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The words ‘ dissertation ’ and ‘thesis’ both refer to a large written research project undertaken to complete a degree, but they are used differently depending on the country:
The main difference is in terms of scale – a dissertation is usually much longer than the other essays you complete during your degree.
Another key difference is that you are given much more independence when working on a dissertation. You choose your own dissertation topic , and you have to conduct the research and write the dissertation yourself (with some assistance from your supervisor).
Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education:
However, none of these are strict guidelines – your word count may be lower or higher than the numbers stated here. Always check the guidelines provided by your university to determine how long your own dissertation should be.
At the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the dissertation is usually the main focus of your final year. You might work on it (alongside other classes) for the entirety of the final year, or for the last six months. This includes formulating an idea, doing the research, and writing up.
A PhD thesis takes a longer time, as the thesis is the main focus of the degree. A PhD thesis might be being formulated and worked on for the whole four years of the degree program. The writing process alone can take around 18 months.
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There are some obvious differences: an essay is relatively short – usually 1500 to 2500 words – and you are told clearly what to do by someone else. For example: Describe and evaluate major theories of globalisation.
A dissertation is a subject you chose for yourself. The first usage of the word in the English language in 1651 also gives a useful starting definition: “an extended written treatment of a subject”.
Another useful clue is found in the Latin origin of the word – dissertation comes from a Latin word ‘dissertare’ = ‘to debate’.
What does the word ‘debate’ imply? A discussion involving different points of view or sets of ideas. A dissertation will therefore not only examine a subject but will review different points of view about that subject.
Here’s another definition that underlines some more important characteristics of a dissertation: “a substantial paper that is typically based on original research and that gives evidence of the candidate’s mastery both of her own subject and of scholarly method.”
A dissertation will show that the writer knows her subject, the key facts and different points of view in it – but it also advances a point of view resulting from original research. Remember that ‘original’ does not mean ‘something that’s never been done before’ but rather ‘something that you do for yourself’.
A dissertation also “gives evidence of the candidate’s mastery […] of scholarly method”. This sounds terribly daunting but don’t be put off. The phrase is telling you that you will have to lift your game to write a successful dissertation. ‘Scholarly method’ means that you will be expected to do more and better reading and research than for a standard undergraduate essay. It means that your work will display accuracy and skill in its investigation and discussion of a subject. It means that your discussion will give evidence of critical analysis i.e. standing back from your subject and weighing up pros and cons. It means you will show that you understand that, for example, aspects of particular theories or viewpoints are open to question.
If you’ve landed on this article, chances are you’ve got a dissertation or thesis project coming up (hopefully it’s not due next week!), and you’re now asking yourself the classic question, “what the #%#%^ is a dissertation?”…
In this post, I’ll break down the basics of exactly what a dissertation is, in plain language. No ivory tower academia.
So, let’s get to the pressing question – what is a dissertation?
Simply put, a dissertation (or thesis – depending on which country you’re studying in) is a research project . In other words, your task is to ask a research question (or set of questions) and then set about finding the answer(s). Simple enough, right?
Well, the catch is that you’ve got to undertake this research project in an academic fashion , and there’s a wealth of academic language that makes it all (look) rather confusing (thanks, academia). However, at its core, a dissertation is about undertaking research (investigating something). This is really important to understand, because the key skill that your university is trying to develop in you (and will be testing you on) is your ability to undertake research in a well-structured structured, critical and academically rigorous way.
This research-centric focus is significantly different from assignments or essays, where the main concern is whether you can understand and apply the prescribed module theory. I’ll explain some other key differences between dissertations or theses and assignments a bit later in this article, but for now, let’s dig a little deeper into what a dissertation is.
Okay, so now that you understand that a dissertation is a research project (which is testing your ability to undertake quality research), let’s go a little deeper into what that means in practical terms.
The best way to understand a dissertation is to view it as a process – more specifically a research process (it is a research project, after all). This process involves four essential steps, which I’ll discuss below.
The very first step of the research process is to find a meaningful research question, or a set of questions. In other words, you need to find a suitable topic for investigation. Since a dissertation is all about research, identifying the key question(s) is the critical first step. Here’s an example of a well-defined research question:
“Which factors cultivate or erode customer trust in UK-based life insurance brokers?”
This clearly defined question sets the direction of the research . From the question alone, you can understand exactly what the outcome of the research might look like – i.e. a set of findings about which factors help brokers develop customer trust, and which factors negatively impact trust.
But how on earth do I find a suitable research question, you ask? Don’t worry about this right now – when you’re ready, you can read our article about finding a dissertation topic . However, right now, the important thing to understand is that the first step in the dissertation process is identifying the key research question(s). Without a clear question, you cannot move forward.
Once the research question is clearly established, the next step is to review the existing research/literature (both academic and professional/industry) to understand what has already been said with regard to the question. In academic speak, this is called a literature review .
This step is critically important as, in all likelihood, someone else has asked a similar question to yours, and therefore you can build on the work of others . Good academic research is not about reinventing the wheel or starting from scratch – it’s about familiarising yourself with the current state of knowledge, and then using that as your basis for further research.
Simply put, the first step to answering your research question is to look at what other researchers have to say about it. Sometimes this will lead you to change your research question or direction slightly (for example, if the existing research already provides a comprehensive answer). Don’t stress – this is completely acceptable and a normal part of the research process.
Once you’ve got a decent understanding of the existing state of knowledge, you will carry out your own research by collecting and analysing the relevant data. This could take to form of primary research (collecting your own fresh data), secondary research (synthesising existing data) or both, depending on the nature of your degree, research question(s) and even your university’s specific requirements.
Exactly what data you collect and how you go about analysing it depends largely on the research question(s) you are asking, but very often you will take either a qualitative approach (e.g. interviews or focus groups) or a quantitative approach (e.g. online surveys). In other words, your research approach can be words-based, numbers-based, or both . Don’t let the terminology scare you and don’t worry about these technical details for now – we’ll explain research methodology in later posts .
Combining your understanding of the existing research (Step 2) with the findings from your own original research (Step 3), you then (attempt to) answer your original research question (s). The process of asking, investigating and then answering has gone full circle.
Of course, your research won’t always provide rock-solid answers to your original questions, and indeed you might find that your findings spur new questions altogether. Don’t worry – this is completely acceptable and is a natural part of the research process.
So, to recap, a dissertation is best understood as a research process, where you are:
Depending on your specific degree and the way your university designs its coursework, you might be asking yourself “but isn’t this just a longer version of a normal assignment?”. Well, it’s quite possible that your previous assignments required a similar research process, but there are some key differences you need to be aware of, which I’ll explain next.
While there are, naturally, similarities between dissertations/theses and assignments, its important to understand the differences so that you approach your dissertation with the right mindset and focus your energy on the right things. Here, I’ll discuss four ways in which writing a dissertation differs substantially from assignments and essays, and why this matters.
Unlike assignments or essays, where the general topic is determined for you, for your dissertation, you will (typically) be the one who decides on your research questions and overall direction. This means that you will need to:
This is very different from assignments, where the theory is given to you on a platter, and the direction is largely pre-defined. Therefore, before you start the dissertation process, you need to understand the basics of academic research, how to find a suitable research topic and how to source the relevant literature.
A dissertation is a long journey, at least compared to assignments. Typically, you will spend 3 – 6 months writing around 15,000 – 25,000 words (for Masters-level, much more for PhD) on just one subject. Therefore, successfully completing your dissertation requires a substantial amount of stamina .
To make it even more challenging, your classmates will not be researching the same thing as you are, so you have limited support, other than your supervisor (who may be very busy). This can make it quite a lonely journey . Therefore, you need a lot of self-discipline and self-direction in order to see it through to the end. You should also try to build a support network of people who can help you through the process (perhaps alumni, faculty or a private coach ).
We touched on this earlier. Unlike assignments or essays, where the markers are assessing your ability to understand and apply the theories, models and frameworks that they provide you with, your dissertation will be is assessing your ability to undertake high-quality research in an academically rigorous manner.
Of course, your ability to understand the relevant theory (i.e. within your literature review) is still very important, but this is only one piece of the research skills puzzle. You need to demonstrate the full spectrum of research skills.
It’s important to note that your research does not need to be ground-breaking, revolutionary or world-changing – that is not what the markers are assessing. They are assessing whether you can apply well-established research principles and skills to a worthwhile topic of enquiry. Don’t feel like you need to solve the world’s major problems. It’s simply not going to happen (you’re a first-time researcher, after all) – and doesn’t need to happen in order to earn good marks.
In your assignments, you were likely encouraged to take a broad, interconnected, high-level view of the theory and connect as many different ideas and concepts as possible. In your dissertation, however, you typically need to narrow your focus and go deep into one particular topic. Think about the research question we looked at earlier:
The focus is intentionally very narrow – specifically the focus is on:
By keeping the focus narrow, you enable yourself to deeply probe whichever topic you choose – and this depth is essential for earning good marks. Importantly, ringfencing your focus doesn’t mean ignoring the connections to other topics – you should still acknowledge all the linkages, but don’t get distracted – stay focused on the research question(s).
