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Inside the new world of online dissertation defenses

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Call it another MIT innovation. When PhD student Jesse Tordoff passed her dissertation defense this month, she learned about the outcome in a new way: Her professors sent a thumbs-up emoji on the Zoom screen they were all sharing.

Welcome to the new world of the online dissertation defense, one of many changes academia is making during the Covid-19 pandemic. For generations, dissertation defenses have been crowning moments for PhD candidates, something they spend years visualizing. At a defense, a student presents work and fields questions; the professors on the dissertation committee then confer privately, and render their verdict to the student.

Which, in Tordoff’s case, was delivered in good humor, via a familiar little symbol.

“That was my most 2020 moment, learning I passed my defense by Zoom emoji,” says Tordoff, a biological engineer specializing in self-assembling structures.

With the pandemic limiting activity on the MIT campus from mid-March onward, moving dissertation defenses to Zoom has been a necessary adjustment. MIT students who defended dissertations this spring say they have had a variety of reactions to the change: They appreciated that family members could suddenly watch their defenses online, and some felt more relaxed in the format. But students also felt it was more challenging to engage with their audiences on Zoom.

And, inevitably, social distancing meant students could not gather in person with advisors, friends, and family to rejoice, as per the usual MIT tradition.

“That feeling of celebration — it is not something you generate by yourself,” says André Snoeck, who in late March defended his dissertation on last-mile issues in supply chains, for MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics.

That moment when you learn you have passed your doctoral dissertation defense. Congratulations to @MITSloan 's Dr. Maarten Meeuwis! @MIT @MITGradStudents @MIT_alumni @MITSloanAlumni pic.twitter.com/U7wNdmBPx7 — MIT Sloan PhD (@MITSloanPhD) April 21, 2020

On Zoom, grandparents in the room

Dissertation defenses are typically quasipublic events, where an audience can attend the student’s presentation but then leaves before faculty tell a student if the defense was successful. Many MIT departments stage parties afterward.

A defense on Zoom means the circle of attendees is no longer restricted by geography — something students appreciated. 

“My mom logged on in South Africa from her retirement village and watched online,”  says Ian Ollis, from the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, who in May defended his dissertation about public perceptions of mass transit in the Boston area. “She wouldn’t have been able to do that if it was done in person.”

Julia Zhao, a Department of Chemistry PhD student, says the defense was a unique opportunity for family and friends to watch her in a professional setting.

“It was nice to see all my friends, and my family could attend too,” Zhao says, whose research focuses on polymers that have both metal and organic components. “They were going to fly in for graduation but not attend my defense, so they got to sit in on that and listen to me talk about what I’ve been doing the last five years. So that was really cool.”

Tordoff also felt that on Zoom, she could focus more easily on her remarks.

“I was less nervous than if I had been standing up there in front of a group of people,” Tordoff says. “I was sitting on my couch.” One reason for that good feeling, Tordoff adds, is that when she logged on to Zoom before the defense, the only other people already there were her grandparents, watching from England.

“I was so happy,” Tordoff says. “That never would have happened in person.”

And in Snoeck’s case, his advisors did orchestrate a virtual toast after the defense, so they could celebrate simultaneously, if not in the same room.

Congratulations Dr. Julia Zhao ( @jouleszhao )!!! Today was her defense through zoom!!! We are so proud of how you finished your PhD through a pandemic in such an impressive fashion!!! @ChemistryMIT #PhDone #AcademicChatter pic.twitter.com/En5gCtDZjQ — The ~Remote~ Jeremiah Johnson Group (@johnsonchem) May 1, 2020

Kudos from strangers

At the same time, MIT students note, being on Zoom limited their interaction with the audience, compared with the nature of an in-person talk. 

“You can’t read the room,” Ollis says, adding: “It’s different. You don’t have a complete perspective on the audience — you see squares of people’s faces, whereas if you do it live, you get a sense of who you’re talking to by seeing faces you recognize.”

The slightly mysterious nature of Ollis’ audience became apparent to him almost immediately after he wrapped up his online defense.

“There were quite a few people watching, who, well, I didn’t know who they were,” Ollis says. “I’ve been staying in the Ashdown grad dorm, and I was walking to the elevator after doing the defense, and somebody walked past who I didn’t recognize, and said, ‘Hey! Good job! I enjoyed that!’ I had no idea who the person was.”

Overall, Ollis says, “I thought it was a good experience. I got good feedback from people.” Even so, he adds, “I prefer being in a room with people.”

For his part, Snoeck, who has accepted a job with Amazon, felt his defense was somewhat “more like a series of Q&As, rather than a conversation” — simply due to the dynamics of the format, like the segmented nature of Zoom and its slight delays in audio transmission.

“It is weird to have a conversation with some lag in it,” notes Zhao, who will soon begin a job with a Boston-area startup, developing hydrophobic coatings. “But I made an effort to say, ‘If I interrupted, please continue.’ It is a little awkward.”

I am very happy, honored and thankful to announce I successfully defended my PhD at MIT last Monday! Special thanks to all mentors and colleagues for your guidance and support during the last five years. pic.twitter.com/bsn4RA2nbk — Felipe-Oviedo (@felipeoviedop) May 14, 2020

The blended defense

That said, for years now, academic faculty have sometimes been participating in dissertation defenses via Skype, Zoom, and other platforms. That typically happens when dissertation committee members are located at multiple universities, or when a professor is traveling for research or a conference. In Snoeck’s case, one of his committee members was already going to join remotely from the Netherlands anyway.

Zhao noticed a student in her department webcasting their defense last year, which seemed “a little out of the ordinary” in 2019, she recalls. But from 2020 onward, it may become standard.

“It’s kind of nice to have an extra component of people who aren’t in town but want to participate in the closing of your degree,” Zhao says. “It will definitely be more normalized, I think.”

Not all MIT PhD students defend dissertations. In MIT’s Department of Economics, the thesis consists of three papers that must be approved, and there is no formal defense, although finishing students do give fall-term presentations. Still, even for economics students, this year seems different.

“The biggest challenge has been a feeling of a lack of closure,” says Ryan Hill, a graduating MIT PhD in economics, who studies the dynamics of scientific research. “It’s been a long road.” In that vein, Hill adds, “I was really looking forward to commencement, and the doctoral hooding ceremony.” Those events will take place on May 29, online, with an in-person ceremony to be held at a later date.

To be sure, Hill is keeping matters in perspective. “In the grand scheme, it’s not bad,” says Hill, who will spend a year as a Northwestern University postdoc, and has accepted a tenure-track job at Brigham Young University.

For any new PhD, crossing that academic finish line is a huge achievement — and relief. Zhao, for instance, had to scramble to complete her lab research before MIT shuttered, and then finish writing the thesis, before the dissertation defense could occur.

“It’s been a pretty crazy two months,” Zhao reflects. “I’m just happy to be done with it.”

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Defending Your Dissertation: A Guide

Written by Luke Wink-Moran | Photo by insta_photos

Dissertation defenses are daunting, and no wonder; it’s not a “dissertation discussion,” or a “dissertation dialogue.” The name alone implies that the dissertation you’ve spent the last x number of years working on is subject to attack. And if you don’t feel trepidation for semantic reasons, you might be nervous because you don’t know what to expect. Our imaginations are great at making The Unknown scarier than reality. The good news is that you’ll find in this newsletter article experts who can shed light on what dissertations defenses are really like, and what you can do to prepare for them.

The first thing you should know is that your defense has already begun. It started the minute you began working on your dissertation— maybe even in some of the classes you took beforehand that helped you formulate your ideas. This, according to Dr. Celeste Atkins, is why it’s so important to identify a good mentor early in graduate school.

“To me,” noted Dr. Atkins, who wrote her dissertation on how sociology faculty from traditionally marginalized backgrounds teach about privilege and inequality, “the most important part of the doctoral journey was finding an advisor who understood and supported what I wanted from my education and who was willing to challenge me and push me, while not delaying me.  I would encourage future PhDs to really take the time to get to know the faculty before choosing an advisor and to make sure that the members of their committee work well together.”

Your advisor will be the one who helps you refine arguments and strengthen your work so that by the time it reaches your dissertation committee, it’s ready. Next comes the writing process, which many students have said was the hardest part of their PhD. I’ve included this section on the writing process because this is where you’ll create all the material you’ll present during your defense, so it’s important to navigate it successfully. The writing process is intellectually grueling, it eats time and energy, and it’s where many students find themselves paddling frantically to avoid languishing in the “All-But-Dissertation” doldrums. The writing process is also likely to encroach on other parts of your life. For instance, Dr. Cynthia Trejo wrote her dissertation on college preparation for Latin American students while caring for a twelve-year-old, two adult children, and her aging parents—in the middle of a pandemic. When I asked Dr. Trejo how she did this, she replied:

“I don’t take the privilege of education for granted. My son knew I got up at 4:00 a.m. every morning, even on weekends, even on holidays; and it’s a blessing that he’s seen that work ethic and that dedication and the end result.”

Importantly, Dr. Trejo also exercised regularly and joined several online writing groups at UArizona. She mobilized her support network— her partner, parents, and even friends from high school to help care for her son.

The challenges you face during the writing process can vary by discipline. Jessika Iwanski is an MD/PhD student who in 2022 defended her dissertation on genetic mutations in sarcomeric proteins that lead to severe, neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy. She described her writing experience as “an intricate process of balancing many things at once with a deadline (defense day) that seems to be creeping up faster and faster— finishing up experiments, drafting the dissertation, preparing your presentation, filling out all the necessary documents for your defense and also, for MD/PhD students, beginning to reintegrate into the clinical world (reviewing your clinical knowledge and skill sets)!”

But no matter what your unique challenges are, writing a dissertation can take a toll on your mental health. Almost every student I spoke with said they saw a therapist and found their sessions enormously helpful. They also looked to the people in their lives for support. Dr. Betsy Labiner, who wrote her dissertation on Interiority, Truth, and Violence in Early Modern Drama, recommended, “Keep your loved ones close! This is so hard – the dissertation lends itself to isolation, especially in the final stages. Plus, a huge number of your family and friends simply won’t understand what you’re going through. But they love you and want to help and are great for getting you out of your head and into a space where you can enjoy life even when you feel like your dissertation is a flaming heap of trash.”

While you might sometimes feel like your dissertation is a flaming heap of trash, remember: a) no it’s not, you brilliant scholar, and b) the best dissertations aren’t necessarily perfect dissertations. According to Dr. Trejo, “The best dissertation is a done dissertation.” So don’t get hung up on perfecting every detail of your work. Think of your dissertation as a long-form assignment that you need to finish in order to move onto the next stage of your career. Many students continue revising after graduation and submit their work for publication or other professional objectives.

When you do finish writing your dissertation, it’s time to schedule your defense and invite friends and family to the part of the exam that’s open to the public. When that moment comes, how do you prepare to present your work and field questions about it?

“I reread my dissertation in full in one sitting,” said Dr. Labiner. “During all my time writing it, I’d never read more than one complete chapter at a time! It was a huge confidence boost to read my work in full and realize that I had produced a compelling, engaging, original argument.”

There are many other ways to prepare: create presentation slides and practice presenting them to friends or alone; think of questions you might be asked and answer them; think about what you want to wear or where you might want to sit (if you’re presenting on Zoom) that might give you a confidence boost. Iwanksi practiced presenting with her mentor and reviewed current papers to anticipate what questions her committee might ask.  If you want to really get in the zone, you can emulate Dr. Labiner and do a full dress rehearsal on Zoom the day before your defense.

