that comprises recent reviews, research or findings related to your work. 

Comprehensively, the researcher shows the positives and negatives of their research in accordance with other findings. This section provides data showing relative comparison with your findings with others. The discussion section strengthens and authenticates your findings. 

In addition, it shows loopholes, scopes of improvements and limitations of yours as well as other associated work. The objective to do so is to apprise other researchers and give them future direction for research, especially, in your field. 

Write your final interpretations at the terminal of the article (before references) as a conclusion. It shows what you have done during your research and what your final findings are. 

As a writing technicality, the conclusion is of a few liners or a single paragraph shows the final remarks of the researcher or PhD student. Don’t mention any citation in the conclusion. It is the only original write-up of a PhD student’s own. 

Let us take an example of this article only, 

Conclusively, to write a research paper, PhD students have to know the writing style of a journal, their requirements and criteria. In addition, an article should have common sections like abstract, introduction, material & methods, results & discussion, conclusion and references in which the abstract- a preface of the article is very important. 

Students need to read other articles related to this topic and take professional advice to publish a research paper. 

Note that do not forget to give future indications, as I have explained in the last sentence. 

Less expected from PhD candidates, common writing mistakes, such as spelling, grammar or punctuation, though happens, can be avoided. Thoroughly read the article and cross-check with your PhD supervisor or guide. 

You can use other AI like Grammarly to do so. Grammarly is an online platform to check grammar, spelling, plagiarism and common punctuation mistakes from an article. Also, suggest corrections and synonyms as well. 

You can read related articles from here: 

  • Grammarly- your PhD writing assistant
  • Is Grammarly premium worth it? 

The overview of writing a research paper

Here in this section, I will explain, step-by-step guide from beginning to publishing your research article in peer-reviewed journals. 

The very first step when you start writing a research article is to decide on a working thesis statement which is something concise and one-liner. It should show the overall idea behind doing research. 

For example, 

“Evaluation of COMT gene polymorphism using PCR.”

  • Here the thesis statement indicates the researcher’s work area that is the COMT gene, purpose (studying polymorphism) and methodology (using PCR technique). 

After deciding a thesis statement do not forget to verify it to your guide or PhD supervisor. 

Next, collect the information from your thesis or other research that you would like to include in your article. 

After that, make an outline of your research paper by structurizing it in different headings, 

  • A title page- having a thesis statement
  • An abstract- 250 words overview of the whole research 
  • Introduction- general introductory information of the topic 
  • Methodology- materials, methods, techniques and chemicals used 
  • Results and discussion- final results of PhD study supporting other relevant documents, research or findings in the form of arguments or discussion. 
  • Conclusion- a one-liner to show your final interpretations. 
  • References- sources you utilized to write this article. 

Try to write an article in the section given in the outline for research paper writing above. 

The outline for the article explained above; 

Working thesis title- “Evaluation of COMT gene polymorphism using PCR.”

Outline of research article: 

  • Thesis title
  • Abstract 
  • Definition of COMT gene 
  • Location and polymorphisms related to COMT 
  • Chemical and utilities 
  • PCR primer sets for COMT gene
  • Preparation of mastermix 
  • Performing PCR reaction 
  • Agarose gel electrophoresis 
  • Results and discussion
  • Conclusion 
  • References 

To make your writing more precise you can use grammar checkers like Grammarly or/ and can manually check it to your guide. 

Once you are done writing, refurbished your article as per the guidelines or style of the publisher or journal. 

Now make more than 3 copies of your article as per different journals and send it to them. Don’t rely on a single source. Try to send it to many publishers as per their formats. 

If you think that converting articles in different formats is a tougher task try Mendely to our MS word (we will cover articles on it soon) , it automatically adds citations and references to your writing and can convert between different styles. 

Recent articles of our blog:

PhD Horizons Exploring Career Paths Post-Doctorate

I think the information that I have given is so important for a beginner in order to write a research article because for beginners it is very hard to decide from where to start. Even sometimes, their guide can’t help them correctly. 

Writing a research paper especially in a peer-reviewed journal isn’t an easy task, one has to write precisely and in a structure. 

I hope this article help you. 

Dr Tushar Chauhan

Dr. Tushar Chauhan is a Scientist, Blogger and Scientific-writer. He has completed PhD in Genetics. Dr. Chauhan is a PhD coach and tutor.

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How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

8 straightforward steps to craft an a-grade dissertation.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020

Writing a dissertation or thesis is not a simple task. It takes time, energy and a lot of will power to get you across the finish line. It’s not easy – but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a painful process. If you understand the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis, your research journey will be a lot smoother.  

In this post, I’m going to outline the big-picture process of how to write a high-quality dissertation or thesis, without losing your mind along the way. If you’re just starting your research, this post is perfect for you. Alternatively, if you’ve already submitted your proposal, this article which covers how to structure a dissertation might be more helpful.

How To Write A Dissertation: 8 Steps

  • Clearly understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is
  • Find a unique and valuable research topic
  • Craft a convincing research proposal
  • Write up a strong introduction chapter
  • Review the existing literature and compile a literature review
  • Design a rigorous research strategy and undertake your own research
  • Present the findings of your research
  • Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Start writing your dissertation

Step 1: Understand exactly what a dissertation is

This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but all too often, students come to us for help with their research and the underlying issue is that they don’t fully understand what a dissertation (or thesis) actually is.

So, what is a dissertation?

At its simplest, a dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research , reflecting the standard research process . But what is the standard research process, you ask? The research process involves 4 key steps:

  • Ask a very specific, well-articulated question (s) (your research topic)
  • See what other researchers have said about it (if they’ve already answered it)
  • If they haven’t answered it adequately, undertake your own data collection and analysis in a scientifically rigorous fashion
  • Answer your original question(s), based on your analysis findings

 A dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research, reflecting the standard four step academic research process.

In short, the research process is simply about asking and answering questions in a systematic fashion . This probably sounds pretty obvious, but people often think they’ve done “research”, when in fact what they have done is:

  • Started with a vague, poorly articulated question
  • Not taken the time to see what research has already been done regarding the question
  • Collected data and opinions that support their gut and undertaken a flimsy analysis
  • Drawn a shaky conclusion, based on that analysis

If you want to see the perfect example of this in action, look out for the next Facebook post where someone claims they’ve done “research”… All too often, people consider reading a few blog posts to constitute research. Its no surprise then that what they end up with is an opinion piece, not research. Okay, okay – I’ll climb off my soapbox now.

The key takeaway here is that a dissertation (or thesis) is a formal piece of research, reflecting the research process. It’s not an opinion piece , nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position. Writing a good dissertation involves asking a question and taking a systematic, rigorous approach to answering it.

If you understand this and are comfortable leaving your opinions or preconceived ideas at the door, you’re already off to a good start!

 A dissertation is not an opinion piece, nor a place to push your agenda or try to  convince someone of your position.

Step 2: Find a unique, valuable research topic

As we saw, the first step of the research process is to ask a specific, well-articulated question. In other words, you need to find a research topic that asks a specific question or set of questions (these are called research questions ). Sounds easy enough, right? All you’ve got to do is identify a question or two and you’ve got a winning research topic. Well, not quite…

A good dissertation or thesis topic has a few important attributes. Specifically, a solid research topic should be:

Let’s take a closer look at these:

Attribute #1: Clear

Your research topic needs to be crystal clear about what you’re planning to research, what you want to know, and within what context. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or vagueness about what you’ll research.

Here’s an example of a clearly articulated research topic:

An analysis of consumer-based factors influencing organisational trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms.

As you can see in the example, its crystal clear what will be analysed (factors impacting organisational trust), amongst who (consumers) and in what context (British low-cost equity brokerage firms, based online).

Need a helping hand?

research paper phd

Attribute #2:   Unique

Your research should be asking a question(s) that hasn’t been asked before, or that hasn’t been asked in a specific context (for example, in a specific country or industry).

For example, sticking organisational trust topic above, it’s quite likely that organisational trust factors in the UK have been investigated before, but the context (online low-cost equity brokerages) could make this research unique. Therefore, the context makes this research original.

One caveat when using context as the basis for originality – you need to have a good reason to suspect that your findings in this context might be different from the existing research – otherwise, there’s no reason to warrant researching it.

Attribute #3: Important

Simply asking a unique or original question is not enough – the question needs to create value. In other words, successfully answering your research questions should provide some value to the field of research or the industry. You can’t research something just to satisfy your curiosity. It needs to make some form of contribution either to research or industry.

For example, researching the factors influencing consumer trust would create value by enabling businesses to tailor their operations and marketing to leverage factors that promote trust. In other words, it would have a clear benefit to industry.

So, how do you go about finding a unique and valuable research topic? We explain that in detail in this video post – How To Find A Research Topic . Yeah, we’ve got you covered 😊

Step 3: Write a convincing research proposal

Once you’ve pinned down a high-quality research topic, the next step is to convince your university to let you research it. No matter how awesome you think your topic is, it still needs to get the rubber stamp before you can move forward with your research. The research proposal is the tool you’ll use for this job.

So, what’s in a research proposal?

The main “job” of a research proposal is to convince your university, advisor or committee that your research topic is worthy of approval. But convince them of what? Well, this varies from university to university, but generally, they want to see that:

  • You have a clearly articulated, unique and important topic (this might sound familiar…)
  • You’ve done some initial reading of the existing literature relevant to your topic (i.e. a literature review)
  • You have a provisional plan in terms of how you will collect data and analyse it (i.e. a methodology)

At the proposal stage, it’s (generally) not expected that you’ve extensively reviewed the existing literature , but you will need to show that you’ve done enough reading to identify a clear gap for original (unique) research. Similarly, they generally don’t expect that you have a rock-solid research methodology mapped out, but you should have an idea of whether you’ll be undertaking qualitative or quantitative analysis , and how you’ll collect your data (we’ll discuss this in more detail later).

Long story short – don’t stress about having every detail of your research meticulously thought out at the proposal stage – this will develop as you progress through your research. However, you do need to show that you’ve “done your homework” and that your research is worthy of approval .

So, how do you go about crafting a high-quality, convincing proposal? We cover that in detail in this video post – How To Write A Top-Class Research Proposal . We’ve also got a video walkthrough of two proposal examples here .

Step 4: Craft a strong introduction chapter

Once your proposal’s been approved, its time to get writing your actual dissertation or thesis! The good news is that if you put the time into crafting a high-quality proposal, you’ve already got a head start on your first three chapters – introduction, literature review and methodology – as you can use your proposal as the basis for these.

Handy sidenote – our free dissertation & thesis template is a great way to speed up your dissertation writing journey.

What’s the introduction chapter all about?

The purpose of the introduction chapter is to set the scene for your research (dare I say, to introduce it…) so that the reader understands what you’ll be researching and why it’s important. In other words, it covers the same ground as the research proposal in that it justifies your research topic.

What goes into the introduction chapter?

This can vary slightly between universities and degrees, but generally, the introduction chapter will include the following:

  • A brief background to the study, explaining the overall area of research
  • A problem statement , explaining what the problem is with the current state of research (in other words, where the knowledge gap exists)
  • Your research questions – in other words, the specific questions your study will seek to answer (based on the knowledge gap)
  • The significance of your study – in other words, why it’s important and how its findings will be useful in the world

As you can see, this all about explaining the “what” and the “why” of your research (as opposed to the “how”). So, your introduction chapter is basically the salesman of your study, “selling” your research to the first-time reader and (hopefully) getting them interested to read more.

How do I write the introduction chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this post .

The introduction chapter is where you set the scene for your research, detailing exactly what you’ll be researching and why it’s important.