So, as you can see, a dissertation is more than just an extended assignment or essay. It’s a unique research project that you (and only you) must lead from start to finish. The good news is that, if done right, completing your dissertation will equip you with strong research skills, which you will most certainly use in the future, regardless of whether you follow an academic or professional path.
Hopefully in this post, I’ve answered your key question, “what is a dissertation?”, at least at a big picture-level. To recap on the key points:
In this post, I’ve gently touched on some of the intricacies of the dissertation, including research questions, data types and research methodologies. Be sure to check out the Grad Coach Blog for more detailed discussion of these areas.
Hello Derek
Yes, I struggle with literature review and am highly frustrated (with myself).
Thank you for the guide that you have sent, especially the apps. I am working through the guide and busy with the implementation of it.
Hope to hear from you again!
Regards Micheal
Great to hear that, Michael. All the best with your research!
Thank you. That was quite something to move forward with. Despite the fact that I was lost. I will now be able to do something with the information given.
That’s great, Pheladi. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your videos and writing research proposal and dissertation. These videos are useful. I was struggling, but now I am starting to write. I hope to watch your more videos to learn more about the dissertation.
Before this post, I didn’t know where to start my research, today I have some light and do certain % of my research. I may need for direction on literature review. Big thanks to you.
Very very good Derek
Thanks immensely Derek
You’re welcome 🙂 Good luck with your dissertation/thesis.
Thank you Derek for widening my scope on research, this can be likened to a blind man whose eyes can now see.
Remain bless sir🙏
You guys are doing really great… I am extremely grateful for your help… Keep going.. Please activate that research help for indian students as well I couldn’t access it being an indian.
Hello Derek,
I got stuck in the concept paper because I changed my topic. Now I don’t know where to pick up the pieces again. How can I focus and stay on track. I am getting scared.
Thank you so much Derek, I am a new comer, learning for the first time how to write a good research. These in information’s to me is a mind opener, I hope to learn more from you in the future, Thanks and God bless.
Thanks Guys this means so much to me
A pretty good and insightful piece for beginners like me. Looking forward to more helpful hints and guide. Thanks to Derek.
This is so helpful…really appreciate your work.
Great to hear that
On cybersecurity Analytics research to banking transactions
This was of great help to me and quite informative .
Thank you so much GradCoach,
This is like a light at the end of the tunnel. You are a lifesaver. Thank you once again.
hello, I’m so grateful for such great information. It appears basic, but it is so relevant in understanding the research process.
Your website is very helpful for writing thesis. A big well done to the team. Do you have a website for paper writing and academic publishing or how to publish my thesis, how to land a fully funded PhD, etc. Just the general upward trajectory in the academia. Thank you
I have learned a lot from the lectures, it was beneficial and helped me a lot in my research journey. Thank you very much
Thank you for your gifts of enlightenment to a person like me who’s always a student. May your ‘well’not dry out.
It’s quite a fun and superb, now I have come to believe that the way one teach can have an impact in understanding and can change one’s assumption and position about a subject or a problem, before I came here and learn I consider research methodology a hard thing because, I wasn’t taught by a mentor like this one. Thanks so much who ever have make this effort to make this something easy and engaging
I can’t imagine that world has achieved major aspects of every field of study
Thank you very much for all the valuable, wonderful and comprehensive amount of information… I highly appreciate your support, 100% I recommend you
This topic is intended for my MPhil. Work (The perception of parents on Technical and Vocational Education, the impact on educational policy). May you consider the suitability of the topic for me and refine if the need be. Thank you,
Hello here…
i have gone through the notes and it is interesting. All i need now is a pdf file that contain a whole dissertation writing inclusive of chapter 1 to 5 on motivation as a topic… thanks
Remarkable!!! You made it sound so simple
I got stuck in my writing because I need to change my topic. I am getting scared as I have a semester left 🙁
Thanks for such an educational opportunity and support
Thanks for your educational opportunity and support
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Published: March 10, 2020
Higher education is filled with milestones. When completing your PhD , you will be required to complete a dissertation. Even if you’ve heard this word thrown around before, you still may be questioning “What is a dissertation?” It’s a common question, especially for those considering to join or are already in a graduate program. As such, here’s everything you need to know about dissertations.
A dissertation is a written document that details research. A dissertation also signifies the completion of your PhD program. It is required to earn a PhD degree, which stands for Doctor of Philosophy.
A PhD is created from knowledge acquired from:
A PhD program consists of academic courses that are usually small in size and challenging in content. Most PhD courses consist of a high amount and level of reading and writing per week. These courses will help prepare you for your dissertation as they will teach research methodology.
For your dissertation, it is likely that you will have the choice between performing your own research on a subject , or expanding on existing research. Likely, you will complete a mixture of the two. For those in the hard sciences, you will perform research in a lab. For those in humanities and social sciences, research may mean gathering data from surveys or existing research.
Once you have collected the data you need to prove your point, you will have to analyze and interpret the information. PhD programs will prepare you for how to conduct analysis, as well as for how to position your research into the existing body of work on the subject matter.
The process of writing and completing a dissertation is bigger than the work itself. It can lead to research positions within the university or outside companies. It may mean that you will teach and share your findings with current undergraduates, or even be published in academic journals. How far you plan to take your dissertation is your choice to make and will require the relevant effort to accomplish your goals.
In essence, a dissertation is what moves a doctoral student into becoming a scholar. Their research may be published, shared, and used as educational material moving forwards.
Basic differences.
Grad students may conflate the differences between a thesis and a dissertation.
Simply put, a thesis is what you write to complete a master’s degree. It summarizes existing research and signifies that you understand the subject matter deeply.
On the other hand, a dissertation is the culmination of a doctoral program. It will likely require your own research and it can contribute an entirely new idea into your field.
When it comes to the structure, a thesis and dissertation are also different. A thesis is like the research papers you complete during undergraduate studies. A thesis displays your ability to think critically and analyze information. It’s less based on research that you’ve completed yourself and more about interpreting and analyzing existing material. They are generally around 100 pages in length.
A dissertation is generally two to three times longer compared to a thesis. This is because the bulk of the information is garnered from research you’ve performed yourself. Also, if you are providing something new in your field, it means that existing information is lacking. That’s why you’ll have to provide a lot of data and research to back up your claims.
Dissertation length.
The length of a dissertation varies between study level and country. At an undergraduate level, this is more likely referred to as a research paper, which is 10,000 to 12,000 words on average. At a master’s level, the word count may be 15,000 to 25,000, and it will likely be in the form of a thesis. For those completing their PhD, then the dissertation could be 50,000 words or more.
Format of the dissertation.
Here are the items you must include in a dissertation. While the format may slightly vary, here’s a look at one way to format your dissertation:
This is the first page which includes: title, your name, department, degree program, institution, and submission date. Your program may specify exactly how and what they want you to include on the title page.
This is optional, but it is where you can express your gratitude to those who have helped you complete your dissertation (professors, research partners, etc.).
The abstract is about 150-300 words and summarizes what your research is about. You state the main topic, the methods used, the main results, and your conclusion.
Here, you list the chapter titles and pages to serve as a wayfinding tool for your readers.
This is like the table of contents, but for graphs and figures.
If you’ve constantly abbreviated words in your content, define them in a list at the beginning.
In highly specialized work, it’s likely that you’ve used words that most people may not understand, so a glossary is where you define these terms.
Your introduction sets up the topic, purpose, and relevance. It’s where readers will understand what they expect to gain from your dissertation.
Based on the research you performed to create your own dissertation, you’ll want to summarize and address the gaps in what you researched.
This is where you define how you conducted your research. It offers credibility for you as a source of information. You should give all the details as to how you’ve conducted your research, including: where and when research took place, how it was conducted, any obstacles you faced, and how you justified your findings.
This is where you share the results that have helped contribute to your findings.
In the discussion section, you explain what these findings mean to your research question. Were they in line with your expectations or did something jump out as surprising? You may also want to recommend ways to move forward in researching and addressing the subject matter.
A conclusion ties it all together and summarizes the answer to the research question and leaves your reader clearly understanding your main argument.
This is the equivalent to a works cited or bibliography page, which documents all the sources you used to create your dissertation.
If you have any information that was ancillary to creating the dissertation, but doesn’t directly fit into its chapters, then you can add it in the appendix.
As with any paper, especially one of this size and importance, the writing requires a process. It may begin with outlines and drafts, and even a few rewrites. It’s important to proofread your dissertation for both grammatical mistakes, but also to ensure it can be clearly understood.
It’s always useful to read your writing out loud to catch mistakes. Also, if you have people who you trust to read it over — like a peer, family member, mentor, or professor — it’s very helpful to get a second eye on your work.
There are a few main differences between a dissertation and an essay. For starters, an essay is relatively short in comparison to a dissertation, which includes your own body of research and work. Not only is an essay shorter, but you are also likely given the topic matter of an essay. When it comes to a dissertation, you have the freedom to construct your own argument, conduct your own research, and then prove your findings.
You can choose what type of dissertation you complete. Often, this depends on the subject and doctoral degree, but the two main types are:
This relies on conducting your own research.
