Authoring a PhD

Lead-out materials, Thematics, Links forward
– a suggested
sequence for material needed to finish off a chapter (or a main sec-
tion) effectively. 
Lead-out materials
draw out the conclusions of a
piece of analysis and their implications. 
Thematics
link back from
this chapter to the opening chapter, and possibly to other preceding
chapters.
Links forward
connect this chapter to the next one in
sequence. [pp. 97–8]
Keep the faith
– at a late stage in your doctorate maintain confi-
dence and belief in what you have done in your research. Do not be
tempted to overextend or overprolong your research or to launch
out on brand new paths. Do not lightly abandon a major part of the
work you have done. Instead find a way of defining and framing
your research, consistent with the maxim 
You define the question, you
deliver the answer
. Be prepared to defend what you have done con-
vincingly in the 
final oral examination
. [pp. 221–2]

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main adviser
– the staff member who principally guides a PhD student
completing the dissertation in the 
taught PhD model
. The main adviser
is akin to the principal supervisor in the 
classical model PhD
, except that
the main adviser also forms part of the dissertation committee which
determines whether the student gains a doctorate or not. [pp. 8–9]
minor adviser
– a staff member who works with research students in
the
taught PhD model
, but less intensively than the 
main adviser
. Some
universities stipulate that the minor adviser comes from an area of the
discipline different from that which the student’s dissertation is in.
The minor adviser is a member of the 
dissertation committee
. [pp. 8–9]
G L O S S A R Y
◆
2 7 1
Less is more
– at the final draft stage of a thesis, finding economical
ways of expressing your arguments creates a more professional feel
for your text, especially getting rid of repetitions or thematic frag-
mentation (see the 
Say it once, say it right
maxim). This principle
should not be confused with a general style bias towards 
parsimony
,
which can sometimes improve your writing and sometimes make it
less accessible. [p. 208]