Numbers
of Pages vs. Research in PhD
Before
you start reading this article, it is important to understand that a PhD Thesis
gets approval from the university based on its researched content. When it
comes to the challenge of making a rational decision between numbers of
pages vs. research in PhD- the ‘research’ wins. The researcher must
understand that in a PhD thesis, word count or numbers of pages holds
adjustable values. For instance, according to the University of Cambridge, a
PhD thesis should not exceed a word limit of 80,000 words, which would be
approximately 350 pages. These kinds of declarations get tentative status when
it comes to the need for in-depth research accomplishments by the thesis.
The
debate regarding the number of pages vs. research in PhD often gets fired up
due to the mismanagement of the researcher in deciding the distribution of the
content in the thesis. In this article, you will understand how the context of
numbers of pages should be managed in your PhD thesis, yet keeping the research
closely knitted to in-depth realisations and expressions through comprehensive
academic language structures.
Importance
of Research Over Pages in PhD
A PhD
degree is all about the in-depth research process. One of the core objectives
to pursue PhD is the passion for the subject and the zeal to resolve a
pre-existent issue. The entire time of research is to remain deeply engaged in
making some significant discoveries in the selected field. The involvement of
the researcher in the research process makes the PhD degree more rewarding. With
the process of meeting innumerable challenges in resolving an identified issue,
the value of the PhD degree increases. The contribution of the researcher gets
higher recognition, as the research process gets involved in resolving a
critical concern.
The
importance of research in PhD though
gets the thumb rule, yet when it comes to the process of writing and presenting
your research you need to remain focused on some basic approaches. You must
have a clear perception of the core differences between the numbers of pages
and the pressure of research in a PhD thesis:
The
core objective of a PhD thesis is to offer well-narrated content with an
adequate amount of research in endeavouring an innovative and novel cause. In
this process, it is obvious for the researcher to offer the maximum amount of
logical justifications. To manage the process of selecting the right kind of
justifications for the thesis, the researcher must get well composed. As the
researcher comes closer to the process of writing the PhD thesis, he or she
needs to make few major decisions:
- How to manage an
in-depth research process?
- What will be the
structure of my thesis?
- Why tally academic
language with the number of words?
- How to establish
the relevance of my research?
In-depth
Research Process
The
in-depth research process demands an
extensive understanding of the detected issues. For this purpose, the research
must undergo voracious means of reading scholarly articles and books and
reviewing the same to derive a concrete result. In-depth investigation and
critical evaluations of the latest scholarship in the research field remain
mandatory. As the researcher finds the former scholastic advents as exhaustive
in finding the solution to the current concern, there is the need to include
more strategic empirical research approaches. These approaches can be a
combination of the aspects noted in Figure 1:
Figure
1: In-depth Research Process
Plan
for Actual Research with Numbers of Pages
Planning
is very important for research. A research plan must include the information as
marked in Figure 2.
Figure
2: Planning for Actual Research
You
need to offer the Basic Information, followed by the Background study, have a
tentative idea about the possible Results, and inclusion of Resources and
Collaborations. Your approach must focus on foregrounding the research in such
a manner that the ‘Analysis Part’ could bring in all the necessary information
with a clear vision to be achieved by the research. You can create the ‘Analysis
Part’ by amalgamating the collected information sources. Figure 3
exemplifies the elements that an Analysis Part needs in research:
Figure
3: Analysis Part of Research
While
developing all these, you need to make justified distributions of the pages for
each stage of the research development plan. To meet the balanced mode of
distribution of the numbers of pages as against the relevance of the research
plan, you need to check the next section.
Thesis
Structure
Before
you start writing the thesis, make sure that you make the necessary
distribution of all the chapters. In general, there are 5 to 6 chapters that
you need to consider. However, as per the progress of your research, the
chapters can be structured in various ways. Let us consider the 6 very
common ways of structuring the thesis:
Figure
4: Thesis Structure
Chapter-Wise
Word Count & Pages
It is
important that you make appropriate distribution of the word count per chapter.
In PhD, you should be able to accommodate the whole research within specific
wordcount. In general, the word counts for each chapter get distributed in the
following manner:
When
it comes to the pages, every page should have an average of 220 to 250 words.
Thus, for PhD thesis, the number of pages should be calculated with
an average count of words per page.
In
this matter, it is highly suggested that you read and consider the instruction
manual as provided by your University. Every University holds its criteria for
counting pages for each thesis, which is again subjective to your domain of
research.
Research
Relevance
It is
the research part that is the core element for attaining a PhD degree. You will
gain a PhD degree based on your analyses and innovative ways in resolving an
issue or deriving a path-breaking invention. The research process must remain
inclusive of:
Identification
of Problem to Be Researched
You
must find out an issue or a problem that you are going to deal with. Make sure
that the issue is not approached by any other researcher in any corner of the
world. For this identification, and to gain uniqueness to your research you
must read innumerable research works developed in your determined field. Take
extensive support and consultations from the Professors and Colleagues.
Justify
the Relevance of Your Research
As you
decide the unique topic for your research it is very important to justify the
relevance of the same. You must be able to convince the Supervisors and the
Professors about the significance of your research. You will not be allowed to
go ahead with the research process unless you could come up with something
really important.
Data
Collection and Attained Results
To
justify the relevance of your research you need to offer very appropriate kinds
of research findings. These findings can be theoretical or empirical. In any
circumstance, stay assured to be questioned and interrogated voraciously. You
should read and analyse your findings from every possible point to avoid any
loopholes.
Stressful,
Yet Worth the Stress
The
research process is all about brainstorming and finding justification for every
single step that you take. It is a very stressful process that lasts for a span
of 3 to 6 years. However, your innovative thinking process and the novel
contribution to the field of research is worth the stress. With your PhD degree,
you get recognised as a specialist in the respective domain on an international
scale of academics.
In a
way research in PhD is like:
Apart
from a systematic research approach and brainstorming sessions to get in-depth
and effective outcomes, the entire process of research also demands your
attention in:
Thus,
to get a PhD, the number of pages in your thesis is though very important and
is fixed by some preconceived rules; yet the researcher must offer a
well-balanced research work. The research in your PhD is something that will
evolve you as a true scholar and thus the entire research must get accommodated
within the prescribed number of pages.
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