But no matter what you do, you’ll still be nervous:

“I had a sense of the logistics, the timing, and so on, but I didn’t really have clear expectations outside of the structure. It was a sort of nebulous three hours in which I expected to be nauseatingly terrified,” recalled Dr. Labiner.

“I expected it to be terrifying, with lots of difficult questions and constructive criticism/comments given,” agreed Iwanski.

“I expected it to be very scary,” said Dr. Trejo.

“I expected it to be like I was on trial, and I’d have to defend myself and prove I deserved a PhD,” said Dr Atkins.

And, eventually, inexorably, it will be time to present.  

“It was actually very enjoyable” said Iwanski. “It was more of a celebration of years of work put into this project—not only by me but by my mentor, colleagues, lab members and collaborators! I felt very supported by all my committee members and, rather than it being a rapid fire of questions, it was more of a scientific discussion amongst colleagues who are passionate about heart disease and muscle biology.”

“I was anxious right when I logged on to the Zoom call for it,” said Dr. Labiner, “but I was blown away by the number of family and friends that showed up to support me. I had invited a lot of people who I didn’t at all think would come, but every single person I invited was there! Having about 40 guests – many of them joining from different states and several from different countries! – made me feel so loved and celebrated that my nerves were steadied very quickly. It also helped me go into ‘teaching mode’ about my work, so it felt like getting to lead a seminar on my most favorite literature.”

“In reality, my dissertation defense was similar to presenting at an academic conference,” said Dr. Atkins. “I went over my research in a practiced and organized way, and I fielded questions from the audience.

“It was a celebration and an important benchmark for me,” said Dr. Trejo. “It was a pretty happy day. Like the punctuation at the end of your sentence: this sentence is done; this journey is done. You can start the next sentence.”

If you want to learn more about dissertations in your own discipline, don’t hesitate to reach out to graduates from your program and ask them about their experiences. If you’d like to avail yourself of some of the resources that helped students in this article while they wrote and defended their dissertations, check out these links:

The Graduate Writing Lab

https://thinktank.arizona.edu/writing-center/graduate-writing-lab

The Writing Skills Improvement Program

https://wsip.arizona.edu

Campus Health Counseling and Psych Services

https://caps.arizona.edu

https://www.scribbr.com/

Notes From a Writer's Desk: Demystifying the Dissertation Finish Line

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As a doctoral candidate in your final year, you’re likely juggling various responsibilities—finishing the dissertation, navigating the job market, completing lab work, possibly teaching, and trying to maintain some semblance of a personal life. In these last few months of the dissertation process, the journey can range from feeling like a well-oiled machine to experiencing well-ordered chaos. Amidst this whirlwind, it is crucial to establish clear expectations with your committee and prioritize tasks to ensure success on the road to graduation. As you try to manage your academic and personal obligations, a primary step is to plot out your remaining time and strategize how to allocate that time effectively. Consider breaking down your time into reasonable chunks, dedicating specific periods to producing the final draft(s) and making revisions, preparing for the defense, and formatting your dissertation document for submission.

Final draft(s) and revisions

Take inventory of the revisions you still need to make for your dissertation. Prioritize tasks based on their importance and feasibility within your timeline. For example, you may need to incorporate additional critical literature into various chapters, clean up citations and your bibliography, build in transitions that move between chapters, alter the structure of a couple of sections within a chapter, and/or hone the framing of your goals and argument(s) in your introduction. Set aside specific time for each of these revisions, thinking about which ones will require the most attention and which you can accomplish when you are less focused. Furthermore, seek out feedback from your advisor and committee members to ensure that your work meets the prescribed standards. Remember that maintaining clear communication with your advisor is essential for a smoother final stretch, especially if you find yourself needing to make compromises in order to meet deadlines. 

Preparing for the defense

Depending on your department’s requirements, the dissertation defense may take various forms. Many defenses will be public presentations, in which the candidate is given the chance to present their research to an audience of peers, members of the faculty, and their committee. Others might be a private final conversation with your committee. Reach out to the committee and to your department administrator to make sure that you are all on the same page. But no matter what kind of defense you have, preparation is key. Practice your presentation (perhaps with us at the FWC!), anticipate potential questions, identify areas you hope to improve upon or develop further in future iterations of the project, and ensure that you are well-versed in discussing and defending your research. Finally, make sure to schedule your defense with ample time before the submission deadline—ideally two or three weeks—to allow you to address any late-stage revisions, including crucial questions that might be brought up at the defense itself.

Submission process

Staggering the defense and submission dates will also provide sufficient time to format your dissertation according to the  registrar’s guidelines . Familiarizing yourself with the formatting requirements early on in the process will help minimize stress during the brief post-defense period. Pay close attention to the guidelines regarding the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate (DAC) and the document’s front matter, including the title page, copyright page, abstract, table of contents, acknowledgements, and any lists of illustrations or figures you may require. Strive to submit your dissertation earlier than the deadline just in case you need to make minor adjustments based on feedback from the registrar.

Long-term considerations

Remember to think carefully about your long-term plans for the material in your dissertation. Are you planning to revise the entire dissertation for publication as a monograph? Or are you going to publish elements of it in a series of articles? Should you embargo your work, and if so, for how long? This should also prompt some reflection on how your dissertation will fit into your broader academic and professional goals.

As you approach the dissertation finish line, remember that it is not just about reaching the end and checking that last box. It should be a celebration of your academic journey and the achievements you have amassed along the way. By formulating a well-structured plan, you can navigate these last few months with confidence and alleviate at least some of the stresses of the home stretch. And trust me, once you hit the submit button and get that final confirmation email—after, of course, the inevitable email asking you to fix a formatting issue—you will feel an immense weight lifted from your shoulders.

Ready to book an appointment with FWC staff? Access the  FWC intake form .

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The future of MSc nursing dissertations – a victim of its own success?

In our blog this week, Dr Nicola Roberts (@DrNRoberts) and Mr Ben Parkinson (@ParkinsonBen1) from Glasgow Caledonian University discuss the current changes affecting student research in the NHS and the future for MSc dissertations in nursing.

