Examiner comment on the literature review in Ph.D. theses

Holbrook, Allyson; Bourke, Sid; Fairbairn, Hedy; Lovat, Terence

doi:10.1080/03075070701346899

Cited by 37 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Critical mastery of the literature is suggested as the 'litmus test' for an 'unambiguous academic entry point' representative of the 'essence of scholarship'. A good literature review favours a positive response from examiners (Holbrook et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Doctorates by thesis and publication in clinical medicine: An analysis of examiners’ reports

Ramlall

Singaram

Sommerville

2020

PiE

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National and institutional policies to escalate the production of doctorates have raised concerns about the quality of PhDs in South Africa. This study evaluates examiner reports of doctorates by thesis and publication in clinical medicine to ascertain the criteria that examiners used to define a successful doctoral thesis. A qualitative hermeneutic approach through document analysis was taken, involving 54 national and international examiner reports of 18 doctoral theses, half of which were by publication. The examiners rated the majority (81%) of these theses to be of a high quality. Our results show a scatter of positive and negative aspects distributed across all 18 theses, with corresponding commendations and criticisms. Notably, almost equal emphasis was placed on conceptual and communication issues. Ratings per thesis were not always concordant, with five theses each given widely divergent ratings by three respective examiners. The study also found differences in ratings between examiners, based on whether they were medical or nonmedical, international or national, and with or without PhDs themselves. While no single criterion was identifiable as being diagnostic of doctoral quality, the identified strengths and shortcomings of these theses serve as a useful platform for supervisors and students aspiring to cross the doctoral threshold.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Doctorates by thesis and publication in clinical medicine: An analysis of examiners’ reports

Ramlall

Singaram

Sommerville

2020

PiE

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“…There was very little literature that was specifically situated in the context of the candidate. Nevertheless, we were inspired by the notion of how the candidate needed to demonstrate, through the literature review in his/her thesis, a coherent and substantive use of the literature (Holbrook, Bourke, Fairbairn, & Lovat, 2007). This subsequently influenced our decision to focus the research project on understanding the role of a computerised concept mapping tool.…”

Section: An Illustration Of Our Approach Through a Study Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can traditional HCI principles be applied to computing technology in learning contexts?

Pearce

Smith

2010

Proceedings of the 22nd Conference of the Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group of Australia on Computer-Human Inte

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This paper presents an inter-disciplinary approach to studying computing technology in learning contexts. The approach was inspired by the difficulty in reconciling task and learning performance in the context of usability and instructional design. This is important because intergovernmental policy suggests computing technology may have a crucial role to play in supporting independent lifelong learning in informal contexts. The approach presented here is illustrated through an exploratory research project aimed at understanding the role of computing technology in the context of the Australian PhD candidature.

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“…All documents were coded for 'Assessable Areas' and 'Evaluative Elements' (see Figure 1). The latter identified comment that was largely instructive in tone (see Holbrook et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Not surprisingly, a number of researchers have sought to identify doctoral standards and determine thresholds of performance through investigating thesis assessment (for example, Holbrook, Bourke, Fairbairn, & Lovat, 2007;Lovitts, 2007;Mullins & Kiley, 2002;Trafford & Leshem, 2008;Winter, Griffiths, & Green, 2000). Some of these studies draw on examiner reports while others draw on interviews and observations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Examiner reference to theory in PhD theses

Holbrook

Bourke

Fairbairn

2015

Innovations in Education and Teaching International

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As we were aware of the confusing and wide-ranging disciplinary and individual positions on the importance of theory in research, this study sought to determine how thesis examiners emphasised theory in their reports in order to inform candidate learning. While references to theory were not prominent in reports, examiner comment coalesced into six categories indicative of 'accuracy and completeness', 'grasp', 'alignment', 'coherence and consistency', 'treatment of findings and discussion', and 'dimensions of contribution'. It was evident in summative comments that most examiners expected to find accuracy and grasp in a thesis. Grasp universally inspired confidence. The findings indicate positive recognition of a spectrum of sophistication in treatment of theory irrespective of discipline. Specific comment capturing a fusion of most or all the categories in one thesis was rare and always positive. Based on these categories, the paper provides clarity in what candidates need to attend to with respect to theory.

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Examiner comment on the literature review in Ph.D. theses

Cited by 37 publications

References 14 publications

Doctorates by thesis and publication in clinical medicine: An analysis of examiners’ reports

Doctorates by thesis and publication in clinical medicine: An analysis of examiners’ reports

Can traditional HCI principles be applied to computing technology in learning contexts?

Examiner reference to theory in PhD theses

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