thesis - neuralinterfacinglab/LabManual GitHub Wiki

Writing your PhD thesis

This guide contains all the steps to writing, publishing and distributing your thesis. It assumes that you have already chosen your reading committee.

Make sure to carefully read the latest Doctoral Regulations (Last updated: 11-jan-2024). These regulations are leading over anything you'll read on page.

Steps from start to finish

  1. Create the format and layout
  2. Write the required chapters for the thesis
  3. Send it to the reading committee
  4. Write the remaining chapters
  5. Create the cover and other visuals
  6. Print and distribute the thesis

1. Create the format and layout

Creating the formatting and layout of your thesis can be time consuming, so it is good to start early. Already writing down all the chapters you need to write provides structure and a todo as well.

You can write your thesis in Word or in Latex.

For latex, there is a general Maastricht University template available on Overleaf. I have used this template to write my thesis, see the my adapted version here.

2. Write the Thesis

Start early. Discuss with your supervisor what is expected in terms of feedback. This is your thesis, so you may decide when it is finished.

Chapters required for the reading committee

  • Introduction
  • Chapters
  • General discussion
  • Societal Impact/valorisation
  • Summary
  • Curriculum Vita
  • List of publications

Other chapters

  • Summary in other language
  • Acknowledgements
  • Statements -> check the requirements!

3. Send it to the reading committee

Once you finished writing your thesis. The following steps are required:

  • You send it to your supervisory team
  • Your supervisor will notify the phd-office. The office will send you and the reading committee a letter of consitution/intstellingsbrief, together with the evaluation forms. You must then send your thesis to all members the reading committee. From the date that you send the thesis, the reading committee has 4 weeks to evaluate your thesis.

During this time, you can start writing the remaining chapters and creating the cover and other visuals of your thesis.

4. Write the remaining chapters

Write everything that needs to be and that you want to have in your thesis. The statements have specific requirements, please make sure to read the regulations.

5. Create cover and visuals

You can do this yourself or find a graphic designer that can do it for you.

Some tips and tools if you do it yourself:

  • Make your visuals as .svg using Inkscape.
  • Take inspiration from bookcovers that you like. Have a look in your bookcase.
  • Make sure you have the correct dimensions before creating the visuals. The usual thesis format is B5.
  • Open cover.svg from this thesis template in inkscape for an editable template for your bookcover.
  • If you have two page visuals, for example on new chapters, double check if these line-up. I used 'two-page' view in Adobe Acrobat reader for this.

6. Print and distribute your thesis

Work in progress.