Using disciplinary conventions

Although academic writing conventions are common to most disciplines, the way they are applied may differ. For example, some STEM and social science disciplines may require a systematic review that outlines clear inclusion and exclusion criteria for the sources reviewed, while other disciplines may only ask for sufficient background information to justify your methods. Look at examples from your discipline of lead-in and lead-out material and check with your supervisors if you have questions.

Reflect on the thesis lead-in and lead-out

Study an example thesis to observe how the author introduced their topic and object of research, where they situated their literature review and how they organised it, and how they linked their lead-out material to their introductory or lead-in material. Then, look at your own writing or plan for these parts.

Answer the following questions for both the example thesis and your own to help you reflect on how you are using disciplinary conventions in shaping your own thesis narrative.

1. How are lead-in and lead out sections organised?

2. Are there headings and sub-headings? How specific are they?

3. Does the introduction include context, background, motivation, definitions and an overview of the organisation?

4. How is the literature review structured?

5. Has the conclusion of the thesis conveyed the key implications of the research and made useful recommendations for future work in the field? Do you find these convincing?

6. Are the introduction and conclusion aligned in opening and closing the same thesis narrative?

7. How could you improve this thesis in the above aspects?

Final tip

Anticipate revisiting your lead-in material several times during the writing process, especially as you write the lead-out chapters of your thesis. Together, your lead-in and lead-out material should give your readers a strong sense of purpose, unified structure and closure. Read your lead-in and lead-out chapters together to see if you provide that sense.

For more information and support in your writing,Explore: Academic Skills Graduate Research services

  • Dunleavy, P. (2003). Authoring a PhD : How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation. Blomsbury.

    Evans, D. & Gruba, P. (2014).  How to write a better thesis. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-04286-2

    Fahnestock, J. and Secor M. (2004). A Rhetoric of Argument. 3rd ed. McGraw Hill.

    Kamler, B. & Thomson, P. (2006). Helping Doctoral Students Write: Pedagogies for supervision. Routledge.

    Lemoh, C.N. (2013). HIV in Victoria’s African communities: reducing risks and improving care. [Ph.D. Thesis, University of Melbourne].

    Syiem, B.V. (2023). Attentional Reality: Understanding and Managing Limited Attentional Resources in Augmented Reality. [Ph.D. Thesis, University of Melbourne]. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/326564

    Yeomans, N.D. (2022). A History of Australia’s Immigrant Doctors, 1838-2021: Colonial Beginnings, Contemporary Challenges. [PhD. Thesis, University of Melbourne].