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NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
The summary of an article-based PhD
as a genre and a meta-text.
Dr. Pirjo Nikander
Research Director,
The Doctoral School, University of Tampere
The summary, synthesis, review…• “The publication-based”, “the article-based dissertation”,
“PhD by published work” is both an old and new format
depending on the academic discipline.
• Retrospective and prospective routes: existing/planned
“from scratch” articles on a coherent theme collated
together + the PhD candidate’s independetly written
summary.
• No one format, often scarcity of clear guidelines
• Unclarity of the functions, style and goals of the text?
NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
Goals of my talk in brief: To discuss:
• What is an article-based PhD?
• Why would I choose PhD by publication?
• What tools should/could I use?
• Technical and practical guidelines concerning
the summary across disciplines and
universities.
• The dangers of simply learning from existing,
already published examples.
• Questions of self-plagiarism when applying cut-
and-paste
• The genre of the summary as a meta-text
NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
Monograph or article doctorate:
• In both key is to:
– Show how you contribute to
the knowledge in your field.
– Identify why and how your
work is original to the field
– Demonstrate your overall
knowledge of your work and
its contributions in the
public defence.
NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
Why would/should I choose PhD by publication?
• Disciplinary tradition: no choice over the matter
• My research question and topic fits the format
• Quality assurance through peer-review:
feedback all through
• Slicing the elephant, the data, the research
question
• Academic career reasons
• Supervisory support and co-authoring
NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
What tools should/could I use?
• Device a publication strategy
• Make most of your supervisors.Talk structure
and (joint)publication in addition to content
• Write a thesis outline with details on the
articles-to-be + summary: originality?
• What is the key argumentative whole of the
thesis, and how do the articles + summary
convey this together?
• What is the ”golder thread” that weaves
through my work?
NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
Potential drawbacks, mistakes?
• Finishing in 4 years?
• Not having a clear plan for the whole
• Clarity of your own contribution and authorship in
the published articles?
• Being at the mercy of journal publication policy.
• The danger of simply learning or copying the
summary format from existing, already published
examples => a vicious circle
• Questions of self-plagiarism when applying cut-and-
paste
NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
One example of the summary structure1. Johdanto
- tutkimuksen tausta
- tutkimuksen perustelu
2. Tavoitteet
3. Teoreettinen viitekehys
4. Menetelmät
5. Tulosten koonti
6. Arvio julkaisujen tulosten
merkityksestä
7. Julkaistut artikkelit
• Introduction
• Background: Review of literature
• Aims of the Study/Objectives
• Data set(s)
• Methods & approach
• Summary of results
• Discussion
• Summary and Conclusions
• Acknowledgements
• Refs. + Original articles
NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
Working on the article doctorate
• Be clear about all guidelines & requirements
• Follow the discussions/ debates in journals.
• Be clear about the individual profile of each article.
• Keep the summary always on the back burner, even
when working with individual articles.
• Ask for re-print rights for each publication in time.
• Make notes and work on your the summary throughout.
• Read particularly doctoral dissertations in your own
field.
• Go to public defenses & notes on styles of questions, of
answering etc. NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
Things to consider:
• Impact factors? Predatory journals.
• Publications forum (Julkaisufoorumi)
– rates publishers and journals on a 1-2-3 – scale
http://www.tsv.fi/julkaisufoorumi/english.php?lang=en
• Aiming for top, or middle range journals?
• Being clear about the rules of joint publishing
with your supervisor(s) and research team.
• How to round up and develop the arguments,
findings and contributions in the articles?
• How to motivate and highlight your contribution,
niche? NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
The everyday of writing:
• Read and write in a good ratio:
• Write from day 1– Learn to make good notes, mind-maps,
visualisations.
• Use references don’t simply refer: Seek to create an argumentativespace of debate.
• Evaluate, appreciate and constructively critisize excistingliterature
• When too tired to work on writing, revise, take notes, polish the refs.– This may help you over the writer’s block.
NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
The summary as a meta-text:
• A synthesis of the whole work that is written last.
• The articles as the data for your summary: you now take
distance, evaluate, highlight strong and weaker points, your
own choices, and the specific contributions of your work.
• The articles may have ”tree rings” but the summary can
comment from today’s and tomorrow’s perspective
• Space for broader theoretical, methodological discussion &
for drawing empirical comparisons and contrasts.
NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
In sum then:• Coherence, originality & contribution to knowledge key
irrespective of the format of your doctorate.
• Plan ahead and use of all tools and resources available.
• The summary should have stand-alone features and
vocalize the potential practical, methodological,
theoretical and policy contributions of your thesis.
• Elucidate the golden thread and argument(s) running
across.
• Also identify what remains to be studied and the ways
forward that your work points to.
• Create an argumentative academic community through
your writing. NIKANDER Methods Festival 2017
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