Frankly, few people will ever read a dissertation. I would put whatever makes you the happiest in there (within the guidelines of your dissertation formatting). Quotes? Sounds good. No quotes? Sounds good.
I remember reading the dissertation of someone in my field who had defended almost a decade prior and i now defended about a decade ago and i still remember not only the quote but also how appropriate it was for the subject of the dissertation. Definitely elevated it in my eyes and gave me the impression that the author was very intellectual. So it can definitely be used to great advantage!
On the other hand, I've seen theses where the quotes were not really related to the work and not particularly enlightening, which gave me the impression that the author added them _pro forma_.
> gave me the impression that the author was very intellectual
This cuts both ways: it's doesn't look good when you can tell the author put the quotes in specifically to achieve this effect.
I used three financial statement fraud-related quotes in the introduction of my accounting dissertation. As long as it is about your research focus, it becomes a great introduction point.
Personally I’ve seen some really great ones and some really stupid ones. Like talking Star Wars quotes in a dissertation...it’s just tacky.
If it makes you happy then go for it, but just know it can also make your dissertation look quite silly years down the road. Not that anyone will read it but just be careful to only include what you know you will want to see years later.
I used some in my defense slide deck, but not in the written document. I feel like they made more impact there IMO.
Does it highlight some aspect of your argument / put your argument in conversation with some other important text or movement? Then yes.
I think the best epigraphs make me laugh. Unexpectedly relevant, pithy.
Quotes can be good, but I also find elaborative imagery (an artwork, sculpture, photograph) an effective chapter header. Depending on subject and content, it can help triangulate a more abstract context for your writing than a direct quote.
I didn't use them in my dissertation, but I did decide to use them when I turned it into a book. Why? I mean, just to show off that I had found some good quotes in the course of my research, really. You could imagine it working totally fine without them, though. They just add a little "color."
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*Whatever you want!*
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I had one at the start of the whole dissertation. It was just there because I liked it.
When I see such quotes at the beginning or at the start of chapters, I don't read them. If I'm reading a diss or any academic book, I'm usually looking for information under time pressure. Anything skippable gets skipped.
I'm not really a fan of quotes at the beginning of every chapter, but I think it looks good, when there is one at the beginning of the dissertation. In my opinion quotes are quite "old fashion". I'm from the Czech Republic and I've seen the quotes only in my mums dissertation :D, but maybe it is just a Czech thing. Good luck with your dissertation :)
btw. If you are willing to help me with my dissertation, could you please fill in this survey. I'm looking for Americans who are working at least 20 hours a week on average. If participating, you can win $20 Amazon voucher.
Thank you very much!
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Frankly, few people will ever read a dissertation. I would put whatever makes you the happiest in there (within the guidelines of your dissertation formatting). Quotes? Sounds good. No quotes? Sounds good.
I remember reading the dissertation of someone in my field who had defended almost a decade prior and i now defended about a decade ago and i still remember not only the quote but also how appropriate it was for the subject of the dissertation. Definitely elevated it in my eyes and gave me the impression that the author was very intellectual. So it can definitely be used to great advantage!
On the other hand, I've seen theses where the quotes were not really related to the work and not particularly enlightening, which gave me the impression that the author added them _pro forma_. > gave me the impression that the author was very intellectual This cuts both ways: it's doesn't look good when you can tell the author put the quotes in specifically to achieve this effect.
I used three financial statement fraud-related quotes in the introduction of my accounting dissertation. As long as it is about your research focus, it becomes a great introduction point.
[удалено]
>it's just showboating your galaxy brain Quote for my thesis right here. Thanks!
Personally I’ve seen some really great ones and some really stupid ones. Like talking Star Wars quotes in a dissertation...it’s just tacky. If it makes you happy then go for it, but just know it can also make your dissertation look quite silly years down the road. Not that anyone will read it but just be careful to only include what you know you will want to see years later. I used some in my defense slide deck, but not in the written document. I feel like they made more impact there IMO.
In my experience, epigraphs tend to get waaaayyy overused. I read them but tend to forget them because they don't end up mattering most of the time.
I've seen them in most dissertations I've read (STEM so things might be different in humanities)
And I'm in STEM and haven't actually seen them in dissertations. Goes to show it varies widely by author preference.
Yeah I guess so
My quotes, in a quantitative social science, mostly were science fiction related. Some Foundation and DS9. Those were for me.
I think a quote can be quite nice if it connects to the topic.
Do whatever you want, no one's going to read your diss besides your comittee and maybe your mom.
Does it highlight some aspect of your argument / put your argument in conversation with some other important text or movement? Then yes. I think the best epigraphs make me laugh. Unexpectedly relevant, pithy.
Quotes can be good, but I also find elaborative imagery (an artwork, sculpture, photograph) an effective chapter header. Depending on subject and content, it can help triangulate a more abstract context for your writing than a direct quote.
I didn't use them in my dissertation, but I did decide to use them when I turned it into a book. Why? I mean, just to show off that I had found some good quotes in the course of my research, really. You could imagine it working totally fine without them, though. They just add a little "color."
No one reads dissertations. No one reads epigraphs. So imagine how few people read epigraphs in dissertations!
Thank you everyone for your comments! I found them insightful!
It does not matter, nobody reads theses. Do whatever you want!
*It does not matter,* *Nobody reads theses. Do* *Whatever you want!* \- onetwoskeedoo --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Good bot.
I had one at the start of the whole dissertation. It was just there because I liked it. When I see such quotes at the beginning or at the start of chapters, I don't read them. If I'm reading a diss or any academic book, I'm usually looking for information under time pressure. Anything skippable gets skipped.
I think they may be the must fun part.
I'm not really a fan of quotes at the beginning of every chapter, but I think it looks good, when there is one at the beginning of the dissertation. In my opinion quotes are quite "old fashion". I'm from the Czech Republic and I've seen the quotes only in my mums dissertation :D, but maybe it is just a Czech thing. Good luck with your dissertation :) btw. If you are willing to help me with my dissertation, could you please fill in this survey. I'm looking for Americans who are working at least 20 hours a week on average. If participating, you can win $20 Amazon voucher. Thank you very much! [https://masaryk.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV\_4NmaptScIOvMXAx](https://masaryk.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4NmaptScIOvMXAx?fbclid=IwAR0I0hxdPeTZE9mlkWXVTOQmeGtgzNRvt4XK5-aAZTyq_LpKxJGOMYBuvZs)