Tag Archives: examiner

required, desirable and delightful elements of academic writing

Posted on May 3, 2021 by pat thomson

This is the time of year that I run writing workshops and courses. And because I’m preoccupied with teaching, I’m also thinking about new and different strategies for authoring and revision. Authoring and revision strategies are inter-related – heuristics used … Continue reading →

Posted in examiner, Kano Analysis, revision, thesis | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

don’t give your thesis examiner a bad first impression

Posted on May 27, 2019 by pat thomson

My hunch is that I’m a lot like most thesis examiners. When we get sent a thesis we often don’t plunge in straight away. We have a bit of a look around first. That’s not an unusual response to a … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, examiner, proofreading, thesis, thesis abstract | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

writing the thesis – the theoretical framework

Posted on March 12, 2018 by pat thomson

Please note that I write my blog on weekends. It is not part of my workload or job description. I support the #USSstrike and “teach out” online.  Not every thesis has a section or chapter devoted to a theoretical framework. … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, chapter, examiner, theory, theory chapter, thesis | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

three things examiners look for in methods chapters

Posted on June 26, 2017 by pat thomson

Once upon a time, when I worked in schools, early childhood teachers routinely issued young children with a ‘pen license’. A pen license was much sought after as it meant that a child could ‘advance’ to using a pen instead of … Continue reading →

Posted in data, data analysis, examiner, methods, methods chapter, research methods, thesis, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

how an examiner reads a thesis

Posted on April 3, 2017 by pat thomson

About this time every year I post something about the reading habits of thesis examiners. At the risk of repeating myself – again – it is worth knowing what they/we examiners do when they/we receive that big fat tome the … Continue reading →

Posted in examiner, thesis, thesis abstract, thesis warrant, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

thesis know-how – don’t write an essay

Posted on January 26, 2015 by pat thomson

Examiners do not want to read a thesis that contains a lot of mini-essays. To understand the problem with the thesis-as-essay, imagine the examiner reading a methods chapter. It starts off badly. While not in these words, the writer basically says … Continue reading →

Posted in essay, examiner, expert, literature review, methods chapter, thesis | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

don’t send your PhD examiner to sleep

Posted on July 3, 2014 by pat thomson

It’s 7. 30 pm and Pat is in the lounge room reading. She is examining a thesis but finding it hard to stay awake. Big Brother wonders what the problem might be and summons her to the diary room. “Well … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, signposts, thesis | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments

writing the thesis abstract

Posted on December 11, 2013 by pat thomson

The thesis abstract is the first thing that your examiner reads. It sets the tone of what is to come. On the basis of the abstract alone, before they start the text proper, the examiner will form some expectations about … Continue reading →

Posted in abstracts, examiner, reader, thesis abstract | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

six differences between thesis and book chapters

Posted on November 25, 2013 by pat thomson

This post is in response to a question about chapters in books and dissertations. I do try to answer questions, although it sometimes takes a while! There ARE some key differences between a thesis and a book chapter – here … Continue reading →

Posted in argument, chapter, examiner, reader, signposts | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments