phd submission warwick

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Sharing PhD experiences across the University of Warwick and beyond

10 tips towards PhD thesis submission

The last few miles are sometimes the hardest part of the journey. In our new post, Salma shares her tips on acing the PhD thesis submission…

I recently submitted my full draft thesis to my three supervisors to check. Prior to that each chapter had been checked by at least one supervisor, and at least two revisions had been made to each chapter. However, this still felt like a huge milestone. I was however expecting to be over the moon; however to be completely honest, I feel lost without my thesis. My daughter also started her first full day at nursery on the same day; and the ‘loss’ of both the thesis and my daughter felt a little overwhelming, and I suddenly realised that letting go was not as easy as I had envisaged. However, the past few months have been hard work, and I thought I’d share with you a few key things that helped me reach this stage:

• Create a thesis submission plan for each chapter and the thesis. Print a copy for yourself and send one to your supervisors too. This way you are all on the same page about when to submit each draft chapter and the full draft thesis. The following template may help you create a submission plan.
• Choose a reference management software – Ideally you want to use a reference management software to cite references, because this will automatically generate your reference list, and will also automatically allocate a,b,c to references from the same author/s in the same year. I used Mendeley, and as some of you may know, I am a huge fan of Mendeley (more here ), but you could use other reference management software too (such as Zotero, EndNote). I was worried that Mendeley may let me down when I placed all the chapters together into one document, but it worked beautifully thankfully.
• Choose a referencing style and stick to it – Choose a referencing style ideally prior to writing up the chapters and stick to it. I changed referencing styles about 3-4 times in the writing up stage, which meant at the end I had to edit and change the style for most chapters. This was a lot easier to do because I used Mendeley (a reference management software), but it would have been much easier if I had not changed my mind.
• Use a fast computer/laptop – This will really help you, especially if you are using reference management software too. I find technical glitches very frustrating, and these are common especially when you are working on a large document in Word. Thankfully I did not have any problems, but my Computer Spec is fast (16BG RAM, Windows 74 bit, and a SSD Hard drive).

• Check your university guidelines for formatting and submission – Here at Warwick, we have a submission guideline document , which contains all the details about when you can submit, how you submit, length of the thesis, details of viva, and also the formatting of the thesis. The thesis has to be double spaced for example, but it can be in any font, and each page has to be numbered in a specific format.
• Create a master template for the thesis – This means that create a ‘style set’ for your thesis, ideally before you start writing up. If all your chapters are using the same ‘style set’ and page layout, then when you bring together all your chapters into one document, it’ll be much easier to format the document.
• Allocate sufficient time for formatting – Formatting the complete document when it is all put together will take time, and I would allocate at least 1-2 weeks just for formatting. You will also need to add contents pages, list of tables, list of figures etc. It is up to you how well you format the document. For example, if you want your Tables to match the chapter number (for example the 1 st Table in Chapter 3 would be Table 3.1), I found this guide useful . I also obsessed a little over which fonts to use, and I found this post at the thesiswhisperer blog useful in helping me decide which to use. I also found it extremely helpful to look at other theses in my department, and see how they were formatted (see WRAP ). The graduate school were also very helpful in replying to my queries (email [email protected] ) .
• Allocate at least a month for proofreading – Do not underestimate how long it takes to proof read each chapter of the thesis. I printed copies off, visited different cafes, and read out loud each chapter to spot mistakes. Each chapter does require at least 2-3 checks, so I would say allocate ideally a month to proofread and edit your chapter. I still need to more proofreading before final submission.
• Treat yourself – You’ve worked hard; you deserve a treat. Each chapter you write/proofread/edit, treat yourself to something nice. For me that was usually cake, but I also splashed out on a leather rucksack towards the end.

Have you recently submitted? Do you have any advice/suggestions? I would love to hear from you.

