ABSTRACT
This chapter takes a holistic view of the entire process of a student’s journey through his/her research study, written from the perspective and observations of an experienced supervisor and doctoral examiner. The chapter argues that it is not a clean, seamless process but a cyclical, sometimes messy business – and that this is inevitable. I look at the traditional structure for a dissertation, which suggests that the research pathway is a straightforward one. In reality, creating and presenting a coherent story of research is more about weaving the threads of the different aspects of the research, rather than pretending that the process was a smooth linear one. These various threads need to be recognised and linked together at different stages of the journey, from proposal to viva, and, perhaps in future, publishing.
Practical and personal threads
