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University of Sunderland Library

Postgraduate Researcher Guide

How to write your thesis

This page contains hints and tips to help you write at a postgraduate level.

Prospects.ac.uk defines some of the various types of postgraduate research as follows:

"A PhD degree typically involves students independently conducting original and significant research in a specific field or subject, before producing a publication-worthy thesis."

"Geared towards students of vocational subjects such as medicine, education and engineering, Professional Doctorates are focused on teaching and so normally involve smaller research projects and thesis component."

"The PhD by publication route is often taken by mid-career academics that haven't had the opportunity to undertake a standard Doctorate degree.  [...] You must also provide a written supporting statement, which typically ranges from 5,000 to 15,000 words."

The common theme is the thesis or some kind of extended piece of writing.  

 

 

Using word for long documents

Resources

The library's Study Skills Guides cover a wide range of topics related to research, including this one which is specifically about Academic Writing.

Make sure you check Library Search for resources dedicated to postgraduate study.

Blogs are often a good (but sometimes biased!) place to read about writing strategies, how to cope with deadlines, and especially maintaining good mental health.  Blogs written by current PhD students can really resonate, and they're a fantastic source of inspiration while also showing how difficulties can be overcome.  It is also good sometimes to see other people having the same concerns and struggles as you.  A Happy PhD and The Thesis Whisperer are some good examples.

Look for advice from organisations such as Times Higher Education.  This Step-by-Step Guide is really useful. 

 

Making your thesis accessible to add to SURE

Planning for accessibility is important as your thesis will be open access on SURE once you have graduated. This means that your work can be accessible to a range of readers without barriers. 

  1. Make sure your doument has a clear structure (use headings and paragraphs)
  2. Provide alt-text for images, graphs, shapes...
  3. If using a tables make sure they are accessible/
  4. Check the document language is set properly
  5. Use Microsoft Word accessiblity checker as you write your thesis. 
  6. Convert your Word document to PDF. 

The Open University has a great guide on how to create an accessible eThesis which explores in more details the points above.