Thesis writing - if you’re not doing THIS, your examiner won’t like it!
When it comes to writing your thesis, there’s something you need to do - which most students DON’T do - and your examiner will love you for it.
You’ve got to state the obvious.
You’ve got to lay out the simple stuff before you get all fancy.
When writing up their dissertations, PhD students are often way too quick to dive right into the complexity, straight for the detail. But just hold on a minute, and take the time to lead into it, to set the context, to actually take the reader i.e., your examiner – on a journey.
In this blogpost, I’m going to walk you through how to do that in some of the key chapters of your thesis – Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology.
But before we do, let me introduce myself – if we’ve not met before I’m Dr Elizabeth Yardley and I help PhD students get out of their own way and finish their doctorates.
One of the really common things they do to get in their own way is to write in a way that assumes a lot of knowledge on the part of the reader. You’ve got to stop that.
And yes - there is a balance to be struck between making things too simple and sounding patronising and demeaning to your reader, and being overly technical and jargony and jumping straight into the complicated stuff and confusing your reader.
Let’s see if we can get that balance right here. Starting with the Introduction chapter.
Introduction Chapter
This is where a lot of PhD students trip up right from the start. They assume that because their research is so well-known to them, it must be obvious to everyone else, especially an expert in the field like your examiner. BUT - your examiner doesn’t know your research like you do. They’re coming to it fresh, and you need to guide them into it like you would guide a guest into your home – warmly, openly, and with a clear sense of where things are.
Key questions to ask yourself for the introduction:
What’s the broader context of my research? Before diving into the details, you need to explain the bigger picture. Ask yourself: What field does my research sit in, and why does it matter?
Have I made the problem or gap crystal clear? One of the biggest mistakes is assuming the problem is obvious. Ask: Have I clearly stated the issue or gap that my research is addressing?
Are my research questions clearly linked to this gap? Your research questions should flow logically from the gap you've identified. Ask: Have I explained why these are the right questions to answer?
Sentence templates for the introduction:
"The key issue that this study addresses is __________."
"While previous research has focused on __________, this study will explore __________."
"The research questions guiding this study are: __________."
These sentence starters will help you keep your writing clear and concise, while ensuring that your examiner is with you from the very start.
Let’s look at an example for social sciences students:
If your research is about the promotion process within police forces, you might start by writing:
"The promotion process in police forces plays a crucial role in shaping leadership and operational effectiveness, yet little research has explored how this process affects officer morale and career progression. While existing studies have focused on factors like job performance and tenure, there has been limited attention given to the perceptions of fairness and transparency in promotion criteria. This study addresses this gap by investigating how officers perceive the promotion process, and how these perceptions influence their job satisfaction and career aspirations."
Notice how this highlights the gap (limited research on fairness and transparency in promotions) and leads into the study’s focus, keeping it clear and relevant to the broader context.
Now, onto the Literature Review.
Literature Review
This is the chapter where you really could lose your reader if you’re not careful. It’s tempting to think, “I’ve read all this stuff, so now I need to show the examiner everything I’ve read!” That’s not the goal of the Literature Review. It’s not about demonstrating how many articles or books you’ve consumed – it’s about demonstrating how well you understand the field and the conversation that’s happening within it.
Key questions to ask yourself for the literature review:
What’s the story I’m telling here? Your literature review should guide your reader through key debates. Ask yourself: Does this have a logical flow? Am I leading my examiner from one idea to the next?
Have I been selective enough? Don’t just dump everything you’ve read. Ask: Am I only including the most relevant studies that directly support my argument?
Am I highlighting the gap? You need to clearly show how the existing literature doesn’t quite cover what you’re about to research. Ask: Have I made it clear how my research will contribute something new?
Sentence templates for the literature review:
"Previous research has focused on __________, but has largely overlooked __________."
"The current study builds on the work of __________ by addressing __________."
"While the findings of __________ suggest __________, there is still a lack of research on __________."
Suppose you’re reviewing the literature on leadership styles in corporate environments. You might write:
"While existing studies on leadership have predominantly focused on transformational and transactional styles, there has been little attention paid to how these styles function in remote work environments. This study aims to fill that gap by exploring the impact of leadership in remote teams."
See how this keeps it simple, highlights the gap, and links clearly to your study.
Now, let’s talk about the Methodology chapter.
Methodology
This one can be a real stumbling block for PhD students because it’s often hard to strike the right balance between detail and clarity. You want to explain your methods thoroughly – why you chose them, how you implemented them, and how they help answer your research questions – but you also don’t want to drown your examiner in an ocean of technical jargon.
Key questions to ask yourself for the methodology:
Why did I choose these methods? Your choices need to be justified. Ask: Have I clearly explained why this approach is the best way to answer my research questions?
How do my methods address the research questions? You need to show a clear link between method and question. Ask: Am I explaining how this method will get the information I need?
Have I acknowledged the limitations? Every method has limitations. Ask: Have I been upfront about the potential weaknesses of my approach and how I’ve addressed them?
Sentence templates for the methodology:
"This study uses __________ because it allows for __________."
"A qualitative/quantitative approach was selected to __________."
"One limitation of this approach is __________, but this was addressed by __________."
Let’s say you’re doing interviews to explore people's experiences with online education. You could write:
"This study adopts a qualitative approach, conducting in-depth interviews with students. This method allows for the collection of rich, detailed data on their personal experiences. While qualitative methods can be subjective, this limitation was mitigated by triangulating interview data with survey results."
Again, clear, direct, and easy to follow.
I hope this will help you bring some clarity to your writing, and get out of the complexity hole if you’ve fallen down it.
If you’ve enjoyed this blogpost, and feel it’s helped you get clearer about writing up your thesis, why not actually start writing up now?! I have a whole host of planners and guides to help you with that process, so check out my PhD Survival Guide series, in which I walk you through writing up your PhD, one chapter at a time. Click the image below to learn more!
