Read published research in your subject-matter area. Begin the last stage of your doctoral program by conducting a literature review at the beginning of the final year of your Ph.D. coursework. Conducting a literature review involves reading the past and present research of experts in your field of study. Literature reviews can take months and could require you to read hundreds of publications.
Conduct original research. How you conduct your research depends on your area subject area. Doctoral-level research in the hard sciences could involve conducting original experiments, while research in the social sciences, also known as the soft sciences, could involve conducting field research among communities. Humanities doctoral-level research involves selecting a topic -- past or present -- and conducting in-depth research or researching for previously unknown information about the topic.
Complete the written comprehensive exam. Not all, but some doctoral programs require a written examination in addition to a thesis. The written examination covers your doctoral coursework and functions as an "exit pass" to begin working on your thesis. To study for the written examination, review all of your coursework notes and readings.
Write thesis. Writing a thesis requires time and appropriate equipment. Generally speaking, word processing software provides the tools necessary to complete a thesis, such as footnote, end note, citation and indexing tools. You must also follow your discipline's style guide for your thesis to be accepted and published by your university.
Defend your thesis. Submit your completed thesis to your department chairperson or thesis advisors, commonly known as the thesis committee. Your thesis committee reads your research and prepares a series of questions. You must provide satisfactory answers to all questions asked for your thesis to be accepted and to be approved for graduation. Generally speaking, if you have thoroughly researched the topic, you will have the information you need to answer questions during the thesis defense.