This is a one day workshop for students in the final stages of writing up a doctoral thesis. It deals with tasks and issues important to finishing off a thesis, such as the difficulties of editing a large document and writing to deadlines.
The workshop covers:
- How to edit, formatting and proofreading the thesis
- Producing a detailed plan of what they have achieved and what they have left to do
- Create a timeline for a schedule of works
- Create a synopsis of their thesis so far
- Shed light on important procedural issues around submission and examination.
- How to talk about the thesis in the viva
Audience: Doctoral students in the 3rd year, or part-time equivalent of study. The workshop can be generic to all disciplines, or made more specific to a particular academic discipline. Participants are provided with a set of analytical tools aimed at analysing their own discipline’s standards and writing tasks suitable to all fields of study. Participants are also asked to bring example texts from their discipline to use in workshop exercises. The workshop can either be cross-disciplinary or have a STEM, Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences focus.
Mode of delivery: This is a workshop style event, requiring participants to work individually and in small groups, as well as to occasionally contribute to whole group discussions. Workshops are interactive and based on experiential and reflective learning models. The content is evidence based, drawing on linguistics, sociology and education research, and professional editing and proof-reading guidance. All activities are practical and directly relevant to writing a doctorate in the early stages of study. The workshop can be run for between 8 to 20 participants, ideally in a workshop/seminar room equipped with workshop tables.
Length and timings: The workshop is 1 day long, for example run from 10am – 4pm with 1 hour for lunch, and one 15 minute coffee break.
Resources: The tutor brings packs of interactive materials; participants should bring four pages of writing from their own thesis with which to practice editing. They should also bring copy of a research paper they have recently read, pens and paper, and a laptop, if they wish; the tutor provides a comprehensive workbook to the institution for printing prior to the workshop; a flipchart and pens or white board is also useful, though not essential.
Previous client(s): University of Glasgow, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Stirling, University of the Highlands and Island, Glasgow Caledonian University