...pull PhD theses off the shelves at random...
Ph.D theses are not written for the general public. As the last phase in a doctoral program, the thesis requirement is intended to prove that the candidate is capable of performing scholarly research at a level that meets the accepted standards of their academic field. In many fields, that means demonstrating the candidate's ability to test hypotheses in a manner fully in accord with the scientific method. The Ph.D. dissertation is, in effect, a test of the candidate's research competency.
Ph.D candidates have a dissertation committee composed of several faculty, with a chairperson, and a dissertation topic is jointly decided upon and approved by the committee. The topic is not necessarily ground-breaking or of widespread general interest, but rather one that lends itself to the proof of competency that the candidate must demonstrate.
The result of all of this is that the thesis document typically does seem arcane and stilted, written to impress the professors and others in a narrow interest range. There is often an overload of minutia, footnotes, and methodology detail that would make a journal editor squirm in his seat. Sometimes, though, the research findings prove to be quite worthwhile, and serve later as the source for publications written for a broader audience.
A lot of this is just a matter of tradition, but not without an understandable and worthwhile purpose. A surprising number of Ph.D. candidates are never able to fulfill the thesis requirement ... and go on to be be forever known as "ABD's" ..."All but Dissertation." (If they end up as college faculty, they can expect heavy teaching loads!). |
