Writing a Watertight Thesis: Structure, Demystification and Defence

Writing a doctoral thesis can be an arduous and confusing process. Writing a Watertight Thesis helps you to demystify many doctoral concerns and provides a clear framework for developing a sound structure for your thesis, making your thesis watertight, clear, and defensible. Now with the added experience of Mark A. Fabrizi, the authors draw on their extensive experience of supervising and examining numerous doctorates from an internationally diverse and multicultural student body around the world, including in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the USA. The chapters on preparing a research proposal, the viva process, and developing publishable articles out of your thesis have all been updated, and new chapters have been added to demystifying common concerns: Do I have what it takes to do a doctorate? What is doctoral originality? Is my work of doctoral quality? What kind of relationship should I cultivate with my supervisor/advisors? Throughout the book you'll find examples showcasing central research questions and the sub-research questions derived from them, descriptions of different ways that doctoral students have achieved success, and exercises that will enable you to apply what you are reading directly to your own thesis.

Table of Contents:
Preface to the Second Edition Part I: Getting Ready 1. The Need for a Watertight Thesis 2. Demystifying the Doctoral Process 3. What Does It Take to Complete a Doctorate? 4. Making Sure That Your Doctorate is Original 5. Structuring Your Doctoral Proposal Part II: Moving into the Doctorate 6. The Supervisory Relationship: Roles, Models and Mystification 7. Change and Problem-Solving in the Supervisory Relationship 8. Structuring in the Early Stages 9. Focusing on the Major Research Question 10. Creating Your Research Sub-Questions Part III: Moving through the Doctorate 11. Linking the Research Sub-Questions to the Thesis Chapters 12. Making the Early Chapters Watertight 13. Judging the Doctoral Quality of Your Work 14. Making the Middle Chapters Watertight 15. Making the Later Chapters Watertight Part IV: Moving out of the Doctorate 16. The Examiners' Need for Structural Clarity 17. Preparing for the Summative Viva - and After 18. Structuring and Publishing Your First Articles References Index

About the Author :
Mike Bottery is Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Hull, UK. Nigel Wright is Lecturer in Education at the University of Hull, UK. Mark A. Fabrizi is Associate Professor of English Education at Eastern Connecticut State University, USA.

Review :
A matchless guide to undertaking a doctorate that charts the doctoral journey with the voice of experience and demystifies the arcane. This impressively accessible commentary constitutes an essential primer for any doctoral aspirant seeking to create a watertight thesis and keep the venture afloat on an even keel. I strongly suggest that doctoral students read Writing a Watertight Thesis. The wisdom and the experience of the authors helped me, a beginning researcher, to write a watertight thesis, leading me to a successful research and writing career. The authors provide valuable guidance on questions doctoral candidates might ask and the roles that mentors might play to demystify the thesis/dissertation process. Through examinations of concurrent and consecutive curricular models for graduate studies, student-mentor relationships, and qualifications frameworks across nations, this text would well support the reader's research journey. Producing a doctoral thesis which will satisfy examiners is a challenging task. This new edition continues with the idea of writing a 'watertight' thesis by examining the notion of originality to make this goal less daunting and indeed the book succeeds in making all the tacit processes associated with doctoral success clear and explicit. It will prove invaluable to both students and supervisors.