I'm just wondering what the standard procedure is for citing other chapters within your PhD thesis?

I mention my last data chapter in my first data chapter just as: Chapter x examines such and such. But my supervisor has said that makes it look like chapter x should come before the one it is mentioned in.

Any thoughts?

That's all you can do in my opinion. If your all chapters interrelate in a small way that's what you would have to do any way right? That's what I've done and my supervisors say it's fine.

So it's fine to reference a later chapter in an earlier one? My supervisors comment confused me, and I haven't had a chance to ask him what he meant and wanted to give him the next draft by tomorrow. Also what format do you put the reference in, do you just say Chapter X, or Chapter X Section X, or something else? I haven't sectioned up my chapters properly yet as none of them are finalised so I guess that's a chore for nearer the end anyway!

Use '000' as if correcting proofs.

Yes I've referenced later chapters in earlier ones and vice versa.

It depends on what the content is for what format I write, so if it's very general I will say 'Chapter x' such as 'growing plants is discussed in chapter x', whereas if it's something specific I will say 'this plant did not grow in the dark (section 5.2.5.1)' etc.

In my results chapters when I refer to the methods I just say 'section 2.1.1', rather than 'chapter 2, section 2.1.1'

Thanks TreeofLife, that makes complete sense. I think I was just over-thinking it =)


Now I'm just thinking how much of a job sectioning up the thesis is going to be aahh! haha.

I must admit I'm very glad I've done that as I've gone along...!