The Masters of Sciences degree (MSc) is becoming increasingly popular with nurses and provides a useful stepping stone into advanced nursing roles and/or Doctoral level study (e.g. PhD or Professional Doctorate). For nursing students, the most daunting and time consuming part of their MSc is often the dissertation component. Students usually do a structured literature review or undertake a small piece of research. However, the rules around student research in the NHS are changing and may affect some nursing students completing MSc dissertations.

What is a nursing dissertation? The nursing dissertation usually involves a large written piece of coursework (6-16,000 words) based on an independent study at the end of a University MSc programme. Students are supported during their dissertation by an academic supervisor to undertake research or a review. For nursing students, the MSc dissertation is an opportunity to focus on a particular area of interest and to study the topic in great detail. The MSc dissertation is a demanding assessment and can involve many months of effort and a high level of independent study. Some of the challenges faced by students include working independently, effectively working with their supervisor, having to meet deadlines, and producing high quality academic material. In addition, many students also have other commitments (e.g. employment, child care) and/or have additional support needs (e.g. dyslexia). These factors can make the MSc dissertation both demanding, but also extremely rewarding.

Student research in the NHS Nursing students often want to undertake a research study in their place of work, but all research needs to have ethical approval and students working in the NHS will have to make sure they are eligible to complete their research in the NHS. The guidance on student research in the NHS changed and the new guidance is available online via the Health Research Authority (HRA) . The HRA changes came into effect in September 2021 and affect those completing research for the main purpose of achieving an educational qualification (e.g. Degree, Masters, or Doctorate). The main changes include new eligibility criteria, which changes the type of students who can complete research in the NHS. The new guidance states undergraduate students, for example, will no longer be able to complete research involving the NHS and that Doctoral students studying Health and Social Care related topics will be able to complete research in the NHS ( full guidance ).

The guidance is slightly more confusing for MSc nursing students. Not all MSc students will be able to apply for NHS ethical approval and some types of student MSc students will not be allowed to do research in the NHS. Fortunately, nurses will be one group of students who can conduct research in the NHS, but certain rules apply, nurses need to be studying a Health and Social Care course and the University department supporting the student also needs to be active in Health and Social Care research. The HRA have produced a helpful toolkit for students or supervisors , to help them determine whether their research will be eligible to apply for NHS Research Ethics approval under the new guidance.

Alternatives to student research in the NHS Given the complexity of nursing dissertations and the challenges faced by many nursing students, it is prudent to consider the different options available when completing an MSc dissertation. Being flexible and creative will give nursing students the greatest chance of success when completing their MSc dissertation.

Dissertation options. • Research involving the NHS (check eligibility using student research toolkit ) • Non-research activity in the NHS (e.g. service evaluation, audit, a discussion with R&D may still be needed). • Research activity not involving NHS patient, staff, or resources – student participant study or using organisations or charities, social media. • Literature review (e.g. systematic review). • Write research protocol for future study. • Produce anonymous case report (consent/approval needed).

Other challenges for nursing dissertations Another challenge is the increasing numbers of students completing MSc qualifications. Each year more nurses are seeking MSc qualification, which is excellent for patient care and the nursing profession. However, increasing student numbers and the needs to complete a dissertation can create pressure on the NHS and make it difficult to provide the necessary support for growing numbers of students. With increasing numbers, nursing students can find themselves struggling to come up with an original idea and some popular topics can become over-researched. For example, recently the number of students wanting to study COVID-19 has grown rapidly.

It is also common for nursing students to focus on particular groups of people and/or recruitment pathways. For example, the growth of MSc dissertations has led to an increase in the amount of research being conducting on students, which raises concerns about whether students are being overly burdened by invitations to participate in research. The growth in the numbers of nursing students studying MSc qualifications has also put pressure on finding appropriate academic supervisors, who can support students during their studies. It is important Universities balance the increased demand for MSc study, whilst also maintaining quality for students. Innovative strategies used by Universities include flexible academic supervision, using online methods, incorporating group supervision, and also changing the format of dissertations to better reflect journal publications. It is clear that traditional dissertations may need to adapt in the near future to be fit for purpose and to support the large number of students and the changes to research ethics in the NHS.

Dr Nicola Roberts is a Senior Lecturer and Mr Ben Parkinson is a Lecturer in the Department of Nursing and Community Health (@GCUNursing) at Glasgow Caledonian University, United Kingdom (@GCUSHLS, @GCUReach). 

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Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings? In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

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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36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Thesis and Dissertation: Getting Started

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

The resources in this section are designed to provide guidance for the first steps of the thesis or dissertation writing process. They offer tools to support the planning and managing of your project, including writing out your weekly schedule, outlining your goals, and organzing the various working elements of your project.

Weekly Goals Sheet (a.k.a. Life Map) [Word Doc]

This editable handout provides a place for you to fill in available time blocks on a weekly chart that will help you visualize the amount of time you have available to write. By using this chart, you will be able to work your writing goals into your schedule and put these goals into perspective with your day-to-day plans and responsibilities each week. This handout also contains a formula to help you determine the minimum number of pages you would need to write per day in order to complete your writing on time.

Setting a Production Schedule (Word Doc)

This editable handout can help you make sense of the various steps involved in the production of your thesis or dissertation and determine how long each step might take. A large part of this process involves (1) seeking out the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding specific document formatting requirements, (2) understanding research protocol limitations, (3) making note of deadlines, and (4) understanding your personal writing habits.

Creating a Roadmap (PDF)

Part of organizing your writing involves having a clear sense of how the different working parts relate to one another. Creating a roadmap for your dissertation early on can help you determine what the final document will include and how all the pieces are connected. This resource offers guidance on several approaches to creating a roadmap, including creating lists, maps, nut-shells, visuals, and different methods for outlining. It is important to remember that you can create more than one roadmap (or more than one type of roadmap) depending on how the different approaches discussed here meet your needs.