Step 5: Undertake an in-depth literature review

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to do some initial review of the literature in Steps 2 and 3 to find your research gap and craft a convincing research proposal – but that’s just scratching the surface. Once you reach the literature review stage of your dissertation or thesis, you need to dig a lot deeper into the existing research and write up a comprehensive literature review chapter.

What’s the literature review all about?

There are two main stages in the literature review process:

Literature Review Step 1: Reading up

The first stage is for you to deep dive into the existing literature (journal articles, textbook chapters, industry reports, etc) to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of research regarding your topic. While you don’t need to read every single article, you do need to ensure that you cover all literature that is related to your core research questions, and create a comprehensive catalogue of that literature , which you’ll use in the next step.

Reading and digesting all the relevant literature is a time consuming and intellectually demanding process. Many students underestimate just how much work goes into this step, so make sure that you allocate a good amount of time for this when planning out your research. Thankfully, there are ways to fast track the process – be sure to check out this article covering how to read journal articles quickly .

Dissertation Coaching

Literature Review Step 2: Writing up

Once you’ve worked through the literature and digested it all, you’ll need to write up your literature review chapter. Many students make the mistake of thinking that the literature review chapter is simply a summary of what other researchers have said. While this is partly true, a literature review is much more than just a summary. To pull off a good literature review chapter, you’ll need to achieve at least 3 things:

  • You need to synthesise the existing research , not just summarise it. In other words, you need to show how different pieces of theory fit together, what’s agreed on by researchers, what’s not.
  • You need to highlight a research gap that your research is going to fill. In other words, you’ve got to outline the problem so that your research topic can provide a solution.
  • You need to use the existing research to inform your methodology and approach to your own research design. For example, you might use questions or Likert scales from previous studies in your your own survey design .

As you can see, a good literature review is more than just a summary of the published research. It’s the foundation on which your own research is built, so it deserves a lot of love and attention. Take the time to craft a comprehensive literature review with a suitable structure .

But, how do I actually write the literature review chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this video post .

Step 6: Carry out your own research

Once you’ve completed your literature review and have a sound understanding of the existing research, its time to develop your own research (finally!). You’ll design this research specifically so that you can find the answers to your unique research question.

There are two steps here – designing your research strategy and executing on it:

1 – Design your research strategy

The first step is to design your research strategy and craft a methodology chapter . I won’t get into the technicalities of the methodology chapter here, but in simple terms, this chapter is about explaining the “how” of your research. If you recall, the introduction and literature review chapters discussed the “what” and the “why”, so it makes sense that the next point to cover is the “how” –that’s what the methodology chapter is all about.

In this section, you’ll need to make firm decisions about your research design. This includes things like:

  • Your research philosophy (e.g. positivism or interpretivism )
  • Your overall methodology (e.g. qualitative , quantitative or mixed methods)
  • Your data collection strategy (e.g. interviews , focus groups, surveys)
  • Your data analysis strategy (e.g. content analysis , correlation analysis, regression)

If these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these in plain language in other posts. It’s not essential that you understand the intricacies of research design (yet!). The key takeaway here is that you’ll need to make decisions about how you’ll design your own research, and you’ll need to describe (and justify) your decisions in your methodology chapter.

2 – Execute: Collect and analyse your data

Once you’ve worked out your research design, you’ll put it into action and start collecting your data. This might mean undertaking interviews, hosting an online survey or any other data collection method. Data collection can take quite a bit of time (especially if you host in-person interviews), so be sure to factor sufficient time into your project plan for this. Oftentimes, things don’t go 100% to plan (for example, you don’t get as many survey responses as you hoped for), so bake a little extra time into your budget here.

Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to do some data preparation before you can sink your teeth into the analysis. For example:

  • If you carry out interviews or focus groups, you’ll need to transcribe your audio data to text (i.e. a Word document).
  • If you collect quantitative survey data, you’ll need to clean up your data and get it into the right format for whichever analysis software you use (for example, SPSS, R or STATA).

