Authoring a PhD

descriptive structure
– a way of organizing a piece of text by present-
ing the materials in a sequence given outside the author or fixed exter-
nally – for instance, following a chronology or narrative sequence; a
‘guidebook’ pattern; a sequence in which the author accessed materi-
als; or a random, ‘shopping list’ approach. [pp. 63–8]
dissertation
– the final stage of a PhD in the 
taught PhD model
, a long
and connected piece of text setting out an original analysis. More 
generally I use dissertation and PhD thesis interchangeably.
dissertation committee
– a set of four, or five or more academics who
oversee a research student in the dissertation stage of the 
taught PhD
model
. The committee always includes the student’s 
main adviser
and
minor adviser
plus other senior staff who do not work closely with the
student. The committee members read the student’s work at several
stages, but especially carefully when the dissertation is complete, and
they conduct the 
dissertation defence
or
final oral examination
. Normally
a dissertation cannot be accepted without either all members of the
committee agreeing, or without all bar one member agreeing. [pp. 5–15]