A good book, but don't rely upon it as your sole guide
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This book is written by a political scientist and I think this shows through quite clearly in the focus and content of the book. Although there is no specification of it in the title, the book is probably excellent for PhD students in disciplines similar to his, the usefulness is very much more limited for students in, for example, science.
The content of the book is detailed and reasonably comprehensive in many aspects of PhD authorship but I would be wary of blindly following his advice too closely without consideration of whether it is strictly appropriate for you. There are numerous passages in which his personal likes and dislikes in terms of PhD content are stressed but without sufficient acknowledgement that other examiners - and particularly those in other disciplines - might have contrasting, but equally strongly held, convictions. Examples given of thesis structure are less appropriate for natural scientists and medics than for those studying humanities.
In its favour, the book is particularly geared to those studying in the UK. While the differences between the UK PhD system and those of continental Europe and the US are mentioned, the emphasis remains on the UK, in contrast to much of the information available on the internet, for example.
In summary, this is a good, and generally well written, book but I would strongly recommend consulting at least one other on the same topic in order to gain a more balanced range of opinions rather than relying on one person's personal slant.
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Excellent and not limited for use by PhD Students. It can help us all...
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I found this book to provide fundamental guidance to anybody looking for assistance to carry out a constructive research on any subject, be it management, science, technology or art. I found it useful for writing essays/articles in technology areas.
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Must have!
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The book is written in a pleasant style. The author supervised more than 30 doctoral students at the University of London. If you are from the United Kingdom of Great Britain, then I suggest you buy this book as the PhD programmes in the United States of America differ slightly.
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A practical and high value-added guide
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I strongly recommend this book to other Ph.D. students. It is practical and contains useful and very specific advice. The author stays clear of general and obvious comments of the type 'communication with your supervisor is important'.
A particular focus of the book is on the structure of the thesis and the organization of chapters. There are tips on clear writing (but this is not a style-book). Further, the book contains: how to draft and remodel text; how figures of different types ought to be integrated; tips on finishing the thesis (first and laster chapters, abstract); and getting published.
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Comprehensive, succinct, practical
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In the midst of an unstructured mass of data and ideas, this book helped me to construct a semi-workable framework for writing up my PhD thesis. Dunleavy is concise with languge and examples and unlike many 'how-to' dissertation writing books, does not clutter his book with useless anecdotes. His chapters on structuring and maintaining a coherent argument across a 80,000 - 100,000 word doctoral dissertation are a lifesaver to any social science/humanities student. Dunleavy gives practical advice on everything, including structuring your thesis, how to start and end chapters and sections of chapters, and gives practical tips on tricky language use. This book is one you will keep even after you finished your thesis as it contains helpful chapters on how to turn your thesis into papers and books, giving you an incentive to get out there and complete the degree ! Definitely a winner.
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United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada