1.Understand
What a PhD Thesis Is
A PhD thesis must:
- Solve a real research problem
- Add new knowledge
(novelty)
- Be systematic, deep, and defendable
- Show you are an independent researcher
Rule: If your work can’t be defended with logic
+ evidence → it’s not PhD-level.
2.Choose a
Strong Research Topic
Your topic should be:
- Specific (not broad)
- Researchable (data/tools available)
- Novel (gap exists)
- Relevant to your field
Bad topic:
“Machine Learning in Healthcare”
Good topic:
“A Hybrid Deep Learning Model for Early Detection
of Diabetic Retinopathy Using Fundus Images”
3.Standard
PhD Thesis Structure (Most Universities)
Chapter 1:
Introduction
Write:
- Background of the problem
- Problem statement
- Research gap
- Objectives
- Research questions / hypotheses
- Scope & limitations
- Thesis organization
📌 This chapter answers: Why this
research?
Chapter 2:
Literature Review
Write:
- What others have done (last 5–10 years)
- Compare methods, results, limitations
- Tables comparing papers (very important)
- Identify research gap clearly
📌 This chapter answers: What is
missing in existing work?
Chapter 3:
Methodology
Write:
- Research design
- Data sources
- Tools/software
- Algorithms / models / experiments
- Flowcharts, equations
- Validation methods
📌 This chapter answers: How did
you solve the problem?
Chapter 4:
Results & Analysis
Write:
- Experimental results
- Tables, graphs, charts
- Statistical analysis
- Comparison with existing methods
- Interpretation of results
📌 This chapter answers: What did
you find?
Chapter 5:
Discussion
Write:
- Meaning of results
- Why your method works better
- Practical implications
- Limitations of your approach
📌 This chapter answers: Why are
your results important?
Chapter 6:
Conclusion & Future Work
Write:
- Summary of contributions
- Key findings
- Applications
- Future research directions
📌 This chapter answers: What
next?
References
- Use tools like:
- Zotero
- Mendeley
- EndNote
- Follow APA / IEEE / Springer / Elsevier style (as per
university)
4.Writing
Style (Very Important)
- Formal academic English
- No casual language
- No copy-paste
- Use passive voice mostly
- Cite every idea not yours
Example:
❌ “I tested the model and got good results”
✅ “The proposed model was evaluated and achieved superior performance”
5.Daily
Writing Plan (Realistic)
- Write 500–800 words/day
- Don’t wait for perfection
- First draft → refine later
📅 Example:
- Month 1–2: Literature Review
- Month 3: Methodology
- Month 4: Experiments
- Month 5: Results & Discussion
- Month 6: Final editing
6.Tools You
Should Use
- MS Word / LaTeX (LaTeX
preferred for tech fields)
- Grammarly (academic mode)
- Turnitin / iThenticate (plagiarism)
- Excel / Python / MATLAB (data)
- Draw.io / Visio (diagrams)
7.Common
Mistakes to Avoid ❌
- Too much theory, no contribution
- Weak research gap
- Poor figures/tables
- Plagiarism (even self-plagiarism)
- Ignoring supervisor feedback
8.Before
Submission Checklist ✅
- Novelty clearly stated
- Objectives met
- Figures labeled
- References consistent
- Plagiarism < university limit
- Supervisor approval