Once you’ve completed your data prep, you’ll undertake your analysis, using the techniques that you described in your methodology. Depending on what you find in your analysis, you might also do some additional forms of analysis that you hadn’t planned for. For example, you might see something in the data that raises new questions or that requires clarification with further analysis.

The type(s) of analysis that you’ll use depend entirely on the nature of your research and your research questions. For example:

  • If your research if exploratory in nature, you’ll often use qualitative analysis techniques .
  • If your research is confirmatory in nature, you’ll often use quantitative analysis techniques
  • If your research involves a mix of both, you might use a mixed methods approach

Again, if these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these concepts and techniques in other posts. The key takeaway is simply that there’s no “one size fits all” for research design and methodology – it all depends on your topic, your research questions and your data. So, don’t be surprised if your study colleagues take a completely different approach to yours.

The research philosophy is at the core of the methodology chapter

Step 7: Present your findings

Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to present your findings (finally!). In a dissertation or thesis, you’ll typically present your findings in two chapters – the results chapter and the discussion chapter .

What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?

While these two chapters are similar, the results chapter generally just presents the processed data neatly and clearly without interpretation, while the discussion chapter explains the story the data are telling  – in other words, it provides your interpretation of the results.

For example, if you were researching the factors that influence consumer trust, you might have used a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between potential factors (e.g. perceived integrity and competence of the organisation) and consumer trust. In this case:

  • Your results chapter would just present the results of the statistical tests. For example, correlation results or differences between groups. In other words, the processed numbers.
  • Your discussion chapter would explain what the numbers mean in relation to your research question(s). For example, Factor 1 has a weak relationship with consumer trust, while Factor 2 has a strong relationship.

Depending on the university and degree, these two chapters (results and discussion) are sometimes merged into one , so be sure to check with your institution what their preference is. Regardless of the chapter structure, this section is about presenting the findings of your research in a clear, easy to understand fashion.

Importantly, your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions (which you outlined in the introduction or literature review chapter). In other words, it needs to answer the key questions you asked (or at least attempt to answer them).

For example, if we look at the sample research topic:

In this case, the discussion section would clearly outline which factors seem to have a noteworthy influence on organisational trust. By doing so, they are answering the overarching question and fulfilling the purpose of the research .

Your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions. It needs to answer the key questions you asked in your introduction.

For more information about the results chapter , check out this post for qualitative studies and this post for quantitative studies .

Step 8: The Final Step Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Last but not least, you’ll need to wrap up your research with the conclusion chapter . In this chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and explaining what the implications of these findings are.

What exactly are key findings? The key findings are those findings which directly relate to your original research questions and overall research objectives (which you discussed in your introduction chapter). The implications, on the other hand, explain what your findings mean for industry, or for research in your area.

Sticking with the consumer trust topic example, the conclusion might look something like this:

Key findings

This study set out to identify which factors influence consumer-based trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms. The results suggest that the following factors have a large impact on consumer trust:

While the following factors have a very limited impact on consumer trust:

Notably, within the 25-30 age groups, Factors E had a noticeably larger impact, which may be explained by…

Implications

The findings having noteworthy implications for British low-cost online equity brokers. Specifically:

The large impact of Factors X and Y implies that brokers need to consider….

The limited impact of Factor E implies that brokers need to…

As you can see, the conclusion chapter is basically explaining the “what” (what your study found) and the “so what?” (what the findings mean for the industry or research). This brings the study full circle and closes off the document.

In the final chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and the implications thereof.

Let’s recap – how to write a dissertation or thesis

You’re still with me? Impressive! I know that this post was a long one, but hopefully you’ve learnt a thing or two about how to write a dissertation or thesis, and are now better equipped to start your own research.

To recap, the 8 steps to writing a quality dissertation (or thesis) are as follows:

  • Understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is – a research project that follows the research process.
  • Find a unique (original) and important research topic
  • Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal
  • Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter
  • Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review
  • Undertake your own research
  • Present and interpret your findings

Once you’ve wrapped up the core chapters, all that’s typically left is the abstract , reference list and appendices. As always, be sure to check with your university if they have any additional requirements in terms of structure or content.  

research paper phd

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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 ...

