doctoral dissertation degree

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="doctoral dissertation degree"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Guide to writing your thesis/dissertation, definition of dissertation and thesis.

The dissertation or thesis is a scholarly treatise that substantiates a specific point of view as a result of original research that is conducted by students during their graduate study. At Cornell, the thesis is a requirement for the receipt of the M.A. and M.S. degrees and some professional master’s degrees. 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 responsibility. Generally, the thesis and dissertation should conform to the standards of leading academic journals in your field. The Graduate School does not monitor the thesis or dissertation for mechanics, content, or style.

“Papers Option” Dissertation or Thesis

A “papers option” is available only to students in certain fields, which are listed on the Fields Permitting the Use of Papers Option page , or by approved petition. If you choose the papers option, your dissertation or thesis is organized as a series of relatively independent chapters or papers that you have submitted or will be submitting to journals in the field. You must be the only author or the first author of the papers to be used in the dissertation. The papers-option dissertation or thesis must meet all format and submission requirements, and a singular referencing convention must be used throughout.

ProQuest Electronic Submissions

The dissertation and thesis become permanent records of your original research, and in the case of doctoral research, the Graduate School requires publication of the dissertation and abstract in its original form. All Cornell master’s theses and doctoral dissertations require an electronic submission through ProQuest, which fills orders for paper or digital copies of the thesis and dissertation and makes a digital version available online via their subscription database, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses . For master’s theses, only the abstract is available. ProQuest provides worldwide distribution of your work from the master copy. You retain control over your dissertation and are free to grant publishing rights as you see fit. The formatting requirements contained in this guide meet all ProQuest specifications.

Copies of Dissertation and Thesis

Copies of Ph.D. dissertations and master’s theses are also uploaded in PDF format to the Cornell Library Repository, eCommons . A print copy of each master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation is submitted to Cornell University Library by ProQuest.

• Affiliate Program

• UNITED STATES
• 台灣 (TAIWAN)
• TÜRKIYE (TURKEY)
• Academic Editing Services
• - Research Paper
• - Journal Manuscript
• - Dissertation
• - College & University Assignments
• Admissions Editing Services
• - Application Essay
• - Personal Statement
• - Recommendation Letter
• - Cover Letter
• - CV/Resume
• Business Editing Services
• - Business Documents
• - Report & Brochure
• - Website & Blog
• Writer Editing Services
• - Script & Screenplay
• Our Editors
• Client Reviews
• Editing & Proofreading Prices
• Wordvice Points
• Partner Discount
• Plagiarism Checker
• APA Citation Generator
• MLA Citation Generator
• Chicago Citation Generator
• Vancouver Citation Generator
• - APA Style
• - MLA Style
• - Chicago Style
• - Vancouver Style
• Writing & Editing Guide
• Academic Resources
• Admissions Resources

Masters Thesis vs. PhD Dissertation: Key Differences

Whether you are a graduate student just starting out in academia or a professor advising a student, making the distinction between a dissertation and a thesis is critically important to writing a strong dissertation and becoming a stronger writer. Unfortunately, the difference remains unclear since the terms are used interchangeably by graduate students, doctoral researchers, academic publishers & universities.

If you’re not sure whether you’re writing a thesis or a dissertation, this article will help you understand the differences between the two whether you’re a PhD or master’s degree student.

Main Differences Between a Dissertation and a Thesis

While theses and dissertations share many similarities (they are both advanced graduate research papers), they actually refer to two different types of academic writing, and their differences include important concepts such as scope, purpose, length, and research requirements.

Most importantly, the difference between a thesis and a dissertation depends on the level of education. Far beyond being a simple essay, a thesis is for graduate students pursuing a master’s degree while a dissertation is written by doctoral students, also referred to as PhD candidates.

There are a few key differences between a thesis versus a dissertation.

The biggest difference between a thesis and a dissertation is that a thesis makes arguments based on existing research. Meanwhile, a dissertation often requires the PhD candidate to conduct research and then perform an analysis.

More specifically, a thesis often takes the form of a literature review , which is a compilation of research knowledge in a particular field of study that proves one is competent in that subject. On the other hand, a dissertation is a more specific type of research paper written by those working toward a specific doctorate degree that contributes knowledge, theory, or methods to a field of study.

What is a master’s thesis?

A master’s thesis is an academic research paper that requires a greater degree of research than an undergraduate thesis or term paper. It is marked by a higher standard of writing, and students are expected to demonstrate competence, literacy, and mastery of a subject. It usually takes two or three years to complete. Finally, a master’s degree thesis is usually written in order to obtain a research degree and is not intended to be published separately.

What is a PhD dissertation?

A PhD dissertation is a substantial piece of independent research that is required of all students who are pursuing a doctorate degree. It is a piece of original work that has not been published elsewhere and, most importantly, makes a new contribution to the field. This contribution may be a new way of thinking about an existing topic or even a novel theory. The research performed for a dissertation is usually conducted over a period of several years to half a decade.

Features of a Master’s Thesis vs PhD Dissertation

Content and Structural Differences

So how is dissertation writing different from thesis writing?

Now that you know the definitions of a dissertation and thesis, let’s dive into some clear ways in which they differ in structure and other main characteristics.

How long is a thesis vs dissertation?

Length is the most obvious factor in differentiating between writing a thesis or dissertation. 

Generally, a doctoral dissertation has greater breadth, depth, and intention than a master’s thesis since it is based on original research. While the standard length of a master’s thesis is around 100 pages , a doctoral dissertation can be upwards of 400-500 pages. 

While most students can finish their PhD dissertation or thesis in as little as 1-2 years, it can take as long as 7 years depending on the school, program, and dissertation topic. As doctoral programs have their own formatting requirements, check with your school or university to find out what you need for your own dissertation or thesis. Most dissertations are organized into chapters, but the number of chapters varies as well.

Differences in research methods

A thesis and dissertation are both graduate-level research reports. This means they require students to investigate and report on a specific topic. But what is the difference in the scale of research between a master’s versus doctoral degree? The answer comes down to how much and what type of data you collect .

Data sources for a thesis vs dissertation

A master’s thesis is limited to secondary or reported knowledge . This knowledge has already been published, analyzed, and scrutinized in the literature. A thesis does not typically offer anything new in that regard. Your purpose is usually to write a comprehensive literature review on a novel or underreported topic using already-reported data.

On the other hand, a doctoral dissertation reports on  novel data  and is published so it can be scrutinized by others. It culminates in your dissertation defense.

The above lists clearly show that a PhD researcher and dissertation writer must have specific hands-on experience about not only the result of others’ research but also how the researchers obtained the data. A dissertation must venture into criticism of how other studies performed their experiments, whereas a master’s student will only report on and evaluate the results.

Differences in research scope 

As mentioned above, a thesis is more of a literature review written to demonstrate competence and mastery of a field of study. In short, you are a reliable “reporter” of information related to that subject. A thesis shows that you know the technical jargon, understand the subject, are familiar with industry tools, and can translate that information to a general audience. This is why a master’s degree is sufficient and often preferred for industry jobs.

In contrast, a doctoral dissertation goes beyond simply using the building blocks of your subject and actually creates new tools, knowledge, and theories to advance the subject as a whole. If a master’s degree holder is like a seasoned Rolling Stone journalist, then a doctorate is the band/musician who actually makes the music.

So should you pursue a thesis or a dissertation?

The benefits of earning a graduate degree are huge. According to the US Census Bureau , those with an advanced degree earn 3.7 times as much as a high school dropout, and 13.1% hold a master’s, professional, or doctorate degree. If you’re a curious undergraduate student thinking of applying to graduate school, which is the right choice?

In short, a dissertation is more focused and in-depth than a thesis. While a doctoral dissertation is based on original research, a thesis is often an extension or review of others’ research in order to demonstrate literacy. Further, a dissertation can be used as the basis or subject of a thesis, but not vice versa.

Editing a Dissertation vs Thesis

So far, we’ve focused a lot on differences such as research and purpose, but in the end, a thesis or dissertation is a written document that requires skill, focus, discipline, subject knowledge, organization, and scheduling. 

For non-native English speakers, the challenge is especially difficult since English is the lingua franca of academia and research. 

How does an editing service improve your dissertation or thesis ?

From body spacing and pagination, to font size and citation formatting, the dissertation guidelines are exhaustive. Even worse, they vary by school. So besides the actual English writing and grammar, graduate students must worry about consistency, formatting, nomenclature, and terminology. That’s quite the burden!

This is why it’s very common for graduate students, especially ESL and foreign ones, to seek out dissertation editing services that specifically cater to the academic needs of researchers and students.

Here are just a few reasons why dissertation proofreading is so helpful and what these editors do:

• Correct grammar, punctuation, syntax, and structural errors
• Offer suggestions to rewrite, remove, and revise writing
• Ensure formatting and nomenclature are consistent
• Knowledgeable academic editors with master’s and PhD degrees
• Free up your time to focus on research, revisions, and content instead of looking for mistakes
• Provide a  language editing certificate , which may be necessary for non-native English-speaking students

Lastly, most PhD advisors recommend that students seek out professional editing services , specifically thesis editing or dissertation editing , since professors prefer to assess the actual research content of a dissertation, not mundane writing errors. Any graduate student reading this knows professors don’t like their time to be wasted! 

Be sure to check out other academic resources on how to improve your academic manuscript and the benefits of proofreading and editing.

And try the Wordvice FREE Citation Generator, which provides citations for four academic formatting styles:  APA Citation Generator , MLA Citation Generator , Chicago Citation Generator , and Vancouver Citation Generator .

Completing Your Doctoral Degree

This webpage describes steps to completing a PhD degree at UW–Madison, which include:

• Meet the degree requirements
• Complete your preliminary examinations
• Defend and deposit your dissertation

See all doctoral degree completion deadlines >>

Looking for master's degree requirements?

Click here for guidelines for completing your master's degree.

Want to track your academic progress?

Check your academic progress using the Graduate Student Tracking System (GSTS).

Need support completing your dissertation?

We can help. Campus offers dissertator support groups, dissertation writing camps, writing guides, and other resources.

Steps to Completing the Degree

You must meet both the program and the Graduate School requirements for graduation. You should be aware that some programs may have more rigorous requirements than the Graduate School’s minimum requirements. You should visit your program’s website for specific requirements and contact your graduate program coordinator for further information.

Note: The Graduate School does not use honors titles (e.g., Magna Cum Laude, Dean’s List, etc.). Graduate students are not eligible to take courses designated for undergraduate honors students.

Minimum graduate degree credit requirement

51 credits (before or after dissertator status)

A student’s program may decide to accept graduate coursework completed at another institution (earned post-baccalaureate) toward fulfillment of degree credit requirements. To learn more, see Minimum Graduate Degree Credit Requirement and Prior Coursework .

Minimum graduate residence credit requirement

32 credits (completed prior to achieving dissertator status)

The doctoral degree minimum residence credit requirement can be satisfied only with courses numbered 300 and above taken as a graduate student at UW–Madison. To learn more about this requirement, see Minimum Graduate Residence Credit Requirement .

Minimum graduate coursework (50%) requirement

At least 50% of credits applied toward the program’s graduate degree credit requirement must be courses designed for graduate work, including but not limited to online, thesis/research, independent study, and practicum/internship credits. To learn more about this requirement, see Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement .

Breadth requirement

Breadth is a required component of doctoral training at UW–Madison. Given there are multiple paths to breadth, the Graduate School leaves the choice of whether students achieve breadth through a doctoral minor, Graduate/Professional certificate, or other means up to the student’s doctoral major program.

To learn more about meeting this requirement, see  Policy on Breadth Requirement in Doctoral Training .

Grade point average (GPA) requirement

The Graduate School requires that students maintain a GPA of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) for all graduate courses (excluding research) to receive a degree (though many programs impose higher standards). All incomplete grades must be resolved before a degree is granted. To learn more, see Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement and Probation .

Preliminary examinations assess knowledge of areas within the academic discipline. The student must obtain approval of the minor if the major program requires it and complete all the major courses.

Your program should arrange a preliminary committee and a dissertation committee with appropriate expertise to afford the breadth and depth needed in degree examinations. These committees may be composed of different members. The executive committee (or its equivalent) of a program/department is responsible for approving the composition of the preliminary exam and the dissertation committee. You should consult your advisor and your program’s student handbook for the specific function of degree committees (preliminary exam and dissertation) in your program.

To learn more about the functions and criteria of doctoral dissertation committees, see Committees . Use this online committee requirements tool to help you determine whether your proposed committee would meet the Graduate School’s minimum requirements for committee members.

Preliminary examinations

Your program determines your eligibility to take the prelim examination(s). The program must notifies the Graduate School of a student’s admission to candidacy and requests the preliminary warrant a minimum of three weeks prior to the exam date.

After passing the preliminary examination, students have 5 years to take the final examination (i.e. defend) and deposit their dissertation.  The 5 year clock starts on the first day of instruction of the term (Fall, Spring, or Summer) immediately following the completion of the preliminary examination.  Failure to complete their degree within this period may result in students having to retake the preliminary examination and be re-admitted to candidacy.

Time limit extension for dissertators impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

To offer flexibility amidst the major disruption that COVID-19 may have had on doctoral candidates’ research and scholarship progress, students who achieved dissertator status by the end of the 2020 summer term have automatically had the 5-year time limit extended by 8 months. Dissertators given this 8-month extension who need more time due to continued COVID-related disruption to their progress may request a further extension from the Graduate School. Decisions to extend the deadline beyond the additional 8 months are made on a case-by-case basis upon request of the student and their advisor. Students requesting an extension need to submit the request, along with a letter of support from their advisor, to [email protected] .

Doctoral Student Experience Survey (DSES)

The Doctoral Student Experience Survey (DSES) collects information at the time students make the transition to dissertator status. The survey covers career aspirations, academic experiences, and academic challenges, among other topics. Complete the Doctoral Student Experience Survey online. The Graduate School will use survey data to help identify strategies to improve student services.

After your program requests the preliminary exam warrant, you will receive an email with the link to the survey. All research doctoral students should complete the survey prior to submitting their signed preliminary examination warrant to the Graduate School.

Dissertator status

Dissertator status is a unique fee status and is effective at the start of the semester following completion of all dissertator requirements for the doctoral degree except for the dissertation. The Graduate School requires all dissertators to maintain continuous enrollment of exactly three credits (exceptions may apply during the summer). In rare circumstances where this is not possible, a degree completion fee is assessed to recognize the inevitable use of university facilities up to and including the successful defense and submission of the dissertation. To learn more, see Dissertator Status and the Degree Completion Fee .

Step 0: Pre-checks (optional)

Pre-checks are used to answer formatting questions (e.g., use of tables, graphs, and charts), embargo/delayed release questions, or questions related to the degree granting process.  See below on this page for specific formatting requirements.

To request a pre-check, you may email a PDF of your entire dissertation to degree coordinator [email protected] . If you would prefer to meet in person, email [email protected] to arrange a time.

Step 1: Request your final warrant and defend your dissertation

Notify your graduate program coordinator to have them request your doctoral degree warrant from the Graduate School at least three weeks before the anticipated date of your final dissertation defense. You must be enrolled during the semester that you defend and deposit; if you want to defend and/or submit your dissertation to the Graduate School in the summer term, you must register for three credits of research for the eight-week summer session.  Be very aware of two deadline options for depositing your dissertation.  Depositing before the first deadline will result in the degree being awarded at the end of that term.  The second deadline, often called the “window period” deadline, provides a little extra time to deposit after a term ends.  Dissertations deposited during the window period will result in the degree being awarded at the end of the following term, but will not require enrollment in that term.  The deadlines for both are very strict and occur at midnight Central Time.  Be aware that failure to submit by the end of the “window” period at the end of each term will require enrollment in the following term in order for a degree to be awarded.

