PhD Thesis by Publication - Notes

Note

These notes are based on a presentation I received at the Institute I currently work at, based at Monash University, Australia. Most people at my institute also do a thesis by publication, so this is from that POV.

Thesis by Publication:

• Thesis must reflect a sustained and cohesive theme with framing text linking chapter / papers / manuscripts
• It is unlikely that your assessor will read the entire thesis in one sitting - so make sure you orient the research assessor at the very start of your thesis, and also throughout the chapters that you have compiled together
• All theses must use approved thesis preliminary pages ¹
• At this point, generative AI is a thing - so you need to acknowledge this as part of your thesis (if you’ve used this)
• The whole point of the thesis is to show that you have come of age as an independent reseracher. Introduction, linking text and conclusion should reflect this.

¹ Monash Specific Requirement

Authorship

• There is no set number of publications, but usually in public health, 4 - 5 original research works, but atleast 1 needs to have been published, the rest, submitted (not necessarily accepted)
• But this is up to the professional judgement of who’s reading your theses
• How research fudning works in Australia is looking at your top 10 publications, so quality vs quantity - aim for high impact journals.
• Papers thata are submitted should have a substantial contribution from you (at least 50%)
• Other papers that are minor contributions should be kept in a minimum. You can still put them in though if they contribute to the narrative, or you can just chuck them into the appendix.

Extra Things (Sans Submitted Publications)

• General Introduction
• Integrative Discussion with Conclusion
• Future directions of the research

Other Notes

• Integrative discussion: needs to tie everything together, can be relatively brief, and should not repeat what youve said in your original individual papers

Chapter 1 : General Introduction

• Use your lit review to orient the reader to the thesis topic and why your reserach is significant
• Outline why your research is significant
• Hypothesis and aims should be clearly stated

Chapter X : Integrated Discussion with a Conclusion

• Should provide a link between your project outcomes and highlight their significance
• Avoid repeating the discussion points in your indiviudal papers
• Instead summarise your studiesa nd then provide a more ‘overarching’ discussion

What Are Assessors Assessing?

• Whether the student makes and original and substantial contribution to the discipline or area of professional practice
• Critically reflect on, and engage with complex ideas to create new knowedlege and understanding
• Thesis presentation is appropriate (language, form etc.)

Post PhD

• Don’t forget about what you want to do post PhD!!