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The resources in this section are designed to provide guidance for the first steps of the thesis or dissertation writing process. They offer tools to support the planning and managing of your project, including writing out your weekly schedule, outlining your goals, and organzing the various working elements of your project.
Weekly Goals Sheet (a.k.a. Life Map) [Word Doc]
This editable handout provides a place for you to fill in available time blocks on a weekly chart that will help you visualize the amount of time you have available to write. By using this chart, you will be able to work your writing goals into your schedule and put these goals into perspective with your day-to-day plans and responsibilities each week. This handout also contains a formula to help you determine the minimum number of pages you would need to write per day in order to complete your writing on time.
Setting a Production Schedule (Word Doc)
This editable handout can help you make sense of the various steps involved in the production of your thesis or dissertation and determine how long each step might take. A large part of this process involves (1) seeking out the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding specific document formatting requirements, (2) understanding research protocol limitations, (3) making note of deadlines, and (4) understanding your personal writing habits.
Creating a Roadmap (PDF)
Part of organizing your writing involves having a clear sense of how the different working parts relate to one another. Creating a roadmap for your dissertation early on can help you determine what the final document will include and how all the pieces are connected. This resource offers guidance on several approaches to creating a roadmap, including creating lists, maps, nut-shells, visuals, and different methods for outlining. It is important to remember that you can create more than one roadmap (or more than one type of roadmap) depending on how the different approaches discussed here meet your needs.
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Dissertation defenses are daunting, and no wonder; it’s not a “dissertation discussion,” or a “dissertation dialogue.” The name alone implies that the dissertation you’ve spent the last x number of years working on is subject to attack. And if you don’t feel trepidation for semantic reasons, you might be nervous because you don’t know what to expect. Our imaginations are great at making The Unknown scarier than reality. The good news is that you’ll find in this newsletter article experts who can shed light on what dissertations defenses are really like, and what you can do to prepare for them.
The first thing you should know is that your defense has already begun. It started the minute you began working on your dissertation— maybe even in some of the classes you took beforehand that helped you formulate your ideas. This, according to Dr. Celeste Atkins, is why it’s so important to identify a good mentor early in graduate school.
“To me,” noted Dr. Atkins, who wrote her dissertation on how sociology faculty from traditionally marginalized backgrounds teach about privilege and inequality, “the most important part of the doctoral journey was finding an advisor who understood and supported what I wanted from my education and who was willing to challenge me and push me, while not delaying me. I would encourage future PhDs to really take the time to get to know the faculty before choosing an advisor and to make sure that the members of their committee work well together.”
Your advisor will be the one who helps you refine arguments and strengthen your work so that by the time it reaches your dissertation committee, it’s ready. Next comes the writing process, which many students have said was the hardest part of their PhD. I’ve included this section on the writing process because this is where you’ll create all the material you’ll present during your defense, so it’s important to navigate it successfully. The writing process is intellectually grueling, it eats time and energy, and it’s where many students find themselves paddling frantically to avoid languishing in the “All-But-Dissertation” doldrums. The writing process is also likely to encroach on other parts of your life. For instance, Dr. Cynthia Trejo wrote her dissertation on college preparation for Latin American students while caring for a twelve-year-old, two adult children, and her aging parents—in the middle of a pandemic. When I asked Dr. Trejo how she did this, she replied:
“I don’t take the privilege of education for granted. My son knew I got up at 4:00 a.m. every morning, even on weekends, even on holidays; and it’s a blessing that he’s seen that work ethic and that dedication and the end result.”
Importantly, Dr. Trejo also exercised regularly and joined several online writing groups at UArizona. She mobilized her support network— her partner, parents, and even friends from high school to help care for her son.
The challenges you face during the writing process can vary by discipline. Jessika Iwanski is an MD/PhD student who in 2022 defended her dissertation on genetic mutations in sarcomeric proteins that lead to severe, neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy. She described her writing experience as “an intricate process of balancing many things at once with a deadline (defense day) that seems to be creeping up faster and faster— finishing up experiments, drafting the dissertation, preparing your presentation, filling out all the necessary documents for your defense and also, for MD/PhD students, beginning to reintegrate into the clinical world (reviewing your clinical knowledge and skill sets)!”
But no matter what your unique challenges are, writing a dissertation can take a toll on your mental health. Almost every student I spoke with said they saw a therapist and found their sessions enormously helpful. They also looked to the people in their lives for support. Dr. Betsy Labiner, who wrote her dissertation on Interiority, Truth, and Violence in Early Modern Drama, recommended, “Keep your loved ones close! This is so hard – the dissertation lends itself to isolation, especially in the final stages. Plus, a huge number of your family and friends simply won’t understand what you’re going through. But they love you and want to help and are great for getting you out of your head and into a space where you can enjoy life even when you feel like your dissertation is a flaming heap of trash.”
While you might sometimes feel like your dissertation is a flaming heap of trash, remember: a) no it’s not, you brilliant scholar, and b) the best dissertations aren’t necessarily perfect dissertations. According to Dr. Trejo, “The best dissertation is a done dissertation.” So don’t get hung up on perfecting every detail of your work. Think of your dissertation as a long-form assignment that you need to finish in order to move onto the next stage of your career. Many students continue revising after graduation and submit their work for publication or other professional objectives.
When you do finish writing your dissertation, it’s time to schedule your defense and invite friends and family to the part of the exam that’s open to the public. When that moment comes, how do you prepare to present your work and field questions about it?
“I reread my dissertation in full in one sitting,” said Dr. Labiner. “During all my time writing it, I’d never read more than one complete chapter at a time! It was a huge confidence boost to read my work in full and realize that I had produced a compelling, engaging, original argument.”
There are many other ways to prepare: create presentation slides and practice presenting them to friends or alone; think of questions you might be asked and answer them; think about what you want to wear or where you might want to sit (if you’re presenting on Zoom) that might give you a confidence boost. Iwanksi practiced presenting with her mentor and reviewed current papers to anticipate what questions her committee might ask. If you want to really get in the zone, you can emulate Dr. Labiner and do a full dress rehearsal on Zoom the day before your defense.
But no matter what you do, you’ll still be nervous:
“I had a sense of the logistics, the timing, and so on, but I didn’t really have clear expectations outside of the structure. It was a sort of nebulous three hours in which I expected to be nauseatingly terrified,” recalled Dr. Labiner.
“I expected it to be terrifying, with lots of difficult questions and constructive criticism/comments given,” agreed Iwanski.
“I expected it to be very scary,” said Dr. Trejo.
“I expected it to be like I was on trial, and I’d have to defend myself and prove I deserved a PhD,” said Dr Atkins.
And, eventually, inexorably, it will be time to present.
“It was actually very enjoyable” said Iwanski. “It was more of a celebration of years of work put into this project—not only by me but by my mentor, colleagues, lab members and collaborators! I felt very supported by all my committee members and, rather than it being a rapid fire of questions, it was more of a scientific discussion amongst colleagues who are passionate about heart disease and muscle biology.”
“I was anxious right when I logged on to the Zoom call for it,” said Dr. Labiner, “but I was blown away by the number of family and friends that showed up to support me. I had invited a lot of people who I didn’t at all think would come, but every single person I invited was there! Having about 40 guests – many of them joining from different states and several from different countries! – made me feel so loved and celebrated that my nerves were steadied very quickly. It also helped me go into ‘teaching mode’ about my work, so it felt like getting to lead a seminar on my most favorite literature.”
“In reality, my dissertation defense was similar to presenting at an academic conference,” said Dr. Atkins. “I went over my research in a practiced and organized way, and I fielded questions from the audience.
“It was a celebration and an important benchmark for me,” said Dr. Trejo. “It was a pretty happy day. Like the punctuation at the end of your sentence: this sentence is done; this journey is done. You can start the next sentence.”
If you want to learn more about dissertations in your own discipline, don’t hesitate to reach out to graduates from your program and ask them about their experiences. If you’d like to avail yourself of some of the resources that helped students in this article while they wrote and defended their dissertations, check out these links:
The Graduate Writing Lab
https://thinktank.arizona.edu/writing-center/graduate-writing-lab
The Writing Skills Improvement Program
https://wsip.arizona.edu
Campus Health Counseling and Psych Services
https://caps.arizona.edu
https://www.scribbr.com/
How long is a dissertation?
It’s a tricky question, indeed. Look:
The dissertation length depends on several factors: your major, type of research, institutional guidelines, and more. From the number of words and pages, to the proper length for every chapter—in this blog post, you’ll find the answers to all questions on the topic.
Don’t care to keep reading but have a “ write my dissertation for me ” request? Click on the link, and our specialists will help.
As for the rest of you, let’s get this show on the road!
When you start writing a dissertation, it’s critical to understand that this academic paper has no strictly prescribed length. But we can speak about the average dissertation length. It depends on many factors, including:
The overall average dissertation length is around 10,000-12,000 words for undergraduates, 15,000-25,000 words for master’s degree students, and around 50,000 words at the Ph.D. level. Some dissertations, at 70,000–100,000 words, look like massive books!
A more common way to count a dissertation length is by number of pages, not words.
When you craft a dissertation outline , you’ll see an approximate number of chapters for your future work. Each dissertation chapter also has a prescribed length (average), so you can count the number of pages for your document.
How long should a dissertation be ?
Let’s start with dissertations by the type of research you’ll do. Here are four types:
Now that we know the average length by the type of research, let’s go on to another critical factor: your major.
Each discipline has its methodologies and expectations, which determine the research depth and the dissertation’s structure. For example, psychology dissertation topics and dissertation topics in education are often 150-250 pages. Papers in medicine can reach 350 pages, and dissertations in social sciences like history, literature, or philosophy have 400+ pages.
So, how long is a dissertation by major?
Humanities/Social Sciences | These include disciplines like literature, philosophy, sociology, or history. Such works require deep investigations, comprehensive analysis, and extensive literature reviews. | 200-400 pages |
Engineering | These could be in biology, physics, engineering, or chemistry. They require detailed explanations of methods and results but are less extensive with literature reviews or discussions. | 100-300 pages |
Business/Management | The topics and types of research in this field are diverse, ranging from surveys of business fields to case studies of small companies. Empirical research is the most common type. | 150-250 pages |
Arts and Design | These papers combine theoretical and practical research, and they include supplementary materials (exhibits, portfolios, etc.) and appendices. | 100-300 pages |
Medicine/Health | Empirical research is standard for , requiring detailed methodologies, extensive explanations, and data analysis. Appendices like tables will be here, influencing the overall length of such dissertations. | 150-350 pages |
Law | These papers require understanding and explaining numerous legal principles or precedents. Such dissertations often involve case studies, analysis, policy implications, and theoretical discussions. | 150-300 pages |
Education | Here, you may analyze educational trends, policies, or methods by empirical research. Get ready for extensive data collection and literature review. | 150-250 page |
As you can see, the average page count for a dissertation is 250 pages. Another factor to consider is the number of chapters your document will have.
If you look at psychology dissertation examples , you’ll see that the length of the entire document also depends on its author’s study level. It stands to reason that master’s will be shorter than Ph.D. dissertations.
A dissertation is a complex document with a highly organized structure. When writing, you include particular chapters, each with its own prescribed length.
How long is a dissertation paper by chapters?
A dissertation abstract is a separate page of your document, summarizing the whole paper for the audience. It highlights your research problem, describes your objectives and methodology, and presents findings, specifying the importance of your research for a scientific community.
In plain English, it’s a mini-version of your dissertation for readers to understand if your dissertation is relevant to them.
Dissertation abstracts are 150-300 words on average for undergraduates. The master’s level requires a more detailed overview, so abstracts expand to 200-500 words. At the Ph.D. level, get ready to write 300-600 words per chapter.
It’s the start of your document. Here, you gain readers’ interest and provide background information on your topic. You’ll share the scope and importance of the subject matter, terms related to the issue, and the hypothesis you’ll reveal through your research.
What about the length of this chapter?
This chapter is a crucial element of all dissertations. It showcases your knowledge of theoretical frameworks and ability to synthesize and analyze existing research in conjunction with yours.
For undergraduate dissertations, write 1,500-3,000 words in your literature review. If master’s, expand it to 3,000-6,000 words.
Are you a Ph.D. dissertation writer ? Go further and present a comprehensive overview of scholarly work; write about 6,000-10,000 words for your literature review.
This chapter describes your approach to the research, the data collection methods you used, and the analytical techniques you employed. It will showcase your ability to conduct research with valid and reliable findings to a supervisor.
The length of this chapter:
In some institutional guidelines, this dissertation component goes as two separate chapters. Here, you present and interpret your research findings, support them with relevant analysis, and encourage a discussion about their contribution to the field.
This chapter will be 1,000-2,000 words long for undergraduate papers. At the master’s level, it expands to 2,000-4,000 words, and Ph.D. dissertations have 4,000-8,000 words or more.
This chapter is a summary of your research and a reflection of your findings. It gives a reader a clear understanding of your argument and proves how your research provides a new perspective to the existing scholarly work in your field of study.
How long is a dissertation conclusion?
Your dissertation is about content depth, not word count. While educational institutions provide length requirements, please note they are approximate:
Don’t write for the word count; craft a concise document that covers all the necessary information without irrelevant digressions or repetitions.
How long is a dissertation? Yours will be enough with these writing tips:
Also, provide only the necessary background information and write clear sentences without nested phrases. This will help readers digest and understand your research and perspective.
The overall length depends on several factors and varies across different fields and institutions. The average dissertation length is 200-250 pages.
There are no strict rules on dissertation length. Your institution will prescribe an approximate word (or page) count for this document, so use it as a guide to follow.
It depends on your study level. Undergraduate dissertations are 10,000-12,000 words, and master’s are around 15,000-25,000. If you write or buy dissertation for a Ph.D., it will be 50,000 words or more.
Dissertations are complex and substantial projects. They are lengthy papers based on your research, data analysis, and scientific contribution to the field. Given that, it can take from a few months to a year to write a dissertation, and some researchers spend years completing theirs.
How long is a dissertation? Consider your institution’s requirements, major, research type, and study level. The average length for a Ph.D. is 50,000 words (or 250 pages), but everything will depend on your topic and the depth of your research. Get ready to spend between six months and two to four years to complete a dissertation.
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Dissertations require a tougher approach regarding research, data analysis, and writing. Thus, your professor would expect your dissertation to be at least a certain number of words long. If the paper is shorter than expected, you haven’t done the quality work required for a doctoral paper. This can either cause a decrease in your grades or your supervisor telling you to rewrite the paper altogether.
Moreover, before you get to the stage of writing a dissertation, you must have submitted a proposal, which should’ve been approved. You’ve come to the right place if you’ve got a dissertation to submit and aren’t sure how long it should be. This article will discuss the question of – how long is a dissertation, dissertation proposals, and why they are the length they are. We will also throw in a general outline most dissertations follow and what should be included in each of the sections.
A standard dissertation should be at least 100 and 300 pages long. A dissertation contains original research that should contribute to existing knowledge but posit a new idea. Also, the paper should be appropriately divided into sections, including the introduction, literature review, methodology, and conclusion. Dissertations are broken into different chapters, main divisions, and subdivisions to make them easy to read and understand.
However, dissertations come in different types, and each type has a certain length it should be. Generally, Ph.D. dissertations are the longest and most complex – as much as 100,000 words. Nevertheless, a PhD dissertation length is also subject to the requirements set by each institution. Therefore, you should check your university’s guidelines to determine your dissertation’s length.
Dissertations, especially Ph.D. dissertations, tend to be very long for a variety of valid reasons. One primary reason dissertations are so long is that the paper summarizes years of hard work and research. If you’re asking, “How long is a thesis,” here are reasons Ph.D. theses and dissertations are so long.
The word count for a dissertation will depend on many factors, such as your academic level, field, and institution. Regarding the level of education, there are three main types of dissertations. Each type of dissertation has the required number of words as follows:
Undergraduate dissertation: An undergraduate has the smallest length as far as how long is thesis. These types of dissertations are usually between 8,000 and 15,000 words in length. Master’s Dissertation: Master’s theses or dissertations are longer than undergraduate dissertations, are naturally more complex, require deeper research, and take longer to complete. Generally, the number of words contained in a master’s thesis would be about 12,000 to 50,000 words. Ph.D. Dissertation: Ph.D. dissertations have the longest word count as far as academic writing is concerned. Aside from being the longest, they’re also the most complex paper one can write for an academic degree. With that said, the average length of PhD dissertation by major is 50,000 words long – reaching up to 100,000 words (or 300 pages).
Creating an outline is an important step in a dissertation writing step that you should not miss. With an outline, you can organize your ideas and even envisage the kind of research you want to carry out.
Your outline should contain sections in your dissertation, albeit a summarized version, and the content will depend on the dissertation length. With that said, here is a sample outline for a typical doctoral dissertation, from a professional dissertation writer :
Dissertation writing should be interesting and fun because it is research – you’re discovering new information. Still, it can be difficult to complete, especially if you wait until the end of your program to start writing it. You can always hire a custom dissertation writing service to help and offer you dissertation consulting , if you’re finding it too hard.
Richard Ginger is a dissertation writer and freelance columnist with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the writing industry. He handles every project he works on with precision while keeping attention to details and ensuring that every work he does is unique.
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It’s no secret that one of the most challenging aspects of a PhD degree is the volume of work that goes into writing your thesis . So this raises the question, exactly how long is a thesis?
Unfortunately, there’s no one size fits all answer to this question. However, from the analysis of over 100 PhD theses, the average thesis length is between 80,000 and 100,000 words. A further analysis of 1000 PhD thesis shows the average number of pages to be 204 . In reality, the actual word count for each PhD thesis will depend on the specific subject and the university it is being hosted by. This is because universities set their own word length requirements, with most found to be opting for around 100,000.
To find out more about how these word limits differ between universities, how the average word count from STEM thesis differ from non-STEM thesis and a more detailed breakdown from the analysis of over 1000 PhDs, carry on reading the below.
For any PhD student writing a thesis, they will find that their document will be subject to a word limit set by their university. In nearly all cases, the limit only concerns the maximum number of words and doesn’t place any restrictions on the minimum word limit. The reason for this is that the student will be expected to write their thesis with the aim of clearly explaining their research, and so it is up to the student to determine what he deems appropriate.
Saying this, it is well accepted amongst PhD students and supervisors that the absence of a lower limit doesn’t suggest that a thesis can be ‘light’. Your thesis will focus on several years worth of original research and explore new ideas, theories or concepts. Besides this, your thesis will need to cover a wide range of topics such as your literature review, research methodology, results and conclusion. Therefore, your examiners will expect the length of your thesis to be proportional to convey all this information to a sufficient level.
Selecting a handful of universities at random, they state the following thesis word limits on their website:
The above universities set upper word limits that apply across the board, however, some universities, such as the University of Birmingham and the University of Sheffield, set different word limits for different departments. For example, the University of Sheffield adopts these limits:
Although there’s a range of limit, it’s safe to say that the majority fall within the 80,000 to 100,000 bracket.
A poll of 149 postdocs.
In mid-2019, Dr Eva Lantsoght, a published author, academic blogger and Structural Engineering Professor, conducted a poll which asked postgraduate doctoral students to share the length of their final thesis. 149 PostDoc students responded to the survey, with the majority reporting a length falling within the ‘80,000 – 120,000 words’ bracket as seen below.
Over a three-year time period, Dr Ian Brailsford, a then Postgraduate Learning Adviser at the University of Auckland, analysed 1000 doctoral thesis submitted to his university’s library. The PhD theses which formed the basis of his analysis were produced between 2008 to 2017 and showed:
We should note that the above metrics only cover the content falling within the main body of the thesis. This includes the introduction, literature review, methods section, results chapter, discussions and conclusions. All other sections, such as the title page, abstract, table of contents, acknowledgements, bibliography and appendices were omitted from the count.
Although it’s impossible to draw the exact word count from the number of pages alone, by using the universities recommended format of 12pt Times New Roman and 1.5 lines spacing, and assuming 10% of the main body are figures and footnotes, this equates to an average main body of 52,000 words.
As part of Dr Ian Brailsford’s analysis, he also compared the length of STEM doctorate theses to non-STEM theses. He found that STEM theses tended to be shorter. In fact, he found STEM theses to have a medium page length of 159 whilst non-STEM theses had a medium of around 223 pages. This is a 40% increase in average length!
Whilst most universities will allow you to go over the word count if you need to, it comes with the caveat that you must have a very strong reason for needing to do so. Besides this, your supervisor will also need to support your request. This is to acknowledge that they have reviewed your situation and agree that exceeding the word limit will be absolutely necessary to avoid detriment unnecessary detriment to your work.
This means that whilst it is possible to submit a thesis over 100,000 words or more, it’s unlikely that your research project will need to.
The average Masters dissertation length is approximately 20,000 words whilst a thesis is 4 to 5 times this length at approximately 80,000 – 100,000.
The key reason for this difference is because of the level of knowledge they convey. A Master’s dissertation focuses on concluding from existing knowledge whilst a PhD thesis focuses on drawing a conclusion from new knowledge. As a result, the thesis is significantly longer as the new knowledge needs to be well documented so it can be verified, disseminated and used to shape future research.
Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.
Unfortunately, the completion of your thesis doesn’t mark the end of your degree just yet. Once you submit your thesis, it’s time to start preparing for your viva – the all-to-fun thesis defence interview! To help you prepare for this, we’ve produced a helpful guide which you can read here: The Complete Guide to PhD Vivas.
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Published on September 14, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on April 16, 2024.
A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master’s program or a capstone to a bachelor’s degree.
Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation , it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete. It relies on your ability to conduct research from start to finish: choosing a relevant topic , crafting a proposal , designing your research , collecting data , developing a robust analysis, drawing strong conclusions , and writing concisely .
You can also download our full thesis template in the format of your choice below. Our template includes a ready-made table of contents , as well as guidance for what each chapter should include. It’s easy to make it your own, and can help you get started.
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Thesis vs. thesis statement, how to structure a thesis, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your thesis, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about theses.
You may have heard the word thesis as a standalone term or as a component of academic writing called a thesis statement . Keep in mind that these are two very different things.
The final structure of your thesis depends on a variety of components, such as:
Humanities theses are often structured more like a longer-form essay . Just like in an essay, you build an argument to support a central thesis.
In both hard and social sciences, theses typically include an introduction , literature review , methodology section , results section , discussion section , and conclusion section . These are each presented in their own dedicated section or chapter. In some cases, you might want to add an appendix .
We’ve compiled a short list of thesis examples to help you get started.
The very first page of your thesis contains all necessary identifying information, including:
Sometimes the title page also includes your student ID, the name of your supervisor, or the university’s logo. Check out your university’s guidelines if you’re not sure.
Read more about title pages
The acknowledgements section is usually optional. Its main point is to allow you to thank everyone who helped you in your thesis journey, such as supervisors, friends, or family. You can also choose to write a preface , but it’s typically one or the other, not both.
Read more about acknowledgements Read more about prefaces
Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:
See an example
An abstract is a short summary of your thesis. Usually a maximum of 300 words long, it’s should include brief descriptions of your research objectives , methods, results, and conclusions. Though it may seem short, it introduces your work to your audience, serving as a first impression of your thesis.
Read more about abstracts
A table of contents lists all of your sections, plus their corresponding page numbers and subheadings if you have them. This helps your reader seamlessly navigate your document.
Your table of contents should include all the major parts of your thesis. In particular, don’t forget the the appendices. If you used heading styles, it’s easy to generate an automatic table Microsoft Word.
Read more about tables of contents
While not mandatory, if you used a lot of tables and/or figures, it’s nice to include a list of them to help guide your reader. It’s also easy to generate one of these in Word: just use the “Insert Caption” feature.
Read more about lists of figures and tables
If you have used a lot of industry- or field-specific abbreviations in your thesis, you should include them in an alphabetized list of abbreviations . This way, your readers can easily look up any meanings they aren’t familiar with.
Read more about lists of abbreviations
Relatedly, if you find yourself using a lot of very specialized or field-specific terms that may not be familiar to your reader, consider including a glossary . Alphabetize the terms you want to include with a brief definition.
Read more about glossaries
An introduction sets up the topic, purpose, and relevance of your thesis, as well as expectations for your reader. This should:
In other words, your introduction should clearly and concisely show your reader the “what, why, and how” of your research.
Read more about introductions
A literature review helps you gain a robust understanding of any extant academic work on your topic, encompassing:
A literature review is not merely a summary of existing work. Rather, your literature review should ultimately lead to a clear justification for your own research, perhaps via:
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Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework, but these are not the same thing. A theoretical framework defines and analyzes the concepts and theories that your research hinges on.
Read more about theoretical frameworks
Your methodology chapter shows your reader how you conducted your research. It should be written clearly and methodically, easily allowing your reader to critically assess the credibility of your argument. Furthermore, your methods section should convince your reader that your method was the best way to answer your research question.
A methodology section should generally include:
Read more about methodology sections
Your results section should highlight what your methodology discovered. These two sections work in tandem, but shouldn’t repeat each other. While your results section can include hypotheses or themes, don’t include any speculation or new arguments here.
Your results section should:
Additional data (like raw numbers or interview transcripts ) can be included as an appendix . You can include tables and figures, but only if they help the reader better understand your results.
Read more about results sections
Your discussion section is where you can interpret your results in detail. Did they meet your expectations? How well do they fit within the framework that you built? You can refer back to any relevant source material to situate your results within your field, but leave most of that analysis in your literature review.
For any unexpected results, offer explanations or alternative interpretations of your data.
Read more about discussion sections
Your thesis conclusion should concisely answer your main research question. It should leave your reader with an ultra-clear understanding of your central argument, and emphasize what your research specifically has contributed to your field.
Why does your research matter? What recommendations for future research do you have? Lastly, wrap up your work with any concluding remarks.
Read more about conclusions
In order to avoid plagiarism , don’t forget to include a full reference list at the end of your thesis, citing the sources that you used. Choose one citation style and follow it consistently throughout your thesis, taking note of the formatting requirements of each style.
Which style you choose is often set by your department or your field, but common styles include MLA , Chicago , and APA.
Create APA citations Create MLA citations
In order to stay clear and concise, your thesis should include the most essential information needed to answer your research question. However, chances are you have many contributing documents, like interview transcripts or survey questions . These can be added as appendices , to save space in the main body.
Read more about appendices
Once you’re done writing, the next part of your editing process begins. Leave plenty of time for proofreading and editing prior to submission. Nothing looks worse than grammar mistakes or sloppy spelling errors!
Consider using a professional thesis editing service or grammar checker to make sure your final project is perfect.
Once you’ve submitted your final product, it’s common practice to have a thesis defense, an oral component of your finished work. This is scheduled by your advisor or committee, and usually entails a presentation and Q&A session.
After your defense , your committee will meet to determine if you deserve any departmental honors or accolades. However, keep in mind that defenses are usually just a formality. If there are any serious issues with your work, these should be resolved with your advisor way before a defense.
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The conclusion of your thesis or dissertation shouldn’t take up more than 5–7% of your overall word count.
If you only used a few abbreviations in your thesis or dissertation , you don’t necessarily need to include a list of abbreviations .
If your abbreviations are numerous, or if you think they won’t be known to your audience, it’s never a bad idea to add one. They can also improve readability, minimizing confusion about abbreviations unfamiliar to your reader.
When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .
A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.
Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:
A thesis is typically written by students finishing up a bachelor’s or Master’s degree. Some educational institutions, particularly in the liberal arts, have mandatory theses, but they are often not mandatory to graduate from bachelor’s degrees. It is more common for a thesis to be a graduation requirement from a Master’s degree.
Even if not mandatory, you may want to consider writing a thesis if you:
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Welcome to the Thesis and Dissertation Office Homepage!
The Thesis and Dissertation Office helps graduate students prepare their theses and dissertations for online publication and is often the final step before graduation. Once your committee has signed off on the content of your manuscript, the Thesis and Dissertation Office reviews your thesis/dissertation for adherence to the CSULB Format Manual rules and appropriate citation format. The process of submission and revision can take several weeks, so it is important that students follow the rules and guidelines closely.
The Thesis and Dissertation Office guides students through the processes of submission and revision by offering various online and in-person resources including:
We encourage you to look at our resources as you write your thesis/dissertation and prepare to submit it to our office. We look forward to working with you!
COMMENTS
How long should a dissertation introduction be? The unofficial rule is 10 percent of the entire paper, so if your dissertation is 20,000 words, your introduction should be about 2,000 words. Keep in mind this is a rough estimate, as your introduction could vary. Literature review.
How long is a dissertation? Most dissertations are 100 pages or longer — roughly the length of a book. The specific length of your dissertation depends on the type of research, how much research exists in the field and similar factors.
How long is a dissertation? Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education: An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000-15,000 words. A master's dissertation is typically 12,000-50,000 words. A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000-100,000 words.
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 ...
