Writing the PhD dissertation: Structure, Quality, and Contribution (2027)

Welcome to Writing the PhD dissertation: Structure, Quality, and Contribution

Form and content are linked in academic writing. Thus, structure, coherence, and flow are important elements that support the quality of a PhD dissertation. PhD students must learn to make decisions about their research and writing while they are doing this research and while they are writing their PhD dissertation. Thus, the "academic craft" involves systematic reflection and choices about focus, research questions, unit of analysis, theory and concepts, philosophy of science approach, design, methods, ethics, and analysis. However, the academic craft is also demonstrated through how those choices are presented and argued for in writing and through one's capacity to develop a text in which these choices and their consequences are clearly presented and reflected upon.

This work starts in the beginning of the PhD process and lasts until the defense. The course is therefore designed to be useful to PhD students at any stage of the process. It is important to note that the course organizers will draw on research and examples from their own work and research fields. The course will thus be substantially focused on social science and qualitative research and will be open to participants from social science and humanities. Moreover, participation requires active engagement with the course literature, one's own work, and contributions to the discussions that take place during the course.

The Purpose of the PhD course is to focus on the academic craft that is needed to write and edit the constitutive parts of a dissertation so that these parts join to a structured and coherent academic text of high quality where the boundary conditions and contributions of the dissertation are clearly presented and discussed. During the course lectures, group and solo exercises, and shared discussions we will expand participants' "toolbox" and experiences with making the necessary decisions about and in their writing. The course material draws on social science and humanities research into academic writing, especially regarding clarity, concepts/constructs, form-content relationships, the role of theory, context, quality criteria (e.g., reliability, coherence, transparency, and analytical generalizability). It is also a very practical course with a strong focus on participants' own PhD project and writing, with exercises and time for discussions and advancing participants' own text.

It is important to note that the course literature and the lecturers draw on examples from social science and humanities, primarily qualitative research.

Teaching methods:

The course consists of three main elements: 1) writing exercises (based on participant's own research) and tools/techniques, 2) lectures, group discussions, and feedback/sparring with course organizers and other PhD students, and 3) course literature on academic writing. The three days of the course each have a main theme. Every day will consist of lectures and discussions based on the course material, guided writing exercises, group reflections, and feedback. Participants will receive feedback on their ambitions for and challenges with writing by the course organisers, as well as from the other participants. We will also examine and discuss how the craft involved in structuring a dissertation is related to the content of the text and therefor also the specific phenomenon/object under study, the methods used to examine this, and the empirical material that is produced.

Programme:

Day 1: Structure.
30 August 2027, 10:00-17:00

We begin by discussing how the overall structure of a dissertation relates to, and hopefully supports, the dissemination of the research that it represents. We discuss different approaches to working with structure and structuring dissertation texts (e.g., table of content, headings, paragraphs) as well as explore how structure can be linked to the "voice" of the PhD researcher.

Day 2: Quality.
31 August 2027, 09:00-16:30

On day two, we zoom in on quality in research and in academic writing as both process and product. We discuss different contributions to understanding what quality in writing might be and how quality in writing relates to quality in the rest of the research process. Through exercises, presentations, and discussions we develop a nuanced vocabulary for talking about and working with quality; how to discuss quality in one's own writing in writing and we explore the ways in which quality criteria are so important for research in general and for the craft of writing a PhD dissertation in practice.

Day 3: Contribution.
1 September 2027, 09:00-15:00

On the last day we focus on the contribution of a PhD dissertation. What is a contribution? To research? To theory and/or methods? To a field of practice? To policy? Where, how, and why is this contribution made? Often, a PhD dissertation can be said to contribute to one or more fields of research, so how do you choose where to focus and how to argue for your contribution? Through exercises and discussions, we will explore how the craft of writing and structuring a PhD dissertation also supports the clear presentation of the dissertation's contribution and perspectives.

Paper requirements:

Course participants are, after acceptance into the course is confirmed, expected to submit a 10-page (max) paper/essay in which they present their research question and their PhD project (max 1 page) and discuss these in relation to one or more of the key concepts of the course (structure, quality, contribution) based on contributions from the course literature and including reflections upon their own ambitions for and challenges with regards to writing.

Key literature:

Alvesson, M. and Sandberg, J. (2024), The Art of Phenomena Construction: A Framework for Coming Up with Research Phenomena beyond "the Usual Suspects". Journal of Management Studies, early view version. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joms.12969.

Cloutier, C., & Ravasi, D. (2021). Using tables to enhance trustworthiness in qualitative research. Strategic Organization, 19(1), 113-133.

Locke, K., Feldman, M., & Golden-Biddle, K. (2022). Coding Practices and Iterativity: Beyond Templates for Analyzing Qualitative Data. Organizational Research Methods, 25(2), 262-284.

Meier, N. & Wegener, C. (2017). Writing with resonance. Journal of Management Inquiry, 26(2), 193-201.

Ragins, R. B. (2012). Editor's comments: Reflections on the craft of clear writing. Academy of Management Review, 37(4), 493-501.

Pratt, M. G., Sonenshein, S., & Feldman, M. S. (2022). Moving Beyond Templates: A Bricolage Approach to Conducting Trustworthy Qualitative Research. Organizational Research Methods, 25(2), 211-238.

Suddaby, R. (2010). Editor's comments: Construct clarity in theories of management and organization. Academy of Management Review, 35(3), 346-357.

Lange, D., & Pfarrer, M. D. (2017). EDITORS' COMMENTS: SENSE AND STRUCTURE, THE CORE BUILDING BLOCKS OF AN "AMR" ARTICLE. The Academy of Management Review, 42(3), 407-416. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26395005

Meier, N. (2026). Reflections on Quality in Academic Writing. Journal of Organizational Sociology, (0).

Three blogposts about what a contribution is:

• https://patthomson.net/2018/04/02/thesis-knowhow-how-the-contribution-can-create-coherence/

• https://patthomson.net/2015/05/11/what-is-an-original-contribution/

• https://patthomson.net/2012/12/12/using-metacommentary-to-specify-your-contribution-christmas-present-three/

Organizer: Ninna Meier and Nanna Møller Mortensen, Department of Society and Politics, AAU

Lecturers: Ninna Meier and Nanna Møller Mortensen, Department of Society and Politics, AAU

ECTS: 3

Date: 30, 31 August and 1 September 2027

Place:

City: Aalborg Campus

Number of seats: 16 - Priority will be given to PhD students from SSH

Open for enrolment: 30 April 2027

Deadline for enrolment: 9 August  2027

Important information concerning PhD courses:

There is a no-show fee of DKK 3,000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before the start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start of the course.

We cannot ensure any seats before the deadline for enrolment, all participants will be informed after the deadline, approximately 3 weeks before the start of the course.

You may find more information in our FAQ: https://phd.moodle.aau.dk/local/page/faq

For inquiries regarding registration, cancellation or waiting list, please contact the PhD administration at phdcourses@adm.aau.dk. When contacting us please state the course title and course period. Thank you.