Most PhD candidates imagine their thesis being read by expert examiners in their field. What they don’t realise is that sometimes their work ends up on the desk of a university committee made up of senior academics from completely different disciplines. As a member of one such higher degrees committee, I’ve reviewed dozens of examination cases across fields as diverse as music, engineering, biology and law. While routine cases sail through, we carefully consider the complex ones: where examiners disagree, where major revisions are recommended, or where challenges have affected the research process.

Sitting in these meetings has given me unique insights into how dissertations are evaluated at the highest level. When COVID hit, we started seeing similar patterns emerge across different disciplines as candidates struggled to adapt their research. But the pandemic just brought into sharper focus what I’d observed for years: research rarely goes exactly to plan. The strongest candidates aren’t necessarily the ones with perfect projects – they’re the ones who can clearly explain how they handled challenges while still making a meaningful contribution to knowledge. Equipment breaks down, participants drop out, funding gets cut, university governance and the corporate sector changes – there are countless ways your carefully designed project can go sideways.

So how do you write a compelling dissertation when things haven’t gone to plan? Here’s what I’ve learned from reading multiple examiners’ reports:

Start with a clear roadmap

Your overview needs to work extra hard when your research has taken unexpected turns. Think of it as providing a clear map for your examiner. The opening pages of your dissertation should explain what you originally set out to do, outline what actually

happened, and show how you adapted your project in response. For example, you might write: “This study originally aimed to conduct ethnographic observations in five primary schools, but when schools closed during the pandemic, the research design was adapted to include online observations and teacher interviews.” Or: “While initial experiments aimed to use primary cells, restricted access to hospitals necessitated a shift to frozen cell lines, offering unexpected insights into alternative methods.” Link each aspect to the relevant chapter/s covering the investigations eg in Chapter 2…

Be strategic when justifying your aims

Your introduction should tell a coherent story with clear gaps or contention woven throughout, even if that story changed along the way. Refer to authoritative sources or models that justify your approach.

For instance, a policy researcher might reference the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) framework, while a climate researcher would draw on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports or a infectious disease specialist might refer to World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations. Frame your aims to show you’re engaging with the most current thinking in your field. For example: “This research builds on Smith’s (2024) framework of digital literacy, extending it to examine how…” This will make your aims almost intuitive and linked to clear, relevant and measurable outputs.

Make sure to ensure that the components of the introduction that follows provides the scaffold to relevant concepts. If your project pivoted, this may need additional information to set the scene or even removal of sections that are no longer relevant.

Build strong narratives between chapters

When research changes direction, making connections between chapters becomes crucial.

Consider using linking phrases like: “While Chapter 2 established the theoretical framework, Chapter 3 shows how this framework operates in practice…” or “Building on the unexpected findings about X in Chapter 4, Chapter 5 explores…” These connections help examiners follow your thinking, especially when your research took unexpected turns.The impacts to project design brought about by unforseen events or findings can also be woven in here demonstrating how you may have pivoted to add knowledge to the field in a valuable. For example, the logical step may have been an intervention study or face to face interviews but COVID lock down necessitated an online survey approach or telehealth conference mode. What did this new approach enable you to discover?

Make your discussion work harder

The discussion needs to show the significance of your work, even if it’s not what you originally planned.

For example, if you had to switch from longitudinal to cross-sectional data collection, you might write: “While the cross-sectional approach limited our ability to track changes over time, it revealed important spatial variations that hadn’t been documented before.” Or, if you had to change methods: “The shift from laboratory to computational methods, while initially challenging, enabled us to identify patterns that would have been difficult to detect through physical experiments alone.”

Mind the details

When working with different types of data or methods, be consistent in how you present them. For instance, if you’re using mixed methods, you might use a standard format:

“The qualitative findings revealed [X], which was supported by the survey data showing [Y].” For visual data, consider using a consistent layout: “Each case study is presented with an overview diagram, followed by detailed analysis of key elements.” This consistency helps readers navigate your work, even when the content is complex.

Remember: examiners understand research can be messy and unpredictable. What they want to see is how you handled those challenges while still making a meaningful contribution to knowledge. Quality matters more than quantity – a focused dissertation that does a few things well is often better than trying to include everything but doing it less thoroughly.

Your dissertation demonstrates not just your research skills but your ability to adapt and problem-solve – increasingly vital skills in modern research careers. By being clear, consistent and strategic in how you present your work, you can turn unexpected challenges into evidence of your resilience and capability as a researcher.

Author Bio: Associate Professor Tania Crotti BhlthSci (Hons), PhD (Medicine), SF HEA is the Co-Chair of the Adelaide Education Academy Executive Group, Co-Lead of the Higher Degree by Research Supervision Community of Practice (HDR CoP) and Senior Postgraduate Coordinator (PGC) at the University of Adelaide.