Numbers of Pages vs. Research in PhD
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 speicific 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.