Alum Alexander Levine Honored with Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award

University of Maryland Department of Computer Science alum Alexander Levine (Ph.D. '23, computer science) has been awarded the Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award for his dissertation titled "Scalable Methods for Robust Machine Learning." Levine, now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas at Austin , focused on developing machine learning models that maintain accuracy amid distortions. The award ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14, at the Stamp Student Union. The award is for the dissertation he completed in 2023.

The Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award is given annually by the Graduate School to recognize dissertations that provide highly original contributions that make an unusually significant contribution to the discipline. Levine is among four recipients of the award this year.

Awardees receive an honorarium of $1,000. Additionally, they may be nominated for further recognition at the national level through the CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award competition, which selects outstanding dissertations from across the country to honor achievements in graduate research.

“I feel honored that my work has been recognized by this award,” Levine said. “I am deeply thankful for all of the support I received during my time at UMD from my advisor, my collaborators, my dissertation committee and the rest of the UMD computer science community. I am fortunate to have worked with such talented people on such interesting problems.”

Advised by Associate Professor Soheil Feizi , Levine's dissertation introduces innovative methods for ensuring the robustness of machine learning models, specifically in scenarios where input data may be subtly altered or distorted, including malicious tampering. This research is particularly relevant as machine learning applications become increasingly prevalent in areas requiring high reliability and security.

Levine explained that practitioners can implement these systems more confidently in safety-critical applications by developing machine learning techniques with well-understood robustness guarantees. He noted that the capabilities of machine-learning-based systems have expanded dramatically in just the last couple of years, increasing their use in various sectors. Levine emphasized the growing importance of ensuring these systems' robustness as their applications broaden.

Levine is currently expanding his research focus.

“At UT Austin, my research focus has shifted to representation learning for sequential decision-making tasks,” Levine shared. “In particular, I have been working on frameworks that allow deep learning to be used in combination with search-based planning techniques, so that we can benefit from both the powerful capabilities of modern deep learning and the interpretability, flexibility and efficiency of classical planning methods. ”

Levine received the Larry S. Davis Doctoral Dissertation Award in the Fall of 2023 . Named in honor of Computer Science Professor Emeritus Larry Davis , the award, given by UMD’s Department of Computer Science, highlighted dissertations that were exceptional in their technical depth and potential for significant impact.

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications 

The Department welcomes comments, suggestions and corrections.  Send email to editor [-at-] cs [dot] umd [dot] edu .

Ruoyu Wang receives distinguished AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award

Lucas Johnson

Apr 26, 2024, 4:19 PM

Vanderbilt alumnus Ruoyu Wang has been selected to receive the prestigious 2024 Jacobs Engineering Group/AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award .

The award recognizes an outstanding doctoral dissertation that contributes to the advancement of environmental science and engineering.

Wang, Ph.D. ’23, is currently a postdoctoral associate in the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department at Yale University. He was recognized for his dissertation, “Membrane-based Ion-ion Separation Processes: Nanofiltration and Electrodialysis.”

“This award not only affirms the significance and impact of my doctoral research on membrane-based ion-ion separation processes, but also highlights the invaluable support and guidance from my mentors and peers,” said Wang, who majored in environmental engineering at Vanderbilt.

“This honor inspires me to further my contributions to environmental engineering with greater dedication, particularly in using membrane technologies to tackle environmental challenges like water scarcity, drinking water safety, resource recovery, and decarbonization.”

Wang also received a cash honorarium of $1,500. His faculty advisor, Shihong Lin , received $500.

Contact: Lucas Johnson,  [email protected]

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Embattled Harvard President Will Submit Dissertation Edits After Plagiarism Allegations

FILE PHOTO: Harvard University President Claudine Gay testifies before a House Education and The Workforce Committee hearing titled "Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo

By Gabriella Borter

(Reuters) - Harvard University's president was planning to submit three corrections to her 1997 dissertation after a committee investigating plagiarism allegations against her found that she had made citation errors, a university spokesperson said.

Claudine Gay, who was inaugurated as Harvard's president in September, has already submitted corrections to two published articles in recent weeks that were the focus of a review by the Harvard Corporation, the university's governing board.

Questions about Gay's academic integrity have rocked her already tumultuous first semester as the university's first Black president, as she faced a pressure campaign to resign over her congressional testimony about antisemitism on campus earlier this month.

War in Israel and Gaza

The plagiarism allegations against Gay were brought to the attention of the Harvard Corporation on Oct. 24 through a media request by the New York Post newspaper, the university spokesperson said.

Investigators, including a subcommittee of the 11-member Corporation and a panel of independent political scientists, found that Gay's work had "a few instances of inadequate citation" upon initial review but that her work fell short of research misconduct, the Corporation said in a statement on Dec. 12.

Subsequent allegations concerning Gay's 1997 Harvard Ph.D. dissertation led to an additional review, the university spokesperson said on Wednesday, in which investigators found "duplicative language without appropriate attribution."

Gay will submit three citation corrections for her dissertation to the university's Office of the Provost, the spokesperson said.

Gay has faced intense pressure from Harvard donors and the Jewish community to resign after her testimony at a congressional hearing on Dec. 5, where she declined to say outright that calling for the genocide of Jews on Harvard's campus would violate the school's code of conduct.

Gay and the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts Institute of Technology were called to testify as protests over the Israel-Hamas war have roiled theirs and other U.S. colleges' campuses.

Gay later apologized for her remarks in an interview with the Harvard Crimson.

The University of Pennsylvania's president, Liz Magill, resigned on Dec. 9.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; editing by Donna Bryson and Jonathan Oatis)

Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters .

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Tags: United States , Israel , Middle East , education

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UC Davis Graduate Studies

UC Davis Doctoral Students Selected as 2024 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellows

• by Graduate Studies
• April 22, 2024

We're excited to announce that three UC Davis doctoral students – Victor Chimaway Lopez (Native American Studies), Stephen Eyman (Linguistics), and David Morales (History) – have been selected as 2024 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellows! The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) launched the program in 2023 with the support of the Mellon Foundation to advance a vision for doctoral education that prioritizes openness to new methods and sources, underrepresented voices and perspectives, and scholarly experimentation. The awards are designed to accelerate change in the norms of humanistic scholarship by recognizing those who take risks in the modes, methods, and subjects of their research. 

The ACLS used a rigorous, interdisciplinary peer review process to select the fellows, who represent a diverse range of research topics. Our scholars were chosen from a competitive pool of over 700 applicants from 125 U.S. universities, reflecting the prestige of this honor. 

Each fellow receives an award of up to $50,000, consisting of a $40,000 stipend for the fellowship year; up to $8,000 for project-related research, training, professional development, and travel expenses; and a $2,000 stipend to support external mentorship that offers new perspectives on the fellow’s project and expands their advising network. With fellows pursuing their research across the country and beyond, ACLS will also provide opportunities for virtual networking and scholarly programming throughout the fellows’ award terms. 

Congratulations to Victor, Stephen and David on this remarkable achievement!

Active Campus Alert

For more information visit: emergency.wvu.edu

• News and Events
• In the News

Writing Dissertation Retreat

Grad Ed and Life | Monday, April 29, 2024

Graduate Education and Life and the Eberly Writing Studio are hosting a week-long, in-person writing retreat to help doctoral students.

• Get a jump start on writing.
• Carve out a quiet and focused block of time to write.
• Learn tips such as time management and how to overcome writer's block.
• Get support from people who are experiencing the same challenges of competing demands.
• Devise a realistic schedule for writing after the retreat.

Limited space! RSVP by May 16 to Qazi Area Rahman at  [email protected] .

Academic Dissertations in the News

Phd student discovers previously unknown ancient egyptian cemetery, 5 july 2023.

Since 2022, the egyptologist, archeologist, and PhD candidate has been working with Princeton University and the Ministry of Antiques in Egypt on an excavation in Abydos. Here, she along with her team made the discovery of a previously unknown cemetery that could fundamentally change our understanding of the time period from which it’s from.

We had no idea that these burials were occurring at this site.” Smith-Sangster said. “That’s a really significant data point…for as much as we know, we still know very little. Read article at https://www.app.com/story/news/local/2023/07/05/princeton-student-discovers-egyptian-cemetery-emily-smith-sangster/70373706007/

PhD student solves a mysterious ancient Sanskrit text algorithm after 2,500 years

15 february 2023.

A Cambridge Ph.D. student has solved a grammatical problem that has befuddled Sanskrit scholars since the 5th century BC.

Pāṇini's  Aṣṭādhyāyī is an important work for understanding classical Sanskrit. But for centuries, a grammatical problem surrounding a meta-rule has risked readers misinterpreting the text.  R's original intention. By solving this grammatical problem, Rajpopat ishi Rajpopat, a Cambridge Ph.D. student, has solved the grammatical problem by rediscovering Pāṇinihas given modern scholars a fresh means to interpret and understand this wealth of human achievement. Read story at https://bigthink.com/the-past/ancient-sanskrit-text-algorithm-solved/

Advice for Completing a Thesis or Dissertation

1 january 2022.

Research on graduate students' experiences with writing a thesis or dissertation suggests many students aren’t always sure what to expect when they begin the process. Dr. Ken Oldfield, professor emeritus at the University of Illinois, Springfield, offers these strategies along with some tips on how to manage the process.

* Start early. * Choose your adviser wisely. * Choose your supervisory committee wisely. * Choose your topic…wisely. * Take notes. * Keep copies of everything. * Ask for help. * Just do it.

Read article at University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Top DeSantis official embraced critical race theory in dissertation

22 december 2021.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has called critical race theory a “Marxist” ideology that has no place in public schools. But a top official in his administration had previously taken a very different stance.

Eric Hall, who DeSantis recently appointed to head Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice, used critical race theory as the bedrock of his 2014 dissertation examining alternative schools.

Read story at Politico.com

Naomi Wolf wanted extra year-long embargo on controversial thesis

3 july 2021.

By Jack Grove for Times Higher Education.

Oxford rejected her request to delay release of error-strewn dissertation.

Naomi Wolf attempted to block the publication of her error-strewn doctoral thesis for a further year after submitting it to the University of Oxford’s digital archive more than five years late. According to internal emails seen by Times Higher Education, the American feminist requested an additional extension to embargo her D.Phil. dissertation after depositing it, alongside a lengthy corrections sheet, with Oxford’s research archive at the end of December 2020. Read more at Inside Higher Education

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K-State graduate students named Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation fellows

