How to write a thesis topic chapter?¶
Topic chapters present the key units of work completed as part of your PhD. Each topic should build upon the previous chapter in some way fleshing out your research. If you have published throughout your PhD, then the topic chapters will loosely map to conference or journal publications. In some cases, a journal article will contain sufficient content for multiple chapters.
How do you select the topic chapters?¶
A typical PhD organises into three themes of research that make up the thesis. For a Software Engineering thesis use the following themes as a rough guide for your chapters: a) an empirical investigation of a phenomena, b) develop a solution or intervention (tool, technique, or artefact) and c) user acceptance evaluations. Each PhD is different so use the structure above as a starting point. In my own PhD the chapters were 1) a description of a technical domain model (theory), 2) a new methodology for creating meta-models (solution), 3) a descriptive chapter for a new tool for generating mobile apps (solution), and 4) a user evaluation of the tool (evaluation). Add additional chapters as required to best present your research. My PhD is available online 1.
What goes in a topic chapter?¶
The topic chapter presents a single theme of research in the context of your overall thesis. Links between chapters help set the context and show the reader where you fit in. As you write your PhD, aim to limit the backward references between chapters as the reader often needs to turn multiple pages. When you cite previous sections summarise what was included there and refer to the reader where they can find more information. A topic chapter can include the same sections as a paper; background, related work, methodology, results, conclusion and introduction.
Guidelines for writing a topic chapter¶
Contextualise the topic chapter in the introduction¶
In the introduction of your topic chapter restate the research question that you will focus on and summarise the contents of the chapter. The introduction should refer to the previous chapter’s conclusion and provide a link back to the thesis introduction. Use the introduction of the chapter as a signpost to orient the reader where they are in your thesis, what has been covered and what you will present next. Remember to state the chapters conclusions and contributions in case the reviewers feel like a quick skim.
Scope the topic chapter in the conclusion¶
The conclusion of the topic chapter should summarise what was covered in the chapter and indicate what is to come in future chapters. This helps guide the reader where they are in your thesis. In the conclusion, also wrap up the chapter by referring to the chapter introduction and restating the contributions of the chapter. Unresolved areas of work discussed in the conclusion are items that can be picked up in the following chapter’s introduction.
Present the research and findings¶
In a thesis you have space to properly describe and present your findings without needing to adhere to page limits. Take this opportunity to include figures and tables that were cut from publications and add the extra explanations that are required. When writing these middle paragraphs keep in mind the overall research objectives presented in the thesis introduction. Introducing multiple motivating examples in each chapter is difficult to follow, in a thesis a single motivating example that is expanded and elaborated in the topic chapters is easier to follow.
Guide the reader through your thesis¶
A key piece of advice when writing is to first tell the reader what you are going to say (introduction), tell the reader what you have to say (middle paragraphs), and then tell the reader what you said in a summary (conclusion). This advice applies to structuring a topic chapter and also structuring the overall thesis. The goal of the thesis is to guide the reviewers through the chapters without them losing sight of the overall research. Remember when writing a thesis 1) start early, 2) seek frequent feedback, and 3) avoid perfection.