PhD research planning (tasks)

25 Setembro 2019, 15:00 • Marta Pacheco Pinto

This session focused on PhD research preparation tasks and processes. It introduced students to more general features of the academic discourse and main text types; different models of PhD presentation were discussed (i.e. the classical model of the “big book thesis” vs. the paper-based model), and advice was given on how to plan PhD research (including the construction of a timeline). A macrotextual approach to PhD writing was first followed by discussing its structure and formal organization (into parts and sections). Then, we discussed how to formulate research questions and hypotheses, how to write an effective state of the art (emphasis was put on the need to carefully select information and make use of reliable sources), and also how to build a sound theoretical and methodological framework. At the end, several online bibliographic resources for research were presented and explored by the students in class. Overall, a checklist of good practice was provided relating to each of these topics.