After your graduate program coordinator submits the doctoral degree warrant request, the Graduate School will review this request. The approved warrant will be available in the Grad Portal. If you pass the defense, your program will let you know how and when to collect electronic signatures on the warrant. When signing your warrant electronically, your committee members thereby approve the dissertation.  (Note: Advisors no longer have to sign the abstract separately.)

Once the final warrant has been signed, you must upload an electronic copy in the administrative documents section of the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website.  Your graduate coordinator will also submit the warrant to the Graduate School in the Graduate Portal.

Step 2: Pay the dissertation deposit fee

Go to Grad Portal to pay the required $90 dissertation deposit fee, which covers the cost of processing the dissertation and publishing the abstract by ProQuest. The fee must be paid before submitting your dissertation electronically. The fee payment site provides an email confirmation with your fee payment receipt. Save this payment receipt as a PDF for the electronic dissertation deposit process. You also have the option to log in to the fee payment site and download a PDF of the receipt once you have paid. The receipt will be uploaded in the administrative documents section of the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website.

Step 3: Complete the doctoral exit surveys

You must complete the following doctoral exit surveys before submitting your dissertation electronically. Each individual survey will provide a certificate of completion once you have submitted the survey. Save the individual certificates of completion as PDF documents to upload in the administrative documents section of the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website.

• Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) : To complete the online Survey of Earned Doctorates you will first provide basic information including your email address. You will then receive an e-mail with a unique PIN and password. Access the SED survey site using the URL, PIN, and password sent to you in this email, and complete the survey. You must advance past the certificate of completion screen in order to submit the survey.
• Graduate School’s Doctoral Exit Survey (DES) : The DES obtains information on your academic experience (e.g., program quality, support, advising) in your doctoral program and information about your postdoctoral plans. To complete the Doctoral Exit Survey online , enter your name as it appears in university records and your student ID number (10 digits). At the end of the survey, there is a survey completion screen. If you have problems accessing the survey, contact [email protected] and include your name and student ID number.

Step 4: Electronic deposit of your dissertation

After you complete Steps 1 to 3, you can submit your dissertation electronically to the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website.

ATTENTION: Your submission of the dissertation is final and you are not allowed to make changes once it has been approved by the Graduate School Degree Coordinator . Your submission is not completed until you receive the confirmation email from the Graduate School Degree Coordinator.

PLEASE NOTE:  Keep in mind no degree verification is provided and no degrees are posted without a final grade.  If you are enrolled for 990, your final grade should be S for satisfactory (P is not a final grade for grad students).  If rosters are not available yet, your instructor may submit a non-roster grade change.  The instructions can be found here: https://kb.wisc.edu/registrar/page.php?id=116414

Submitting your dissertation electronically has four steps:

• Prepare for submission
• Submit dissertation on ProQuest/UMI ETD
• Submit administrative documents
• Complete the final submit step

Read this section for detailed instructions for each step.

Before you begin the submission steps, decide whether or not you want to delay release of your dissertation. See the Guide to Preparing your Doctoral Dissertation, below, for more information on embargo/delayed release.

Then, be sure you have the following:

• Full text of your dissertation in PDF format. This must be one file. Fonts must be embedded. Security settings must be set to “no security.” Encrypted files cannot be processed for publishing. The maximum file size that can be uploaded is 1000 MB. The PDF file name cannot contain periods (except for the .pdf extension). Instructions for PDF conversion are available at the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator site under the “Resources and Guidelines” tab.
• UMI abstract text. This abstract, preferably not more than 350 words, must be in English. You will be asked to copy and paste this text during the electronic submission steps.
• Optional supplementary files. These images, data, etc. are an integral part of the dissertation, but not part of the full text.
• Advisor’s and other committee members’ names. These usually are listed as they appear on your approved warrant.
• Subject category. Choose one to three subject categories from the Subject Category list that best describe your dissertation subject area.
• Receipt confirming payment of the dissertation deposit fee. After you have paid the required $90 dissertation deposit fee, you will receive an e-mail receipt confirming payment.
• An electronic copy of the signed final warrant.

Go to the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator site and choose “Submitting Your Dissertation/Thesis.” Select University of Wisconsin-Madison from the list provided. Create an account or login using an existing account.

The ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website will walk you through a simple process of accepting the publishing agreement and uploading the files and information about your submission. If you need to finish your submission later, you can save your information and come back to finish.

At the submission step called Dissertation/Thesis Details, you will need to enter the following important information about your dissertation. Accuracy is essential.

• Title: Enter the full title of your dissertation, as it appears on the title page. Only some special characters can be used in this field. The title field does not accept subscript, superscript, or Greek letters; instead, you will need to spell these out. Select the year in which you completed your manuscript.
• Degree/Department Information: Select the year in which your degree will be conferred. If you are depositing during the window period and are uncertain, contact the Graduate School. Select the degree you will receive and your program.
• Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair: Enter your primary advisor’s name exactly as it appears on your warrant. Do not repeat your advisor in the list of committee members.
• Committee Members: Enter your committee members’ names exactly as they appear on your warrant.
• Description of Dissertation/Thesis: Select categories and keywords that identify your work.
• Abstract: Enter the text of your UMI abstract exactly as it was approved by your faculty advisor, preferably no more than 350 words.

At the submission step called Administrative Documents, you will need to upload the following items:

• Dissertation deposit confirmation receipt: Upload a PDF of the email receipt you received from the UW–Madison Graduate School fee payment website.
• The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) certificate of completion: Upload the survey receipt as a PDF.
• The Graduate School’s Doctoral Exit Survey (DES) certificate of completion: Upload the survey receipt as a PDF.
• Signed PhD warrant: Upload your final signed PhD warrant as a PDF.

At the submission step called Notes to Administrator, indicate if you plan to attend the optional Graduate School final review.

You may choose to order additional copies of your dissertation and register the copyright of your dissertation – both of these items are optional. To learn more, see Copyright Resources .

Be certain to complete the final submit step at the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website. You MUST submit your dissertation to the ProQuest/UMI ETD Administrator website by 11:59 pm CST on the degree deadline date in order to receive your degree in a given term. Keep in mind that submissions are reviewed by the Graduate School Degree Coordinator in the order they were received. After you complete the final submit step, you will receive an email confirming the submission. When you submit your dissertation, it will be reviewed by a Graduate School Degree Coordinator to ensure that you have followed all formatting requirements.

The Graduate School Degree Coordinator will approve and deliver your dissertation to ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing for microfilming and binding. The UW–Madison Library will receive a bound copy and an electronic version of your dissertation shortly thereafter. You will receive an official email notification when the Graduate School has approved your dissertation for publication.

Step 5 Graduate School email confirmation

After you have successfully completed steps 1 – 4, please check your email at the address that you entered when you created an account on the ProQuest website. Look for a message from the ETD administrator. If formatting changes are requested, please complete them and re-upload your dissertation as soon as possible, as instructed in the email. If your dissertation has been accepted, the email will confirm this fact. Next please make sure that your instructor has or will submit a final grade, which should be S for satisfactory if you are enrolled for 990. Please be aware that no degrees are posted before the degree deadline and it may take 4-6 weeks for your degree to be posted after the degree deadline.

Commencement – December and May

If you want your name to be printed in the commencement program, you must submit an Apply to Graduate application through your MyUW Student Center. This is in addition to contacting your program to request your degree warrant from the Graduate School. You may attend the ceremony even if your name is not included in the commencement program. August does not have a commencement ceremony. If you plan to graduate in August, you may attend either the May or December ceremony by submitting the Apply to Graduate application through MyUW Student Center. Cap and gown rentals are at University Bookstore. Guests can attend without tickets.

Degree completion letter

The Registrar’s Office handles degree completion letters . If you have completed all degree requirements and deposited your thesis or dissertation and are waiting until the next degree conferral date to receive your degree, you may request and receive a letter indicating that all requirements have been completed. All grades from the semester in which you are depositing your dissertation (and all other outstanding grades) must be reported to the Graduate School before you can receive a completion letter.  Allow five business days for the processing of your degree completion letter request.

The Registrar’s Office will send your diploma to your diploma address approximately 12 to 14 weeks after degree conferral. Update your diploma address via the MyUW Student Center prior to the end of the semester in which you are graduating. Students with holds will not receive their diploma until those holds are cleared.

A student’s name will be printed on the diploma as it appears on the student’s official university record. Changes to legal personal information  including names can be requested online. For a student’s name change to appear on the diploma, the change must be made before the degree deadline in the semester the student will graduate.

Students who graduated after December 2015 may also access a Certified Electronic Diploma at no cost. A Certified Electronic Diploma is an official, portable, secure PDF version of the diploma that can be shared with anyone.

Transcripts

The Registrar’s Office posts degrees on official transcripts approximately four to six weeks after the end of the semester. You can order your official transcripts online .

Students may also request a campus copy of transcripts of their student record from MyUW Student Center. A campus copy student record is not an official transcript but it does indicate all internal university memoranda. The Registrar’s Office also provides more details on how to request a campus copy student record .

Guide to Preparing your Doctoral Dissertation

Formatting requirements.

We encourage you to read through these requirements before you start writing.  These guidelines will help you prepare your dissertation to ensure that it constitutes a permanent document of quality appropriate for a major graduate institution. Your dissertation is required to conform to these standards. It will be fully corrected, complete, and submitted electronically as a single PDF file.

Keep in mind that the formatting must be consistent throughout the dissertation with the exception of the Appendix.  Previously published articles can be placed in the Appendix in their published format.  If previously published work is included in a chapter, its format must conform to the formatting guidelines.

Dissertations must acknowledge contributions from other individuals, including co-authors of published material that appears in the document, such as designing the research, executing the research, analyzing the data, interpreting the research/data, or writing, proofing, copyediting the manuscript.  Contributions can be recognized in an acknowledgements section or at the beginning of a chapter where the contributed material is used.

Electronic and paper copies of approved dissertations are sent to the UW–Madison Memorial Library. They can be found electronically on MadCat and the ProQuest database. ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing archives all accepted dissertations.

View the Formatting Requirements for your Doctoral Dissertation as a PDF checklist.

Dissertation help

In addition to support and feedback that your faculty advisor, mentor, and committee members will provide, be sure to take full advantage of the dissertation support opportunities at UW–Madison.

For more information

Alexandra Walter Doctoral Degree Coordinator [email protected] 608-262-2433

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

You may put unusual or supplementary materials (such as questionnaires or photos) into appendices. Number the appendices consecutively with the text of the dissertation. The formatting of the appendices must meet the standards for the rest of the dissertation. However, the text in the appendices can be single-spaced.

Bibliography

The bibliography should meet your major program’s style requirements, which often conform to the leading journals or book series of the field. They may be single-spaced with an additional space between entries.

Equations, superscripts, and subscripts

Equations, superscripts, and subscripts are acceptable in your dissertation provided they are legible when microfilmed. Generally, superscripts and subscripts may be one size smaller than the text. To identify each equation clearly, please isolate it with double spacing.

Footnotes and endnotes

Footnotes and endnotes may be single-spaced with an extra space between notes. The font size can be one size smaller but must be legible. Please follow the preference of your major program when deciding where footnotes or endnotes should be placed in your text.

Figures and graphs must meet the same standards as the rest of the dissertation. Headings, keys, and all other identifying information must be of the same quality and format as the text. The font size can be one size smaller but must be legible. If graphics, tables, or figures are in landscape mode, orient the top of the printed page at the dissertation binding edge (left side of the paper) with the page number in the upper right-hand corner in the portrait page setup. Images may be submitted in black and white or color.

Language use

You may include quotations in languages other than English in your dissertation. However, the dissertation itself must be in English unless your program certifies that one or both of the following conditions have been met: the foreign language is that of the readers to whom the work is addressed; or translation into English would make the study obscure and imprecise. Dissertations submitted by students from a language program are acceptable in the language of that program.

Minimum required

• Use a minimum of 1″ margin on all four sides.
• Page numbers must be in the  upper right-hand corner at least a half inch from the top and one inch from the side of the page.
• Page headers:  Do NOT use page headers (except for page numbers) or decorative borders.

Page numbering

The title page and copyright page (if you are retaining and registering copyright) are not counted in the numbering of pages. The other pages are counted in the numbering of pages.

• Number the preliminary pages (for example, dedication page, acknowledgments page, table of contents, and abstract) that precede the main text with  lower case Roman numerals beginning with i . Put page numbers in the right-hand corner one inch from both top and side of the page. Page numbers half an inch from the top of the page are also acceptable.
• Number the main text consecutively beginning with  Arabic numeral 1  in the upper right-hand corner one inch from both top and side of the page. Check your dissertation to ensure that  all pages are present and in numerical order.
• If you are using Microsoft Word, find directions about how to start page numbering later in your document .
• Number appendices consecutively with the text, continuing the Arabic numeral sequence.
• Landscaped pages must have page numbers in portrait position and the top of the page must be on the left-hand, binding side of the page when it is rotated. If the page is *not* rotated, then the page numbers must be on the bottom, right-hand side of the page and sideways, so that when the pages are rotated, the page numbers are in portrait position. There are a number of ways to do this. For methods using Microsoft Word, such as text boxes, see instructions and examples of rotating page numbers . Note that if you do not rotate the landscaped pages, you want page numbers to appear in the same position as the highlighted number 3 in the second row of examples.

Production of document

• Use 10 to 12 point type.
• Double-space the main text of the dissertation.
• Lengthy quotations, footnotes, and bibliographies may be single-spaced with a double space between entries or paragraphs.
• Maps, charts, etc. are acceptable.

The title page is the very first page of your dissertation. Do not number the title page. At the bottom of the title page, you must indicate the date you passed your final defense (final oral examination) and list your committee members’ names, titles, and programs. Follow this  sample title page  format exactly.

If you are depositing your thesis in the window period then your title page should reflect the year in which your degree will be granted.

Additional guidelines

UMI abstract When you deposit your dissertation electronically, ProQuest/UMI will require you to provide the text of your UMI abstract. Please have this text ready when you begin the online submission process. The abstract must be in English and should preferably be no more than 350 words. When your advisor signs the warrant, they approve the dissertation and the abstract.

Abstract within dissertation Your program may require an abstract to be part of the dissertation. Please follow your program’s style requirements, and number all of these pages as part of the preliminary material (use lower case Roman numerals). This abstract must be included in the table of contents.

Copyright page (optional) You may include a copyright page; if you do, insert it directly after the title page. Do not number the copyright page. View a sample copyright page . Center the text in the bottom third of the page within the dissertation margins.

Registration of copyright (optional) You are automatically protected by copyright law, and you do not have to pay in order to retain copyright.

There is an additional fee of $75 for registering your copyright, which is a public record, and is payable to ProQuest/UMI at the time of electronic submission.  If you register your copyright, ProQuest/UMI will send a digital copy of your dissertation to the Library of Congress. You are not required to register your copyright through ProQuest/UMI; you may choose to do it on your own. More information is available online at www.copyright.gov and from UW Libraries .

Corrections After you submit the PDF of your dissertation electronically, you will not be permitted to make any additional corrections. Therefore, make sure the PDF is completely accurate before you submit.

Reprints and use of copyrighted material You are responsible for appropriate use of copyrighted materials in your thesis. Some material may be available for use without restriction while other material may require written permission from the rights holder. Other material may be appropriately used without written permission under the “fair use” provisions of the copyright law. General guidance regarding use of copyrighted materials is available from ProQuest/ UMI or from the UW–Madison Libraries .

