Writing Your Doctoral Thesis: Guide for Physics Grad

Introduction

At this stage you have performed your doctoral research, maybe published (or are about to publish) a paper or two, and may have presented your work at a physics conference. It’s time to finish this part of your life. Before you can graduate, however, you must complete two final obstacles: writing your thesis (dissertation) and defending it. This chapter focuses on writing your doctoral thesis.

Scope and focus

You and your advisor should have narrowed down the main points to cover in your thesis. It is common to have done more during graduate research than you will include. Early in your research you may have explored several areas, but your thesis must present a coherent body of work you accomplished that is novel. Be clear with your advisor about what to include and what to omit.

If you have already published in a peer-reviewed journal, the material in that paper will usually be part of your thesis.

Organizing your writing

Once you and your advisor have agreed on the general scope, organize your thoughts and decide what to write. If you’ve published papers, you already have practice: identify the central points you want to convey and write as clearly and directly as possible. Keep in mind that your thesis committee may include members from other fields or departments, so include background explanations appropriate for a mixed audience.

Formatting and institutional requirements

Before you begin the main writing, gather two key resources:

• Your institution’s thesis guidelines (usually available from the graduate program)
• Copies of approved theses from your department

Read the guidelines carefully. They will specify:

• thesis formatting and typesetting requirements
• the required order and structure of sections
• committee and submission procedures

Pay attention to figure rules, captions, bibliography format, and section titles. Many schools provide ready-made templates for common word processors or TeX editors; use them if available. Your advisor may also provide an already-approved thesis as a model. Do not treat formatting as trivial: examiners can reject improperly formatted theses and delay your graduation. Many programs also offer a short briefing or individual meetings for students planning to submit in a given semester—attend those sessions.

Length and level of detail

Thesis length is subjective. Some advisors don’t care; others set strict limits (for example, 150 pages). The thesis should be as long as it needs to be: don’t ramble, but include the essential details—these are often the parts no one else has worked on.

Deadlines and scheduling

Pay close attention to your school’s deadlines if you want to graduate in a specific term. Work backward from the graduate program’s published submission deadline and build in buffers:

• Move the published deadline two weeks earlier as your target for final submission. This gives time for unexpected formatting or administrative issues.
• Plan an initial examination meeting with the thesis examiner about four weeks before the published deadline. Expect some revisions from that meeting.
• Allow at least two weeks after those revisions to prepare your final submission.

In practice, if you want your thesis ‘completed’ (i.e., incorporating defense comments and approved by the committee) four weeks before the hard deadline, you must hold your thesis defense earlier. Schedule the defense at least two months before the graduate-school hard deadline (I recommend a bit longer). This gives time to incorporate defense comments, circulate the revised thesis to committee members, receive further comments, and obtain final approval.

Committee members generally need to have your thesis in hand at least one week before you call the defense. Because finding a suitable defense date can be difficult, contact committee members well in advance and plan accordingly. Knowing these dates will guide when you must finish your writing and how quickly you must work.

Advisor involvement and authorship

Depending on how involved your advisor wants to be, they may ask to see drafts as you write. Regular consultation can reduce major revisions later, especially if you and your advisor have different expectations. That said, the thesis should be your work; do not expect your advisor or others to write sections for you.

Time management and well-being

Use this guide to plan your time realistically. The last thing you want is severe sleep deprivation because you misjudged the work left to do. Give yourself ample time for writing, revisions, and administrative steps.

Figures and color

(*) How figures are handled can be a major headache. Many thesis requirements do not allow color figures in the archival copy because theses are archived as microfilm, which destroys color. Some schools allow two versions: a color version for department/library distribution and a black-and-white version for microfilm/archive. Check your program’s specific rules and plan accordingly.