20 Comments

Romia

thankfull >>>this is very useful

Madhu

Thank you, it was really helpful

Elhadi Abdelrahim

unquestionably, this amazing simplified way of teaching. Really , I couldn’t find in the literature words that fully explicit my great thanks to you. However, I could only say thanks a-lot.

Derek Jansen

Great to hear that – thanks for the feedback. Good luck writing your dissertation/thesis.

Writer

This is the most comprehensive explanation of how to write a dissertation. Many thanks for sharing it free of charge.

Sam

Very rich presentation. Thank you

Hailu

Thanks Derek Jansen|GRADCOACH, I find it very useful guide to arrange my activities and proceed to research!

Nunurayi Tambala

Thank you so much for such a marvelous teaching .I am so convinced that am going to write a comprehensive and a distinct masters dissertation

Hussein Huwail

It is an amazing comprehensive explanation

Eva

This was straightforward. Thank you!

Ken

I can say that your explanations are simple and enlightening – understanding what you have done here is easy for me. Could you write more about the different types of research methods specific to the three methodologies: quan, qual and MM. I look forward to interacting with this website more in the future.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions 🙂

Osasuyi Blessing

Hello, your write ups is quite educative. However, l have challenges in going about my research questions which is below; *Building the enablers of organisational growth through effective governance and purposeful leadership.*

Dung Doh

Very educating.

Ezra Daniel

Just listening to the name of the dissertation makes the student nervous. As writing a top-quality dissertation is a difficult task as it is a lengthy topic, requires a lot of research and understanding and is usually around 10,000 to 15000 words. Sometimes due to studies, unbalanced workload or lack of research and writing skill students look for dissertation submission from professional writers.

Nice Edinam Hoyah

Thank you 💕😊 very much. I was confused but your comprehensive explanation has cleared my doubts of ever presenting a good thesis. Thank you.

Sehauli

thank you so much, that was so useful

Daniel Madsen

Hi. Where is the excel spread sheet ark?

Emmanuel kKoko

could you please help me look at your thesis paper to enable me to do the portion that has to do with the specification

my topic is “the impact of domestic revenue mobilization.

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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

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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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  • What is your academic writing temperament?

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.

Infographic of the three draft approach

This resource originally appeared on Researcher Development .

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

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Are you struggling with your thesis writing? Do you need help with research paper formatting or research paper review? Look no further! Our website offers a comprehensive range of resources to help you with all aspects of thesis writing, from choosing a topic to formatting your final document.

Here are some of the things you can find here:

  • University assignment format:  We have templates for a variety of assignment formats, including essays, research papers, and lab reports.
  • Review format:  We also have templates for different types of reviews, such as book reviews, movie reviews, and grant proposals.
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  • Thesis format:  We have templates for different types of theses, including master’s theses and PhD dissertations.
  • University thesis formats:  We also have templates for specific universities, such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.
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  • Free downloadable resources:  We offer a variety of free downloadable resources, such as thesis templates, research paper samples, and writing guides.

We also offer thesis writing guidance and academic writing support. Our team of experts can help you with everything from choosing a topic to formatting your final document. We also offer research paper assistance and PhD thesis consultation.Here

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The Complete University Guide helps students to make right Assignment formats, Review Formats, Synopsis Formats, University thesis formats and Thesis Formats according to different universities. Here you can find our PdF formats and guidelines for proceedings papers. PhD Guides are here to to help you prepare your work with accuracy.

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If you’re getting ready to write your dissertation, thesis, or research project, our free research writing samples are a great way to start. Here you can find review article samples and research article samples and some examples to which you can refer for your purposes. You can download our free sample PDF templates related to streams and subjects in seconds. We have a massive sample database, depending on the higher education programme or course, you can find and download appropriate PDF samples.