• Fair Use: Read general information regarding how to determine if your use of copyrighted materials constitutes fair use.  Additionally, your own professional or disciplinary societies may have fair use statements to help you negotiate disciplinary specialties.
• Written Permission: If written permission is required, you are responsible for obtaining such permission and maintaining records of the written permission to use the copyrighted material in your thesis. You can usually get permission by sending a letter of request to the copyright holder. Normally, your letter will be returned with an approval stamp or signature. Some copyright holders require a specific form of acknowledgment. A sample permission request letter is offered by ProQuest/UMI .  Note that obtaining written permission can be a lengthy process. Plan ahead and budget ample time to obtain all required permissions.

Producing copies of your dissertation (optional) There are many options available in terms of producing copies of your dissertation. You do NOT have to order copies through the UMI/ProQuest ETD Administrator site but that option is available. Some other ways to produce copies of your dissertation include:

• UMI/ProQuest ETD Administrator site: order copies
• Printing shop (FedEx Office, Bob’s Copy Shop, etc.)
• Local book bindery (Grimm Book Bindery, Mc Ginn Bindery, etc.)

Embargo/delayed release

As a public research university, the University of Wisconsin–Madison considers the commitment to research a central part of its mission. As such, there is an expectation that research conducted by graduate students is made available to the public. Therefore, dissertations are normally open and searchable online shortly after they are deposited with ProQuest.

However, if a publication or a patent is pending, an embargo, or delayed release, may be requested during the submission process, in which case the citation and abstract will be available in ProQuest while the full text is under an embargo.

Please decide whether or not to delay release before you submit your dissertation. All decisions are final. Once your dissertation has been delivered to ProQuest, it is too late to delay release.

The only way to delay release is to make the appropriate selection during the submission process. You will have the option to select “No” to the Publishing Options question: “I want my work to be available in ProQuest as soon as it is published.” Next you will choose a time period of 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years for embargo. If you would like to select 3 years, select “other” and then write a note to the administrator in the text box below your selection, explaining that you would like 3 years. These options do not require special permission, but you should have discussed this with your advisor in advance.

Any request for more than a 3-year embargo or an extension of the original embargo request will be reviewed by the Graduate School Associate Dean. Such a request requires a letter to be signed by the student and the advisor in advance.

In order to qualify for an embargo extension, you are required to contact the degree coordinator prior to the expiration date of your embargo. Again, it is your responsibility to contact the Graduate School before your dissertation is released. Once a dissertation embargo has been lifted, it will not be reinstated.

Steps to prepare for commencement

Once you have met your degree requirements, you may choose to attend a commencement ceremony. Commencement occurs in May and December each year and is coordinated by the Office of the Chancellor. There is no summer commencement ceremony. If you plan to graduate in August, you may attend either the May or the December ceremony. If you want your name to be printed in the commencement program, you must apply to graduate through your MyUW Student Center by the deadline each semester in addition to contacting your major program to request a degree warrant from the Graduate School. The deadline to request your warrant can be found in the Degree Deadlines, below. You may attend the commencement ceremony even if your name is not included in the commencement program. Academic attire is required to participate in the commencement ceremony. Attire can be purchase or rented from the University Book Store . Your school/college or program may also have its own commencement activities.

Doctoral degree deadlines

• November 29 Graduate School Fall 2024: Request for all Master's and Doctoral Degree Warrants 4:00 PM
• December 22 Graduate School Fall 2024: Doctoral degree deadline 11:55 PM
• January 17 Graduate School Spring 2025: Dissertator eligibility for the spring 4:00 PM
• January 20 Graduate School Spring 2025: Spring Degree Window Period deadline for doctoral students 11:55 PM

View the Graduate School degree deadlines as a printable PDF >>

Dissertation Writing and Filing

The following guidelines are only for doctoral students. If you are pursuing a master’s degree, please see the Thesis Filing Guide .

Ready to get started?

Research Protocols

Eligibility, fall and spring semesters, summer filing, formatting your manuscript, special page formats, organizing your manuscript, procedure for filing your dissertation, permission to include your own previously published or co-authored material, inclusion of your own publishable papers or article-length essays, copyright & your dissertation, copyright ownership and registration issues, inclusion of third-party content in your dissertation; copyright & fair use issues, publishing your dissertation; embargoes, publication requirement, embargo extensions, changes to a dissertation after filing, diploma, transcript, and certificate of completion, certificate of completion, appendix a: common mistakes, appendix b: mixed media guidelines, definitions and standards, electronic formats and risk categories, appendix c: frequently asked questions.

Filing your doctoral dissertation at the Graduate Division is one of the final steps leading to the award of your graduate degree. Your manuscript is a scholarly presentation of the results of the research you conducted. UC Berkeley upholds the tradition that you have an obligation to make your research available to other scholars. This is done when you submit your dissertation for publishing through the ProQuest online administration system and the Graduate Division forwards your manuscript to the University Library. Your dissertation is subsequently published online in the UC system’s scholarship repository ( eScholarship ) and made available within ProQuest/UMI after your doctoral degree is officially conferred by the Academic Senate.

Your faculty committee supervises the intellectual content of your manuscript and your committee chair will guide you on the arrangement within the text and reference sections of your manuscript. Consult with your committee chair early in the preparation of your manuscript.

The specifications in the following pages were developed in consultation with University Library. These standards assure uniformity in the degree candidates’ manuscripts to be archived in the University Library, and ensure as well the widest possible dissemination of student-authored knowledge.

If your research activities involve human or animal subjects, you must follow the guidelines and obtain an approved protocol  before you begin your research.  Visit our web page for more information  or contact the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects ( http://cphs.berkeley.edu/  or 642-7461) or the Animal Care and Use Committee ( http://www.acuc.berkeley.edu/  or 642-8855).

In addition to the considerations explained below, your Expected Graduation Term (EGT) must match the term for which you intend to file. EGT can be updated at any time using an eForm available in CalCentral.

To be eligible to file for your degree, you must be registered or on approved Filing Fee status for the semester in which you file. We encourage you to file your dissertation as early in the semester as you can and to come in person to our office to submit your supporting documents. If you cannot come to our office, it is helpful if you have a friend bring your documents. The deadline to file your dissertation in its final form is the last day of the semester for your degree to be awarded as of that semester.

Filing during the summer has a slightly different set of eligibility requirements. If you were fully registered during the immediately preceding Spring semester, and have not used Filing Fee already, you may file your dissertation during the summer with no additional cost or application required. Summer is defined as the period from the day after the Spring semester ends (mid-May) until the last day of the Summer Sessions (mid-August).

International students completing a degree in the Summer should consult Berkeley International Office before finalizing plans, as in some cases lack of Summer enrollment could impact visa status or post-completion employment.

If you have already used Filing Fee previously, or were not registered the preceding Spring semester, you will need to register in at least 1.0 unit in Summer Sessions in order to file.

Dissertations filed during the summer will result in a summer degree conferral.

You must be advanced to candidacy, and in good standing (not lapsed), in order to file.

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically in a traditional PDF format.

• Page Size : The standard for a document’s page size is 8.5 x 11 inches. If compelling reasons exist to use a larger page size, you must contact the Graduate Division for prior approval.
• Basic manuscript text must be a non-italic type font and at a size of 12-point or larger. Whatever typeface and size you choose for the basic text, use it consistently throughout your entire manuscript. For footnotes, figures, captions, tables, charts, and graphs, a font size of 8-point or larger is to be used.
• You may include color in your dissertation, but your basic manuscript text must be black.
• For quotations, words in a foreign language, occasional emphasis, book titles, captions, and footnotes, you may use italics. A font different from that used for your basic manuscript may be used for appendices, charts, drawings, graphs, and tables.
• Pagination:  Your manuscript is composed of preliminary pages and the main body of text and references. Page numbers must be positioned either in the upper right corner, lower right corner, or the bottom center and must be at least ¾ of an inch from the edges. The placement of the page numbers in your document must be consistent throughout.

Be Careful!  If you have any pages that are rotated to a landscape orientation, the page numbers still need to be in a consistent position throughout the document (as if it were printed and bound single-sided).

Do not count or number the title page or the copyright page. All other pages must have numbers. DO NOT SKIP PAGE ” 1 “. The remaining preliminary pages may include a table of contents, a dedication, a list of figures, tables, symbols, illustrations, or photographs, a preface, your introduction, acknowledgments, and curriculum vitae. You must number these preliminary pages using  lower case Roman numerals  beginning with the number “i” and continue in sequence to the end of the preliminary pages (i, ii, iii, iv, v, etc.). Your abstract must have  Arabic numeral  page numbers. Start numbering your abstract with the number “1” and continue in sequence (1, 2, 3, etc.) The main body of your text and your references also use Arabic numerals. Start the numbering of the main body with the number “1” and continue in sequence (1, 2, 3, etc.), numbering consecutively throughout the rest of the text, including illustrative materials, bibliography, and appendices.

Yes! The first page of your abstract and the first page of your main text both start with ‘1’

• Margins:  For the manuscript material, including headers, footers, tables, illustrations, and photographs, all margins must be at least 1 inch from the edges of the paper. Page numbers must be ¾ of an inch from the edge.
• Spacing:  Your manuscript must be single-spaced throughout, including the abstract, dedication, acknowledgments, and introduction.
• Tables, charts, and graphs  may be presented horizontally or vertically and must fit within the required margins. Labels or symbols are preferred rather than colors for identifying lines on a graph.

You may choose to reduce the size of a page to fit within the required margins, but be sure that the resulting page is clear and legible.

• Guidelines for Mixed Media:  please see Appendix B for details.

Certain pages need to be formatted in a very specific way. Links are included here for examples of these pages.

Do not deviate from the wording and spacing in the examples, except for details applicable to you (e.g. name, major, committee, etc.)

• As noted in the above section on pagination, the abstract must be numbered  separately with Arabic numerals starting with ‘1’
• If you have a Designated Emphasis, it must be listed on your abstract.
• IMPORTANT: A physical signature page should no longer be included with your dissertation. Approvals by your committee members will be provided electronically using an eForm.
• The title page does not contain page numbers.
• Do not bold any text on your title page.
• The term and year listed on the title page must be the term of your degree. If you filed during the summer, write  Summer .
• The yellow bubbles in the sample are included for explanatory purposes only. Do not include them in your submission.
• If you have a Designated Emphasis, it must be listed on your title page ( DE Title Page Sample )
• If you are receiving a joint degree, it must be listed on your title page ( Joint Title Page Sample )

The proper organization and page order for your manuscript is as follows:

• Copyright page or a blank page
• Dedication page
• Table of contents
• List of figures, list of tables, list of symbols
• Preface or introduction
• Acknowledgments
• Curriculum Vitae
• Bibliography

Please do not include an approval/signature page.

After you have written your dissertation, formatted it correctly, assembled the pages into the correct organization, and obtained verbal approval from your committee, you are ready to file it with UC Berkeley’s Graduate Division.

• Step 0: Confirm your eligibility to file. Your Expected Graduation Term (EGT) must be current term (i.e. the term in which you expect to file your dissertation). If you need to update your EGT you can use the eForm available in CalCentral. Once your EGT is correct, you will see a number of checklist items (“Tasks”) created for you in CalCentral. You use these checklist items to proceed with filing.
• Step 1: Convert your dissertation into a standard PDF file.
• Step 2:  Upload your PDF to ProQuest/UMI ( http://www.etdadmin.com ) Follow the instructions on the site. NOTE: DO NOT UPLOAD A DRAFT.  Once your dissertation has been submitted, you will not be allowed to make changes. Be sure that it is in its final form!
• Step 3:  When you have successfully submitted the document, a message will be sent to the Graduate Degrees Office to review it on-line.  After Degrees staff has reviewed it you will either receive a message that the manuscript has been accepted or that you need to make further changes. If you need to make more changes, you will need to edit your manuscript, create a new PDF, and resubmit it to ProQuest.  Degrees staff will then need to review it again. An email approval will be sent to you once the manuscript is accepted.
• Step 4: There are two surveys to be completed:the Survey of Earned Doctorates and the Berkeley Doctoral Exit Survey. You will find these surveys as “Tasks”in your CalCentral dashboard (as long as you have a current-term EGT). Follow the instructions to complete the surveys and enter the verification codes. You should see the checklist items complete automatically.
• Review the your committee and email addresses listed — the form will route to each of your committee members for approval.
• If you chose to embargo your dissertation, you will not receive any copies you order from ProQuest until the embargo is lifted.
• Once the form has been filed, you may not make any changes to your embargo selections
• Attach a copy of the approval letter for your study protocol from the Committee for Protection of Human Subjects, or the Animal Care and Use Committee if your research involved human or animal subjects.

A Note on Deadlines

You must upload your electronic dissertation AND submit your final signature eform before 5 p.m. on the last day of the term. Both of these steps must be done before the deadline, regardless of whether your submission has been reviewed and approved. We can not provide a receipt of filing until your dissertation has been reviewed and accepted (which can take up to 4 business days), but you will get credit for the date of first submission.

If you plan use of your own previously published and/or co-authored material in your manuscript, your committee chair must attest that the resulting dissertation represents an original contribution of ideas to the field, even if previously published co – authored articles are included, and that major contributors of those articles have been informed.

Previously published material must be incorporated into a larger argument that binds together the whole dissertation. The common thread linking various parts of the research, represented by individual papers incorporated in the dissertation, must be made explicit, and you must join the papers into a coherent unit. You are required to prepare introductory, transitional, and concluding sections. Previously published material must be acknowledged appropriately, as established for your discipline or as requested in the original publication agreement (e.g. through a note in acknowledgments, a footnote, or the like).

If co-authored material is to be incorporated (whether published or unpublished), all major contributors should be informed of the inclusion in addition to being appropriately credited in the dissertation according to the norms of the field.

If you are incorporating co-authored material in your dissertation, it is your responsibility to inform major contributors. This documentation need not be submitted to the Graduate Division. The eform used by your committee chair to sign off on your dissertation will automatically include text indicating that by signing off they attest to the appropriateness and approval for inclusion of previously published and/or co-authored materials. No addition information or text needs to be added.

Publishable papers and article-length essays arising from your research project are acceptable only if you incorporate that text into a larger argument that binds together the whole dissertation or thesis. Include introductory, transitional, and concluding sections with the papers or essays.

You own copyright in your dissertation. Copyright is automatically created once your work is fixed in a tangible medium (such as saved on your computer hard drive or in cloud storage). Thus, you do not need to register copyright in your dissertation in order to be the copyright holder.

However, registering copyright in your dissertation has certain advantages: First, if your work is registered, you have evidence that you are indeed the author and owner. Second, registration allows greater enforcement of your copyright against an infringer or plagiarist, making available statutory damages set out in Title 17, Section 504 of the U.S. Code, which range from $750 – $150,000 plus attorney fees per copyright infraction. Accordingly, UC Berkeley recommends that you register copyright for your dissertation. You can register copyright through the Copyright Office’s website, www.copyright.gov , for a fee of $35, or through the ProQuest ETDAdmin system when you submit your PDF; doing so through ProQuest costs $55.

You continue to own copyright in your dissertation unless and until you transfer your copyright to another party. By complying with the UC Berkeley Graduate Division’s publishing policies, you are permitting the university to make available a copy of your dissertation online in eScholarship, but you are not transferring your copyright. You grant a similar permission to ProQuest/UMI, the exact terms of which are governed by the agreement with ProQuest you sign in the online submission process. You may request delays (i.e. embargoes) in the release of your dissertation both on eScholarship and in ProQuest. Please see “Publishing Your Dissertation; Embargoes”.

If you are including content in your dissertation not authored or created by you, be sure to consider copyright issues. The University Library can help guide you as you consider these questions. For more detail, please consult the Library’s helpful online guide, entitled Copyright and Publishing Your Dissertation .

To briefly summarize:

• If the content is in the public domain, then you need not get any permission to use the material. For questions about the public domain, see http://copyright.universityofcalifornia.edu/use/public-domain.html.
• If the content you wish to use is subject to a Creative Commons license of some form, you need simply abide by the term of that license. For instance, a CC-BY license means you can use the work without seeking the author’s permission, but must attribute the work to the author. For more on Creative Commons licenses, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/.
• If the content you wish to use is protected by copyright and no Creative Commons license governs its use, then you must consider whether your use constitutes Fair Use under 17 USC § 107. If your use of the content is a fair use within copyright law, then you need not seek the author’s permission before using it. See http://copyright.universityofcalifornia.edu/use/fair-use.html.
• If your use of the content would exceed fair use under the Copyright Act, then you will need to seek the copyright holder’s permission in order to use the material. Be sure to request the copyright owner’s permission in writing so that you can keep track of permissions granted. Your letter to the copyright holder should make clear that you seek permission to preserve and publish the content in your dissertation through UC Berkeley’s institutional repository, eScholarship, and ProQuest/UMI. For help seeking permission, see http://copyright.universityofcalifornia.edu/use/obtaining-permission.html.

If you have additional questions about copyright and third party content in your dissertation, please contact the University Library .

UC Berkeley’s Graduate Council regulations stipulate that you have an obligation to make your research available to other scholars as part of the degree requirement.  This obligation is consistent with the long-standing principle that doctoral students share their significant scholarly contributions to advance knowledge. This requirement is fulfilled when you submit your dissertation for publishing through the ProQuest online administration system and the Graduate Division forwards your manuscript to the University Library. Your dissertation is subsequently published online in the UC system’s scholarship repository ( eScholarship ) and made available within ProQuest/UMI after your doctoral degree is officially conferred by the Academic Senate.

Making your work available to be read online immediately in eScholarship or ProQuest has many advantages. First, it clearly establishes when your work was created and published, which are powerful resources in preventing or combatting plagiarism. Others will be able to discover your prior publication. Second, it can help support your scholarly profile because people can read and begin citing your work. Citation of your dissertation by others can be offered as evidence of research significance in employment reviews. Further, research available through searches on the Internet can promote contacts that are international in scope and interdisciplinary in reach.

Occasionally, there are circumstances in which you prefer that your dissertation not be published immediately. Such circumstances may include the disclosure of patentable rights in the work before a patent can be granted, similar disclosures detrimental to the rights of the author, or disclosures of facts about persons, institutions, or locations before professional ethics would permit.

The Dean of the Graduate Division may permit the dissertation to be withheld from full-text publication in eScholarship for a specified and limited period of time. An embargo of up to 2 years can be requested at the time of filing. You will need to make an embargo selection both on the Final Signature eForm as well as the ETDAdmin (the ProQuest submission portal). Once you make a selection regarding an embargo, it may not be changed. Discuss the pros and cons of withholding your dissertation with your faculty committee and departmental advisors. For more information, see the memo Advising doctoral candidates on dissertation embargoes and eScholarship repository  (PDF).

Embargoes beyond the initial 2-year option must be requested pursuant to a petition process using the E mbargo Extension Petition Form . Extensions are granted at the discretion of the Graduate Division, and are based on substantiated circumstances of the kind indicated above and with the endorsement of and an explanatory letter from the chair of the dissertation committee (or, if the dissertation chair is unavailable, the current department chair). Be sure to submit the petition form with sufficient time (at least three months) prior to the expiration of your original embargo to ensure adequate processing time prior to your dissertation’s scheduled release. If a renewal request is submitted less than three months from when the original embargo is set to expire, the Graduate Division cannot guarantee that the request will be processed and granted in time to preclude your dissertation from being made publicly available. Please note that it is your responsibility to request an extension beyond the two-year maximum from both the University and separately through ProQuest/UMI if you would like to extend your embargo both on eScholarship and on ProQuest/UMI.

Changes are normally not allowed after a manuscript has been filed.  In exceptional circumstances, changes may be requested by having the chair of your dissertation committee submit a memo to the Associate Dean and sent to Graduate Services: Degrees, 318 Sproul Hall.  The memo must describe in detail the specific changes requested and must justify the reason for the request. Such requests will not be approved for typographical errors, acknowledgments, or other minor revisions. It is your responsibility to ensure that your manuscript is in its final form before submitting it. If such a request is approved, the changes must be made prior to the official awarding of the degree. Once your degree has been awarded, you may not make changes to the manuscript.

After your dissertation is accepted by Graduate Services: Degrees, it is held here until the official awarding of the degree by the Academic Senate has occurred. This occurs approximately two months after the end of the term. After the degree has officially been awarded, the manuscripts transmitted to the University Library and to ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Posting the Degree to Your Transcript

Your degree will be posted to your transcript approximately 10 weeks after the conferral date of your degree. You can order a transcript from the Office of the Registrar (https://registrar.berkeley.edu/academic-records/transcripts-diplomas/).

Your diploma will be available from the Office of the Registrar approximately 4 months after the conferral date of your degree. For more information on obtaining your diploma, visit the Registrar’s website.  You can obtain your diploma in person at the Office of the Registrar, 120 Sproul Hall, or submit a form and pay the current mailing fees to have it mailed to you.

Unclaimed diplomas are retained for a period of five (5) years only, after which they are destroyed.

• The most common mistake is following a fellow (or previous) student’s example. Read the current guidelines carefully!
• An incorrect committee — the committee listed on your title page (and on the final signature eform you will submit) must match your currently approved committee. If you have made any changes to your committee since Advancement to Candidacy, you must request an official change from the Graduate Division. Consult your departmental adviser for details.
• Do not use a different name than that which appears in the system (i.e. the name on your transcript and Cal Central Profile ). Students are allowed to use a Lived Name, which can be updated by self-service in CalCentral.
• Page numbers — Read the section on pagination carefully. Many students do not paginate their document correctly.
• Page rotation — some pages may be rotated to a landscape orientation. However, page numbers must appear in the same place throughout the document (as if it were bound like a book).
• If you have an approved designated emphasis, it must be listed on your title page  and  your abstract.
• Do not include the signature/approval page in your dissertation. The abstract must be  unsigned .
• Do not include previous degrees on your title page.
• There should be no bold text on your title page.

In May 2005, the Graduate Council established new guidelines for the inclusion of mixed media content in dissertations. It was considered crucial that the guidelines allow dissertations to remain as accessible as possible and for the longest period possible while balancing the extraordinary academic potential of these new technologies.

The dissertation has three components: a core thesis, essential supporting material, and non-essential supplementary material.

Core Thesis.  The core thesis must be a self-contained, narrative description of the argument, methods, and evidence used in the dissertation project. Despite the ability to present evidence more directly and with greater sophistication using mixed media, the core thesis must provide an accessible textual description of the whole project.

The core thesis must stand alone and be printable on paper, meeting the formatting requirements described in this document. The electronic version of the thesis must be provided in the most stable and universal format available — currently Portable Document Format (PDF) for textual materials. These files may also include embedded visual images in TIFF (.tif) or JPEG (.jpg) format.

Essential Supporting Material.  Essential supporting material is defined as mixed media content that cannot be integrated into the core thesis, i.e., material that cannot be adequately expressed as text. Your faculty committee is responsible for deciding whether this material is essential to the thesis. Essential supporting material does  not include the actual project data. Supporting material is essential if it is necessary for the actual argument of the thesis, and cannot be integrated into a traditional textual narrative.

Essential supporting material  must  be submitted in the most stable and least risky format consistent with its representation (see below), so as to allow the widest accessibility and greatest chance of preservation into the future.

Non-essential Supplementary Material.  Supplementary material includes any supporting content that is useful for understanding the thesis, but is not essential to the argument. This might include, for example, electronic files of the works analyzed in the dissertation (films, musical works, etc.) or additional support for the argument (simulations, samples of experimental situations, etc.).

Supplementary material is to be submitted in the most stable and most accessible format, depending on the relative importance of the material (see below). Any supplemental material must be uploaded to the ProQuest website under the “Supplemental Files” section.

Note . ProQuest and the Library will require any necessary 3rd party software licenses and reprint permission letters for any copyrighted materials included in these electronic files.

The following is a list of file formats in descending order of stability and accessibility. This list is provisional, and will be updated as technologies change. Faculty and students should refer to the Graduate Division website for current information on formats and risk categories.

Category A:

• TIFF (.tif) image files
• WAV (.wav) audio files

Category B:

• JPEG, JPEG 2000 (.jpg) image files
• GIF (.gif) image files

Category C:

• device independent audio files (e.g., AIFF, MIDI, SND, MP3, WMA, QTA)
• note-based digital music composition files (e.g., XMA, SMF, RMID)

Category D:

• other device independent video formats (e.g., QuickTime, AVI, WMV)
• encoded animations (e.g., FLA or SWF Macromedia Flash, SVG)

For detailed guidelines on the use of these media, please refer to the Library of Congress website for digital formats at  http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/index.shtml .

Q1: Can I file my dissertation during the summer?

A1: Yes. There are 2 ways to file during the summer:

• Register for at least 1.0 unit through Berkeley Summer Sessions. With this option, you can file any time before the summer deadline .
• Register the preceding spring semester. As long as you were registered in the spring, and have not used filing fee before, you will be allowed to file during the summer without additional fees or applications.

Q2: If I chose that option, does it matter which session I register in during the summer session?

A2: No. You can register for any of the sessions (at least 1.0 unit). The deadline will always be the last day of the last session.

Q3: If I file during the summer, will I receive a summer degree?

A3: Yes. If you file before the end of the summer sessions, you will receive a summer degree. Remember to write “Summer” on your title page!

Q1: I’ve seen other dissertations from former students that were / that had  __________, should I follow that format?

A1: No. The formatting guidelines can be changed from time to time, so you should always consult the most current guidelines available on our website. This question is most frequently asked in regard to the issue of double vs. single spacing.

Q2: I want to make sure that my dissertation follows the formatting rules. What’s the best way to do this?

A2: If you’ve read and followed the current guidelines available on our website, there shouldn’t be any problems. You can upload your dissertation as soon as it is in its final form. If any changes are necessary, you will be given the opportunity to make them without penalties. If you’ve heard horror stories from other students about formatting changes in their manuscripts, you’ve likely been talking to past students who didn’t follow the directions and had to print out their dissertations on expensive, archival paper. Current students submit their dissertations electronically and, as such, it’s much easier and more painless to make changes!

You are also always welcome to bring sample pages into the Graduate Degrees Office at 318 Sproul Hall to have a staff member look over your manuscript.

Q3:  Does my signature page need to be printed on some special paper?

A3: Signatures are now an eForm process. A physical signature page is no longer required.

Q1: I’m away from Berkeley. Is there any way to file my dissertation remotely?

A1: Yes! The whole process is done remotely.

Q2: Can I have a friend bring my dissertation materials for me?

A2: Yes. Please see the answer above regarding filing remotely.

Q3: I read something about needing to allow 4 days to review my dissertation. So what is the actual deadline?

A3: Two things must happen before the end of the business day on the stated deadline: 1) you must have uploaded your dissertation to the ProQuest website and 2) you must have completed all the checklist items that appear in CalCentral (final signature eform and 2 surveys). Though it is not recommended, you can do both of these things on the very last day.

Q4: So what’s this thing about the 4 days?

A4: As you might expect, the Degrees Office receives hundreds of dissertations near the end of the term (in fact, half of all dissertations are submitted during the final week). This means that it may take several days for us to review your dissertation. Don’t worry. You’ll get credit for the date that you uploaded your dissertation. However, it may take up to 4 business days to review your submission and, if everything is acceptable, provide you a Receipt of Filing.

Q5: Can I do the Final Signature eForm before I upload my dissertation?

A5: Yes. We won’t be able to finalize your filing until everything has been reviewed and approved, but you are welcome to do those in any order.

Q6: What’s a Receipt of Filing? Do I need one?

A6: The Receipt of Filing is an official document that we produce that certifies that you have successfully filed your dissertation on the specified day and that, if all other requirements are met, the date of the degree conferral.

Some students may need the receipt in order to prove to an outside agency that they have officially filed their dissertation. Many students simply keep the receipt as a memento. Picking up your receipt is not required.

Q7: What’s the difference between a Receipt of Filing and a Certificate of Completion?

A7: A Receipt of Filing is automatically produced for all students upon successful filing of their dissertation. However, it only certifies that the dissertation has been accepted. The Certificate of Degree Completion  must be requested. It will state that all requirements  have  been met and notes the date that the degree will be conferred. This is a useful document for students who file early in the semester and need some verification of their degree in advance of its conferral (note: degrees are only conferred twice each year).

Q8: How do I know if I’m eligible for a Certificate of Completion?

A8: In order to be eligible to receive a Certificate of Completion, you must:

• Successfully file your dissertation (your online submission accepted as well as paperwork turned in)
• Have a fully satisfied Academic Progress Report (APR). The APR all the degree requirements as noted by your department. If there are requirements showing as “unmet” but you believe you have completed, please contact your GSAO.
• Pay all of your registration fees. While it may not necessarily hold up the production of your certificate, it is important that all fees are paid before the degree is conferred.

Q9: I’m supposed to bring in my approval letter for research with human subjects or vertebrate animals, but it turns out my research didn’t use this after all. What should I do?

A9: If your research protocol has changed since you advanced to candidacy for your degree, you’ll need to ask you dissertation chair to write a letter to the Graduate Division explaining the change. It would be best to submit this in advance of filing.

Q10: My dissertation uses copyrighted or previously published material. How do I get approval?

A10: The policy on this has recently changed. There is no need to for specific approval to be requested.

Q12: I uploaded my dissertation on the last day. What if I’m told I need to make changes?

A12: This won’t be a problem. If there are formatting issues that need to be resolved, you will be notified and be given the opportunity to make revisions – even if it is a few days after the deadline. As long as your dissertation was originally uploaded before the deadline. Obviously, we won’t be able to provide you a receipt (see Q above on Receipt of Filing) until everything has been finalized.

Q13: I found a typo in dissertation that has already been accepted! What do I do?

A13: Once a dissertation has been submitted and accepted, no further changes will be permitted. Proofread your document carefully. Do not upload a draft. In extreme circumstances, your dissertation chair may write a letter to the Graduate Division requesting additional changes to be made.

Q14: Oh no! A serious emergency has caused me to miss the filing deadline! What do I do? Are extensions ever granted?

A14: In general, no. In exceptional circumstances, the Head Graduate Advisor for your program may write to the Graduate Division requesting an extension. Requests of this type are considered on a case-by-case basis and, if granted, may allow you to file after the deadline. However, even if such an exception is granted you will receive the degree for the subsequent term. Your first step is to consult with your department if an emergency arises.

• Dissertation

Requirements, deadlines, and other information on preparing and submitting a dissertation.

• Fellowships
• Maximizing Your Degree
• Before You Arrive
• First Weeks at Harvard
• Harvard Speak
• Pre-Arrival Resources for New International Students
• Alumni Council
• Student Engagement
• Applying to Degree Programs
• Applying to the Visiting Students Program
• Admissions Policies
• Cost of Attendance
• Express Interest
• Campus Safety
• Commencement
• Diversity & Inclusion Fellows
• Student Affinity Groups
• Recruitment and Outreach
• Budget Calculator
• Find Your Financial Aid Officer
• Funding and Aid
• Regulations Regarding Employment
• Financial Wellness
• Consumer Information
• Life Sciences
• Policies (Student Handbook)
• Student Center
• Title IX and Gender Equity

PhD candidates must successfully complete and submit a dissertation to qualify for degree conferral. It is perhaps the most important and far-reaching undertaking in the entire doctoral program, having an impact that extends well beyond graduate studies. 

Requirements and Deadlines 

Each graduate program maintains specific requirements for the content and evaluation of the dissertation. Be sure to review your program’s departmental requirements prior to beginning the process. You should also review Harvard Griffin GSAS’s dissertation policies for important information about formatting, submission, and publishing and distribution options, including embargoes.  

Degrees are awarded in November, March, and May. Dissertation submission deadlines are noted in the Degree Calendar section of Policies . 

Help with the Dissertation 

Library research .

It’s never too early to start planning for your dissertation. The Harvard Library can help! The Library maintains a guide for graduate students engaged in scholarly writing titled the Writing Oasis . They also offer access to Overleaf , which is an online LaTeX and Rich Text collaborative writing and publishing tool that makes the process of academic writing, editing, and publishing quicker and easier. Overleaf has a section on Writing Your Dissertation that you may find useful.  

Writing 

Students can find support with planning and preparing to write the dissertation from their academic advisors and programs. The Fellowships & Writing Center also offers workshops on various aspects of dissertation writing, holds brainstorming office hours during which students may discuss their dissertations, and provides written feedback on dissertation chapters.  

Dissertation Completion Fellowships 

Harvard Griffin GSAS provides a dissertation completion fellowship (DCF) for one academic year to eligible PhD students in the humanities and social sciences who anticipate completing their dissertations within the year. Find out more in Policies .

Academic Programs

Share this page, explore events.

LET US HELP

Welcome to Capella

Select your program and we'll help guide you through important information as you prepare for the application process.

FIND YOUR PROGRAM

Connect with us

A team of dedicated enrollment counselors is standing by, ready to answer your questions and help you get started.

• Capella University Blog
• PhD/Doctorate

What is a dissertation?

October 31, 2019

A dissertation is a written document that summarizes research.

It is the final step of a PhD program, and the culmination of a student’s doctoral studies.

“The dissertation is a source of pride for doctoral students,” Dinah Manns, PhD, faculty chair at Capella University, says. “The dissertation is often a compilation of academic and practical knowledge, and in many cases, it can be the student’s first publication.”

Here, Manns explains the content and format of this important piece of scholarship.

From student to scholar

The major objective of any doctoral program is to assist a student in becoming an independent researcher, and a dissertation is a large part of that. “Not all doctoral programs require a dissertation, but all PhD programs do,” Manns notes. “Dissertation work varies by program.”

Initial coursework helps narrow down the research topic and develop it into something that will add to the body of knowledge in the chosen field. Sometimes the research contributes something entirely new to the field, and other times it expands or deepens previous studies.

By the time the doctoral coursework is finished, the topic should be selected and ready for formal research. At this point the student develops a proposal, which encompasses the research plan and methodology as it pertains to the selected topic.

At Capella, once the proposal has been approved by the student’s mentor, committee, and the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the research and analysis begin. The dissertation is largely an independent project that essentially turns the student into a scholar; they’ll dive more deeply into research and writing then they have done before.

“Capella PhD candidates will be prepared for this step through their coursework and residency,” says Manns, noting that they will have learned how to approach this critical phase as part of their pre-dissertation learning.

Format of the dissertation

The dissertation is a much deeper exploration of a research topic than a traditional essay would be. It’s in the form of a book, with at least five chapters (some universities require a sixth chapter in the form of a recap of the previous chapters). Manns outlines the chapters this way:

• Overview. This is a brief look at the research question, containing a preview of the subsequent chapters.
• Literature review. The literature review is an extensive critique and synthesis of the current literature in the field.
• Methodology. This section contains details of the procedures and methods used to collect and analyze data.
• Analysis. The PhD candidate details how the data analysis applies to the collected data.
• Findings. This section provides interpretation of the data and comparison to existing literature, as well as future research possibilities.

The order of the chapters follows a logical progression in which PhD candidates build on their theories and explain research choices in detail before coming to the final chapter that gives weight to the value of the study itself.

Manns recommends that pre-dissertation students review completed dissertations in the field and research various types of methodology and design in the field as well. “That will help give them a feel for the depth of research and discussion, and see how the chapters work together,” Manns explains. “And remember—someday, it may be your dissertation being read!”

Capella University offers PhD and professional doctoral degrees in programs ranging from business to education and health to technology. Learn more about Capella’s doctoral programs.

You may also like

Can I transfer credits into a doctoral program?

January 8, 2020

What are the steps in writing a dissertation?

December 11, 2019

The difference between a dissertation and doctoral capstone

November 25, 2019

Start learning today

Get started on your journey now by connecting with an enrollment counselor. See how Capella may be a good fit for you, and start the application process.

Please Exit Private Browsing Mode

Your internet browser is in private browsing mode. Please turn off private browsing mode if you wish to use this site.

Are you sure you want to cancel?

How to Write a Dissertation: Step-by-Step Guide

• Doctoral students write and defend dissertations to earn their degrees.
• Most dissertations range from 100-300 pages, depending on the field.
• Taking a step-by-step approach can help students write their dissertations.

Whether you’re considering a doctoral program or you recently passed your comprehensive exams, you’ve probably wondered how to write a dissertation. Researching, writing, and defending a dissertation represents a major step in earning a doctorate.

But what is a dissertation exactly? A dissertation is an original work of scholarship that contributes to the field. Doctoral candidates often spend 1-3 years working on their dissertations. And many dissertations top 200 or more pages.

Starting the process on the right foot can help you complete a successful dissertation. Breaking down the process into steps may also make it easier to finish your dissertation.

How to Write a Dissertation in 12 Steps

A dissertation demonstrates mastery in a subject. But how do you write a dissertation? Here are 12 steps to successfully complete a dissertation.

Choose a Topic

It sounds like an easy step, but choosing a topic will play an enormous role in the success of your dissertation. In some fields, your dissertation advisor will recommend a topic. In other fields, you’ll develop a topic on your own.

Read recent work in your field to identify areas for additional scholarship. Look for holes in the literature or questions that remain unanswered.

After coming up with a few areas for research or questions, carefully consider what’s feasible with your resources. Talk to your faculty advisor about your ideas and incorporate their feedback.

Conduct Preliminary Research

Before starting a dissertation, you’ll need to conduct research. Depending on your field, that might mean visiting archives, reviewing scholarly literature , or running lab tests.

Use your preliminary research to hone your question and topic. Take lots of notes, particularly on areas where you can expand your research.

Read Secondary Literature

A dissertation demonstrates your mastery of the field. That means you’ll need to read a large amount of scholarship on your topic. Dissertations typically include a literature review section or chapter.

Create a list of books, articles, and other scholarly works early in the process, and continue to add to your list. Refer to the works cited to identify key literature. And take detailed notes to make the writing process easier.

Write a Research Proposal

In most doctoral programs, you’ll need to write and defend a research proposal before starting your dissertation.

The length and format of your proposal depend on your field. In many fields, the proposal will run 10-20 pages and include a detailed discussion of the research topic, methodology, and secondary literature.

Your faculty advisor will provide valuable feedback on turning your proposal into a dissertation.

Research, Research, Research

Doctoral dissertations make an original contribution to the field, and your research will be the basis of that contribution.

The form your research takes will depend on your academic discipline. In computer science, you might analyze a complex dataset to understand machine learning. In English, you might read the unpublished papers of a poet or author. In psychology, you might design a study to test stress responses. And in education, you might create surveys to measure student experiences.

Work closely with your faculty advisor as you conduct research. Your advisor can often point you toward useful resources or recommend areas for further exploration.

Look for Dissertation Examples

Writing a dissertation can feel overwhelming. Most graduate students have written seminar papers or a master’s thesis. But a dissertation is essentially like writing a book.

Looking at examples of dissertations can help you set realistic expectations and understand what your discipline wants in a successful dissertation. Ask your advisor if the department has recent dissertation examples. Or use a resource like ProQuest Dissertations to find examples.

Doctoral candidates read a lot of monographs and articles, but they often do not read dissertations. Reading polished scholarly work, particularly critical scholarship in your field, can give you an unrealistic standard for writing a dissertation.

Write Your Body Chapters

By the time you sit down to write your dissertation, you’ve already accomplished a great deal. You’ve chosen a topic, defended your proposal, and conducted research. Now it’s time to organize your work into chapters.

As with research, the format of your dissertation depends on your field. Your department will likely provide dissertation guidelines to structure your work. In many disciplines, dissertations include chapters on the literature review, methodology, and results. In other disciplines, each chapter functions like an article that builds to your overall argument.

Start with the chapter you feel most confident in writing. Expand on the literature review in your proposal to provide an overview of the field. Describe your research process and analyze the results.

Meet With Your Advisor

Throughout the dissertation process, you should meet regularly with your advisor. As you write chapters, send them to your advisor for feedback. Your advisor can help identify issues and suggest ways to strengthen your dissertation.

Staying in close communication with your advisor will also boost your confidence for your dissertation defense. Consider sharing material with other members of your committee as well.

Write Your Introduction and Conclusion

It seems counterintuitive, but it’s a good idea to write your introduction and conclusion last . Your introduction should describe the scope of your project and your intervention in the field.

Many doctoral candidates find it useful to return to their dissertation proposal to write the introduction. If your project evolved significantly, you will need to reframe the introduction. Make sure you provide background information to set the scene for your dissertation. And preview your methodology, research aims, and results.

The conclusion is often the shortest section. In your conclusion, sum up what you’ve demonstrated, and explain how your dissertation contributes to the field.

Edit Your Draft

You’ve completed a draft of your dissertation. Now, it’s time to edit that draft.

For some doctoral candidates, the editing process can feel more challenging than researching or writing the dissertation. 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.

Incorporate Feedback

Writing a dissertation can feel very isolating. You’re focused on one topic for months or years, and you’re often working alone. But feedback will strengthen your dissertation.

You will receive feedback as you write your dissertation, both from your advisor and other committee members. In many departments, doctoral candidates also participate in peer review groups to provide feedback.

Outside readers will note confusing sections and recommend changes. Make sure you incorporate the feedback throughout the writing and editing process.

Defend Your Dissertation

Congratulations — you made it to the dissertation defense! Typically, your advisor will not let you schedule the defense unless they believe you will pass. So consider the defense a culmination of your dissertation process rather than a high-stakes examination.

The format of your defense depends on the department. In some fields, you’ll present your research. In other fields, the defense will consist of an in-depth discussion with your committee.

Walk into your defense with confidence. You’re now an expert in your topic. Answer questions concisely and address any weaknesses in your study. Once you pass the defense, you’ll earn your doctorate.

Writing a dissertation isn’t easy — only around 55,000 students earned a Ph.D. in 2020, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. However, it is possible to successfully complete a dissertation by breaking down the process into smaller steps.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dissertations

What is a dissertation.

A dissertation is a substantial research project that contributes to your field of study. Graduate students write a dissertation to earn their doctorate.

The format and content of a dissertation vary widely depending on the academic discipline. Doctoral candidates work closely with their faculty advisor to complete and defend the dissertation, a process that typically takes 1-3 years.

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, with an average of nearly 300 pages, while mathematics produces the shortest dissertations at just under 100 pages.

What’s the difference between a dissertation vs. a thesis?

Dissertations and theses demonstrate academic mastery at different levels. In U.S. graduate education, master’s students typically write theses, while doctoral students write dissertations. The terms are reversed in the British system.

In the U.S., a dissertation is longer, more in-depth, and based on more research than a thesis. Doctoral candidates write a dissertation as the culminating research project of their degree. Undergraduates and master’s students may write shorter theses as part of their programs.

Explore More College Resources

How to Write an Effective Thesis Statement

Writing a thesis statement is hard work. Discover the best tips and tricks for crafting an effective thesis statement and supporting it in an academic essay.

by Staff Writers

Updated December 6, 2022

How to Write a Research Paper: 11-Step Guide

Writing a research paper can be challenging, not to mention time-consuming. Follow these 11 steps to write a stellar college research paper.

by Samantha Fecich, Ph.D.

Updated January 17, 2023

How to Write a History Essay, According to a History Professor

A history professor breaks down how to write a successful history essay, from choosing a topic to polishing your argument.

by Genevieve Carlton, Ph.D.

Updated April 13, 2022

View the most relevant schools for your interests and compare them by tuition, programs, acceptance rate, and other factors important to finding your college home.

How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

8 Straightforward Steps + Examples

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020

How To Write A Dissertation: 8 Steps

• Clearly understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is
• Find a unique and valuable research topic
• Craft a convincing research proposal
• Write up a strong introduction chapter
• Review the existing literature and compile a literature review
• Design a rigorous research strategy and undertake your own research
• Present the findings of your research
• Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Step 1: Understand exactly what a dissertation is

This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but all too often, students come to us for help with their research and the underlying issue is that they don’t fully understand what a dissertation (or thesis) actually is.

So, what is a dissertation?

At its simplest, a dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research , reflecting the standard research process . But what is the standard research process, you ask? The research process involves 4 key steps:

• Ask a very specific, well-articulated question (s) (your research topic)
• See what other researchers have said about it (if they’ve already answered it)
• If they haven’t answered it adequately, undertake your own data collection and analysis in a scientifically rigorous fashion
• Answer your original question(s), based on your analysis findings

In short, the research process is simply about asking and answering questions in a systematic fashion . This probably sounds pretty obvious, but people often think they’ve done “research”, when in fact what they have done is:

• Started with a vague, poorly articulated question
• Not taken the time to see what research has already been done regarding the question
• Collected data and opinions that support their gut and undertaken a flimsy analysis
• Drawn a shaky conclusion, based on that analysis

If you want to see the perfect example of this in action, look out for the next Facebook post where someone claims they’ve done “research”… All too often, people consider reading a few blog posts to constitute research. Its no surprise then that what they end up with is an opinion piece, not research. Okay, okay – I’ll climb off my soapbox now.

The key takeaway here is that a dissertation (or thesis) is a formal piece of research, reflecting the research process. It’s not an opinion piece , nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position. Writing a good dissertation involves asking a question and taking a systematic, rigorous approach to answering it.

If you understand this and are comfortable leaving your opinions or preconceived ideas at the door, you’re already off to a good start!

Step 2: Find a unique, valuable research topic

As we saw, the first step of the research process is to ask a specific, well-articulated question. In other words, you need to find a research topic that asks a specific question or set of questions (these are called research questions ). Sounds easy enough, right? All you’ve got to do is identify a question or two and you’ve got a winning research topic. Well, not quite…

A good dissertation or thesis topic has a few important attributes. Specifically, a solid research topic should be:

Let’s take a closer look at these:

Attribute #1: Clear

Your research topic needs to be crystal clear about what you’re planning to research, what you want to know, and within what context. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or vagueness about what you’ll research.

Here’s an example of a clearly articulated research topic:

An analysis of consumer-based factors influencing organisational trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms.

As you can see in the example, its crystal clear what will be analysed (factors impacting organisational trust), amongst who (consumers) and in what context (British low-cost equity brokerage firms, based online).

Need a helping hand?

Attribute #2:   Unique

Your research should be asking a question(s) that hasn’t been asked before, or that hasn’t been asked in a specific context (for example, in a specific country or industry).

For example, sticking organisational trust topic above, it’s quite likely that organisational trust factors in the UK have been investigated before, but the context (online low-cost equity brokerages) could make this research unique. Therefore, the context makes this research original.

