For a researcher pursuing his PhD studies, working on a PhD thesis is the most challenging task. Basically, this piece of academic writing is the cornerstone of his career and decides many things about his future. A dissertation presents mostly the writer’s research in written words and gives the arguments on the research problem. This most important document is usually written after the completion of a research study and should possess some characteristics.
Do you know about the characteristics of a good PhD thesis? Writing all the chapters in true format is too obvious a characteristic to say. There is much more to the characteristics of a good dissertation. In this article, I am going to unpack all those characteristics and explain what a properly written thesis looks like. So, let’s get started with our topic straight away.
Characteristics of a good PhD dissertation
A PhD dissertation is a final academic document that you submit as part of your doctorate studies. Once submitted and approved, you are able to get the degree and step into professional life. Over a couple of years, an increase in the number of students failing the dissertations have been seen. The primary reason behind their failure is the lack of fulfilment of the characteristics of a PhD thesis. Hence, a brief description of the characteristics is as follows:
1. Original, clear, and coherent in meaning
An outstanding dissertation is one which is original in its ideas. At PhD level, there is no room for plagiarism or stealing the content of others. Your research should be original, and all the ideas in the dissertation must belong to you. Along with the originality of the ideas, your dissertation must be clear in explaining its meaning to the readers. All the information in it should be centred on the main topic and coherent. Hence, the first characteristic is originality, clarity, and coherence of the ideas.
2. Very well written and organised
A good PhD thesis is an organised thesis. Being a lengthy and arduous writing task, it may give you some nightmares. Such tensions sometimes lead to the poor organisation of the ideas, which ultimately affects the quality of your PhD thesis. Therefore, the second characteristic of a dissertation is that it should be organised. As far as the well writing is concerned, it means that your dissertation must be written following the guidelines provided by the teacher. There must be proper references, citations, footnotes etc., in it.
3. Interdisciplinary
The next characteristic of a good PhD thesis is that it is interdisciplinary. It means that it utilises the techniques of other disciplines, too, whether in the data collection process or in the data analysis. Why is interdisciplinary research important in PhD? The answer to this question is simple. As a PhD researcher works on problems that are huge and requires detailed research, it becomes important to utilise the methods used in other disciplines. Interdisciplinary research answers the research problem more comprehensively and helps the reader understand.
4. Clearly states the importance of the research problem
A good PhD thesis clearly states the importance of the research problem. It describes why this problem is important and what consequences humanity can suffer if not researched and looked into properly. In addition to this. By describing the importance of the problem at hand, you actually enhance the understanding of your reader. The more the reader learns, the more successful your dissertation is going to be. Hence, discuss the importance of the research problem in your dissertation. If you cannot find data on this, hire a PhD dissertation help. Such help can craft you good importance of the research problem section.
5. Arguments are focused and logical
A PhD dissertation is more focused and logical than other level dissertations. Being the most important document, it must contain arguments that are focused on the research problem and also logical. Giving poor and evidenceless arguments is not the way to go because such arguments undermine the quality of your PhD thesis.
6. Utilises updated research methods
Researching a topic using old-fashioned and traditional methods does not create much impact and is not characteristic of a good dissertation. A good dissertation is what exercises the updated research methods and techniques. It also utilises new data analysis tools to effectively look for the patterns and themes in the collected data.
Conclusion
Overall, writing a good PhD thesis is not a child’s play. Your dissertation must be filled with quality and original ideas. There must be clarity in the sentences and coherence too. I have listed the top 6 characteristics of good PhD research. It does not mean that there are only six characteristics. There are many others that you can look for on the internet. So, learn them and craft a perfect PhD dissertation.
