MILESTONE THREE - The Position Report
The Position Report and its presentation is a key-point, in the ABC-PhD life. The third milestone happens in the middle of the "doctoral path". Within that date, Candidates are expected to almost complete their formal training activities (Courses) and to have clear ideas about their future. If so, they can start working "shoulders to the wheel" on their PhD Thesis and (they have just an year to produce their first draft) will be able to put on the table a first version - reasonably completed - to be discussed in their last Deep Review Meeting (MILESTONE FIVE).
The concept
At the end of their first year each Candidate have defined and discussed their Research Project (presented in the MILESTONE TWO meeting).
During the third semester, Candidates are expected to start the Research Project as reviewed. If needed, they may still follow Doctoral Courses; their presence to Research Conferences is strongly appreciated and the execution of other activities, if they may be useful for the Research Project. In the third semester, Candidates are expected to write and to start publication activity.
The Position Report is nothing but its final rewriting after a definitive review and final confrontation with the main stakeholders and experts in the field, stating the "position" of the Candidate, WHAT is (s)he going to do, WHY, HOW and WHEN. Its main goal is twofolds: on one side to set the foundation stone of Candidate's work, on the other to convince his/her audience about the validity of the project.
At the end of the third semester, Candidates will present the progress of their research activity and the first attained results. The Board will review and assess the feasibility, the originality and the scientific relevance of these first Products, it will review the changes in the Research Project and the upgrades of the State of the Art and will evaluate Candidate’s activity, commitment and results, although no formal evaluation will be produced, except in the case of a negative evaluation. The Supervisors will be invited to take part to Candidate’s presentation and the related discussion, also if not a professor of the Board.
The writing model
Models may be dangerous: they may numb critical thoughts. Writing models are even more dangerous.
But models are useful: they simplify and create comfort zones.
The writing model of a Position Report is not the classical
five-paragraph essay (curious may refer to the
wikipedia page but also the to the following post: "
The five-paragraph fetish") nor the the "eight-legged essay" of the imperial China (see again
wikipedia) but just a set of flexible indication.
A format is available and, here we report only the basic structure proposed. The Position Report is expected to have:
- a Title and an Author
- an Abstract
- a series of Keywords
- the statement about its Confidentiality
- an Introduction (where the research question is stated and motivated - in relation to the state of the art
- a series of central chapters explaining the core of the work, the part already realized (if any) and the completion plan, the main methodologies adopted
- a Conclusion and, if any a chapter dedicated to the Acknowledegements
- the list of the main References
MILESTONE FOUR - The thesis (critical) index
During the fourth semester, Candidates are expected to definitely start implementing their Research Project and, while reviewing and refining it, to turn it in a publishing project (the PhD Thesis) and to expose it to "others".
It is, in fact, the best moment, for PhD Candidates, to get out of their "comfort zone", open the door of their office and explore bravely the world, entering in touch with other research groups, planning (at least! now it is the best time for it!) a Foreign Stay or an Apprenticeship period outside academy, taking part of meetings and Research Conferences ..., expose their ideas, projects and results, if any, to peers and other experts. If needed, they may still follow Doctoral Courses to complete their skills; indeed it could be a good idea to take the last courses abroad, exactly during the Foreign Stay.
Of course, their program might have planned Foreign Stays, Apprenticeships, visits, interviews, talks, meeting and conferences out of their nest and have started publishing much earlier than the fourth semester. But it is supposed that, after one year and a half of courses, research readings and writings, they are "able to fly", can leave their nests (always under their Supervisor's guide) and truly experience the life of free, early stage, researcher.
Of course again, Candidates must not live this with anxiety and, in agreement with their Supervisors, set their targets and plan their actions in line with their abilities, aptitudes and inclinations, to do only what they agree is not only useful for their Research Project, but also is compatible with their character.
At the end of the fourth semester, Candidates will present the progress of their research activity producing a short but complete picture of their future Thesis. The picture will show a sequence of parts of the PhD Thesis in a critical index. Again, the Board will review and assess these advancements, any change or upgrade in their Research Project and in their State of the Art and evaluate Candidate’s activity, commitment and results and decide his/her admission to the third and last year. External Reviewer may be appointed to support the Board and the Candidate with an independent opinion.
Structure and content of the PhD Thesis Index
The PhD Thesis Index will be organized as a sequence of paragraphs describing:
- The whole structure (the list of the main chapters) of their thesis;
- The content (the objectives, the length and the content of each of main chapter, if useful, structured in sub-paragraphs), identifying what has been already realized (also in percentage), what still have to be written, to be done and even to be decided; as soon as possible, then, the candidate shall think of any possible outcome in terms of dissemination and valorization of his/her Thesis work.
- A synthetic work-plan (i.e. a Gantt diagram) of the PhD thesis, connected to the update of the R&T Plan, presenting a critical view of the advancement of each chapter of the thesis and its feasibility.
MILESTONE FIVE - The thesis draft
At the end of the fifth semester, Candidates are expected to present their first draft of their PhD Thesis, together with a synthesis of the results: planned, attained or still to be reached. The Board will examine and assess the value and the originality of the PhD Thesis, on the basis of Tutor’s, Supervisor’s and Reviewer’s, if any, and any other documented activity. The Board will assess, together with the Tutor, the Supervisor and, if any, the external Reviewers, the advancements and the feasibility to complete the PhD thesis. If the PhD thesis is not just a structure with many draft chapters but it is reasonably complete and readable, if required by the Candidate and approved by the Supervisor, external Reviewers may be appointed and the admission to the final exam planned even before the end of the third year.
MILESTONE SIX - The final thesis draft
The sixth and last semester will be devoted to the preparation of the PhD Thesis in its final draft (other versions will follow, after the Board evaluation and the External Reviewers assessment.
At the end of the third year, Candidates will be evaluated by the Board on the basis of their complete PhD career and, if ready, their PhD Thesis. If the draft, in agreement with Supervisor's evaluation, is not complete, Candidates may delay the evaluation of the admission to the final exam and plan a later review (i.e. a seventh milestone meeting, with an other commission). If the time needed/requested to draw up their thesis, is more than a couple of months Candidates shall apply for a delay of a maximum of 12 months.
If the thesis is complete the Board will evaluate it and appoint two external Reviewers for each Candidate and ask them to assess Candidates work.