One caveat when using context as the basis for originality – you need to have a good reason to suspect that your findings in this context might be different from the existing research – otherwise, there’s no reason to warrant researching it.

Attribute #3: Important

Simply asking a unique or original question is not enough – the question needs to create value. In other words, successfully answering your research questions should provide some value to the field of research or the industry. You can’t research something just to satisfy your curiosity. It needs to make some form of contribution either to research or industry.

For example, researching the factors influencing consumer trust would create value by enabling businesses to tailor their operations and marketing to leverage factors that promote trust. In other words, it would have a clear benefit to industry.

So, how do you go about finding a unique and valuable research topic? We explain that in detail in this video post – How To Find A Research Topic . Yeah, we’ve got you covered 😊

Step 3: Write a convincing research proposal

Once you’ve pinned down a high-quality research topic, the next step is to convince your university to let you research it. No matter how awesome you think your topic is, it still needs to get the rubber stamp before you can move forward with your research. The research proposal is the tool you’ll use for this job.

So, what’s in a research proposal?

The main “job” of a research proposal is to convince your university, advisor or committee that your research topic is worthy of approval. But convince them of what? Well, this varies from university to university, but generally, they want to see that:

• You have a clearly articulated, unique and important topic (this might sound familiar…)
• You’ve done some initial reading of the existing literature relevant to your topic (i.e. a literature review)
• You have a provisional plan in terms of how you will collect data and analyse it (i.e. a methodology)

At the proposal stage, it’s (generally) not expected that you’ve extensively reviewed the existing literature , but you will need to show that you’ve done enough reading to identify a clear gap for original (unique) research. Similarly, they generally don’t expect that you have a rock-solid research methodology mapped out, but you should have an idea of whether you’ll be undertaking qualitative or quantitative analysis , and how you’ll collect your data (we’ll discuss this in more detail later).

Long story short – don’t stress about having every detail of your research meticulously thought out at the proposal stage – this will develop as you progress through your research. However, you do need to show that you’ve “done your homework” and that your research is worthy of approval .

So, how do you go about crafting a high-quality, convincing proposal? We cover that in detail in this video post – How To Write A Top-Class Research Proposal . We’ve also got a video walkthrough of two proposal examples here .

Step 4: Craft a strong introduction chapter

Once your proposal’s been approved, its time to get writing your actual dissertation or thesis! The good news is that if you put the time into crafting a high-quality proposal, you’ve already got a head start on your first three chapters – introduction, literature review and methodology – as you can use your proposal as the basis for these.

Handy sidenote – our free dissertation & thesis template is a great way to speed up your dissertation writing journey.

What’s the introduction chapter all about?

The purpose of the introduction chapter is to set the scene for your research (dare I say, to introduce it…) so that the reader understands what you’ll be researching and why it’s important. In other words, it covers the same ground as the research proposal in that it justifies your research topic.

What goes into the introduction chapter?

This can vary slightly between universities and degrees, but generally, the introduction chapter will include the following:

• A brief background to the study, explaining the overall area of research
• A problem statement , explaining what the problem is with the current state of research (in other words, where the knowledge gap exists)
• Your research questions – in other words, the specific questions your study will seek to answer (based on the knowledge gap)
• The significance of your study – in other words, why it’s important and how its findings will be useful in the world

As you can see, this all about explaining the “what” and the “why” of your research (as opposed to the “how”). So, your introduction chapter is basically the salesman of your study, “selling” your research to the first-time reader and (hopefully) getting them interested to read more.

Step 5: Undertake an in-depth literature review

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to do some initial review of the literature in Steps 2 and 3 to find your research gap and craft a convincing research proposal – but that’s just scratching the surface. Once you reach the literature review stage of your dissertation or thesis, you need to dig a lot deeper into the existing research and write up a comprehensive literature review chapter.

What’s the literature review all about?

There are two main stages in the literature review process:

Literature Review Step 1: Reading up

The first stage is for you to deep dive into the existing literature (journal articles, textbook chapters, industry reports, etc) to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of research regarding your topic. While you don’t need to read every single article, you do need to ensure that you cover all literature that is related to your core research questions, and create a comprehensive catalogue of that literature , which you’ll use in the next step.

Reading and digesting all the relevant literature is a time consuming and intellectually demanding process. Many students underestimate just how much work goes into this step, so make sure that you allocate a good amount of time for this when planning out your research. Thankfully, there are ways to fast track the process – be sure to check out this article covering how to read journal articles quickly .

Literature Review Step 2: Writing up

Once you’ve worked through the literature and digested it all, you’ll need to write up your literature review chapter. Many students make the mistake of thinking that the literature review chapter is simply a summary of what other researchers have said. While this is partly true, a literature review is much more than just a summary. To pull off a good literature review chapter, you’ll need to achieve at least 3 things:

• You need to synthesise the existing research , not just summarise it. In other words, you need to show how different pieces of theory fit together, what’s agreed on by researchers, what’s not.
• You need to highlight a research gap that your research is going to fill. In other words, you’ve got to outline the problem so that your research topic can provide a solution.
• You need to use the existing research to inform your methodology and approach to your own research design. For example, you might use questions or Likert scales from previous studies in your your own survey design .

As you can see, a good literature review is more than just a summary of the published research. It’s the foundation on which your own research is built, so it deserves a lot of love and attention. Take the time to craft a comprehensive literature review with a suitable structure .

But, how do I actually write the literature review chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this video post .

Step 6: Carry out your own research

Once you’ve completed your literature review and have a sound understanding of the existing research, its time to develop your own research (finally!). You’ll design this research specifically so that you can find the answers to your unique research question.

There are two steps here – designing your research strategy and executing on it:

1 – Design your research strategy

The first step is to design your research strategy and craft a methodology chapter . I won’t get into the technicalities of the methodology chapter here, but in simple terms, this chapter is about explaining the “how” of your research. If you recall, the introduction and literature review chapters discussed the “what” and the “why”, so it makes sense that the next point to cover is the “how” –that’s what the methodology chapter is all about.

In this section, you’ll need to make firm decisions about your research design. This includes things like:

• Your research philosophy (e.g. positivism or interpretivism )
• Your overall methodology (e.g. qualitative , quantitative or mixed methods)
• Your data collection strategy (e.g. interviews , focus groups, surveys)
• Your data analysis strategy (e.g. content analysis , correlation analysis, regression)

If these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these in plain language in other posts. It’s not essential that you understand the intricacies of research design (yet!). The key takeaway here is that you’ll need to make decisions about how you’ll design your own research, and you’ll need to describe (and justify) your decisions in your methodology chapter.

2 – Execute: Collect and analyse your data

Once you’ve worked out your research design, you’ll put it into action and start collecting your data. This might mean undertaking interviews, hosting an online survey or any other data collection method. Data collection can take quite a bit of time (especially if you host in-person interviews), so be sure to factor sufficient time into your project plan for this. Oftentimes, things don’t go 100% to plan (for example, you don’t get as many survey responses as you hoped for), so bake a little extra time into your budget here.

Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to do some data preparation before you can sink your teeth into the analysis. For example:

• If you carry out interviews or focus groups, you’ll need to transcribe your audio data to text (i.e. a Word document).
• If you collect quantitative survey data, you’ll need to clean up your data and get it into the right format for whichever analysis software you use (for example, SPSS, R or STATA).

Once you’ve completed your data prep, you’ll undertake your analysis, using the techniques that you described in your methodology. Depending on what you find in your analysis, you might also do some additional forms of analysis that you hadn’t planned for. For example, you might see something in the data that raises new questions or that requires clarification with further analysis.

The type(s) of analysis that you’ll use depend entirely on the nature of your research and your research questions. For example:

• If your research if exploratory in nature, you’ll often use qualitative analysis techniques .
• If your research is confirmatory in nature, you’ll often use quantitative analysis techniques
• If your research involves a mix of both, you might use a mixed methods approach

Again, if these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these concepts and techniques in other posts. The key takeaway is simply that there’s no “one size fits all” for research design and methodology – it all depends on your topic, your research questions and your data. So, don’t be surprised if your study colleagues take a completely different approach to yours.

Step 7: Present your findings

Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to present your findings (finally!). In a dissertation or thesis, you’ll typically present your findings in two chapters – the results chapter and the discussion chapter .

What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?

While these two chapters are similar, the results chapter generally just presents the processed data neatly and clearly without interpretation, while the discussion chapter explains the story the data are telling  – in other words, it provides your interpretation of the results.

For example, if you were researching the factors that influence consumer trust, you might have used a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between potential factors (e.g. perceived integrity and competence of the organisation) and consumer trust. In this case:

• Your results chapter would just present the results of the statistical tests. For example, correlation results or differences between groups. In other words, the processed numbers.
• Your discussion chapter would explain what the numbers mean in relation to your research question(s). For example, Factor 1 has a weak relationship with consumer trust, while Factor 2 has a strong relationship.

Depending on the university and degree, these two chapters (results and discussion) are sometimes merged into one , so be sure to check with your institution what their preference is. Regardless of the chapter structure, this section is about presenting the findings of your research in a clear, easy to understand fashion.

Importantly, your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions (which you outlined in the introduction or literature review chapter). In other words, it needs to answer the key questions you asked (or at least attempt to answer them).

For example, if we look at the sample research topic:

In this case, the discussion section would clearly outline which factors seem to have a noteworthy influence on organisational trust. By doing so, they are answering the overarching question and fulfilling the purpose of the research .

Step 8: The Final Step Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Last but not least, you’ll need to wrap up your research with the conclusion chapter . In this chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and explaining what the implications of these findings are.

What exactly are key findings? The key findings are those findings which directly relate to your original research questions and overall research objectives (which you discussed in your introduction chapter). The implications, on the other hand, explain what your findings mean for industry, or for research in your area.

Sticking with the consumer trust topic example, the conclusion might look something like this:

Key findings

This study set out to identify which factors influence consumer-based trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms. The results suggest that the following factors have a large impact on consumer trust:

While the following factors have a very limited impact on consumer trust:

Notably, within the 25-30 age groups, Factors E had a noticeably larger impact, which may be explained by…

Implications

The findings having noteworthy implications for British low-cost online equity brokers. Specifically:

The large impact of Factors X and Y implies that brokers need to consider….

The limited impact of Factor E implies that brokers need to…

As you can see, the conclusion chapter is basically explaining the “what” (what your study found) and the “so what?” (what the findings mean for the industry or research). This brings the study full circle and closes off the document.

Let’s recap – how to write a dissertation or thesis

You’re still with me? Impressive! I know that this post was a long one, but hopefully you’ve learnt a thing or two about how to write a dissertation or thesis, and are now better equipped to start your own research.

To recap, the 8 steps to writing a quality dissertation (or thesis) are as follows:

• Understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is – a research project that follows the research process.
• Find a unique (original) and important research topic
• 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

Once you’ve wrapped up the core chapters, all that’s typically left is the abstract , reference list and appendices. As always, be sure to check with your university if they have any additional requirements in terms of structure or content.

You Might Also Like:

How To Choose A Tutor For Your Dissertation

Hiring the right tutor for your dissertation or thesis can make the difference between passing and failing. Here’s what you need to consider.

5 Signs You Need A Dissertation Helper

Discover the 5 signs that suggest you need a dissertation helper to get unstuck, finish your degree and get your life back.

Writing A Dissertation While Working: A How-To Guide

Struggling to balance your dissertation with a full-time job and family? Learn practical strategies to achieve success.

How To Review & Understand Academic Literature Quickly

Learn how to fast-track your literature review by reading with intention and clarity. Dr E and Amy Murdock explain how.

Dissertation Writing Services: Far Worse Than You Think

Thinking about using a dissertation or thesis writing service? You might want to reconsider that move. Here’s what you need to know.

📄 FREE TEMPLATES

Research Topic Ideation

Proposal Writing

Literature Review

Methodology & Analysis

Academic Writing

Referencing & Citing

Apps, Tools & Tricks

The Grad Coach Podcast

21 Comments

thankfull >>>this is very useful

Thank you, it was really helpful

unquestionably, this amazing simplified way of teaching. Really , I couldn’t find in the literature words that fully explicit my great thanks to you. However, I could only say thanks a-lot.

Great to hear that – thanks for the feedback. Good luck writing your dissertation/thesis.

This is the most comprehensive explanation of how to write a dissertation. Many thanks for sharing it free of charge.

Very rich presentation. Thank you

Thanks Derek Jansen|GRADCOACH, I find it very useful guide to arrange my activities and proceed to research!

Thank you so much for such a marvelous teaching .I am so convinced that am going to write a comprehensive and a distinct masters dissertation

It is an amazing comprehensive explanation

This was straightforward. Thank you!

I can say that your explanations are simple and enlightening – understanding what you have done here is easy for me. Could you write more about the different types of research methods specific to the three methodologies: quan, qual and MM. I look forward to interacting with this website more in the future.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions 🙂

Hello, your write ups is quite educative. However, l have challenges in going about my research questions which is below; *Building the enablers of organisational growth through effective governance and purposeful leadership.*

Very educating.

Just listening to the name of the dissertation makes the student nervous. As writing a top-quality dissertation is a difficult task as it is a lengthy topic, requires a lot of research and understanding and is usually around 10,000 to 15000 words. Sometimes due to studies, unbalanced workload or lack of research and writing skill students look for dissertation submission from professional writers.

Thank you 💕😊 very much. I was confused but your comprehensive explanation has cleared my doubts of ever presenting a good thesis. Thank you.

thank you so much, that was so useful

Hi. Where is the excel spread sheet ark?

could you please help me look at your thesis paper to enable me to do the portion that has to do with the specification

my topic is “the impact of domestic revenue mobilization.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Submit Comment

• Print Friendly

• Resources ›
• For Students and Parents ›
• Graduate School ›

A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing a Ph.D. Dissertation

An Independent Research Project for Ph.D. Candidates

• Choosing a Graduate Program
• Tips & Advice
• Admissions Essays
• Recommendation Letters
• Medical School Admissions
• Homework Help
• Private School
• College Admissions
• College Life
• Business School
• Distance Learning
• Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, Fordham University
• M.A., Developmental Psychology, Fordham University

A dissertation, also known as a doctoral thesis , is the final required part of completing a student's doctoral study. Undertaken after a student completes coursework and passes a comprehensive examination , the dissertation is the final hurdle in completing a Ph.D. or other doctoral degree. The dissertation is expected to make a new and creative contribution to a field of study and to demonstrate the student's expertise. In social science and science programs, the dissertation usually requires conducting empirical research.

Elements of a Strong Dissertation

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, a strong medical dissertation relies heavily on the creation of a specific hypothesis that can be either disproven or supported by data collected by independent student research. Further, it must also contain several key elements starting with an introduction to the problem statement, conceptual framework and research question as well as references to literature on already published on the topic. 

A dissertation must also be relevant (and proven to be such) as well as capable of being researched independently by the student. Though the required length of these dissertations varies by school, the governing body overseeing the practice of medicine in the United States standardizes this same protocol. Also included in the dissertation is the methodology for research and data collection as well as instrumentation and quality control. A stated section on population and sample size for the study is imperative to defending the thesis once it comes time to do so.

Like most scientific publications, the thesis must also contain a section of published results and an analysis of what this entails for the scientific or medical community. The discussion and conclusion sections let the review committee know that the student understands the full implications of his or her work as well as its real-world application to their field of study (and soon, professional work). 

Approval Process

Although students are expected to conduct the bulk of their research and pen the entire dissertation on their own, most graduate medical programs provide an advisory and review committee to the student upon starting their studies. Through a series of weekly reviews over their course of schooling, the student and his or her advisor hone in on the hypothesis of the dissertation before they submit it to the review committee to begin work on writing the thesis. 

