Lessons from a doctoral thesis.

Abstract

The production of a doctoral thesis is a time-consuming affair that until recently was done in conjunction with professional publishing services. Advances in computer technology have made many sophisticated desktop publishing techniques available to the microcomputer user. We describe the computer method used, the problems encountered, and the solutions improvised in the production of a doctoral thesis by computer. The Apple Macintosh was selected for its ease of use and intrinsic graphics capabilities. A scanner was used to incorporate text from published papers into a word processing program. The body of the text was updated and supplemented with new sections. Scanned graphics from the published papers were less suitable for publication, and the original data were replotted and modified with a graphics-drawing program. Graphics were imported and incorporated in the text. Final hard copy was produced by a laser printer and bound with both conventional and rapid new binding techniques. Microcomputer-based desktop processing methods provide a rapid and cost-effective means of communicating the written word. We anticipate that this evolving technology will have increased use by physicians in both the private and academic sectors.