A dissertation is an extensive research document necessary to obtain an academic degree. Generally, students are required to complete a dissertation near the conclusion of their program to demonstrate their understanding and to add original research to their area of study. The quality of a student's paper and presentation determines the attainment of their degree. Writing dissertations is among the most challenging types of research papers, requiring significant time, attention, and effort from the student.
Although dissertations adhere to the fundamental structure of a research paper, they include aspects that are not typically found in standard research papers. Below, we offer a basic guide to assist you in writing a dissertation without feeling overwhelmed. Enhance your writing with a touch of refinement. Editing-Writing boosts your confidence in communication. Write confidently with Editing-Writing.com.
What is a dissertation?
Consider a dissertation the ultimate assessment required to obtain specific academic degrees. While various schools around the world have their unique processes, students typically prepare a dissertation with guidance from an adviser. The dissertation is then evaluated by specialists in the field to determine its eligibility for the degree. Typically, the student is required to present their topic orally in what is referred to as a dissertation defense.
The word "dissertation" is often used as a synonym for "thesis paper," which can lead to confusion due to the differing interpretations of these terms in various countries. In the United States, the word "dissertation" pertains to the project necessary for obtaining a doctoral degree, while "thesis" is associated with bachelor's or master's degrees. In the UK and Ireland, the terminology is reversed, so dissertations are linked to undergraduate programs. Dissertations can be categorized as either empirical or non-empirical, contingent upon the area of research.
Empirical dissertations, also known as quantitative dissertations, are frequently encountered in scientific disciplines. They necessitate students to gather original data, and the research methods used are also subject to examination. Nonempirical dissertations, also known as qualitative dissertations, utilize existing data, while students are required to deliver original and creative analyses. Despite being classified as research papers, writing them is much more complex and technical compared to other academic assignments. When you're putting together a dissertation, you follow a more detailed structure, which includes sections like the literature review, appendices, and methodology, among other key components.
How long is a dissertation?
There isn't a one-size-fits-all response to the question "How long is a dissertation?" The page length or word count can vary depending on factors like the type of degree, the field of study, the institution, and even the country. However, here are some general guidelines to help you understand what to anticipate:
- Bachelor's: 10,000 to 15,000 words (35 to 50 pages)
- Master's thesis: 18,000 to 22,000 words (65 to 80 pages)
- Doctorate: 80,000 to 100,000 words (200 to 300 pages)
As you can observe, a doctoral dissertation requires a significant commitment; you are, in effect, composing a book. Keep in mind that these numbers are just estimates, and the actual lengths can vary. For instance, dissertations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields tend to be shorter compared to those in non-STEM areas.
Dissertation structure and requirements
Title page
The primary focus of your dissertation title page is, as one would anticipate, your title. The title of your dissertation should effectively communicate the topic you are exploring and be directly linked to your research question or thesis statement.
Anyone looking at the title should be able to understand the subject of your writing. The layout of the title page varies based on the institution and the citation style. Usually, you will include the name of the university and your program, as well as the date. Seek guidance from your advisor for detailed information.
Acknowledgment
This optional section provides you the opportunity to acknowledge and thank those who supported you in the completion of your dissertation, much like a dedication page or an acceptance speech. If you decide to incorporate this, aim to maintain a formal tone and keep it concise.
Abstract
The abstract is a brief overview of the dissertation that appears at the start of the document. It summarizes the key aspects addressed in your paper and usually provides a brief overview of the methodology. Abstracts should consist of a single paragraph, typically ranging from 300 to 500 words. The term "abstract" is frequently used synonymously with "executive summary." Although people often use the terms interchangeably, they are actually distinct: an executive summary presents the research's results or conclusions, while an abstract does not.
Table of contents
The table of contents lists all the chapter titles, headings, and subheadings, along with the corresponding page numbers. Furthermore, the table of contents includes extra sections that may comprise a bibliography, appendices, and optional features like a glossary, an abbreviation list, or a list of figures and tables.
List of figures and tables
Dissertations that contain a lot of data often feature various visual elements, like charts or tables. If your dissertation includes numerous visuals, you should include a comprehensive list of these visuals along with their page numbers at the beginning of the document. Think of this as a brief overview or reference for visual content like images and charts.