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  • 07 July 2022

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  • Maya Gosztyla 0

Maya Gosztyla is a PhD student in biomedical sciences at the University of California, San Diego.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01878-7

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Harvard University Theses, Dissertations, and Prize Papers

The Harvard University Archives ’ collection of theses, dissertations, and prize papers document the wide range of academic research undertaken by Harvard students over the course of the University’s history.

Beyond their value as pieces of original research, these collections document the history of American higher education, chronicling both the growth of Harvard as a major research institution as well as the development of numerous academic fields. They are also an important source of biographical information, offering insight into the academic careers of the authors.

Printed list of works awarded the Bowdoin prize in 1889-1890.

Spanning from the ‘theses and quaestiones’ of the 17th and 18th centuries to the current yearly output of student research, they include both the first Harvard Ph.D. dissertation (by William Byerly, Ph.D . 1873) and the dissertation of the first woman to earn a doctorate from Harvard ( Lorna Myrtle Hodgkinson , Ed.D. 1922).

Other highlights include:

  • The collection of Mathematical theses, 1782-1839
  • The 1895 Ph.D. dissertation of W.E.B. Du Bois, The suppression of the African slave trade in the United States, 1638-1871
  • Ph.D. dissertations of astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (Ph.D. 1925) and physicist John Hasbrouck Van Vleck (Ph.D. 1922)
  • Undergraduate honors theses of novelist John Updike (A.B. 1954), filmmaker Terrence Malick (A.B. 1966),  and U.S. poet laureate Tracy Smith (A.B. 1994)
  • Undergraduate prize papers and dissertations of philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson (A.B. 1821), George Santayana (Ph.D. 1889), and W.V. Quine (Ph.D. 1932)
  • Undergraduate honors theses of U.S. President John F. Kennedy (A.B. 1940) and Chief Justice John Roberts (A.B. 1976)

What does a prize-winning thesis look like?

If you're a Harvard undergraduate writing your own thesis, it can be helpful to review recent prize-winning theses. The Harvard University Archives has made available for digital lending all of the Thomas Hoopes Prize winners from the 2019-2021 academic years.

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  1. Writing Research Papers

    A good PhD research paper should be able to identify clear objectives, an appropriate methodology and contribute interesting and unique conclusions to an academic field. It should be able to comment on the current field of study and identify why this work is significant.

  2. Google Scholar

    Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Search across a wide variety of disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions.

  3. How to Write a Research Paper

    Choose a research paper topic. There are many ways to generate an idea for a research paper, from brainstorming with pen and paper to talking it through with a fellow student or professor.. You can try free writing, which involves taking a broad topic and writing continuously for two or three minutes to identify absolutely anything relevant that could be interesting.

  4. What Is a Dissertation?

    A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program. Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you've ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating ...

  5. Research Papers

    You'll be required to submit a research paper at the end of either the first or the second summer. Some fields require papers following both summers. You'll have access to faculty guidance and supervision during the summer period, and you'll present your paper in a seminar format and/or before field faculty. Attend an Admission Event.

  6. A Guide to Writing a PhD Literature Review

    Most PhD projects begin with a literature review, which usually serves as the first chapter of your dissertation. This provides an opportunity for you to show that you understand the body of academic work that has already been done in relation to your topic, including books, articles, data and research papers.

  7. How to write a Research Paper for PhD?- 10 Things to know

    A brief elaborative assay, findings or original research work showing either positive or negative interpretation in a written form is known as a research paper. To publish a research work or research paper is yet another important criterion to award a PhD degree. After all, it is the uppermost academic honor. A common question prospective […]

  8. PhD Research Writing Samples

    We have a massive sample database, depending on the PhD programme, you can find and download appropriate PDF samples. Download suitable absolutely free resources according to your requirement. Explore PhD research writing samples and review article samples on PhDguides.org. Get ideas and inspiration for your writing projects.