This relies on studying existing research to support your argument.
More things you should know.
A dissertation is certainly no easy feat. Here’s a few more things to remember before you get started writing your own:
The process of completing a dissertation is self-directed, and therefore can feel overwhelming. However, if you approach it like the new experience that it is with an open-mind and willingness to learn, you will make it through!
There are countless people around to offer support. From professors to peers, you can always ask for help throughout the process.
The process of writing a dissertation will further hone your writing skills which will follow you throughout your life. These skills are highly transferable on the job, from having the ability to communicate to also developing analytical and critical thinking skills.
You can work backwards from the culmination of your program to break down this gargantuan task into smaller pieces. That way, you can manage your time to chip away at the task throughout the length of the program.
It’s okay to change subject matters and rethink the point of your dissertation. Just try as much as possible to do this early in the process so you don’t waste too much time and energy.
A dissertation marks the completion of your doctoral program and moves you from being a student to being a scholar. While the process is long and requires a lot of effort and energy, you have the power to lend an entirely new research and findings into your field of expertise.
As always, when in the thick of things, remember why you started. Completing both your dissertation and PhD is a commendable accomplishment.
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A dissertation is a long written piece of academic research completed as part of a university degree.
The dissertation will be the longest thing you write at university. It might be anywhere from:
Your dissertation will explain the processes and results of research that you conducted. You would also write an analysis of the results and recommendations for further research.
You usually complete your dissertation at the end of your degree, so in North America you might hear people calling it the “capstone project”.
We often use the terms ‘dissertation’ and ‘thesis’ interchangeably. I’ve also read a lot of articles out there on the internet that claim that there are clear differences between the two. There aren’t.
I’ve completed an undergraduate and a doctoral dissertation. I’ve supervised well over 100 dissertation students at undergraduate, masters and PhD level. I’ve taught at universities in Europe, Australia and North America. In all my time, it’s been quite apparent to me that people use the terms interchangeably.
Now, there is also another time we use the term ‘thesis’. A thesis is also known as your main argument in an essay and/or dissertation.
So, technically, a dissertation contains a thesis . The dissertation is the written report that you can pick up and carry around. The thesis is the key argument you’re making within the written report.
But save yourself the stress of trying to differentiate between the two: in 90% of all situations, when someone says ‘dissertation’ or ‘thesis’ they mean the same thing: they just mean “that big project you’ve been working on for the past 2 years of your life and you want to throw out the window.”
When you start your dissertation, you’ll be allocated a dissertation supervisor. Your supervisor will guide you through the process.
For undergraduate students, this may be the first time you’ve worked closely in a one-to-one environment with a university professor before. You’ll meet up for regular meetings and they’ll look over drafts of your work and tell you how to improve it.
Dissertations can be written during undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Here are the three different levels:
You may be asked to write a dissertation to get your undergraduate degree. Outside of North America, this is a requirement if you want to graduate “with honors”.
An undergraduate dissertation will range from about 5,000 to 30,000 words. Most undergraduate dissertations that I’ve come across usually come out at about 10,000 words and take their full senior to complete. However, different universities have different standards.
Undergraduate students are not usually asked to do complicated research studies. It’s an introduction to academic research, so you’re likely only going to do a small pilot study, but it’s good for learning how research happens and getting your toes wet.
You’ll also get to zoom-in on a topic of your choice, so it’s a chance to show future employers what your interests are and how you’ve pursued them at university level.
A masters dissertation is completed by people who choose to do a masters degree “by research”. Some masters by coursework degrees don’t have a dissertation component, so you may not have to do a dissertation at all.
At masters level, you’ll need to step up your game a little. Masters-level dissertations typically range from 15,000 to 50,000 words and involve a small but rigorous research study.
Many of the masters students who I have supervised in the past have conducted case study or ‘action research’ projects where they did a study in their own workplace.
Others have done standalone studies where they’ve come up with a topic to research and gone ahead to conduct the research over about a 12 to 24 month period.
A PhD or doctorate dissertation is the big kahuna of dissertations. If you successfully write one of these, you can call yourself ‘Doctor’ for the rest of your days (but you won’t be one of those doctors – you know, the ones with stethoscopes).
Most PhD dissertations are 80,000 to 100,000 words long – or about the length of your average novel. Now that’s a lot of words!
Your PhD absolutely has to (at a minimum) make a unique contribution to knowledge. That means you need to study something no one else has ever studied before and convince experts in the field that it was a well-done and valid study. Ideally you should also be able to tell people that you’re a world-leading expert in the topic you studied.
There are many different ways you can structure your dissertation. Different disciplines have different expectations and standards.
Many of my students freak out that they have to write such long pieces of work. But, by splitting the dissertation up into sections like I have done below, they come to realize that it’s just a whole lot of short pieces all glued together to make a coherent, interesting story.
Here’s one of the most common structures that 95% of all of my students in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences follow:
The introduction gives an overview of the topic to readers and lets them know of its importance. It will introduce the reader to the research topic and the question you’re studying. It might also introduce some key terms and give an overview of the structure of the piece to come.
A literature review will give a detailed overview of everything that’s currently known about the topic. It’ll show the reader that you have deep knowledge of the topic and that you’re qualified to conduct the study.
Ideally, you’ll also use the literature review to show how your study builds upon what’s already known. You don’t want to just do a study that’s already been done, but you can learn a lot from previous studies and use their knowledge to make your work better.
This section isn’t always used (you’ll probably skip it for an undergraduate dissertation), but it is common in some Masters and PhD level studies. It outlines what lens you’re using to critique concepts. Maybe you’ll use a theory like ‘grounded theory’, ‘ postmodernism ’, ‘ critical theory ’ or ‘feminist theory’ to study something from a particular perspective. You’ll need to show your reader that you have deep knowledge of that theory that you’re using, and why the theory is worth employing in your study.
If this is all too confusing to you now, never mind: you may not even need to use a theoretical framework , depending on the requirements of your course.
A methodology section outlines how you will conduct your study. What methods, procedure and ethical guidelines will you use? How will you ensure your work is honest, trustworthy, reliable or accurate?
The results section outlines what you found out. Particularly in quantitative work (that’s a study that uses methods that measure things using numbers and algorithms), you’ll have a results section separate from the analysis section. In qualitative work , often the results and analysis are blended together.
The analysis is the section where you critique the results. What do the results reveal about your topic? How do your results show us something new or provide fresh insights into an old topic?
The conclusion will usually sum up what you’ve said and explain its relevance for researchers or practitioners. You will give recommendations to future researchers on what studies they might want to undertake, or you might tell practitioners how your findings could be used to improve their workplace.
Conclusions also often outline weaknesses or challenges you faced. This is important to show that you’ve reflected on your blindspots and acknowledged them. No study is perfect.
You’ll have to choose a research topic, study it in depth, and conduct original research on it. It seems like a daunting task, but with your dissertation supervisor, you’ll work together to break it down into manageable chunks.
Let’s say Laura has to write a 10,000 word undergraduate dissertation in her Education Studies degree. This would be pretty common if she wants to graduate with honors. Here’s what she might do:
1. Choose a Topic
Laura needs to choose a topic to write about. She is really interested in play-based learning , so she chose this as her topic for her dissertation.
>>>RELATED POST: 51 BEST EDUCATION DISSERTATION TOPIC IDEAS
2. Conduct a Literature Review
Laura started reading up about the topic and write a 2,500 word review of all of the literature that’s out there on play-based learning. She found a few themes in the articles she read, so she split it up into 6 sections for the 5 themes she found, with 500 words in each section.
3. Come up with a Research Question
Now that Laura has some in-depth knowledge about her topic, she’s going to have to conduct some original research of her own to prove her expertise in the topic. Usually, we ask students to do research that no one has done before so that it is unique and tells us something new about the topic. Fortunately, because she’s done her literature review, Laura will now have deep knowledge of the topic and know things about play-based learning that haven’t been researched in the past.
Let’s say Laura decided that she wanted to interview teachers about the challenges they face during play-based learning lessons. She has decided to go out and interview, say, 10 teachers at the local school.
4. Devise a Methodology
Because it’s an academic study, Laura needs to prove that she did the research systematically. If she doesn’t have a procedure to follow, her results won’t be valid. So, she has to write a section in her dissertation about how she conducted the research to ensure it is reliable. This might be another 2,500 words and explain her methodology (procedure) and how she did it ethically (didn’t cheat or harm anyone).
5. Get Approval to Conduct the Study
Before Laura conducts the study, she’ll have to get it approved by:
Usually, she’ll have to present a written research proposal that outlines her plans and shows she’s thought about her methodology and literature review. This can be a long process, but it’s helped by the fact that he’s already conducted her literature review, written her methodology, and gotten them checked by her supervisor on a regular basis.
6. Conduct the Study
Once she’s gotten approval, Laura will have to go out and conduct the study!
She’ll go out to schools and interview the 10 teachers using a recording device – asking them all the same questions – and then come back to university and look over their answers.
7. Analyze the Results
Laura will have to look through the interviews to see what key points were that kept coming up in her interviews. We call these recurring points ‘key themes’.