How long is a dissertation? The length of a dissertation varies by field. Harvard's graduate school says most dissertations fall between 100-300 pages. Doctoral candidate Marcus Beck analyzed the length of University of Minnesota dissertations by discipline and found that history produces the longest dissertations, ...
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.
A master's dissertation is typically 12,000-50,000 words; A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000-100,000 words; 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 ...
It can be helpful to think of your Masters dissertation as a series of closely interlinked essays, rather than one overwhelming paper. The size of this section will depend on the overall word count for your dissertation. However, to give you a rough idea for a 15,000-word dissertation, the discussion part will generally be about 12,000 words long.
How long does a dissertation need to be? 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.
Summarizes existing research on a topic. Typically ranges from 50 to 100 pages. Typically completed at the end of a PhD program. Mainly consists of the author's unique research. Average length is 100 to 250 pages. If you want to develop your own concepts or theories, a dissertation can help you accomplish this goal.
An undergraduate dissertation usually falls within the range of 8,000 to 15,000 words, while a master's dissertation typically spans from 12,000 to 50,000 words. In contrast, a PhD thesis is typically of book length, ranging from 70,000 to 100,000 words. Let's unravel the mystery of how long should a dissertation be.
Ask how long it takes most students in your program to complete a dissertation, and then base your own anticipated schedule on that. Estimating the length of time you'll need is helpful because it can allow you to build a reverse schedule. With a reverse schedule, you'll write a list of all the major components of your dissertation.
A PhD can be anywhere from 50 pages to over 450 pages long. This equates to between about 20,000 words to 100,000 words. Most PhD theses are between 60,000 and 80,000 words long excluding contents, citations and references. A PhD thesis contains different sections including an introduction, methods, results and discussion, conclusions, further ...
The dissertation is a requirement of the Ph.D. degree. Formatting Requirement and Standards. The Graduate School sets the minimum format for your thesis or dissertation, while you, your special committee, and your advisor/chair decide upon the content and length. Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other mechanical issues are your sole ...
How long is a dissertation? Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education: An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000-15,000 words. A master's dissertation is typically 12,000-50,000 words. A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000-100,000 words. However, none of these are ...
This editable handout can help you make sense of the various steps involved in the production of your thesis or dissertation and determine how long each step might take. A large part of this process involves (1) seeking out the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding specific document formatting requirements, (2) understanding ...
A typical dissertation runs between 250 and 300 pages, divided into four or five chapters, often with a short conclusion following the final full-scale chapter.There is no set minimum or maximum length, but anything below about 225 pages will likely look insubstantial in comparison to others, while anything over 350 pages may suggest a lack of proportion and control of the topic, and would ...
While a thesis proposal is often only 3-7 pages long, a prospectus for your dissertation is usually much longer, with more detailed analysis. Dissertation proposals can be up to 25-30 pages in length. Note Sometimes, a research schedule or detailed budget may be necessary if you are pursuing funding for your work. Dissertation prospectus examples
Dissertation defenses are daunting, and no wonder; it's not a "dissertation discussion," or a "dissertation dialogue." ... Think of your dissertation as a long-form assignment that you need to finish in order to move onto the next stage of your career. Many students continue revising after graduation and submit their work for ...
How long does a dissertation have to be? There are no strict rules on dissertation length. Your institution will prescribe an approximate word (or page) count for this document, so use it as a guide to follow. How many pages is a dissertation? It depends on your study level. Undergraduate dissertations are 10,000-12,000 words, and master's ...
A standard dissertation should be at least 100 and 300 pages long. A dissertation contains original research that should contribute to existing knowledge but posit a new idea. Also, the paper should be appropriately divided into sections, including the introduction, literature review, methodology, and conclusion.
Unfortunately, there's no one size fits all answer to this question. However, from the analysis of over 100 PhD theses, the average thesis length is between 80,000 and 100,000 words. A further analysis of 1000 PhD thesis shows the average number of pages to be 204. In reality, the actual word count for each PhD thesis will depend on the ...
Revised on April 16, 2024. A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master's program or a capstone to a bachelor's degree. Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation, it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete.
The Thesis and Dissertation Office helps graduate students prepare their theses and dissertations for online publication and is often the final step before graduation. Once your committee has signed off on the content of your manuscript, the Thesis and Dissertation Office reviews your thesis/dissertation for adherence to the CSULB Format Manual ...