Contribution to the body of knowledge

Writing up Research paper : Drawing Conclusions

written by: Profacgillies•edited by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch

When you have got your results and you have presented them to the reader in your thesis you are left to answer the most difficult question of all: So what? The job of your PhD thesis conclusion is to show what contribution you have made to the field of knowledge.

• Originality versus Contribution to Knowledge

  Many people think PhDs have to be truly original. The problem with this aspiration is that most PhDs in practice build upon an existing body of knowledge. Most PhD students spend the first year or more studying it, and the early chapters of their theses reviewing it. This is not necessarily conducive to staggering originality. In most cases, PhD theses are designed to expand the current body of knowledge incrementally, rather than establish a whole new field of academic endeavour. This is best represented as a contribution to the body of knowledge. Think of a volcanic eruption as a metaphor. Most eruptions will spew forth lava which forms new rocks on top of old, in a few cases build new land out in the sea. The case of a completely new volcano rising from the sea and starting a new island is very, very rare. That said, even an incremental contribution to knowledge can be extremely valuable and form the basis for further study either as postdoctoral work or as future PhDs for other people. If your PhD is examined at an oral examination (often referred to as the viva, short for viva voce), then possibly the most likely question of all to be asked is "What do you consider to be the most important contribution to knowledge of your study?"

• What Have You Learnt?

  As an examiner and a supervisor, I take the view that a PhD is still a learning exercise for the student. I always encourage submitting students or candidates at examination to reflect upon the question "What have you learnt during the process of doing the PhD?" It may be knowledge about the problem under scrutiny, but it could equally well be knowledge about the research methodology. In addition, it may be knowledge which is of general interest or it may be personal insights or personal development. As well as having the goal of making a contribution to knowledge, a PhD programme is designed to turn out graduates capable of being independent researchers, and possibly starting to train others in research. In order to be competent as independent researchers, I think that those completing PhDs need to show a degree of self awareness and reflection that will allow them to operate autonomously. This includes knowledge of their limits both as a researcher and of their research methods and tools. It also includes an appreciation of those limits imposed by ethical considerations. A PhD is often view as an entry ticket into a career as a professional researcher and any professional is required to know their own limits and work within them.