The first thing Laura will do is transcribe the interviews. This means she’ll listen to the interviews and type them up word-for-word (‘verbatum’). Then, she’ll print them out and highlight important or revealing quotes that she thinks appeared multiple times in each interview.
Sometimes, people use software to help them find these themes.
8. Write up the Results
Now that Laura thinks she has some key themes from the interviews, she’ll write her ‘analysis’ and /or ‘results’ sections of her dissertation. She will write about all the themes she found and provide some quotes from the teachers to back up her points.
9. Write an Introduction and Conclusion
Lastly, Laura needs to write her introduction and conclusion . These come last when everything else was written. The introduction will give the reader a fly-by of what is said throughout the dissertation. The conclusion will highlight the importance of the results, maybe discuss some weaknesses of her study, and make recommendations for practitioners or future researchers based on her newfound knowledge.
I’ve got a ton of resources on this website to help you write your dissertation. My goal is to show you how to do it in easy to understand language – no academic B.S.! I recommend you get started with your dissertation by reading my post on how to choose a dissertation topic .
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What is a dissertation, getting started, staying on track.
A thesis is a long-term project that you work on over the course of a semester or a year. Theses have a very wide variety of styles and content, so we encourage you to look at prior examples and work closely with faculty to develop yours.
Before you begin, make sure that you are familiar with the dissertation genre—what it is for and what it looks like.
Generally speaking, a dissertation’s purpose is to prove that you have the expertise necessary to fulfill your doctoral-degree requirements by showing depth of knowledge and independent thinking.
The form of a dissertation may vary by discipline. Be sure to follow the specific guidelines of your department.
Finding a topic for your thesis or dissertation should start with a research question that excites or at least interests you. A rigorous, engaging, and original project will require continuous curiosity about your topic, about your own thoughts on the topic, and about what other scholars have said on your topic. Avoid getting boxed in by thinking you know what you want to say from the beginning; let your research and your writing evolve as you explore and fine-tune your focus through constant questioning and exploration.
Get a sense of the broader picture before you narrow your focus and attempt to frame an argument. Read, skim, and otherwise familiarize yourself with what other scholars have done in areas related to your proposed topic. Briefly explore topics tangentially related to yours to broaden your perspective and increase your chance of finding a unique angle to pursue.
Critical Reading
Critical reading is the opposite of passive reading. Instead of merely reading for information to absorb, critical reading also involves careful, sustained thinking about what you are reading. This process may include analyzing the author’s motives and assumptions, asking what might be left out of the discussion, considering what you agree with or disagree with in the author’s statements and why you agree or disagree, and exploring connections or contradictions between scholarly arguments. Here is a resource to help hone your critical-reading skills:
http://writing.umn.edu/sws/assets/pdf/quicktips/criticalread.pdf
Conversation
Your thesis or dissertation will incorporate some ideas from other scholars whose work you researched. By reading critically and following your curiosity, you will develop your own ideas and claims, and these contributions are the core of your project. You will also acknowledge the work of scholars who came before you, and you must accurately and fairly attribute this work and define your place within the larger discussion. Make sure that you know how to quote, summarize, paraphrase , integrate , and cite secondary sources to avoid plagiarism and to show the depth and breadth of your knowledge.
A thesis is a long-term, large project that involves both research and writing; it is easy to lose focus, motivation, and momentum. Here are suggestions for achieving the result you want in the time you have.
The dissertation is probably the largest project you have undertaken, and a lot of the work is self-directed. The project can feel daunting or even overwhelming unless you break it down into manageable pieces and create a timeline for completing each smaller task. Be realistic but also challenge yourself, and be forgiving of yourself if you miss a self-imposed deadline here and there.
Your program will also have specific deadlines for different requirements, including establishing a committee, submitting a prospectus, completing the dissertation, defending the dissertation, and submitting your work. Consult your department’s website for these dates and incorporate them into the timeline for your work.
Accountability
Sometimes self-imposed deadlines do not feel urgent unless there is accountability to someone beyond yourself. To increase your motivation to complete tasks on schedule, set dates with your committee chair to submit pre-determined pieces of a chapter. You can also arrange with a fellow doctoral student to check on each other’s progress. Research and writing can be lonely, so it is also nice to share that journey with someone and support each other through the process.
Common Pitfalls
The most common challenges for students writing a dissertation are writer’s block, information-overload, and the compulsion to keep researching forever.
There are many strategies for avoiding writer’s block, such as freewriting, outlining, taking a walk, starting in the middle, and creating an ideal work environment for your particular learning style. Pay attention to what helps you and try different things until you find what works.
Efficient researching techniques are essential to avoiding information-overload. Here are a couple of resources about strategies for finding sources and quickly obtaining essential information from them.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_in_literature_detailed_discussion/reading_criticism.html
https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/reading-techniques
Finally, remember that there is always more to learn and your dissertation cannot incorporate everything. Follow your curiosity but also set limits on the scope of your work. It helps to create a folder entitled “future projects” for topics and sources that interest you but that do not fit neatly into the dissertation. Also remember that future scholars will build off of your work, so leave something for them to do.
Browsing through theses and dissertations of the past can help to get a sense of your options and gain inspiration but be careful to use current guidelines and refer to your committee instead of relying on these examples for form or formatting.
DASH Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard.
HOLLIS Harvard Library’s catalog provides access to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global .
MIT Architecture has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.
Rhode Island School of Design has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.
University of South Florida has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.
Harvard GSD has a list of projects, including theses and professors’ research.
Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy
With its history rooted in the Middle Ages, the doctoral degree has developed over time to become the highest academic degree in the world. It acquired this distinction in the 1800s in continental Europe before spreading westward to the United States and Canada.
The doctoral degree originated in the ninth century schools of the Muslim world before spreading to European universities. Originally awarded in the professions of law, medicine and theology, the Doctor of Philosophy became the designation for doctoral degrees in disciplines outside of these fields. The first Ph.D. was awarded in Paris in 1150, but it was the early 1800s before the degree gained its contemporary status as the highest academic honor.
Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin, Germany, was the first university to award a Ph.D. for a course of study that today's doctoral students would recognize; that is, a sequence of coursework, followed by completion and successful defense of a dissertation of original research.
The Ph.D. spread to the United States in the 1800s. Prior to its development, Americans pursued doctoral study in European universities. According to the National Science Foundation, an estimated 10,000 Americans traveled to Europe for advanced university study. In 1900, the Ph.D. spread to Canada and in 1917 to Great Britain. In Great Britain, the Ph.D. displaced the existing D.Phil. and other doctorate degrees in some universities.
In 1861, Yale University was the first American institution of higher education to award the degree, conferring it on three recipients: Arthur W. Wright, James M. Whiton and Eugene Schuyler. Wright received a Ph.D. in physics, while Whiton’s degree was in classics. According to a Journal of Higher Education article by Ralph P. Rosenberg, incomplete Yale records do not indicate the field Schuyler studied or the title of his dissertation. The first Ph.D. awarded to an African-American was at Yale University in 1876. A year later, the first woman received a Ph.D. in the United States.
The National Science Foundation reported that American universities awarded more than 1.3 million doctoral degrees from 1920 to 1999. Science and engineering fields accounted for 62 percent of these degrees, while other fields comprised the remaining 38 percent. Men accounted for 73 percent of the recipients, but the proportion of doctoral degrees earned by women rose from 15 percent in the 1920s to 41 percent by the late 1990s.
What is an honorary doctorate of humane letters.
Shane Hall is a writer and research analyst with more than 20 years of experience. His work has appeared in "Brookings Papers on Education Policy," "Population and Development" and various Texas newspapers. Hall has a Doctor of Philosophy in political economy and is a former college instructor of economics and political science.
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Your dissertation, the final piece of the puzzle that stands between you and the completion of your doctoral degree . Okay, so that’s not the actual definition of the word “dissertation,” but when you’re writing one, that can feel true at times! Keep reading to learn the academic definition and take a more in depth look at what a dissertation is and how to navigate writing one. So, let’s go!
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While dissertation and thesis are sometimes used interchangeably, they actually refer to two different pieces of writing. A thesis is traditionally completed at the end of a master’s program . It is based on pre-existing research and showcases your ability to understand the information you have been learning about in your program.
A dissertation is much longer than a thesis and is completed at the end of a PhD or doctorate program . It is the last thing you need to complete in order to earn your doctorate in your chosen field. It will be about a topic of your choosing that is within your field of study. Instead of using all pre-existing information though, you will conduct a portion of your own research and propose new ideas.
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What you write about will depend on what field of study you are in. A dissertation is designed to be your own. Meaning that what you write about should be a new idea, a new topic, or question that is still unanswered in your field. Something that you will need to collect new data on, potentially interview people for and explore what information is already available.
Generally, an idea will need to be approved or at least discussed with whoever is overseeing your dissertation before you begin writing. It’s important to put time and effort into choosing a topic that you will be able to find either existing research for and add to, or a topic that you will be able to establish your own methods of data collection for. Again, the goal of your dissertation is to add to your field.
Your dissertation length will vary, but you can generally count on it to be around 2-3 times the length of your thesis. A standard thesis is roughly 80 to 100 pages. So, on the short end you’re looking at a 200 pages dissertation, while the longer end can reach as high as 400 pages.
The page count for a dissertation is enough to scare even the best writers away, but take a breath and rest easy knowing that this is not something you complete in just one semester or even two. On the short end you will have a year to write your dissertation, while the longer end can offer as much as two years to complete your dissertation. During this time, you will work with an advisor who can watch over you and help you along the way.
A dissertation is not just one long paper you must write. Thankfully, it is broken down into manageable pieces that you complete over time.
The first thing you will do is come up with your topic. Again, your topic will need to be approved by whoever is overseeing your dissertation. If they think that it may not be a strong topic, they will let you know. Even if a topic is approved though, you’ll need to do research around that topic first to make sure that it has not already been covered, or if it has that you take into consideration what has been done and add to the topic in a new way.
Research can mean looking at what already exists, as well as conducting your own research to add to a proposed idea of yours. Your research can take many different forms depending on what field you are in. Research can be costly at times, so be sure to check out what funding opportunities are available for doctoral research. There are even post PhD research grants you should be familiar with if you intend to continue researching.
A dissertation generally consists of five chapters. We’ve written them out below with a brief description of each and what they include.
Introduction – Just as you would expect, this is where you will introduce your topic and what you plan to discuss
Literature review – This section will address the research you have found that has already been done, or found has not been done, that pertains to your topic
Methodology – How you go about collecting information for your dissertation, whether it be conducting your own research or delving deep into what has already been done, will be discussed in the methodology section
Results – Your results will analyze the information you gathered in regard to your topic
Discussion – Finally, your discussion section will assess the meaning of your results and it is also where you will add your own ideas, rooted in research, about what those results mean in a broader context in regard to your field
There will be more parts of your dissertation that are not included in the chapters, but the bulk of your dissertation will be made up by these five chapters. Things like title pages, references, appendices, and table of contents will also be included.
Believe it or not, it’s not enough just to write your dissertation–you also have to defend your dissertation. This is another reason why taking a thorough amount of time to choose your topic is so important. You’ll likely need to propose your initial dissertation idea, but that will be much simpler and shorter. Your final defense will be much lengthier and in depth.
During your defense, you will present your dissertation to a committee. It’s likely that you’ll be at least somewhat familiar with those on the committee; they are not just randomly picked. They will ask you questions about your research, and you will need to respond to each question. A defense generally takes around two hours. The point of a defense is not to have people try to undermine your work, but for you to exemplify your expertise in your field.
Nobody wants to think about failing, but unfortunately, you can fail your dissertation. However, let’s talk about a few things before we just leave it at that. First, if you are afraid of failing your dissertation, this is something that you should speak to your advisor about. They can help you determine if there should be legitimate concerns or if you are getting in your own head.
Second, even if you do fail your dissertation, you are usually allowed to resubmit one time. This of course is not ideal, but it does give you a little room to breathe. Your goal is to do great from the start, but remember this is not an easy task. You’ll likely have plenty of bumps along the way!
Again, if you have concerns about failing, address them sooner rather than later and seek help. There are bound to be plenty of people and services around you, as well as additional services that you can pay for which will help review your materials and guide you along.
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By Elizabeth Exline
When Rose Lorenzo got close to finishing her master’s degree at University of Phoenix (UOPX), she came to a crossroads. She could walk away with her degree and focus on building her company, Lorenzo Financial , or she could scratch the itch for more academic knowledge and pursue her doctorate.
Lorenzo chose the latter. (And still managed to build her company, lay the groundwork to launch a new school and eventually get accepted to law school.)
“Although I knew what I wanted to study, I wish I had known how to choose the right topic and how to narrow that topic down before I started,” Lorenzo recalls.
Lorenzo, of course, is talking about the dissertation , that book-length document that’s both the capstone of the doctoral degree and the driving force behind a doctoral program’s years of study and academic research.
But settling on a topic is just one part of a process that can intimidate even the most determined scholar. What’s exactly involved in a dissertation? And what’s the point of one anyway? Here, we take a deeper dive into the dissertation experience.
A dissertation is an academic document prepared by a doctoral student that contains original research about a topic. The student identifies the topic, conducts the research, writes the dissertation and defends it in front of a committee led by a dissertation chair and other doctoral faculty who decide whether the research meets the doctoral level research standards. If it does, the student will successfully complete the doctoral program, have their dissertation published in ProQuest and earn a terminal degree , which means the highest education level that can be earned in a field.
The dissertation, in other words, is important. But why all the fuss in the first place? According to Rodney Luster, PhD, a dissertation can enhance society’s overall knowledge and understanding about an issue and ignite a person’s area of interest and expertise, as well as enhance that expertise .
Luster is the chair for the Center for Leadership Studies and Organizational Research within the College of Doctoral Studies at University of Phoenix , and he points to his own dissertation by way of example.
His research concerned what is currently known as vicarious trauma, a phenomenon he witnessed among his college students after the 9/11 attacks. His students hadn’t been anywhere near the attack, and yet he noticed they displayed classic signs of trauma. This piqued his interest.
“I was able to conduct what I understand was the first research study looking at vicarious trauma in the general population, and that has opened up a lot of doors,” Luster explains.
Now an expert on the concept, he has seen the phenomenon after subsequent events, such as Hurricane Katrina.
Lorenzo’s research was more tailored to her area of interest. She ultimately whittled down her topic from how leadership impacts entrepreneurial success or failure to how it impacts female entrepreneurs specifically.
Topics, in other words, offer the freedom for students to follow their curiosity and experience with the goal of potentially solving a problem or adding to a field’s body of knowledge .
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Dissertation vs. thesis — what's the difference.
Some people may confuse a dissertation with a thesis, but they’re not the same thing. While similar in nature in that they are both the capstone of an academic program, the biggest difference is where a dissertation and a thesis fit in the educational journey. As explained, a doctoral student completes a dissertation, while a thesis is a research paper for a master’s-level student or sometimes within a bachelor’s program.
There are other differences as well. One is the level of research involved. Often, a thesis is based on existing research. This means that an undergrad or graduate student will compile various research findings to defend a theory or idea in a thesis. A dissertation on the other hand requires doctoral students to conduct, present and defend their own research.
The two documents differ in length too. A thesis is often much shorter and can range from 40 to 60 pages for an undergraduate thesis and from 60 to upward of 100 pages for a master's thesis. A dissertation is 150 to 300 pages, or 80,000 to 100,000 words. As noted, whether it’s presented in front of a panel of faculty or academics as an oral defense is another key difference. This is often required for a dissertation, but oral defense of a thesis may depend on the program or institution.
Figuring out a dissertation topic is a process as individualized as the students in a doctoral degree program. Luster usually encourages candidates to begin with a title .
“That’s going to be your selling point for everything, and it has to be understandable. It must be concise. It must have a theoretical construct in it. The title will take you a lot of places and will help lead you into the writing process.”
To this Lorenzo adds a less lofty but equally valid cross-check: She learned to really drill down any topic with the question, “ Who cares? ” If there are people who are invested in learning more about the topic (if there are, in other words, people who care), it may warrant further research.
These preliminary exercises lay a solid foundation for the dissertation process, but the actual research and writing can still feel intimidating. Luster, for example, had written a book before starting his dissertation, and points out that a dissertation “is not like any other writing that you’ve done.”
So, where do you start? At UOPX, you start in your first class.
The dissertation process at UOPX was revamped and rolled out in September 2019, notes Shawn C. Todd-Boone, EdD, the associate dean for ACCESS, research and residency at the College of Doctoral Studies.
Luster says the process was reimagined based on extensive feedback and on a desire to make the process more effective and efficient.
One of the first ways the dissertation process changed was with the development of ACCESS , an acronym for “ advancing community, critical thought, engagement, scholarship and success .”
This sequence is incorporated into the first three interdisciplinary courses of any doctoral program at UOPX with an eye toward introducing doctoral candidates to what Luster calls a “theoretical mindset.”
The ACCESS program attempts to nurture a culture of inquiry that helps retain doctoral candidates while inspiring them to innovate in their fields, Boone says.
ACCESS, in other words, sets the tone for the entire doctoral process, which is founded on innovation, research and critical thinking.
Writing the dissertation occurs in what Luster describes as five phases over the course of different classes. These are:
The uopx difference.
The five phases of the dissertation writing process aren’t ubiquitous. Doctoral students work on a dissertation while going through the program at UOPX — which was very much intentional, according to Boone.
“We have five phases in the dissertation process and a deliverable at the end of each phase to encourage students to finish and to complete on time if they commit to the process,” Boone explains.
This is a notable improvement, according to Lorenzo. “It is more effective to start your research on day one than wait, because it's easier to identify the gap in research and eliminate wasted research time on topics that are not relevant to your study, and [it] helps contribute to the literature review of the study,” she says.
But this process isn’t the only benefit UOPX students enjoy. The doctoral program has several other distinctive features:
In the end, that sense of a safety net — both in terms of mentorship and the doctoral community itself — is one of the biggest reassurances doctoral candidates enjoy.
Lorenzo, for example, keeps in touch with a core group of colleagues she met through the program. “No one understands what you’re going through except for [your peers],” she notes.
Or, as Luster puts it: “You don’t have to worry, because you’ll acquire this information along the way, and you have a lot of good people to help you.”
Most are 100 to 300 pages and organized by chapters and/or sections and subsections. There are also often requirements for text size, page size and spacing that can depend on your doctoral program.
A dissertation generally includes a Dissertation Acceptance Certificate, a title page, a copyright statement, an abstract (detailing the objective of the research, the methods and the outcome), a table of contents, the research itself and supplemental information (either as an appendix with charts and tables or as an uploaded file with digital information). Some dissertations include front and back matter, such as acknowledgments, a dedication, a glossary, a bibliography and related features.
Not always. While most doctoral and PhD degree programs require a dissertation, some don’t, and others require a capstone project.
Individuals who complete a PhD focus on producing new knowledge to contribute to a theory or body of research. Individuals who complete a practitioner doctorate , on the other hand, focuses on how to apply knowledge to a field or particular issue.
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It just came to my mind, currently if one wants to obtain an academic degree one must to do a thesis. This is a widely accepted method to prove the knowledge of certain academic level, sort to say. But my questions are, where this method was originated? Which historical or social circumstances originated it? Is there any philosophical background?
(note: I have no references for the below, nor am I qualified in the topic)
First of all, the premise of your question isn't quite accurate: certainly in the UK it's very common for undergraduate degrees to have no thesis requirement. But putting that aside:
I think there are parallels with other mediaeval professions, which required proof of skill in order to become a member of a guild (the professional organisation). To be a 'master' of the guild one had to produce a 'masterpiece' (the origin of that word); this has obvious parallels with the idea of a thesis proving that an individual should be admitted to a degree (remember that historically a degree is more like a rank than an award, honour or qualification).
The MA at Oxford and Cambridge is still awarded automatically to those with a BA seven years after the start of the degree, which I believe matches the time someone in a professional guild would take to become a master.
Note also that the modern doctorate is a much more recent invention than the MA.
A bit if history. The history of thesis is intertwined with the history of universities in the 12th and 13th century.. The early history of universities is not clear but with time systems develop on how information/knowledge is taught and discussed. The end (so far) result is what we have today. The written thesis is based on the fact that ideas need to be made more permanent than oral traditions. the advent of printing made wider distribution of copies possible. The first degrees were the baccaulerate and magister artium which corresponded to doctor in certain disciplines.
The thesis was originally what the word describes a thought or thinking that needed defending, which goes backs to Aristotle and Plato. As soon as writing was possible, the idea was to put the ideas down in writing and hence a written thesis was born. One has to remember that teaching early on did not necessarily occur as lectures, it could be mentioning and learned discussions. At the same time knowledge was not as structured and defined as now.
early on the teacher actually wrote the thesis and t was the students job to defend it. So the focus was less on developing knowledge but to defend a thesis with arguments and logic. During the renaissance the thesis in a form we can recognise was developed. These texts were called dissertatio (lat. development, presentation) where as the defence was named disputatio (lat. c. learned argument). From these relatively common beginnings different "cultures" developed which now are reflected in differences between countries in how a thesis is defined and defended.
Much more details can probably be added to this but the core is covered. There is no necessary connection between a degree and a thesis. Certainly not at a bachelor's leverl and it is also possible at a master's level. Differences also exist between disciplines.
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dissertation
Examples of dissertation in a sentence.
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dissertation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
1651, in the meaning defined above
dissertative
“Dissertation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissertation. Accessed 6 Jul. 2024.
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1610s, "discussion, debate" (a sense now obsolete), from Late Latin dissertationem (nominative dissertatio ) "discourse," noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin dissertare "debate, argue, examine, harangue," frequentative of disserere "discuss, examine," from dis- "apart" (see dis- ) + serere "to join together, put in a row, arrange (words)," from PIE root *ser- (2) "to line up."
Sense of "formal, written treatise" is from 1650s. Meaning "research paper required as a final project for a Ph.D or other doctoral degree" is attested by 1877 in reference to continental universities; it was in use in the U.S. by 1890. Related: Dissertational . There is no regular verb to go with it: Dissert (1620s, from French disserter , from Latin dissertare ) is obsolete, and dissertate (1766) is marked "Unusual" in OED.
word-forming element of Latin origin meaning 1. "lack of, not" (as in dishonest ); 2. "opposite of, do the opposite of" (as in disallow ); 3. "apart, away" (as in discard ), from Old French des- or directly from Latin dis- "apart, asunder, in a different direction, between," figuratively "not, un-," also "exceedingly, utterly." Assimilated as dif- before -f- and to di- before most voiced consonants.
The Latin prefix is from PIE *dis- "apart, asunder" (source also of Old English te- , Old Saxon ti- , Old High German ze- , German zer- ). The PIE root is a secondary form of *dwis- and thus is related to Latin bis "twice" (originally *dvis ) and to duo , on notion of "two ways, in twain" (hence "apart, asunder").
In classical Latin, dis- paralleled de- and had much the same meaning, but in Late Latin dis- came to be the favored form and this passed into Old French as des- , the form used for compound words formed in Old French, where it increasingly had a privative sense ("not"). In English, many of these words eventually were altered back to dis- , while in French many have been altered back to de- . The usual confusion prevails.
As a living prefix in English, it reverses or negatives what it is affixed to. Sometimes, as in Italian, it is reduced to s- (as in spend , splay , sport , sdain for disdain , and the surnames Spencer and Spence ).
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to line up."
It forms all or part of: assert ; assertion ; assort ; consort ; desert (v.) "to leave one's duty;" desertion ; dissertation ; ensorcell ; exert ; exsert ; insert ; seriatim ; seriation ; series ; sermon ; serried ; sorcerer ; sorcery ; sort .
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit sarat- "thread;" Greek eirein "to fasten together in rows;" Latin serere "to join, link, bind together," series "row, chain, series, sequence, succession;" Gothic sarwa (plural) "armor, arms;" Old Norse sörve "necklace of stringed pearls;" Old Irish sernaid "he joins together;" Welsh ystret "a row."
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Home » Thesis – Structure, Example and Writing Guide
Table of contents.
Definition:
Thesis is a scholarly document that presents a student’s original research and findings on a particular topic or question. It is usually written as a requirement for a graduate degree program and is intended to demonstrate the student’s mastery of the subject matter and their ability to conduct independent research.
The concept of a thesis can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was used as a way for students to demonstrate their knowledge of a particular subject. However, the modern form of the thesis as a scholarly document used to earn a degree is a relatively recent development.
The origin of the modern thesis can be traced back to medieval universities in Europe. During this time, students were required to present a “disputation” in which they would defend a particular thesis in front of their peers and faculty members. These disputations served as a way to demonstrate the student’s mastery of the subject matter and were often the final requirement for earning a degree.
In the 17th century, the concept of the thesis was formalized further with the creation of the modern research university. Students were now required to complete a research project and present their findings in a written document, which would serve as the basis for their degree.
The modern thesis as we know it today has evolved over time, with different disciplines and institutions adopting their own standards and formats. However, the basic elements of a thesis – original research, a clear research question, a thorough review of the literature, and a well-argued conclusion – remain the same.
The structure of a thesis may vary slightly depending on the specific requirements of the institution, department, or field of study, but generally, it follows a specific format.
Here’s a breakdown of the structure of a thesis:
This is the first page of the thesis that includes the title of the thesis, the name of the author, the name of the institution, the department, the date, and any other relevant information required by the institution.
This is a brief summary of the thesis that provides an overview of the research question, methodology, findings, and conclusions.
This page provides a list of all the chapters and sections in the thesis and their page numbers.
This chapter provides an overview of the research question, the context of the research, and the purpose of the study. The introduction should also outline the methodology and the scope of the research.
This chapter provides a critical analysis of the relevant literature on the research topic. It should demonstrate the gap in the existing knowledge and justify the need for the research.
This chapter provides a detailed description of the research methods used to gather and analyze data. It should explain the research design, the sampling method, data collection techniques, and data analysis procedures.
This chapter presents the findings of the research. It should include tables, graphs, and charts to illustrate the results.
This chapter interprets the results and relates them to the research question. It should explain the significance of the findings and their implications for the research topic.
This chapter summarizes the key findings and the main conclusions of the research. It should also provide recommendations for future research.
This section provides a list of all the sources cited in the thesis. The citation style may vary depending on the requirements of the institution or the field of study.
This section includes any additional material that supports the research, such as raw data, survey questionnaires, or other relevant documents.
Here are some steps to help you write a thesis:
Example of Thesis template for Students:
Title of Thesis
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Chapter 3: Research Methodology
Chapter 4: Results
Chapter 5: Discussion
Chapter 6: Conclusion
References:
Appendices:
Note: That’s just a basic template, but it should give you an idea of the structure and content that a typical thesis might include. Be sure to consult with your department or supervisor for any specific formatting requirements they may have. Good luck with your thesis!