List of abbreviations
Likewise, if your dissertation contains numerous abbreviations, it is advisable to provide an alphabetized key at the start of the document that clarifies the meaning of each abbreviation. This is particularly crucial if your dissertation contains abbreviations that are specific to a certain discipline, which readers from outside that field might not be familiar with.
Glossary
A glossary explains the complex terms found in your paper, similar to a small dictionary. Similar to the list of abbreviations, the glossary is useful when you employ a lot of specialized terms that might be unfamiliar to readers who are not part of your field.
Introduction
The introduction, which is the first of the key chapters and signifies the beginning of your paper, presents your research topic and provides the necessary background information for understanding it. In this part, you explicitly state your thesis statement or research question and offer a brief outline of how your paper will tackle it. The introduction is typically structured to ensure that each chapter includes a succinct summary. Your introduction should provide a brief overview of your methodology and approach, giving the reader insight into your research without delving deeply into specifics. Additionally, it should clarify the current research landscape of your topic to help the reader understand how your dissertation contributes to the field. As for length, an unofficial guideline suggests that the introduction be around 10 percent of the total dissertation length. Therefore, if your dissertation is 20,000 words, aim for your introduction to be approximately 2,000 words. Please remember that this is a general approximation, as your introduction may differ.
Literature review
In the course of your research, you will have gathered and analyzed the most important primary and secondary sources related to your subject. Literature reviews involve assessing and critiquing various sources, going beyond summarizing their results to highlighting weaknesses and establishing links among them. A crucial aspect of a literature review is identifying the research gap, which denotes particular aspects of a subject that have not been thoroughly investigated. These "blind spots" represent excellent subjects for dissertations, and your objective should be to provide new data or analysis to address them. The literature review must clearly identify the research gap and demonstrate how your dissertation addresses it. Additionally, it should outline the theoretical framework, highlighting the existing theories that underpin your research. In other words, the theoretical framework encompasses all the information your reader should understand about your subject that has already been verified or recognized.
Methodology
The methodology chapter outlines the process you used to carry out your research, allowing the reader to assess its reliability. Generally, you provide an in-depth explanation of your data collection process, the testing procedures you used, and your data analysis techniques, including advanced statistical methods such as Factorial MANOVA, which can be particularly useful when analyzing multiple dependent variables and understanding their interaction effects. Please list any tools or equipment utilized during your research and provide specific details, such as the location and date of the tests conducted. Additionally, you may include any challenges or difficulties encountered in this section. If your subject matter contains any biases, describe the ways in which your methods mitigated those biases.
Results
The core of your dissertation, the results chapter, provides a detailed examination of your findings. In this section, you will showcase your data or original analysis, including any visual elements like graphs or charts. For empirical dissertations, organize the results section by presenting each individual data finding and analyzing them thoroughly, one at a time. For dissertations that are not based on empirical research, organize this section according to the themes, patterns, or trends you have observed in your study. Be sure to connect your results to the main research question or thesis statement.
Discussion
The discussion section places the findings presented in the earlier chapter within a broader context. What significance does the data hold for this subject? Does it align with the theoretical framework? How does it alter our perspective? These are the themes explored in the discussion chapter. You are encouraged to share any surprising findings or unexpected outcomes you encountered. Promoting transparency builds trust, making this an ideal opportunity to express your personal views on the research process.
Conclusion
Like all conclusions in research papers, the conclusions of a dissertation synthesize all aspects of the work. This final chapter of the core sections should reassess your thesis statement or provide a clear answer to your research question. Make sure not to introduce any new information or evidence in the conclusion; instead, summarize and emphasize the findings you discussed previously.
Bibliography
The bibliography provides complete references for all the utilized sources, including their publication details. In APA format, the bibliography is referred to as a reference page, whereas in MLA format, it is referred to as a works cited page. The formatting of bibliographies varies based on the style employed. Please review our citation guides for APA, MLA, and Chicago styles to understand the rules you must follow.
Appendices
The appendices consist of various sections containing supplementary materials that are not essential but still pertinent to the subject. The core materials should be included in the body of the paper, whereas supplementary items—like maps, interview transcripts, or additional explanations—should be placed at the end of this section. Each item of content is referred to as an appendix, which is the singular form of appendices.
