Authoring a PhD Thesis How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Dissertation by Patrick Dunleavy

the same structural information as the text box below, but in

a more diagrammatic form. It illustrates the general point that

having a clearly recognizable and standard set of headings

across the thesis as a whole is perfectly compatible with having

chapter structures which flexibly adapt to the demands of

organizing different kinds of text.

ORGANIZING A CHAPTER OR PAPER◆ 101

CHAPTER 2: TITLE

Opening paragraphs – from 1 to 5
Last paragraph signposts the section structure

2.1: SECTION HEADING 1st order
Opening 1 or 2 paragraphs signpost subsections
Subsection heading 2nd order
Opening paragraph, main body, closing paragraph
Subsection heading 2nd order
Opening paragraph, main body, closing paragraph

2.2: SECTION HEADING 1st order
Lead-in paragraphs signpost groupings of
paragraphs
Grouped paragraphs headingleads into text, with 3rd order
wrap paragraph at the end
Grouped paragraphs headingleads into text, with 3rd order
wrap paragraph at the end
Grouped paragraphs headingleads into text, with 3rd order
wrap paragraph at the end

2.3: SECTION HEADING 1st order
Opening paragraph, main body of text,
closing paragraph

CONCLUSIONS 2nd order
First paragraph (or part) summarizes across
sections
Closing paragraph (or part) points forward to the
next chapter