how to write doctoral thesis in urbz

How to structure your PhD thesis

Organising your PhD thesis in a logical order is one of the crucial stages of your writing process. Here is a list of the individual components to include

Shama Prasada Kabekkodu

• More on this topic

Created in partnership with

You may also like

Popular resources

.css-1txxx8u{overflow:hidden;max-height:81px;text-indent:0px;} Webinar: How to recruit talented staff in higher education

Emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn, with ai at their fingertips, are students still learning, a diy guide to starting your own journal.

The task of writing a PhD thesis is top of mind for many aspiring scholars. After all, completing one is no small task. And while these pieces of writing often share a standard format, this can differ slightly based on the requirements of your institution or subject. So what elements make up a PhD thesis?

A doctoral thesis usually contains:

• A title page
• Declarations from the candidate and supervisor
• A certificate from the candidate and supervisor
• A plagiarism report
• Acknowledgements 
• A table of contents
• Abbreviations 
• An abstract

Chapters typically cover:

• A general introduction 
• Literature review
• Analysis of the gap in research with aims and objectives
• Materials and methods
• Summary and conclusion
• References or bibliography. 

You should also include a list of papers you have published and any relevant achievements at the end. 

An explanation of each of the components of a PhD dissertation 

Title page: a PhD thesis starts with a title page that contains the complete title of the research work, the submitting university, names of the candidate and supervisor, affiliation and month and year of submission.

Abstract: this serves as a concise synopsis of the dissertation, covering the research context, purpose of the study or research questions, methodology, findings and conclusions. This section is usually one to two pages in length. 

Table of contents: this page lists the thesis content and respective page numbers.

General introduction and literature review: this component is usually 20 to 40 pages long. It presents the readers with the primary material and discusses relevant published data. It provides an overview of pertinent literature related to the thesis such as texts that critically assess the existing literature to identify the gap in research and explain the need behind the study. 

Aims and objectives: this section of the thesis is typically one to two pages long and describes the aims and objectives of the study. Structure them as three to four bullet points describing specific points that you will investigate. Approach this by thinking about what readers should understand by the end of the thesis. Ensure you:

• Give a clear explanation of the purpose and goals of your study 
• Outline each aim concisely
• Explain how you will measure your objectives
• Ensure there is a clear connection between each aim
• Use verbs such as investigate, evaluate, explore, analyse and demonstrate.

Materials and methods: this section briefly explains how you have conducted the study and should include all the materials you used and procedures you implemented. For example, if your research involves working with chemicals, list the chemicals and instruments used, along with their catalogue numbers and manufacturers’ names. This section should also explicitly explain the methodology you used, step-by-step. Use the past tense while writing this section and do not describe any results or findings of the study yet.

Results: this section is sometimes called the “findings report” or “the experimental findings” (referring to data collection and analysis). Write the results concisely and in the past tense. Include text, figure and table infographics created with tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator and BioRender to visualise your data . 

Discussion: this is a chance to discuss the results and compare the findings of your study with the initial hypothesis and existing knowledge. Focus on discussing interpretations, implications, limitations and recommendations here.

• Resources on academic writing for higher education staff 
• Tips for writing a PhD dissertation: FAQs answered
• How to tackle the PhD dissertation

Summary and conclusion: this section should be shorter than the discussion and summarise your key findings. The summary and conclusion should be brief and engaging, allowing the reader to easily understand the major findings of the research work. Provide clear answers to the research questions, generate new knowledge and clarify the need for the study. 

Future perspective: this section of the thesis (which is often combined with a summary or conclusion) talks about the study's limitations, if any, and indicates the directions for future studies based on your findings. 

References or bibliography: the last section should include the list of articles, websites and other resources cited in the thesis.

Always remember that, depending on the department, university or field of study, you might have to follow specific guidelines on how to organise your PhD thesis. Ensure you consult your supervisor or academic department if you have any doubts.

Shama Prasada Kabekkodu is a professor and head of cell and molecular biology at Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India.

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 .

Webinar: How to recruit talented staff in higher education

Confronting generative ai in the fast-changing higher education sector, emotionally challenging research and researcher well-being, how hard can it be testing ai detection tools, how to engage international students during lectures, buddy system: creating community through writing.

Register for free

and unlock a host of features on the THE site

Workshops on writing article thesis summary

The purpose is this workshop is to inspire you to complete your thesis! You can join one or more workshop sessions. The workshop centres on the key elements of a doctoral thesis and focuses on the structure of the integrative summary. We also examine academic style, citation strategies and individual choices regarding reporting voice.

The workshop concludes in a review session, which is a good opportunity to test your work-in-progress on a peer and get feedback on elements you're struggling with. The session is interactive so feel free to come with questions!

The workshops in English are facilitated by Dr Pia Lappalainen. Please register to her ( [email protected] ) to obtain the Teams link. Please use your Aalto email to sign up. Only doctoral students studying at Aalto are accepted to the workshops.

More information about the workshops in Finnish (aalto.fi)

The Language Centre and Doctoral education services arrange the workshops in English once a month on Tuesdays over Zoom.

The workshops in English are held on Tuesdays 8:30-11:30:

Autumn 2024

13.8., 3.9., 8.10., 5.11., 3.12.

Spring 2025

7.1., 4.2., 4.3., 15.4.

• Published: 26.6.2024
• Updated: 26.6.2024

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Clas dissertation writing fellowships.

The purpose of the program is to provide ten students each year with the precious gift of time to complete a PhD dissertation, thus having the beneficial effects of improving degree completion rates and reducing time to degree. This investment is fully consistent with collegiate strategic goals.

Ten CLAS Dissertation Writing Fellowships ($14,000 each) will be awarded each year.

The awards will be provided during the summer and fall of each year.  The award period will commence in late May with Summer payments of $1,000 on June 1, and $1,500 each on July 1 and August 1.  Fall will continue with monthly payments of $2,000 through the end of December. The total amount of each award is $14,000:  ($1,000 + (2*1,500 + (5*2,000))). Students planning to graduate in August of the award period should not apply for this award.

Eligibility

Applicants must have completed their comprehensive examination and be in the final stages of writing their dissertation to be eligible to apply for an award. 

The main focus of work to be accomplished during the award period is completion of the doctoral dissertation.  

Awardees must register for at least 1 s.h. credit during the fall semester of the award. Recipients of a CLAS Dissertation Writing Fellowship may not combine the award with any other UI fellowship, assistantship, or paid work during the award period without permission from the CLAS Associate Dean for Graduate Education, nor may they hold an external dissertation fellowship concurrently.

In-Kind Contributions

Awardees must register for at least 1 s.h. credit during the fall semester of the award. Your department will provide you with a scholarship to cover the cost of 1 s.h. and 50% of the mandatory fees.

Restriction

One fellow per PhD program each year.

Penalty Clause

If an individual who is awarded a fellowship fails to complete all requirements for a spring graduation in the academic year of the award, the unit will be ineligible to submit applications for a CLAS Dissertation Writing Fellowship during the subsequent award period.

For departments from which a student is awarded a Dissertation Writing Fellowship, DGSs will be responsible for completing the CLAS Dissertation Writing Fellowship DGS Report and returning it to [email protected] in May following the year of the award. 

For example, if a student was awarded a fellowship for summer and fall of 2022, the DGS will complete the report in May 2023. 

Progress Report

Awardees must submit a progress report of 250-500 words to [email protected] on the first Friday of September of the award period. The report must be signed by the advisor.

Submitting a CLAS Dissertation Writing Fellowship Application

Eligible students should complete the CLAS Dissertation Writing Fellowship Application and their one-page CV and send it to their DGS along with the Thesis Advisor support letter.  DGSs should verify the accuracy of the information, supervise the departmental evaluation process, prepare the DGS nomination letter, and email the results to [email protected] with the subject line: CLAS Dissertation Writing Fellowship Application.

Award Process

The award application period for AY 2024-25 awards is now closed. The due date for applications was Tuesday, January 30, 2024, from departments to the CLAS Dean's Office.

Individuals will not apply directly to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; applications must be routed through the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in the department or school in which the student is pursuing the PhD.  

The applications are collated by each unit and include the following materials, submitted as a single pdf in the following order :

• The application form .
• A letter of support from the Thesis Advisor of no more than 2 pages that discusses the project’s significance to the field, progress to date, work to be done during the fellowship period, and the feasibility of timeline to completion. Applicants are strongly encouraged to share their application materials with the advisor when requesting the advisor letter.
• A one-page CV listing the applicant’s most significant contributions to research, teaching, and professional service.
• A brief letter of endorsement (no more than 2 pages) from the DGS or their designee in the case of a COI. This letter should report the number of semesters in which the nominee has held Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, or Fellowships, as well as the number of semesters, if any, in which the student was not funded. In the case of more than one application from the same PhD program, a committee of at least three graduate faculty members and the DGS must rank the applications from that program in order of preference and describe the reasons for their ranking. The three-member committee should not include any faculty members serving as a thesis advisor for an applicant . 

All completed applications will be evaluated, discussed, and ranked by the Graduate Educational Policy Committee (GEPC), which is a scholarly audience of graduate faculty representatives from the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural and mathematical sciences. Please write to a general scholarly audience.

The GEPC makes its final recommendation to the Associate Dean for Graduate Education who notifies Fellowship recipients, DGSs, and DEOs of the results by late February.

• Brittany Anderson , Anthropology
• Isabel Baldrich , School of Art and Art History
• Francisca Diaz , Psychological and Brain Sciences
• Dominic Dongilli , American Studies
• Adriana Fernández I Quero , Mathematics
• Katharine Gilbert , French and Italian
• Sun Joo Lee , School of Music
• Mengmeng Liu , Communication Studies
• Briante S. L. Najev , Biology
• Caleb Pennington , History
• Myat Aung , Art and Art History
• Joshua Coduto , Chemistry
• Sean Gunderson , Physics and Astronomy
• Tara Hicks , Biology
• Rachel Larson , Geographical and Sustainability Studies
• Kaitlyn Lindgren-Hansen , Religious Studies
• Yujia Lyu , Sociology and Criminology
• Ruvarashe Masocha , History
• Megan Ronnenberg , Social Work
• Ariane Thomas , Anthropology