From there, the student can take as long or as short of a time as they need to complete their dissertation, often resulting in students who have finished their entire courseload achieving ABD status ("all but dissertation"), just shy of receiving their full Ph.D. In this interim period, the student — with the occasional guidance of his or her advisor —  is expected to research, test and write a dissertation that can be defended in a public forum. 

Once the review committee accepts the finalized draft of the thesis, the doctoral candidate will then get the chance to publicly defend his or her statements. If they pass this test, the dissertation is submitted electronically to the school's academic journal or archive and the candidate's full doctoral degree is issued once the final paperwork has been submitted.

• Understanding the Definition of a Doctoral Candidate
• A Doctor of Philosophy or Doctorate
• What is Grad School Like?
• Stop Procrastinating to Complete Your Dissertation
• How to Decide Between a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in Psychology
• What is an Ed.D. Degree?
• The Meaning and Significance of a PsyD
• What Comes After a Master's Degree?
• Graduate School Papers and You
• Applying to Graduate Programs in Clinical or Counseling Psychology
• What Is a Master of Social Work?
• Asking Faculty to Sit on Your Dissertation Committee
• Graduate School Adviser vs. Mentor: What's the Difference?
• Admissions Interview? Be Prepared to Interview with Graduate Students
• 8 Tips for Taking Notes from Your Reading
• What to Ask During a Graduate Admissions Interview

• Search All Scholarships
• Exclusive Scholarships
• Easy Scholarships to Apply For
• No Essay Scholarships
• Scholarships for HS Juniors
• Scholarships for HS Seniors
• Scholarships for College Students
• Scholarships for Grad Students
• Scholarships for Women
• Scholarships for Black Students
• Scholarships
• Student Loans
• College Admissions
• Financial Aid
• Scholarship Winners
• Scholarship Providers

Student-centric advice and objective recommendations

Higher education has never been more confusing or expensive. Our goal is to help you navigate the very big decisions related to higher ed with objective information and expert advice. Each piece of content on the site is original, based on extensive research, and reviewed by multiple editors, including a subject matter expert. This ensures that all of our content is up-to-date, useful, accurate, and thorough.

Our reviews and recommendations are based on extensive research, testing, and feedback. We may receive commission from links on our website, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. You can find a complete list of our partners here .

What is a Dissertation? Everything You Need to Know 

Cait Williams is a Content Writer at Scholarships360. Cait recently graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Journalism and Strategic Communications. During her time at OU, was active in the outdoor recreation community.

Learn about our editorial policies

Cari Schultz is an Educational Review Board Advisor at Scholarships360, where she reviews content featured on the site. For over 20 years, Cari has worked in college admissions (Baldwin Wallace University, The Ohio State University, University of Kentucky) and as a college counselor (Columbus School for Girls).

Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement.Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

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!  

Related : Top fully funded PhD programs

Dissertation vs. thesis  

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.

See also : Top scholarships for graduate students   

What do you write about when completing a dissertation?

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.   

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.  

How long does it take to write?  

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.  

The parts of a dissertation   

A dissertation is not just one long paper you must write. Thankfully, it is broken down into manageable pieces that you complete over time.  

Choosing a topic  

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.  

Chapter break down  

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.  

Defending your dissertation  

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.  

Failing your dissertation  

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.

Key Takeaways

• Dissertations are completed as the last step of your PhD or doctorate degree 
• Your dissertation will be related to a topic or question in your field of study that you choose 
• Dissertations take anywhere from one to two years to complete and can be upwards of three hundred pages long 
• Your dissertation is designed to showcase your expertise in your field and your addition of new ideas to the field about a particular question or area 

Start your scholarship search

• Vetted scholarships custom-matched to your profile
• Access exclusive scholarships only available to Scholarships360 members

Frequently asked questions about dissertations  

Do all doctorates require a dissertation, how difficult is a dissertation, who reads your dissertation, 3 reasons to join scholarships360.

• Automatic entry to our $10,000 No-Essay Scholarship
• Personalized matching to thousands of vetted scholarships
• Quick apply for scholarships exclusive to our platform

By the way...Scholarships360 is 100% free!

• Future Students
• Current Students
• Faculty/Staff

• Current Students Hub

Doctoral handbook

You are here

• Dissertation Content

A doctoral dissertation makes an original contribution to knowledge, as defined in a discipline or an interdisciplinary domain and addresses a significant researchable problem. Not all problems are researchable and not all are significant. Problems that can be solved by a mere descriptive exercise are not appropriate for the PhD dissertation. Acceptable problems are those that:

• pose a puzzle to the field at a theoretical, methodological, or policy level;
• make analytical demands for solution, rather than mere cataloging or descriptive demands; and
• can yield to a reasonable research methodology.

The doctoral dissertation advisor, reading committee, and oral exam committee provide further guidance and details with regard to dissertation content and format. General formatting and submission guidelines are published by the University Registrar. The American Psychological Association (APA) publication guidelines normally apply to GSE doctoral dissertations, but is not required if the advisor and relevant committees determine that an alternative, and academically acceptable, protocol is more appropriate.

Published Papers and Multiple Authorship

The inclusion of published papers in a dissertation is the prerogative of the major department.  Where published papers or ready-for-publication papers are included, the following criteria must be met:

1. There must be an introductory chapter that integrates the general theme of the research and the relationship between the chapters.  The introduction may also include a review of the literature relevant to the dissertation topic that does not appear in the chapters.

2. Multiple authorship of a published paper should be addressed by clearly designating, in an introduction, the role that the dissertation author had in the research and production of the published paper.  The student must have a major contribution to the research and writing of papers included in the dissertation.

3. There must be adequate referencing of where individual papers have been published.

4. Written permission must be obtained for all copyrighted materials; letters of permission must be uploaded electronically in PDF form when submitting the dissertation.  Please see the following website for more information on the use of copyrighted materials: http://library.stanford.edu/using/copyright-reminder .

5. The submitted material must be in a form that is legible and reproducible as required by these specifications.  The Office of the University Registrar will approve a dissertation if there are no deviations from the normal specifications that would prevent proper dissemination and utilization of the dissertation.  If the published material does not correspond to these standards, it will be necessary for the student to reformat that portion of the dissertation.

6. Multiple authorship has implications with respect to copyright and public release of the material.  Be sure to discuss copyright clearance and embargo options with your co-authors and your advisor well in advance of preparing your thesis for submission.

• Printer-friendly version

Handbook Contents

• Timetable for the Doctoral Degree
• Degree Requirements
• Registration or Enrollment for Milestone Completion
• The Graduate Study Program
• Student Virtual and Teleconference Participation in Hearings
• First Year (3rd Quarter) Review
• Second Year (6th Quarter) Review
• Committee Composition for First- and Second-Year Reviews
• Advancement to Candidacy
• Academic Program Revision
• Dissertation Proposal
• Dissertation Reading Committee
• University Oral Examination
• Submitting the Dissertation
• Registration and Student Statuses
• Graduate Financial Support
• GSE Courses
• Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education (CTE)
• Developmental and Psychological Sciences (DAPS)
• Learning Sciences and Technology Design (LSTD)
• Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE)
• Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies in Education (SHIPS)
• Contact Information
• Stanford University Honor Code
• Stanford University Fundamental Standard
• Doctoral Programs Degree Progress Checklist
• GSE Open Access Policies

PhD students, please contact

MA POLS and MA/PP students, please contact

EDS, ICE/IEPA, Individually Designed, LDT, MA/JD, MA/MBA students, please contact

Stanford Graduate School of Education

482 Galvez Mall Stanford, CA 94305-3096 Tel: (650) 723-2109

• Contact Admissions
• GSE Leadership
• Site Feedback
• Web Accessibility
• Career Resources
• Faculty Open Positions
• Explore Courses
• Academic Calendar
• Office of the Registrar
• Cubberley Library
• StanfordWho
• StanfordYou

Improving lives through learning

• Stanford Home
• Maps & Directions
• Search Stanford
• Emergency Info
• Terms of Use
• Non-Discrimination
• Accessibility

© Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 .

• A Guide to Writing a PhD Thesis

Written by Ben Taylor

A PhD thesis is a work of original research all students are requiured to submit in order to succesfully complete their PhD. The thesis details the research that you carried out during the course of your doctoral degree and highlights the outcomes and conclusions reached.

The PhD thesis is the most important part of a doctoral research degree: the culmination of three or four years of full-time work towards producing an original contribution to your academic field.

Your PhD dissertation can therefore seem like quite a daunting possibility, with a hefty word count, the pressure of writing something new and, of course, the prospect of defending it at a viva once you’ve finished.

This page will give you an introduction to what you need to know about the doctoral thesis, with advice on structure, feedback, submission and more.

Pick the right programme for you

There are lots of choices, let us help you to make the right one. Sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest advice and guidance from our team of experts.

On this page

Beginning your phd thesis.

The first stage of your PhD thesis will usually be the literature review . We’ve already written a detailed guide to what the PhD literature review involves , but here’s what you need to know about this stage of your PhD:

• The literature review is a chance for you to display your knowledge and understanding of what’s already been written about your research area – this could consist of papers, articles, books, data and more
• Rather than simply summarising what other scholars have said about your subject, you should aim to assess and analyse their arguments
• The literature review is usually the first task of your PhD – and typically forms the first part or chapter of your dissertation

After finishing your literature review, you’ll move onto the bulk of your doctoral thesis. Of course, you’ll eventually return to the lit review to make sure it’s up-to-date and contains any additional material you may have come across during the course of your research.

PhD thesis research

What sets your PhD thesis apart from previous university work you’ve done is the fact that it should represent an original contribution to academic knowledge . The form that this original contribution takes will largely depend on your discipline.

• Arts and Humanities dissertations usually involve investigating different texts, sources and theoretical frameworks
• Social Sciences are more likely to focus on qualitive or quantitative surveys and case studies
• STEM subjects involve designing, recording and analysing experiments, using their data to prove or disprove a set theory

Depending on the nature of your research, you may ‘write up’ your findings as you go, or leave it until the dedicated ‘writing-up’ period, usually in the third year of your PhD. Whatever your approach, it’s vital to keep detailed notes of your sources and methods – it’ll make your life a lot easier when it comes to using references in your dissertation further down the line.

PhD thesis vs dissertation

It’s common to use the terms ‘thesis’ and ‘dissertation’ interchangeably, but strictly speaking there is a difference in meaning between them:

• Your thesis is your argument. It’s the conclusions you’ve arrived at through surveying existing scholarship in your literature review and combining this with the results of your own original research.
• Your dissertation is the written statement of your thesis. This is where you lay out your findings in a way that systematically demonstrates and proves your conclusion.

Put simply, you submit a dissertation, but it’s the thesis it attempts to prove that will form the basis of your PhD.

What this also means is that the writing up of your dissertation generally follows the formulation of your doctoral thesis (it’s fairly difficult to write up a PhD before you know what you want to say!).

However, it’s normal for universities and academics to use either (or both) terms when describing PhD research – indeed, we use both ‘thesis’ and ‘dissertation’ across our website.

Can I use my Masters research in my PhD thesis?

If you’re studying an MPhil, it’s normal to ‘ upgrade ’ it into a PhD. Find mroe information on our guide.

PhD thesis structure

Having completed your initial literature review and conducted your original research, you’ll move onto the next phase of your doctoral dissertation, beginning to sketch out a plan that your thesis will follow.

The exact structure and make-up of your doctoral thesis will vary between fields, but this is the general template that many dissertations follow:

• Introduction – This sets out the key objectives of your project, why the work is significant and what its original contribution to knowledge is. At this point you may also summarise the remaining chapters, offering an abstract of the argument you will go on to develop.
• Literature review – The introduction will generally lead into a write-up of your literature review. Here you’ll outline the scholarly context for your project. You’ll acknowledge where existing research has shaped your PhD, but emphasise the unique nature of your work.
• Chapters – After you’ve finished introducing your research, you’ll begin the bulk of the dissertation. This will summarise your results and begin explaining the argument you have based on them. Some PhDs will also include specific chapters on methodology and / or a recreation of the data you have developed. Others will develop your argument over a series of stages, drawing on sources and results as relevant.
• Conclusion – The dissertation will end with a final chapter that pulls together the different elements of your argument and the evidence you have provided for it. You’ll restate the significance of your project (and its all-important original contribution to knowledge). You may also take the opportunity to acknowledge the potential for further work or opportunities to apply your findings outside academia.
• Bibliography and appendices – At the end of your thesis, you’ll need to include a full list of the books, articles and data you’ve referenced in a bibliography. You may also need to provide additional information in the form of an appendix.

How long is a PhD thesis?

The length of a PhD thesis varies from subject to subject, but all are far longer than those for undergraduate or Masters degrees. Your university will usually set an upper limit – typically between 70,000 and 100,000 words, with most dissertations coming in at around 80,000 words.

Generally speaking, STEM-based theses will be a little shorter than those in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Different universities (and departments) will have different policies regarding what counts towards the PhD thesis word count, so make sure you’re aware what is expected of you. Check with your supervisor whether references, the bibliography or appendices are included in the word count for your dissertation.

How many chapters should a PhD thesis have?

There’s no hard and fast rule for the numbers of chapters in a PhD thesis, but most will have four or five chapters (in addition to the introduction and conclusion). This is the sort of thing you’ll discuss with your supervisor when planning out your research.

Writing up your PhD thesis

Once you’ve conducted your research and settled upon your thesis, there’s only one thing left to do: get it down on paper. Appropriately enough, this final part of a PhD is often referred to as the ‘ writing up period ’.

This is when you produce the final dissertation, which will be submitted as the basis for your viva voce exam. The nature of this task can vary from PhD to PhD.

In some cases you may already have a large amount of chapter drafts and other material. ‘Writing up’ therefore becomes a process of re-drafting and assembling this work into a final dissertation. This approach is common in Arts and Humanities subjects where PhD students tend to work through stages of a project, writing as they go.

Alternatively, you may have spent most of your PhD collecting and analysing data. If so, you’ll now ‘write up’ your findings and conclusions in order to produce your final dissertation. This approach is more common in STEM subjects, where experiment design and data collection are much more resource intensive.

Whatever process you adopt, you’ll now produce a persuasive and coherent statement of your argument, ready to submit for examination.

PhD thesis feedback

Your supervisor will usually give you feedback on each chapter draft, and then feedback on the overall completed dissertation draft before you submit it for examination. When the thesis is a work-in-progress, their comments will be a chance for them to make sure your research is going in the right direction and for you to ask their advice on anything you’re concerned about. This feedback will normally be given in the form of a supervisory meeting.

Although your PhD supervisor will be happy to give you advice on your work, you shouldn’t expect them to be an editor – it’s not their responsibility to correct grammatical or spelling mistakes, and you should make sure any drafts you submit to them are as error-free as possible. Similarly, they won’t be willing to edit your work down to fit a particular word count.

Finishing your PhD thesis

When you’ve finished the final draft of your doctoral thesis and it’s been approved by your supervisor, you’ll submit it for examination. This is when it’s sent to the examiners who will conduct your viva.

Submitting your thesis involves printing enough copies for your examiners and the university’s repository. Don’t leave this until the last minute – printing multiple copies of a 300-page document is a substantial undertaking and you should always allow enough time to account for any possible glitches or issues with the printing process.