How to write a dissertation step-by-step
Choose the best topic
Selecting a topic is crucial in dissertations, particularly for doctoral studies. It is important to make sure that your research is significant and that you have enough content to meet the page requirement.
When selecting a topic, aim to express your thoughts as a thesis statement or research question. A thesis statement is a concise sentence that captures the main idea you want to convey, whereas a research question presents an inquiry that your research seeks to address.
As previously discussed regarding literature reviews, seek out a research gap in the topics that interest you. What specific areas within these subjects have not been extensively studied or need additional information? These would be the most suitable topics for a dissertation.
Conduct preliminary research
After you've chosen your topic, conduct some initial research to gain a solid understanding of its current status. You don't have to completely answer your research question at this point, but by the end of this step, you should have a clearer idea of where to focus your search.
Conduct principal research
After completing your initial research and receiving approval for your proposal, you can move on to a critical phase of writing your dissertation: primary research. The aim at this stage is to gather comprehensive information about your topic, ideally encompassing all the knowledge that researchers have gathered thus far. It's essential to clearly outline the specific aspects of your research gap so that you understand exactly what to investigate or evaluate. Additionally, you should examine primary sources, which are firsthand accounts or original data related to an event, as well as secondary sources, which are interpretations and analyses created by others, such as books discussing historical occurrences or assessments of primary data.
Outline your dissertation
An outline for a research paper assists in organizing your dissertation prior to writing it. The outline isn't a formal component of dissertations, yet it is very useful for structuring the work. You can organize the topics, points, and evidence prior to writing those sections. Your dissertation outline should include the subjects you plan to address in the main chapters: introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. If you plan to include direct quotes or excerpts, be sure to note their locations in your outline to avoid having to search for them later.
Write the first draft
Writing a dissertation may require days, months, or even years, so be prepared for a lengthy commitment. When you carefully plan your outline, composing the first draft becomes a straightforward task of expanding on your ideas. The main part of your paper should be straightforward; just present the data or analysis clearly, step by step. Your research and results will clearly demonstrate their significance. Many students struggle with crafting an introduction. The introduction chapter can be more difficult since it requires a broad and abstract way of thinking rather than just outlining specific details. Similarly, the conclusion of a research paper demands a broader approach to the subject and may be more challenging to compose.
Consult your adviser
Your advisor is available to assist you at every stage of writing your dissertation. Don’t hesitate to ask them any questions you may have, and make sure to touch base with them periodically as you work on your initial draft. Once you’ve completed the first draft, request your adviser to review it. They will be able to identify any issues or guide you in a different direction. Don't hesitate to ask; that's their purpose.
Gather feedback
Besides getting feedback from your adviser, try to find others who can evaluate your work as well. Ideally, having a seasoned expert in your area provide feedback would be beneficial, but anyone with knowledge of dissertations can still offer valuable advice on enhancing your work. The more feedback you receive before the final draft, the more advantageous it will be.
Write the final draft
Once you have gathered all of your feedback, create a final version that includes all the revisions and enhancements. Some sections may stay the same, while others may need to be entirely revised. This is also an excellent chance to eliminate any sections that are not directly connected to your central theme. Additionally, you might need to include completely new sections for topics that were not covered in the initial draft.
Edit and proofread
The final stage before submitting your dissertation is to fix any errors and complete your revisions. We suggest reviewing your dissertation multiple times, ensuring that at least one of those reviews concentrates on identifying grammar errors or typos. You can use our online spell-checker to identify any spelling errors in your paper.
Defend your dissertation
In some programs, you must present your dissertation topic orally to a panel of experts. This event is referred to as a dissertation defense, during which a panel will pose difficult questions to evaluate the credibility of your research and conclusions. Defending your dissertation can be quite anxiety-inducing, not only due to the aspect of public speaking but also because it has a significant impact on your eligibility for the degree. Do your best to remain composed and keep in mind that nearly everyone who has an advanced degree has experienced this. If everything goes smoothly, you won't have to face it again!
Dissertation Examples
Dissertations differ greatly in style based on factors such as the field of study, research methods, educational institution, country, and degree level. Reviewing dissertation examples can be quite helpful, but it's important to select an example that closely resembles your own work. We suggest you search the NDLTD for a dissertation that aligns closely with yours. This database enables you to search more than 6 million online dissertations using keywords and refine your search results based on language, year, or tags.