Salma Patel is  a doctoral researcher at the University of Warwick, with a primary research interest in digital engagement and participation in healthcare. She has a background in computing, web design, education, librarianship and management. She blogs on her  own   website  and others, and you can  follow her on   Twitter .

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6 thoughts on “ 10 tips towards phd thesis submission ”.

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I really like where it says to read your thesis out loud to proofread it. When you read something in just your mind, your brain will skip over mistakes by assuming they’re correct. But, reading them aloud allows you to focus on each word, making it easier to catch mistakes.

All in all this article provides great tips for completing a Ph.D. thesis. In the interest of helping out more students, I have linked more articles to this comment which provide more tips to help students who might need some help writing a thesis.

http://www.nextscientist.com/writers-block-phd-students/

https://www.labfolder.com/blog/7-tips-to-completing-your-doctoral-thesis/

https://www.elisagenie.com/2017/01/04/11-awesome-phd-thesis-writing-tips/

Thanks Nick! – Sofia

Thanks for providing the instructions regarding the thesis submission. After completing thesis, the last and final step is thesis proofreading or thesis editing i.e. require more concentration. Because of it contains the grammatical mistakes, phrases, sentences correctional. I usually hire a professional to proofread my English documents.

Hi, so glad you found the post useful. Having someone to proofread your thesis is extremely useful, especially if you are not writing in your native language. -Jessica

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Our Doctoral Courses

Undertaking a doctorate is an exciting and ambitious decision. Our DBA and MRes/PhD programmes provide s an environment in which you can flourish, develop as an independent researcher, contribute to academic debates and society. At WBS you can expect to be constantly challenged by new ideas, rigorous critical thinking, international perspectives, and making a positive societal impact. The WBS community is built for the Change Makers and our aim is to prepare you for a successful and rewarding academic career.

Our PhD courses will enable you to experience independent thinking in a world-class interdisciplinary environment allowing you to develop and deepen your chosen area of research. We value our doctoral researchers and aim to attract students from across the globe who are independent thinkers, restless to learn more and challenge themselves.

The DBA is equivalent in stature to a PhD, but distinct in that you pursue applied research rather than theoretical knowledge. The goal of the DBA is to design organisational interventions which help address real world challenges, and then to evaluate, assess and test the effectiveness of those interventions, and to communicate the findings so that both the world of practice and the world of research can benefit.

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With its excellent faculty expertise, WBS provided me with the opportunity to explore my research interests further and work with people of a similar mind-set." Yazhou He Presidential Fellow, Alliance Manchester Business School, PhD Finance (2013-2017)

The wide array of research interests at WBS means that there is always someone to offer academic help and support to me and my work." David Felstead PhD Business & Management (2014 - 2019)

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Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

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Our PhD by Published Work is open to individuals who have already undertaken a portfolio of published research to the standard of a PhD. Warwick Medical School is home to outstanding expertise with guidance from an academic adviser you will complete and present your published work.

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Our PhD by Published Work is open to individuals who have already undertaken a portfolio of published research to the standard of a PhD. An academic advisor will provide guidance on the presentation of your published work.

Your submission should include further contextual information regarding the publications including but not limited to the profile of journals that articles have been published in the number of citations and their significance to the field.

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2024 Q&A with the Neuroscience PhD Program graduates

2024 commencement. Back (L to R): Julian Bieber-Dishart, Marisa Denkinger, Katie Cording, Jacob Ziontz. Front: Xue Lily Gong, Hayley Bounds, Erin Aisenberg, Madeline Klinger, Professor Frédéric Theunissen. Photo by  GradImages

Congratulations to our recent and upcoming Neuroscience PhD Program graduates: Matthew Davis, Erin Aisenberg, Katie Cording, Marisa Denkinger, Julian Bieber-Dishart, Xue Lily Gong, Madeline Klinger, Sylvia Madhow, Hayley Bounds, and Jacob Ziontz!

Read our Q&A below with some of the graduates to learn about their most interesting discoveries, future plans, and words of advice.

Erin Aisenberg, Bateup lab

Thesis: Elucidating a Novel Peptidergic Circuit in the Nucleus Accumbens Medial Shell

What is the most interesting thing you discovered in your research here.

When I set out on my project I was interested in looking at the role of GRP-GRPR (gastrin-releasing peptide-GRP receptor) signaling in the nucleus accumbens medial shell. However, as I was doing so, I discovered that the receptor-expressing cells represented a novel subpopulation of striatal projection neurons that had previously never been classified with unique electrophysiological properties.

What are you doing next?

I will be staying on as a postdoc in the Bateup lab to finish my paper.

Do you have any advice for incoming or current students?

There is always going to be more to do, so make sure to set boundaries and take time away from the lab. Also, you will fail a lot during your PhD, so try not to be too hard on yourself.

Julian Bieber-Dishart, Dillin lab

Thesis: olfaction regulates peripheral mitophagy and mitochondrial function .

We were fascinated to learn that the olfactory nervous system instructs peripheral tissues to perform mitophagy, limiting mitochondrial iron stores from invading pathogens, and conferring a pathogen resistance phenotype. Altogether, our research shows that the olfactory nervous system evolved to anticipate pathogenic infection, and prime the organism to withstand pathogenic insult.

I'll be venturing into the intellectual property law field.

Take advantage of the wide world of UC Berkeley! Explore classes outside of neuroscience and in other schools, and attend career panels. You never know what might interest you.

Hayley Bounds, Adesnik lab  

Thesis: causally connecting cortical codes to visual perception.

I used new 2-photon optogenetics to target and activate individual neurons in the brain while mice performed a visual task. I learned that the neurons that we thought would be the most involved in allowing mice to detect hard to see stimuli, that is, the neurons that respond strongly to that stimulus, were no more involved than any other neuron was.

I'll be starting my postdoc in the Losonczy Lab at Columbia, studying place coding in the hippocampus.

Make sure you really care about answering the questions your project(s) are asking — you're going to be working on them for a long time, even if it's only a subproject, and without that drive it's hard to stay motivated.

Katie Cording, Bateup lab

Thesis: the impact of autism spectrum disorder risk gene mutations on striatal circuit function.

In my research I studied two different genetic mouse models of autism spectrum disorder. Despite having different genetic mutations and physiological changes, both models exhibited the same overall circuit change in a subregion of the striatum, a subcortical region involved in action selection and motor learning. Both models also exhibited increased performance in a motor learning task. It was very cool to find that convergence of circuit and behavior change arising from different genetic manipulations.

I'll be finishing up my project as a postdoc in the Bateup lab, and then I'll likely pursue research in industry.

Try to remember and find the joy and excitement of research when things are tough. We're pursuing knowledge for knowledge's sake, and that's really cool! I think sometimes this means not taking things too seriously, learning how to walk away and take a breather when something isn't working, and having hobbies, passions and friends outside of lab that keep you refreshed and ready to get back into work the next day. 

Marisa Denkinger, Jagust lab

Thesis: Relationships between blood-brain barrier disruption and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in aging

My research used multimodal neuroimaging methods to investigate whether there is a relationship between neurovascular dysfunction, in particular blood-brain barrier disruption, Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers, and cognition during normal aging. The most interesting discovery from my dissertation was that blood-brain barrier disruption selectively affects memory performance, and this impact depends on the extent of atrophy observed. Importantly, this relationship does not depend on global amyloid beta and regional tau levels. These results suggest  that in normal aging, where there may not be substantial AD pathology, having greater blood-brain barrier disruption and atrophy may have an impact on memory performance.

I am currently exploring options for postdoctoral fellowships, focused on aging and Alzheimer's disease in Phoenix, Arizona.

My advice for incoming students is to prioritize a healthy work-life balance. Getting a PhD is a long road and it is super important to take care of yourself, so that you can achieve your research goals!

