🔄 Repost of:
What Do Thesis Examiner Check Before Read Full Thesis

As a thesis examiner, I always run a “sneak peek” to get a preview of a thesis. Here are seven things that I usually check before I read a full thesis (and they are always in this order).

1. Reference list The first thing I check is the reference list. Why? The reference list, to me, is the face of a PhD student. I can judge whether the student is serious or not through the reference list. The reference style has a predictive power of the student’s strength/weakness. If the student can strictly follow an established referencing convention (like APA 7th edition), I can tell that they are hardworking, meticulous and serious. If not, I can predict that reading the thesis will be potentially a headache, which is usually the case.

2. Thesis title Thesis title should be concise and self explanatory. When I look at the title at first glance, I should be able to predict the direction and narration of the study. If the title is too broad and the contexts are not provided, I can sense an issue in the thesis.

3. Abstract The abstract should be able to provide a teaser of the whole thesis. If the abstract is well-structured (introduction, methodology, findings, conclusion), follows the word limit, and contains no grammatical errors, I can sigh with relief, knowing that the thesis will be a good read.

4. Table of contents The table of contents should ease readers’ navigation of the whole thesis. If it is not well organised and contains a lot of formatting errors, I should be prepared for the worst in the thesis.

5. Research questions Research questions are the heart of a thesis. They should be clearly written and reflect the literature review, the methodology and the findings. If the heart is problematic, I can predict that the thesis might be sick.

6. Conceptual/theoretical frameworks Conceptual/theoretical frameworks are the blueprint of a thesis. They usually contain visuals that show connection among variables/constructs. If the visuals are messy, I would hold my breath and probably delay my reading.

7. Appendices In the appendices, I usually look for the existence of detailed research instruments (questionnaires, interview protocols, observation checklists, etc.). I will cross-check these items in the research methodology chapter. If the methods are not in order, I will pray in silence that I would not suffer reading the thesis.

After all of these preliminary checkpoints, I will take a deep breath and start reading the full thesis, which is usually not in a chronological order (I will go back and forth between chapters). It usually takes a few weeks for me to complete the reading. God bless thesis writers.

Credit: Dr. Hilma Hamzah