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

MANHATTAN — The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, has selected two Kansas State University graduate students as 2024 Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation fellows . Sachin Dhanda, doctoral student in agronomy, Hisar, India , and Chase Spears, doctoral student in leadership communication, Lansing , are two of only 15 students to receive the award. The $10,000 fellowships support active Phi Kappa Phi members in the dissertation writing stage of doctoral study. Dhanda and Spears were selected based on several criteria, including how the fellowship will contribute to the completion of the dissertation, the significance of original research and endorsement by the dissertation chair. "We are very excited for Sachin and Chase to receive the Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation fellowships," said Shawna Jordan, president of the K-State Phi Kappa Phi chapter. "They continue a legacy of students from Kansas State University receiving this fellowship to continue their education." Dhanda's dissertation research is focused on understanding the extent of multiple herbicide resistance among kochia populations across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Additionally, he will develop integrated weed management strategies for controlling herbicide-resistant kochia and Palmer amaranth in the no-till dryland production system. Vipan Kumar, assistant professor of agronomy, and Anita Dille, professor and assistant head of teaching in the department of agronomy, are Dhanda's co-advisors. Dhanda said their guidance has been crucial to his work. Dhanda has authored 15 peer-reviewed journal articles, four extension publications and 21 abstracts from scientific presentations, and he has delivered seven guest lectures. Additionally, he received a North-Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Graduate Student Grant to evaluate the potential of fall- and spring-seeded cover crops to manage herbicide-resistant weeds. At K-State, he is a teaching assistant for 300-level Weed Science and Soil Science courses. An active member in many professional and leadership activities, Dhanda serves as a student representative for the Western Society of Weed Science's Herbicide Resistant Plant Committee and a K-State Graduate Student Ambassador. He has served as secretary for the K-State Agronomy Graduate Student Association and the International Coordinating Council. Dhanda is a first-generation student, and he earned his bachelor's degree in agriculture from CCS Haryana Agricultural University in India. He holds a master's degree in agronomy from Punjab Agricultural University in India. "This prestigious fellowship not only recognizes the significance of my research in weed science but also underscores the importance of sustainable agriculture," Dhanda said. "I am grateful for Phi Kappa Phi's support, which will enable me to further advance agronomy and make a meaningful contribution to sustainable agricultural practices." Spears' research explores how the U.S. military violates its own rules through selectively applied apolitical norms that are enforced with greater weight than actual military policy and law. He has published peer-reviewed scholarship in the Public Relations Journal and Strategy Bridge as well as chapters in the books "Maintaining the High Ground: The Profession and Ethics in Large-scale Combat Operations" from Army University Press and "Internal Communication and Employee Engagement: A Case Study Approach" from Routledge. His commentary work has appeared around the nation in publications including The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Federalist and Military Times. Spears is a regular contributor to the online journal The American Mind, published by the Claremont Institute. He has also taught crisis communication and public relations courses at Spurgeon College in Kansas City, Missouri, as well as a classical composition course St. Giles Christian Academy in Leavenworth. An Army veteran, Spears earned his bachelor's degree from Lee University. He holds a Master of Military Art and Science degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, a master's in professional studies in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University and a master's in science in journalism from the University of Tennessee. Spears was an Army Public Affairs Fellow at Georgetown University. He has delivered guest lectures at the University of Florida, the U.S. Army SHARP Academy and U.S. Army Recruiting Command. His other honors include Best Paper on the 24th International Public Relations Research Conference Theme, Kansas City IABC KC Quill for Promotional Writing, Fort Leavenworth Ethics Symposium Award for Best Paper, Georgetown University Spirit of Public Relations Award, first place in the U.S. Army Forces Command Fourth Estate Awards for Television Spot Production and second place in the U.S. Army Forces Command Fourth Estate Awards for Television Reporting. "It is one thing to be told that your research is important," said Spears. "It's another thing entirely for an organization to invest tangibly in you as a scholar, as patrons have done for the arts throughout history. My family and I are tremendously grateful for the practical aspect of this funding, and I am deeply honored by the show of support for my work that being a Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation Fellow demonstrates."

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2024 Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation Fellows

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Books | How a French Ph.D. dissertation became a…

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Books | how a french ph.d. dissertation became a southern california beach read, after coming to study at ucla, paris-born elsa devienne spent years working on her book, 'sand rush: the revival of the beach in twentieth-century los angeles.'.

Originally from Paris, Elsa Devienne spent a year studying at UCLA in the late ‘00s. With a gig as a dog sitter in Santa Monica, she had affordable rent and the chance to visit the local beaches .

“I remember, first of all, being wowed by this incredible landscape, the beauty of the Pacific Ocean ,” Devienne, now based in Manchester, U.K., recalls on a recent video call. But she says the heavily built-up areas around the beaches “shocked” her. “You could find parking lots, freeways, houses, buildings.”

SEE ALSO : Sign up for our free Book Pages newsletter about bestsellers, authors and more

Devienne, who had never visited Los Angeles before her year at UCLA, was most perplexed by the parking lots that are ubiquitous along the otherwise gorgeous landscape: Who, she wondered, had envisioned the landscape this way – and why?

The winners of the Mr. Muscle Beach Contest in 1951. (Credit Los Angeles Herald Examiner Collection, University of Southern California Digital Library /Courtesy of Oxford University Press)

A parking lot built in 1950 on the newly expanded Venice Beach. (Credit California Coast Aug. 1950, Water Resources Collections & Archives, University of California, Riverside / Courtesy of Oxford University Press)

Employees of a real estate company do group calisthenics at Playa Del Rey in the 1920s. (Credit Fritz Burns Papers William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University / Courtesy of Oxford University Press)

Santa Monica Harbor as seen from above in 1949. (Credit Los Angeles City Archives / Courtesy of Oxford University Press)

The lack of facilities and popularity with teenagers caused some consternation of the beach lobby. (Credit California Coast Aug. 1950, Water Resources Collections & Archives, University of California, Riverside / Courtesy of Oxford University Press)

A scene from Muscle Beach, circa 1947. (Photo credit Los Angeles Daily News Negatives, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles / Courtesy of Oxford University Press)

Abbye “Pudgy” Stockton with her admirers at Muscle Beach, circa 1947. (Photo credit Los Angeles Daily News Negatives, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles / Courtesy of Oxford University Press)

A 1936 diagram from California Beaches Association for a project to develop the beach and highway along Santa Monica. (Credit Water Resources Collections & Archives, University of California, Riverside / Courtesy of Oxford University Press)

Historian Elsa Devienne is the author of “Sand Rush: The Revival of the Beach in Twentieth-Century Los Angeles,” out from Oxford University Press. (Courtesy of Oxford University Press)

Experiencing the sand first-hand

These questions launched her upon a years-long investigation into the history of the beaches that line the western edge of Los Angeles County. Originally researched for her Ph.D. dissertation at Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Devienne continued to work on the material, which was then translated by Troy J. Tice, for her nonfiction book, “Sand Rush: The Revival of the Beach in Twentieth-Century Los Angeles,” which is out May 1 on Oxford University Press.