Xue Lily Gong, Theunissen and Gallant labs

Thesis: language representation in human cerebral cortex, what is the most interesting thing you discovered in your research here .

Brain representation of language is far more "messy" than I initially anticipated. Rather than being neatly organized to specific cortical regions, it involves complex and simultaneous representing and integrating of multiple levels of information.

Postdoc in UCSF.

When selecting a lab to join during my first year, I followed advice that prioritized Professor > People > Project. I believe this is also applicable to my PhD journey. I chose professors whom I admire and see as my mentors, someone I want to become. I surrounded myself with colleagues, aiming to build lifelong friendships and collaborations. The project I ended up working with has grown into a topic that motivates my future research.

To me, the PhD journey is inherently nonlinear and highly personalized, presenting unique challenges to each one. My experience in the Neuroscience PhD Program taught me the importance of seeking help when needed. The community here is incredibly supportive, always ready to assist in any aspect of both academic and personal challenges.

My PhD did not start as I had envisioned; it was filled with unexpected twists that were truly mind-blowing. However, it concluded much better than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise, though I believe I would have been happy regardless. This experience has made me more resilient and mature in all aspects. I sincerely hope all of you will have a fulfilling journey in the Neuroscience PhD Program.

Madeline Klinger (she/her), Wilbrecht and Landry labs

Thesis: fluorescent adolescence: shedding light on neural encoding of task information in the adolescent vs. adult frontal cortex.

Adolescent mice are actually quite good at an inhibitory control task, despite pop science maligning adolescents as "impulsive". In the case of my task, being a little "impulsive" actually seemed to help adolescents better sample and understand their environment, and they learned faster than adults. Neurons in layer 2/3 of the adolescent dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) also contained more decodable information about task variables than the adult dmPFC.

Catching up on artistic endeavors I've put on hold, while also applying for positions as a program manager or program officer at funding institutions. My career goal is to help guide neuroscience toward a more equitable research practice.

Figure out your work style and what you need from a mentor to succeed. Come up with agreements and clear expectations between yourself, your mentor, and your lab. Be proactive about asking for help and meetings. Advocate for your needs, and prioritize your mental health!

Sylvia Madhow,  Bouchard lab

Thesis: parsimonious estimates of functional connectivity and biomarkers of cognitive development in early childhood.

My work was in predictive modeling of cognition and behavior from brain data. I found that modeling temporal dependence in brain activity produces sparse and graphically efficient connectomes, but that we still have a long way to go before our approach can accurately and consistently predict cognitive development. Above all, I gained new appreciation for the importance of interpretability in predictive modeling — all the accuracy in the world is of little consequence without a deep understanding of the underlying data. Also, always sing to your rats — they don't criticize even when you're flat.

If the past few weeks are any indication, I'll be sketching a lot, muttering to myself, and dipping my toes in the ocean.

It's so easy to get impatient with yourself and become preoccupied with perceived shortcomings. Give yourself the time and grace to learn. 

Jacob Ziontz,  Jagust lab

Thesis: functional networks in aging and alzheimer's disease: contributions and consequences.

In the aging brain, how strongly connected different regions are is closely associated with the spread of neuropathology between these regions. This represents not only a potential way to predict where and how quickly pathology will spread, but also how the connectivity profile of different brains may influence the specific cognitive deficits that individuals experience as they age.

I'm starting a postdoc at UCSF with Drs. Renaud La Joie and Gil Rabinovici studying clinical dementia phenotypes, distribution of Alzheimer's tau pathology, and brain connectivity.

One of the most critical parts of your PhD training is learning how to think like a scientist. While you build research skills and collect data, don't forget that thinking about science is important and hard work and you should reward yourself for doing it!

View all Neuroscience PhD Program graduate Q&As.

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New Ph.D. in leadership and policy marks first year

Doctorate program is opening doors to more research opportunities for students and for Lipscomb.

Janel Shoun-Smith | 615-966-7078 |  06/05/2024

The first 13 students in Lipscomb’s new Doctor of Philosophy in leadership and policy began their studies in August 2023.

The fifth doctorate started in Lipscomb’s history, the new Ph.D.’s curriculum allows students’ knowledge and skills to be applied to various fields such as education, public service, health care or public policy leadership.

Not only does this 63-hour, three-year program prepare students for high-level careers in leadership and service across a range of sectors, but it also helps prepare Lipscomb itself to continue to grow doctoral education and research activities into various academic disciplines in the future, said Associate Provost for Research and Graduate Studies Trace Hebert .

“The Ph.D. is comprised of a set of core courses that can be used by any of Lipscomb’s colleges. Then colleges can also offer a set of guided electives specific to their academic discipline. This allows them to develop their own Ph.D. cohort in an efficient way.” said Hebert. “Once they have developed critical mass, the college could potentially develop its own stand-alone doctorate.”

“This approach is starting new conversations among various departments on campus; conversations that are helping the doctoral world grow at Lipscomb,” he said.

Dr. Candice McQueen (BS ’96) and Hebert began to vision the new Ph.D. not long after McQueen’s arrival as president and it was determined that the College of Education was the best suited to host host the degree; however, the umbrella is larger than just education, said Hebert. Potential students work in a variety of sectors including education, public service, health care, as well as for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

The skills taught in the program include the ability to organize substantial amounts of information, research subjects broadly, independently manage and complete in-depth projects and to adapt to changing environments. These skills can fuel graduates’ work in various areas of leadership.

Debi Rutledge , dean of retention and engagement at Rochester University, in Michigan, enrolled in Lipscomb’s program as a way to not only gain the skills to carry out higher-level research to address her institution’s challenges, but to also expand her “general knowledge pertaining to leadership and policy regarding students, as well as knowledge specific to the issues I am working with every day,” she said.

“There is a high level of expectation in terms of engagement and quality of work, but that expectation is maintained amidst an environment of support from faculty and peers,” said Rutledge, who attends the course via the online distance learning option. “Even attending virtually, while most of my peers are in person, the peer support network has been invaluable already. 

“It has definitely driven me forward and has already raised the level of work that I am doing on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

Unlike Lipscomb’s existing doctorate programs – Pharm.D., Ed.D., D. Min. and PH.D. in archeology – the Ph.D. in leadership and policy appeals to a broader range of potential students, said Hebert. The interdisciplinary nature of the program is one that students are looking for in the market, and unlike the existing Ed.D. program, which uses collaborative dissertation work, the Ph.D. program allows students the flexibility to customize their dissertation research to a subject area they are passionate about.

In addition, enrolled doctoral students may earn a Master of Science in leadership and policy along the way and the bachelor’s-to-Ph.D. route is also available for graduating seniors who meet the program’s admission criteria.  “This is an exciting addition to our robust academic offerings,” said Lipscomb Provost Jennifer Shewmaker . “Adding a second Doctorate of Philosophy program elevates the academic profile of our university while giving students a challenging and fulfilling academic experience that equips them with the tools and experiences to make a difference in the world around them.”   

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18-year-old killed in Dauphin County apartment shooting ID’d

• Updated: Jun. 05, 2024, 5:54 p.m. |
• Published: Jun. 05, 2024, 11:52 a.m.

Susquehanna Township police conduct an investigation Tuesday night after the report of an incident in a building in the 3600 block of Brookridge Terrace. Sean Simmers

• Jenna Wise | [email protected]

The high school student shot and killed Tuesday evening in a Susquehanna Township apartment complex has been publicly identified.

Tyron Perrin, 18, was three days away from graduating from Susquehanna Township High School when he was found dead with a gunshot wound in the Whisperwood Apartments, according to police.