Your viva will usually take place within three months of submitting your thesis. You can find out more in our dedicated guide to the PhD viva . After your viva, your examiners will give you a report that confirms whether or not you need to make any changes to your thesis, with several different potential outcomes:

• Pass – You’ve received your doctoral qualification!
• Minor corrections – These are usually fairly small edits, tweaks and improvements to your thesis, which you’ll be given three months to implement
• Major corrections – For these substantial changes, you may have to rewrite part of your dissertation or complete extra research, with a six-month deadline

Most PhD students will need to fix some corrections with their thesis (hopefully not major ones). It’s very rare for a dissertation to be failed.

Once you’ve made any necessary changes to your thesis, you’ll submit it one last time (usually electronically).

If you have plans to publish all or part of your work, you may want to request an embargo so that it won’t be visible to the public for a certain time. 12 months is a fairly standard time period for this, although you may want to ask for a longer embargo if you know that you want to turn your thesis into a book or monograph.

Take a look at our programme listings and find the perfect PhD for you.

Our postgrad newsletter shares courses, funding news, stories and advice

Ben worked in the FindAPhD content team from 2017 to 2022, starting as an Assistant Content Writer and leaving as Student Content Manager. He focused on producing well-researched advice across a range of topics related to postgraduate study. Ben has a Bachelors degree in English Literature from the University of Sheffield and a Masters from the University of Amsterdam. Having also spent a semester at the University of Helsinki through the Erasmus programme, he’s no stranger to study abroad (or cold weather!).

You may also like...

The PhD is the most common variety of doctorate, but others are awarded in specific disciplines or sometimes particular countries.

Joint PhD programmes involve collaboration between two (or more) different universities. So how does that work? Who can apply? And what are the advantages (and disadvantages) of researching in this way?

Integrated PhD programmes consist of a one-year Masters followed by three years of PhD research. Find out more about what it's like to study an integrated PhD, how to apply and the funding options available.

Thinking of applying for the Doctor of Engineering (EngD)? Our guide covers everything you need to know about the qualification, including costs, applications, programme content, and how it differs from a PhD.

A PhD isn't the only option for postgraduate researchers. Our guides explain professional doctorates, joint degrees and compare other qualification types.

How does the value of an MPhil compare with a PhD, and why might you choose the Masters over the doctorate?

FindAPhD. Copyright 2005-2024 All rights reserved.

Unknown    ( change )

Have you got time to answer some quick questions about PhD study?

Select your nearest city

You haven’t completed your profile yet. To get the most out of FindAPhD, finish your profile and receive these benefits:

• Monthly chance to win one of ten £10 Amazon vouchers ; winners will be notified every month.*
• The latest PhD projects delivered straight to your inbox
• Access to our £6,000 scholarship competition
• Weekly newsletter with funding opportunities, research proposal tips and much more
• Early access to our physical and virtual postgraduate study fairs

Or begin browsing FindAPhD.com

or begin browsing FindAPhD.com

*Offer only available for the duration of your active subscription, and subject to change. You MUST claim your prize within 72 hours, if not we will redraw.

Create your account

Looking to list your PhD opportunities? Log in here .

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation

Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples

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.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

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

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
• Vague sentences
• Style consistency

See an example

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

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Research bias

• Survivorship bias
• Self-serving bias
• Availability heuristic
• Halo effect
• Hindsight bias
• Deep learning
• Generative AI
• Machine learning
• Reinforcement learning
• Supervised vs. unsupervised learning

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

George, T. (2023, July 18). Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved October 21, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/examples/

Is this article helpful?

Tegan George

Other students also liked, how to choose a dissertation topic | 8 steps to follow, checklist: writing a dissertation, thesis & dissertation database examples, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

• QUICK LINKS
• How to enroll
• Career services

University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies Announces Winners of 2024 Dissertation of the Year Award

By Sharla Hooper

Exceptional dissertations by Dr. Mikel Yost, Dr. Ramey Benfield, and Dr. April LaFontaine in the academic fields of Business Management, Education and Health Administration to be honored at the Knowledge Without Boundaries Research Summit

The University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies has announced the winners of its 2024 Dissertation of the Year Award. All winners and nominees will be recognized at the university’s annual Knowledge Without Boundaries (KWB) Research Summit on October 17, 2024. The Dissertation of the Year winners will receive a certificate commemorating their hard work and all nominees are invited to present their research at the summit.

“Completing the dissertation is a seminal event for our practitioner doctoral candidates and this recognition offers an opportunity to celebrate exceptional dissertation quality,” said Mansureh Kebritchi, Ph.D., chair, Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR). “Recognizing dissertation excellence honors the work of these new doctors, the contributions of faculty, and uplifts the doctoral candidate community.”

The 2024 Dissertation of the Year Award Winners are:

• Mikel Yost, DM, Doctor of Management, for their dissertation, Leadership Style of call-center Management post-covid-19: A Mixed Methods Descriptive Exploratory Case Study . Chair: James Ziegler, Ph.D.
•  Ramey Benfield, Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration, for their dissertation, Federal grant awards at Women’s and minority-serving institutions: A Causal Comparative Study . Chair: Patricia Akojie, Ph.D.
• April LaFontaine, DHA, Doctor of Health Administration, for their dissertation,  Can training reduce emergency department nurse burnout: A qualitative exploratory case study . Chair: Charles Elliott, DHS.

“Reflecting on the incredible educational journey that has shaped me personally and professionally, it has been challenging yet rewarding, as it allowed me to explore the critical issue of nurse burnout and reignited my passion for continued research and the pursuit of knowledge,” shares LaFontaine. “I am grateful for the support of my committee members, mentors, peers, and family through this journey, and I am deeply honored to have my dissertation recognized – it inspires me to continue advocating for positive change in healthcare and to further contribute to meaningful advancements in our field.”

The Dissertation of the Year award program was developed to recognize excellence in dissertation work among University of Phoenix doctoral students. Doctoral students who successfully defended their dissertation within the past year and were nominated by their chairs or committee members were eligible for the award. A total of 33 high-quality candidates were nominated this year. From that pool, three winners were identified after rigorous evaluation through a double-blind peer-reviewed process, with each nomination reviewed by at least two experts in the field.

Other nominees will also be honored at the summit. Learn more about the Knowledge Without Boundaries Summit and register here .

About the College of Doctoral Studies

University of Phoenix’s  College of Doctoral Studies  focuses on today’s challenging business and organizational needs, from addressing critical social issues to developing solutions to accelerate community building and industry growth. The College’s research program is built around the Scholar, Practitioner, Leader Model which puts students in the center of the Doctoral Education Ecosystem® with experts, resources and tools to help prepare them to be a leader in their organization, industry and community. Through this program, students and researchers work with organizations to conduct research that can be applied in the workplace in real time.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, skills-mapped curriculum for our bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and a Career Services for Life® commitment help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit   phoenix.edu/blog.html .

University of Phoenix Supports New Report from the National Conference of State Legislatures Task Force on Higher Education

Press release.

October 15, 2024 • 2 minutes

October 11, 2024 • 2 minutes

University of Phoenix Launches New Career-Focused Skill Pathways in Customer Service

October 09, 2024 • 2 minutes

• < Previous

Home > Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies > Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies > 16155

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hemoglobin a1c values in patients with two types of insurance.

Patricia Ann White , Walden University Follow

Date of Conferral

Date of award.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Deborah Lewis

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Evidence suggests that not all patients receive the same level of care and discrepancies may be based on the type of health care coverage they have. Providers use Hemoglobin A1C (A1C) as the primary test to indicate treatment success for persons with diabetes. Providers may be ordering this critical lab value differently based on the patient’s insurance plan. In this project, A1C levels in diabetic patients receiving managed care versus traditional Medicare were evaluated. It is important to understand if potential disparities in care exist. The chronic care model was used to guide this project. A retrospective chart audit and statistical analysis was used to investigate A1C differences among 40 individuals aged 65 and above with diabetes. Deidentified A1C lab data spanning 4 months in 2023 were collected, with 20 data points for each group, comparing traditional Medicare and managed care patients. There were similarities in mean and median but differences in mode and variance. The traditional Medicare group had a mean of 6.01 and the managed care group had a mean of 6.35. The traditional Medicare group exhibited a wider A1C value spread, with the mode in the managed care group of 5.8 nearly aligned with standard therapeutic levels 5.7 or below. The t test resulted in a non-significant p value of 0.119, attributed to higher variance and a small sample size. The project suggests the need for emphasizing protocol compliance for diabetes management in each setting, but especially in the traditional Medicare group. Social change would be impacted if all providers consistently followed evidence-based guidelines for timely A1C assessments resulting in improved health outcomes for all adult patients with diabetes.

Recommended Citation

White, Patricia Ann, "Hemoglobin A1C Values in Patients with Two Types of Insurance" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies . 16155. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/16155

Included in

Nursing Commons

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Collections
• Dissertations
• Disciplines
• Contributor FAQ

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement Walden Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Privacy | Copyright

• My UCalgary
• Class Schedule
• UCalgary Directory
• Continuing Education
• Active Living
• Academic Calendar
• UCalgary Maps
• Close Faculty Websites List Viewing: Faculty Websites
• Cumming School of Medicine
• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Graduate Studies
• Faculty of Kinesiology
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Nursing
• Faculty of Nursing (Qatar)
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Social Work
• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
• Haskayne School of Business
• School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape
• School of Public Policy
• Schulich School of Engineering
• Werklund School of Education
• Future Students
• Explore programs
• How to apply
• Understanding graduate studies
• Indigenous graduate students
• Graduate Programs Open Week 2024
• Financing grad school
• International students
• Transdisciplinary graduate programs
• Graduate Student Ambassadors (Unibuddy)
• Virtual tour
• Graduate student life
• What I wish I knew
• Admissions contact information
• Current Students
• Newly Admitted
• Graduate Orientation
• Pre-arrival
• Registration
• Annual Registration
• Concurrent Registration
• Confirmation of registration
• Course registration
• Registration status
• Studying at another university
• How to use your Student Centre (including updating personal information)
• Thesis-based students
• Academic Schedule
• Fees and funding
• Graduate Awards Database
• Supervision
• Important Resources and Supports
• Graduation and Convocation
• Student Appeals
• Course-based Students
• Managing grad school
• Term-Based Registration
• Academic Integrity
• Indigenous Graduate Students
• Important resources and supports
• Forms and documents
• Service Requests and eForms
• News, updates and events
• Find Graduate Program Staff
• Supports for graduate students
• Award Opportunities
• Doctoral Recruitment Scholarships
• Award Guide
• Step 1: Applying
• Looking for awards
• Eligibility
• Preparing your application
• Step 2: Receiving
• Accept/Decline your award
• Getting paid
• Step 3: Managing your award
• Renewing your award
• Award interruption
• Award Termination
• Policies and Regulations
• Regulations
• Exceptional scholars
• Contact the Scholarship Office
• Professional Development
• Communication Skills and Competitions
• Research communication skills
• Images of Research
• Three Minute Thesis
• 2024 UCalgary 3MT Finalists
• 2024 3MT Finals' Hosts and Judges
• Past Three Minute Thesis Videos
• Internships
• For employers
• For graduate students
• For graduate supervisors
• On-Campus Internships
• For UCalgary employers
• On Campus Resources
• Academic Success
• Career planning and professional development resources
• My GradSkills Partners
• Online/Virtual Training
• UCalgary Alumni Mentorship Program
• Supervisory Resources
• Becoming a Supervisor
• Maintaining your supervisor profile
• Supervisory Renewal
• Supervisor responsibilities and resources
• Graduate oral examinations
• GRADnet SharePoint
• Leadership team
• FGS Council
• Committees of Council
• Minutes and meetings
• Website Feedback

The University of Calgary Three Minute Thesis Competition

Your thesis, three minutes, one slide.

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an internationally recognized research communication competition. Participants have three minutes to deliver a compelling presentation on their thesis research for a general audience using a single, static slide.

The 3MT helps graduate students develop skills in translating their research and its impact for non-specialists. This skill is becoming essential for many purposes:

• Funding proposals
• Transitioning into employment
• Generating interest in, awareness of and support for academic research
• Communicating with confidence and clarity to diverse audiences

The University of Calgary 3MT takes place each year during the winter term. Registration opens in February, with heats taking place in March and finals in April.

"3MT empowered me to be confident in my public speaking skills and to continue sharing my work within and beyond the UCalgary community.”

Aliza Jaffer, 2024 UCalgary 3MT second place winner and people's choice

Master's student, Medical Sciences

Participating in the UCalgary 3MT

Can I enter the UCalgary 3MT?

University of Calgary graduate students who are active/enrolled in thesis-based masters or PhD programs and in good standing with their graduate program and the Faculty of Graduate Studies are eligible.

• A student whose thesis is under submission on the date of their first competition is still eligible
• Presenters must register and present in person
• Graduating students become ineligible upon receiving notification of degree conferral

I'm a visiting student. Can I enter?

Visiting students are not eligible to participate in the UCalgary 3MT.

How else can I get involved?

Not sure about entering? Get involved by volunteering! We need student volunteers to help with heats and finals in a variety of roles. We start looking for 3MT volunteers in February of each year.

UCalgary3MT registrants will have the first opportunity to register for 3MT workshops, with any additional spots being opened up to all UCalgary graduate students.

Designing Your 3MT Talk: February 15, 2024

This presentation will provide a review of the internationally recognized 3MT competition, and how you can approach openings, closings, and your presentation's overall structure for the 3-minute format. You will have time to apply your learning through individual and group exercises such as analysis of winning 3MT talks and crafting an outline using the COMPASS Message Box (compassscicomm.org/). Time will also be made to practice delivering and receiving constructive feedback on your own short talk.    

Presenter: Felicia Glatz, Learning and Design Specialist, My GradSkills, University of Calgary  

Thank you to everyone who attended the workshop.

Designing Your 3MT Slide: February 21, 2024

So, you’ve signed up for the UCalgary Virtual 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) but you’re finding it difficult to fit all you want to talk about in only one slide. Should you use a single image? How can you place multiple images on a slide so they direct your audience’s eye? Should you add that amazing pie chart? Make the most of your one visual aid to frame your presentation!

Attend this workshop and learn about basic design principles that will help you craft a 3MT slide with impact that enhances your presentation instead of being a distraction.  If your slide is not complete, or you haven’t even started to create your slide, that’s ok, all are welcome!   

Rules of the UCalgary 3MT

• A single, static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description, the slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration). Please note that using a slide is optional but strongly encouraged. Images used in the slide must be your own, or you must have permission from the owner of the photo(s) and provide proper credit(s).
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment, laser pointers or note cards) are permitted.
• No notes allowed . Presentations are to be memorized.
• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum .
• Presentations that go over 3 minutes will have marks removed in the heats, and will be disqualified in the final .
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• Presentations must be based on research directly related to the student’s graduate program thesis . Research performed for employment cannot be presented.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final .

All heat participants will be mailed a Certificate of Participation. Heat winners also receive a special memento.

All finalists will have their 3MT talks posted on the My GradSkills website. Other prizes for the 3MT finals include:

First Place

• UCalgary 3MT First Place trophy

The winner of the UCalgary 3MT represents the university at the Canadian Western Regional 3MT competition.

Second Place

• UCalgary 3MT Second Place trophy

Third Place

• UCalgary 3MT Third Place trophy

People's Choice

• UCalgary 3MT People's Choice trophy

3MT Judging Criteria

Heats and finals are judged according to three criteria, each of which is given equal weight. Note that each criterion has an emphasis on the audience.

Communication stye

• Was the topic and its significance communicated in language appropriate for non-specialists?
• Did the speaker maintain good eye contact and vocal range, a good pace and a confident stance?
• Did the talk avoid jargon, explain terminology, and provide background information to illustrate points?
• Did the speaker spend the right amount of time on each element of their presentation? