To further enhance the academic writing capabilities and research methodology literacy of doctoral students in Design, the Faculty of Innovation and Design (FIAD) at City University of Macau successfully organized the "Doctoral Dissertation Writing Workshop in Design (Research Semester for AY2025/26)" from August 4 to August 11. The workshop invited three distinguished scholars from Taiwan—Prof. Tung-Jung Sung, Prof. Wan-Lee Wei, and Prof. Chung-Ho Su—to deliver a series of high-level academic lectures and intensive dissertation writing tutorials.

Speaker Biographies

Workshop Highlights

Phase I (August 4–7): Overcoming Key Writing Pain Points

Phase I of the workshop took place from 4 to 7 August and focused on addressing key challenges in academic writing. During the morning sessions from 4 to 6 August, Professor Tung-Jung Sung delivered a series of lectures entitled "Frontiers and Future Directions in Design Research", "Transforming Design Practice into Research Outcomes", and "Logic and Coherence in Academic Writing". Professor Sung systematically reviewed the historical development and philosophical foundations of design research and examined the boundaries and ethical challenges associated with the use of artificial intelligence in academic research. Drawing on empirical examples, he introduced qualitative and quantitative mixed-methods research and used projects such as the renovation of Taipei community health centres and the development of VR rehabilitation equipment to illustrate the full research process, from problem definition to practical implementation. He also provided an in-depth analysis of topic selection, literature review methods and academic writing conventions, emphasising the central role of design thinking in addressing complex problems and advancing scholarly research.

During the afternoon sessions from 4 to 6 August, Professor Wan-Lee Wei delivered lectures on "Fundamentals of Statistics for Social Science Research", "Design Research Methodology and Experimental Design", and "Strategies for Journal Submission and Academic Publication". Drawing on his own doctoral experience, Professor Wei examined the logical structure of design science research, stressing the importance of developing the ability to transform design practice into theoretical knowledge and maintaining rigorous research logic throughout doctoral study. He explained the principles of hypothesis testing in social science statistics, including the relationship between null and alternative hypotheses, significance levels, and Type I and Type II errors, and systematically introduced the four levels of measurement. Professor Wei also advocated the use of mixed-methods research in doctoral studies and demonstrated how tools such as fuzzy theory can be applied to address subjectivity and ambiguity in design evaluation.

Phase II (August 10–11): Framework Optimization & One-on-One Tutoring

Phase II took place on August 10 and 11, led by Prof. Chung-Ho Su through full-day lectures and dedicated writing guidance. On the morning of August 10, Prof. Su led a session on "Dissertation Abstract Diagnosis and Revision: Research Questions, Methodological Paths, and Contribution Articulation". On the morning of August 11, he guided students through "Structuring and Optimizing the Dissertation Framework: Chapter Progression, Core Arguments, and Writing Milestones".

Both afternoons featured intensive writing clinics with one-on-one advising sessions. Prof. Su systematically detailed the entire dissertation lifecycle—from theoretical frameworks and research design to data analysis—with special emphasis on quasi-experimental design parameters and multi-method integration. He introduced scientific computing tools such as Python and R, and outlined rigorous academic standards for outlier data handling, APA-compliant results presentation, and the formulation of solid conclusions and future research directions.

Through intensive academic training and expert mentorship spanning research philosophy, statistical logic, data acquisition, and academic writing, this workshop provided FIAD doctoral students with a systematic research framework, broadening their scholarly horizons and laying a solid foundation for future high-quality academic research and publications.