Crime and court news

• Harrisburg principal arrested for violating PFA order: police
• Man arrested in central Pa. for fatally shooting 64-year-old woman: state police
• Recused Pa. DA blocked from accessing workplace homicide electronic case file

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Paula V. Welander has been named associate vice provost for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs, beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. Welander brings a wealth of experience in both cross-disciplinary work and diversity, equity, and inclusion to the position. In her new role, she will be involved in various efforts and initiatives, one focus of which is helping graduate students and postdoctoral scholars prepare for and find academic jobs.

“I want to help students understand that there are multiple roles in the professoriate, and that all levels are valuable,” said Welander, a microbiologist who currently serves at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability as associate dean for integrative initiatives in DEI, professor of Earth system science and, by courtesy, of biology and of Earth and planetary sciences.

Paula Welander shares her journey to leadership and offers advice to graduate students. | Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education

She also wants to help prospective professors understand the wide range of academic positions available, including teaching at a liberal arts college, doing research at a university with a large graduate student population, and working at institutions with large populations of underrepresented students.

“Dr. Welander is a respected scholar and academic leader who has a proven track record of supporting graduate students and postdocs,” said Stacey Bent , vice provost for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs. “Her deep experience will be invaluable for the work she will support as associate vice provost, including mentoring and advising initiatives, postdoc professional development, and academic career preparation for students and postdocs.”

Welander’s research focuses on lipid compounds produced by microbes, which geomicrobiologists use to study early life on Earth.

“These molecules are preserved in the rock record and we can use them to understand past climate events or to inform models of the climate that is happening now – and potentially predict the impacts of climate change in the future,” Welander said.

You’re basically managing a little business. How do you build a lab? How do you budget? How do you mentor people? How do you grow a diverse, thriving group of people when you have so many different personalities?” Paula Welander

Working at the intersection of microbiology and geology, which she has done since her postdoctoral work, has taught Welander about cross-disciplinary communication and about how graduate education differs across disciplines. The experience has helped her advise students studying topics related to sustainability, which often draws on fields like economics and public policy in addition to science.

“I understand how it can be hard to merge two disciplines,” she said. “One of the hardest things was learning how to communicate with scientists outside my field, learning to understand what they are trying to gain from the studies that I do.”

Welander is also familiar with the challenges students face as they search for jobs in academia and make the transition to being professors.

“When you’re a grad student and a postdoc, you’re focused on your own projects, and you’re part of a group,” she said. “When you become faculty, you’re leading a group. It’s very lonely sometimes. But also, you’re in charge of a lot of things. You’re basically managing a little business. How do you build a lab? How do you budget? How do you mentor people? How do you grow a diverse, thriving group of people when you have so many different personalities?”

In addition to these challenges, students in some disciplines who want to become professors can face a difficult hiring environment.

“It feels like the number of faculty positions is going down and the standards to get a faculty position are getting higher. That’s a huge challenge,” Welander said. “That is part of the reason students really need to consider not just whether they want to do the job, but does it fit into who they are?”

Welander said she wants to build on Stanford’s current programs that support graduate students as they make this transition. “How can we make this institution better? How can we make life for our students and postdocs better?”

Judge in Hunter Biden tax case is Syracuse native, SU graduate

• Updated: Jun. 05, 2024, 8:02 a.m. |
• Published: Jun. 05, 2024, 8:00 a.m.

In this courtroom sketch, Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, center, appears in front of judge Mark C. Scarsi, left, and alongside attorney Abbe Lowell, right, at federal court, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. President Joe Biden's son pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges filed after the collapse of a plea deal that could have spared him the spectacle of a criminal trial during the 2024 campaign. (Bill Robles via AP) AP

• Geoff Herbert | [email protected]

Another Central New York native is at the center of a high-profile case with political implications.

U.S. District Judge Mark Christopher Scarsi, a 1983 graduate of Bishop Grimes High School in East Syracuse, is overseeing one of two federal cases involving Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden. Hunter is charged with three felonies and six misdemeanors over at least $1.4 million in taxes he owed between 2016 and 2019; the back taxes have since been paid, plus penalties and interest.

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