The book tracks the development of the coastline from the 1920s – when the beaches ​w​ere more polluted and difficult to access – through the midcentury and beyond as a so-called “beach lobby” worked to develop, clean and expand the coastline, often with the goal of making it a bastion of the White middle-class. As well, Devienne examines the landscape from its real estate significance to its ascendance as a place to celebrate physical beauty.

However, as well as research, Devienne says it’s important to experience the landscape you’re writing about.

“You have to observe how people behave at the beach and who goes to what beach for what reason,” she says. For her year in L.A., Devienne immersed herself in the city. She took a class led by the historian Eric Avila at UCLA and worked with people who had been writing about the city for years. She spent time at Santa Monica Public Library , Santa Monica History Museum , Long Beach Historical Society and Los Angeles Public Library .

“I was a library rat,” she says, but talked to plenty of locals. “The lifeguards, surfers, people who hung out at the beach in the ‘60s, anybody who was ready to talk to me about beaches.”

She later returned to L.A., this time as a Fulbright Scholar for a six-month stint at USC, and interviewed Venice High School and Santa Monica High School alumni. She also took a deep dive into beach reading.

“I read some really, really interesting, funky, wonky, crazy, pornographic ‘50s books about the L.A. beach culture, which, in some cases, I was able to use in the book,” she says.

Devienne would return to Los Angeles again during her time teaching at Princeton. For that trip, she brought students and toured Malibu with them, using the Our Malibu Beaches app to locate entrances to the sand. It was a way of applying her research with people who were largely from the East Coast, where beaches can be harder to access than they are in California.

“That’s basically because the law about what part of the beach is public or private has been interpreted differently in different states,” Devienne explains. “In some states, this has been interpreted strictly and other states much more expansively. The main idea is that the beach that is always wet – that is covered by tide – should always be public, should always be accessible, but the part that is dry can be privatized.”

She adds that some states had more ambitious programs to buy back beaches than others. “In some places, like on the East Coast, there’s such a large history of implementation and establishment of settlements that it was very difficult to buy back the beaches,” says Devienne. “Because California has a history of the presence of Anglo Americans that is a bit less old, there were possibilities to buy back bigger lands that hadn’t yet been broken up into smaller properties.”

Throughout her research, Devienne traces a history of L.A.’s beach life filled with ironies. It’s a history steeped in making the coast accessible, yet marred by racist restrictions. While it’s a human-engineered landscape, the beach has also spawned environmentalist movements.

Climate change and the coastline

Devienne writes that local activism has led to beaches that are “cleaner, more accessible, and more inclusive than they have been in over a century,” but that, as a result of our changing climate, the beaches still face a precarious future.

“It’s so important to keep on pushing for these places to be accessible to all people, to be easily accessible. But also for them to continue existing,” says Devienne. “For this to happen, we need to continue pushing for climate change legislation, for reducing our carbon emissions.”

She adds, “Literally, this is a question of survival. My children could see the end of California beaches as we know them within their lifetime.”

SEE ALSO : Read Laylan Connelly’s coverage of Southern California’s beaches and coastline.

Ultimately, “Sand Rush” took a turn that Devienne didn’t anticipate when she began looking at L.A. beach history. “I didn’t realize when I started writing that this is how I would conclude it,” says Devienne of the discussion of climate change. “As I was writing, the scientific evidence became more and more clear that we could lose something so incredibly wonderful as a beach.”

Next up for Devienne is the history of beach cleanups. She came across the stories of women in Oregon and Texas who began organizing cleanups in the 1980s where volunteers categorized the trash that they found.

“That, for me, is an important chapter and milestone in the history of the anti-plastic movement, which I intend on writing about in my second book,” she says.

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Biostatistics Graduate Program

Shengxin tu dissertation defense – may 10.

Posted by duthip1 on Friday, April 26, 2024 in News .

PhD candidate Shengxin Tu will defend her dissertation on Friday, May 10, at 8 a.m. Central Time, at 2525 West End Avenue, in the 11th floor large conference room (suite 1100, room 11105). Her advisor is Bryan Shepherd . All are invited and encouraged to attend.

Rank-Based Analyses and Designs with Clustered Data

Clustered data are common in biomedical research. It is often of interest to evaluate the correlations within clusters and between variables with clustered data. Conventional approaches, including intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Pearson correlations, are commonly used in analyses with clustered data. However, these conventional approaches are sensitive to extreme values and skewness. They also depend on the scale of the data and are not applicable to ordered categorical data. In this dissertation, we define population parameters for the rank ICC and between- and within-cluster Spearman rank correlations. These definitions are natural extensions of the conventional correlations to the rank scale. We show that the total Spearman rank correlation approximates a weighted sum of between- and within-cluster Spearman rank correlations, with weights determined by the rank ICCs of the two random variables. We also describe estimation and inference for these four rank-based correlations, conduct simulations to evaluate the performance of our estimators, and illustrate their use with real data examples. Furthermore, we apply the rank ICC in the design of clustered randomized controlled trials (RCTs), proposing unified and simple sample size calculations for cluster RCTs with skewed or ordinal outcomes. Our calculation involves inflating the sample size for an adequately powered individual RCT for an ordinal outcome with a design effect that incorporates the rank ICC. For continuous outcomes, our calculation sets the number of distinct ordinal levels to the sample size. We show that with continuous data, our calculations closely approximate more complicated sample size calculations based on clustered Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. We conduct simulations to evaluate our calculations’ performance and illustrate their use in the design of two cluster RCTs, one with a skewed continuous outcome and a non-inferiority trial with an irregularly distributed count outcome.

Tags: clustered data , dissertation defense , RCTs , sample size calculations

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Cade Marcotte will defend his PhD thesis in August

Friday, April 26, 2024

Cade Marcotte will defend his PhD thesis in August, and has already accepted a plum academic job at   New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, ID, where he will be teaching, among other things, the history of physics.

Congratulations Cade and cheers to your upcoming PhD defense! 

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