Authoring a PhD

second-order heading
– the heading for a subsection, inside a main
section of a chapter or paper. It is less prominent in terms of font and
placing than a 
first-order heading
. [pp. 77–92]
shelf-bending research
– produces a text that is read by only a hand-
ful of people. The work sits on a shelf, and over a period of years its
only real-world effect is to slowly bend the shelf in a minuscule way.
Because it is not published the research does not feed into broader pro-
fessional debates in any way, and normally cannot be referenced or
consulted by other authors. The two biggest categories of shelf-bending
work are PhD theses sitting in university libraries, and applied research
reports produced by academics or consultants for government agencies
or companies. [pp. 12–13]
signposts
– elements in the main text which point forward to the
structure of a chapter or a main section. Signposts are always very brief
and indicate strictly the sequence of topics to be handled. They should
not summarize the substantive argument or be miniature advance
guidebooks for your analysis or conclusions. [pp. 95–7]