Thesis is an important academic document that serves several purposes. Here are some of the applications of thesis:
The purpose of a thesis is to present original research findings in a clear and organized manner. It is a formal document that demonstrates a student’s ability to conduct independent research and contribute to the knowledge in their field of study. The primary purposes of a thesis are:
The timing for writing a thesis depends on the specific requirements of the academic program or institution. In most cases, the opportunity to write a thesis is typically offered at the graduate level, but there may be exceptions.
Generally, students should plan to write their thesis during the final year of their graduate program. This allows sufficient time for conducting research, analyzing data, and writing the thesis. It is important to start planning the thesis early and to identify a research topic and research advisor as soon as possible.
In some cases, students may be able to write a thesis as part of an undergraduate program or as an independent research project outside of an academic program. In such cases, it is important to consult with faculty advisors or mentors to ensure that the research is appropriately designed and executed.
It is important to note that the process of writing a thesis can be time-consuming and requires a significant amount of effort and dedication. It is important to plan accordingly and to allocate sufficient time for conducting research, analyzing data, and writing the thesis.
The characteristics of a thesis vary depending on the specific academic program or institution. However, some general characteristics of a thesis include:
There are several advantages to writing a thesis, including:
There are also some limitations to writing a thesis, including:
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Published on September 9, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on July 18, 2023.
It can be difficult to know where to start when writing your thesis or dissertation . One way to come up with some ideas or maybe even combat writer’s block is to check out previous work done by other students on a similar thesis or dissertation topic to yours.
This article collects a list of undergraduate, master’s, and PhD theses and dissertations that have won prizes for their high-quality research.
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Award-winning undergraduate theses, award-winning master’s theses, award-winning ph.d. dissertations, other interesting articles.
University : University of Pennsylvania Faculty : History Author : Suchait Kahlon Award : 2021 Hilary Conroy Prize for Best Honors Thesis in World History Title : “Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the “Noble Savage” on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807”
University : Columbia University Faculty : History Author : Julien Saint Reiman Award : 2018 Charles A. Beard Senior Thesis Prize Title : “A Starving Man Helping Another Starving Man”: UNRRA, India, and the Genesis of Global Relief, 1943-1947
University: University College London Faculty: Geography Author: Anna Knowles-Smith Award: 2017 Royal Geographical Society Undergraduate Dissertation Prize Title: Refugees and theatre: an exploration of the basis of self-representation
University: University of Washington Faculty: Computer Science & Engineering Author: Nick J. Martindell Award: 2014 Best Senior Thesis Award Title: DCDN: Distributed content delivery for the modern web
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University: University of Edinburgh Faculty: Informatics Author: Christopher Sipola Award: 2018 Social Responsibility & Sustainability Dissertation Prize Title: Summarizing electricity usage with a neural network
University: University of Ottawa Faculty: Education Author: Matthew Brillinger Award: 2017 Commission on Graduate Studies in the Humanities Prize Title: Educational Park Planning in Berkeley, California, 1965-1968
University: University of Ottawa Faculty: Social Sciences Author: Heather Martin Award: 2015 Joseph De Koninck Prize Title: An Analysis of Sexual Assault Support Services for Women who have a Developmental Disability
University : University of Ottawa Faculty : Physics Author : Guillaume Thekkadath Award : 2017 Commission on Graduate Studies in the Sciences Prize Title : Joint measurements of complementary properties of quantum systems
University: London School of Economics Faculty: International Development Author: Lajos Kossuth Award: 2016 Winner of the Prize for Best Overall Performance Title: Shiny Happy People: A study of the effects income relative to a reference group exerts on life satisfaction
University : Stanford University Faculty : English Author : Nathan Wainstein Award : 2021 Alden Prize Title : “Unformed Art: Bad Writing in the Modernist Novel”
University : University of Massachusetts at Amherst Faculty : Molecular and Cellular Biology Author : Nils Pilotte Award : 2021 Byron Prize for Best Ph.D. Dissertation Title : “Improved Molecular Diagnostics for Soil-Transmitted Molecular Diagnostics for Soil-Transmitted Helminths”
University: Utrecht University Faculty: Linguistics Author: Hans Rutger Bosker Award: 2014 AVT/Anéla Dissertation Prize Title: The processing and evaluation of fluency in native and non-native speech
University: California Institute of Technology Faculty: Physics Author: Michael P. Mendenhall Award: 2015 Dissertation Award in Nuclear Physics Title: Measurement of the neutron beta decay asymmetry using ultracold neutrons
University: Stanford University Faculty: Management Science and Engineering Author: Shayan O. Gharan Award: Doctoral Dissertation Award 2013 Title: New Rounding Techniques for the Design and Analysis of Approximation Algorithms
University: University of Minnesota Faculty: Chemical Engineering Author: Eric A. Vandre Award: 2014 Andreas Acrivos Dissertation Award in Fluid Dynamics Title: Onset of Dynamics Wetting Failure: The Mechanics of High-speed Fluid Displacement
University: Erasmus University Rotterdam Faculty: Marketing Author: Ezgi Akpinar Award: McKinsey Marketing Dissertation Award 2014 Title: Consumer Information Sharing: Understanding Psychological Drivers of Social Transmission
University: University of Washington Faculty: Computer Science & Engineering Author: Keith N. Snavely Award: 2009 Doctoral Dissertation Award Title: Scene Reconstruction and Visualization from Internet Photo Collections
University: University of Ottawa Faculty: Social Work Author: Susannah Taylor Award: 2018 Joseph De Koninck Prize Title: Effacing and Obscuring Autonomy: the Effects of Structural Violence on the Transition to Adulthood of Street Involved Youth
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A dissertation is a long academic piece of writing based on a student’s independent research . It is usually submitted in the final semester of UG, PG and PhD courses . It takes about 1-2 years to complete the dissertation as it requires a lot of research and written documentation . The aim of writing a dissertation is to test a student’s research skills. It allows students to develop their research, problem-solving, project management and numerical skills . During the course of writing a dissertation, students become able to present their research-based findings to the proposition they chose for themselves.
Empirical dissertation, non-empirical dissertation, skills you need to show, how long is a dissertation, empirical dissertation structure, non-empirical structure, dissertation project example, checklist for dissertation, helpful tips for writing a dissertation, difference between a dissertation and essay, dissertation vs thesis, types of dissertation.
The type of dissertation you may be doing completely depends upon the field of your study. However, there are 2 types of dissertation mentioned below in the table:
Collecting Original Data | Analysing Sources | |
Experiments, Observations, Surveys, | , Artworks, Historical Documents. |
If you are a student of sciences or social sciences, you’ll be required to write an empirical dissertation . Its focus is mainly on collecting original data and analysing every aspect of the data. Students can choose different research methods such as surveys, observation, laboratory experiments and interviews . Keeping in mind that the aim of an Empirical dissertation is to produce standardized scientific knowledge, students must consider the variables they will investigate, the reliability of their measurements, and choose the correct sampling method.
Non-empirical research is generally done for subjects such as arts and humanities . Choosing a particular topic and collecting the data from primary and secondary sources is the first step of starting with this type of dissertation. While working on non-empirical research, a student does the work with existing research or other texts, presents original analysis, argumentation, but there is no original data . The aim is to analyse theoretical texts and interpret the sources with your own understanding.
Regardless of the type of dissertation you write or the topic you pick, you’ll need to demonstrate the following abilities:
Defining and defining a study topic with a specific query | Identifying the most important problems |
Obtaining the necessary information | Considering its trustworthiness and validity |
Considering both sides of a debate’s evidence | Arriving at a well-thought-out conclusion |
Organizing and presenting your study’s findings in a critical, captivating, and eloquent manner while following all formatting guidelines. |
A dissertation’s length varies by study level and location, although it normally ranges from 10,000 to 12,000 words for undergraduates, 15,000 to 25,000 words for master’s students, and up to 50,000 words or more for PhD students.
A dissertation is basically divided into chapters and sections . Both empirical and non-empirical dissertations have different kinds of structures that are supposed to be followed while writing a dissertation. Empirical dissertations usually have a more standardized structure than that of a non-empirical dissertation which is more flexible.
The structure may be slightly different but an empirical dissertation must include the following chapters:
The structure or outline of a non-empirical dissertation is quite flexible as it involves existing research and texts . The aim of non-empirical research is to present original and independent analysis based on theoretical research . It is basically an extended essay but while writing a non-empirical thesis, the text must be presented precisely to serve your arguments in a logical manner. However, mentioned below is a general outline that must be followed while writing a non-empirical dissertation:
*The main body is divided into 2-4 chapters.
Depending on the topic you’ve chosen, the main body can be divided into different types. One of the most common topics of non-empirical research is history-based . The following mentioned is an example of a renaissance based topic:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mentioned below is a checklist to make sure you’ve included all the required information:
You get to choose the topic | You are provided with the topics |
Research is done to add something new to a specific field of study | The purpose is to inform others about a particular topic |
The audience is an academic committee and scholars of the specific field of study | The audience is the teacher and the professor who assigned the given topic |
You are required to analyze and present your original thoughts | You are not obliged to present your own opinions or present an analysis |
PhD must include over 60,000 words and should not exceed the limit of 80,000 words.
It takes around a year or two to complete a dissertation but if you manage time properly and catch up the speed you may be able to complete it in less than 8 months.
Hopefully, this blog assisted you in finding out what is Dissertation, its structure and more. If you require any assistance regarding your application process while enrolling for your further studies, our experts at Leverage Edu are just one click away. Call us anytime at 1800 572 000 for a free counselling session!
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Permanent URI for this collection https://hdl.handle.net/2152/11
This collection contains University of Texas at Austin electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). The collection includes ETDs primarily from 2001 to the present. Some pre-2001 theses and dissertations have been digitized and added to this collection, but those are uncommon. The library catalog is the most comprehensive list of UT Austin theses and dissertations.
Since 2010, the Office of Graduate Studies at UT Austin has required all theses and dissertations to be made publicly available in Texas ScholarWorks; however, authors are able to request an embargo of up to seven years. Embargoed ETDs will not show up in this collection. Most of the ETDs in this collection are freely accessible to all users, but some pre-2010 works require a current UT EID at point of use. Please see the FAQs for more information. If you have a question about the availability of a specific ETD, please contact [email protected].
Some items in this collection may contain offensive images or text. The University of Texas Libraries is committed to maintaining an accurate and authentic scholarly and historic record. An authentic record is essential for understanding our past and informing the present. In order to preserve the authenticity of the historical record we will not honor requests to redact content, correct errors, or otherwise remove content, except in cases where there are legal concerns (e.g. potential copyright infringement, inclusion of HIPAA/FERPA protected information or Social Security Numbers) or evidence of a clear and imminent threat to personal safety or well-being.
This policy is in keeping with the American Library Association code of ethics to resist efforts to censor library resources, and the Society of American Archivists code of ethics that states "archivists may not willfully alter, manipulate, or destroy data or records to conceal facts or distort evidence."
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Title: talking to machines: do you read me.
Abstract: In this dissertation I would like to guide the reader to the research on dialogue but more precisely the research I have conducted during my career since my PhD thesis. Starting from modular architectures with machine learning/deep learning and reinforcement learning to end-to-end deep neural networks. Besides my work as research associate, I also present the work I have supervised in the last years. I review briefly the state of the art and highlight the open research problems on conversational agents. Afterwards, I present my contribution to Task-Oriented Dialogues (TOD), both as research associate and as the industrial supervisor of CIFRE theses. I discuss conversational QA. Particularly, I present the work of two PhD candidates Thibault Cordier and Sebastien Montella; as well as the work of the young researcher Quentin Brabant. Finally, I present the scientific project, where I discuss about Large Language Models (LLMs) for Task-Oriented Dialogue and Multimodal Task-Oriented Dialogue.
Comments: | French Doctoral Habilitation HDR manuscript: https://hal.science/tel-04620199 |
Subjects: | Computation and Language (cs.CL); Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI); Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC) |
Cite as: | [cs.CL] |
(or [cs.CL] for this version) | |
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A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program. Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you've ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating ...
Etymology. The term thesis comes from the Greek word θέσις, meaning "something put forth", and refers to an intellectual proposition. Dissertation comes from the Latin dissertātiō, meaning "discussion". Aristotle was the first philosopher to define the term thesis.. A 'thesis' is a supposition of some eminent philosopher that conflicts with the general opinion...for to take notice when ...
Revised on 5 May 2022. A dissertation is a large research project undertaken at the end of a degree. It involves in-depth consideration of a problem or question chosen by the student. It is usually the largest (and final) piece of written work produced during a degree. The length and structure of a dissertation vary widely depending on the ...
A dissertation is a subject you chose for yourself. The first usage of the word in the English language in 1651 also gives a useful starting definition: "an extended written treatment of a subject". Another useful clue is found in the Latin origin of the word - dissertation comes from a Latin word 'dissertare' = 'to debate'.
Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal. Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter. Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review. Undertake your own research. Present and interpret your findings. Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications.
Most dissertations run a minimum of 100-200 pages, with some hitting 300 pages or more. When editing your dissertation, break it down chapter by chapter. Go beyond grammar and spelling to make sure you communicate clearly and efficiently. Identify repetitive areas and shore up weaknesses in your argument.
A dissertation (or thesis) is a process. Okay, so now that you understand that a dissertation is a research project (which is testing your ability to undertake quality research), let's go a little deeper into what that means in practical terms. The best way to understand a dissertation is to view it as a process - more specifically a ...
While the format may slightly vary, here's a look at one way to format your dissertation: 1. Title page: This is the first page which includes: title, your name, department, degree program, institution, and submission date. Your program may specify exactly how and what they want you to include on the title page. 2.
A dissertation is a long written piece of academic research completed as part of a university degree. The dissertation will be the longest thing you write at university. It might be anywhere from: Shortest: 5000 words long (a baby undergraduate dissertation), up to. Longest: 100,000 words (a PhD dissertation in the social sciences).
A thesis is a long-term, large project that involves both research and writing; it is easy to lose focus, motivation, and momentum. Here are suggestions for achieving the result you want in the time you have. The dissertation is probably the largest project you have undertaken, and a lot of the work is self-directed.
The majority of degrees end with this assignment, but just what is a dissertation?. Sometimes known as a thesis (in some countries, this term is used only for the final assignments of PhD degrees, while in other countries 'thesis' and 'dissertation' are interchangeable), a dissertation is a research project completed as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.
The First Dissertations. Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin, Germany, was the first university to award a Ph.D. for a course of study that today's doctoral students would recognize; that is, a sequence of coursework, followed by completion and successful defense of a dissertation of original research. Arrival in U.S.
A dissertation is designed to be your own. Meaning that what you write about should be a new idea, a new topic, or question that is still unanswered in your field. Something that you will need to collect new data on, potentially interview people for and explore what information is already available. Generally, an idea will need to be approved ...
A dissertation is an academic document prepared by a doctoral student that contains original research about a topic.The student identifies the topic, conducts the research, writes the dissertation and defends it in front of a committee led by a dissertation chair and other doctoral faculty who decide whether the research meets the doctoral level research standards.
The history of thesis is intertwined with the history of universities in the 12th and 13th century.. The early history of universities is not clear but with time systems develop on how information/knowledge is taught and discussed. The end (so far) result is what we have today. The written thesis is based on the fact that ideas need to be made ...
Chapter Two: The History of Dissertations 40 The Curious History of the Dissertation 35 Printing and Prestige in the Universities 43 The Invisible College and the Royal Society 50 Changes in Higher Education 47 Disseminating Dissertations 51 The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations 57
The meaning of DISSERTATION is an extended usually written treatment of a subject; specifically : one submitted for a doctorate. How to use dissertation in a sentence.
DISSERTATION definition: 1. a long piece of writing on a particular subject, especially one that is done in order to receive…. Learn more.
A dissertation is a paper explaining the individual research that a student has conducted to earn a degree. It usually consists of several sections or chapters. ... Read on for some answers to basic questions about dissertation meaning and parts. Tip: Polish your writing and ensure that it is error-free Get started today! Write any sentence or ...
Dissertation Meaning in Research. In Research, a dissertation refers to a substantial research project that students undertake in order to obtain an advanced degree such as a Ph.D. or a Master's degree. Dissertation typically involves the exploration of a particular research question or topic in-depth, and it requires students to conduct ...
Entries linking to dissertation. dis-. word-forming element of Latin origin meaning 1. "lack of, not" (as in dishonest ); 2. "opposite of, do the opposite of" (as in disallow ); 3. "apart, away" (as in discard ), from Old French des- or directly from Latin dis- "apart, asunder, in a different direction, between," figuratively "not, un-," also ...
The origin of the modern thesis can be traced back to medieval universities in Europe. During this time, students were required to present a "disputation" in which they would defend a particular thesis in front of their peers and faculty members. These disputations served as a way to demonstrate the student's mastery of the subject matter ...
Award-winning undergraduate theses. University: University of Pennsylvania Faculty: History Author: Suchait Kahlon Award: 2021 Hilary Conroy Prize for Best Honors Thesis in World History Title: "Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the "Noble Savage" on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807". University: Columbia University
Meaning, Projects, Report Work. A dissertation is a long academic piece of writing based on a student's independent research. It is usually submitted in the final semester of UG, PG and PhD courses. It takes about 1-2 years to complete the dissertation as it requires a lot of research and written documentation.
The dissertation is organized into six chapters, encompassing the connection between crystal structure and magnetic structure, an overview of spintronics and magnon band topology, detailed descriptions of experimental techniques, investigation of the spin Seebeck effect, examination of the magnon Hall effect in quantum magnets, and an in-depth ...
thesis in general contravenes Paul's strong affirmation of Christian life as joyful, particularly in this epistle.54 The main thing that is problematic in this passage is the argument over the translation of ἐπιθυμία. From a basic definition from a lexicon, the word can have negative or neutral intentions.
In this dissertation I would like to guide the reader to the research on dialogue but more precisely the research I have conducted during my career since my PhD thesis. Starting from modular architectures with machine learning/deep learning and reinforcement learning to end-to-end deep neural networks. Besides my work as research associate, I also present the work I have supervised in the last ...