Hi Ranulph,
I too have heard of successful theses that were quite short. They tend
to be in areas such as mathematics. I have no particular opinion on
this, but would be interested in others perhaps more connected with
those subject specialisms that may be able to enlighten us.
On your 'small point' - it is far from being a small point, and I
disagree. I wonder where is the logic of design's special pleading for
shorter writing where there is practice (designing), when many other
disciplines including sciences and technologies also do practical
stuff as part of their PhDs but write a full thesis as well, and
without complaint? I presume that their practical stuff collects data
in the same way that designing can do, and presumably they have to
explain their work fully as well.
This is why I think word counts are irrelevant, and the focus should
be on what the candidate needs to argue. A PhD is a training in and
demonstration of research practice, whether or not design [or any
other practice] is conducted.
Incidentally, I said that I doubt that the research can be stated in
less than about 40k words, though I am perfectly happy to accept a
shorter thesis so long as the subject is covered adequately. My
experience is that I couldn't do it in less, and several students of
mine have have had much the same experience. However, beyond that
observation, I won't be weighing theses...
David
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David Durling FDRS PhD http://durling.tel
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On 5 Dec 2009, at 5:04 pm, Ranulph Glanville wrote:
> Let me add one small point.
>
> It is not reasonable that those who undertake a PhD by/from/through
> practice, whose research and work is in designing, should then be
> expected also to write a thesis of the same length as a theorist.
>
> Otherwise, I agree with David.'s general tone,, though not his
> proposal that 40k words is likely to be a minimum, in practice. A
> thesis should indeed be as long as it needs to be. Standards of
> length are essentially irrelevant. I heard of a mathematician who
> got a PhD for a half page long proof. My own PhD in cybernetics had
> many secondary elements padding it out, but the substance of the PhD
> was 54 pages long, with lots of space and I've no idea how few words.
>
> Ranulph
>
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