  9. How to Write a Great PhD Research Proposal

    Written by Mark Bennett. You'll need to write a research proposal if you're submitting your own project plan as part of a PhD application. A good PhD proposal outlines the scope and significance of your topic and explains how you plan to research it. It's helpful to think about the proposal like this: if the rest of your application explains ...

  10. Practical Guide to Write a PhD Thesis and publish papers ...

    Abstract and Figures. This presentation is a practical guide on how to write a PhD thesis based on personal experiences and existing literature . It is aimed at all PhD students. A thesis writing ...

  11. How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

    Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal. Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter. Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review. Undertake your own research. Present and interpret your findings. Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications.

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

    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 ...

  13. PhD Formats and Samples

    Here you can find our PdF formats and guidelines for proceedings papers. PhD Guides are here to to help you prepare your work with accuracy. Visit: University Formats & Guidelines. If you're getting ready to write your dissertation, thesis, or research project, our free research writing samples are a great way to start.

  14. Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples

    Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples. Published on September 9, 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on July 18, 2023. It can be difficult to know where to start when writing your thesis or dissertation.One way to come up with some ideas or maybe even combat writer's block is to check out previous work done by other students on a similar thesis or dissertation topic to yours.

  15. PhD Thesis

    A Guide to Writing a PhD Thesis. A PhD thesis is a work of original research all students are requiured to submit in order to succesfully complete their PhD. The thesis details the research that you carried out during the course of your doctoral degree and highlights the outcomes and conclusions reached. The PhD thesis is the most important ...

  16. PDF PhD Thesis Writing Process: A Systematic Approach—How to Write ...

    1) To help PhD candidates in writing scientifically correct PhD thesis. 2) To describe PhD thesis writing process. 3) To assist PhD candidates to understand what PhD means. 4. Methodology The methodology applied in this research was descriptive as it discusses and de-scribes the various parts of PhD thesis and explains the how to do of them in a

  17. PhD: How to write a great research paper

    Writing papers and giving talks are key skills for any researcher, but they arenΓÇÖt easy. In this pair of presentations, IΓÇÖll describe simple guidelines t...

  18. How to find, read and organize papers

    Step 1: find. I used to find new papers by aimlessly scrolling through science Twitter. But because I often got distracted by irrelevant tweets, that wasn't very efficient. I also signed up for ...

  19. Harvard University Theses, Dissertations, and Prize Papers

    The Harvard University Archives' collection of theses, dissertations, and prize papers document the wide range of academic research undertaken by Harvard students over the course of the University's history.. Beyond their value as pieces of original research, these collections document the history of American higher education, chronicling both the growth of Harvard as a major research ...

  20. Writing a Research Paper Introduction

    Table of contents. Step 1: Introduce your topic. Step 2: Describe the background. Step 3: Establish your research problem. Step 4: Specify your objective (s) Step 5: Map out your paper. Research paper introduction examples. Frequently asked questions about the research paper introduction.

  21. Recent PhD Dissertations

    Recent PhD Dissertations. Terekhov, Jessica (September 2022) -- "On Wit in Relation to Self-Division". Selinger, Liora (September 2022) -- "Romanticism, Childhood, and the Poetics of Explanation". Lockhart, Isabel (September 2022) -- "Storytelling and the Subsurface: Indigenous Fiction, Extraction, and the Energetic Present".

  22. One Stop to All Research Needs

    Find Online PhD Programs, PhD Study, PhD Cost, Download Research Papers, Scopus Indexed Journals List, research ideas, AI Tools from iLovePhD Home. PHD. Journals. POSTDOC. Interesting. Scholarships. IoT. Security ... Research Paper Writing. Journals. Working Sci-Hub Proxy Links 2024: Access Research Papers Easily. ilovephd-August 18, 2024 14.

  23. Scribbr

    Whether we're proofreading and editing, checking for plagiarism or AI content, generating citations, or writing useful Knowledge Base articles, our aim is to support students on their journey to become better academic writers. We believe that every student should have the right tools for academic success.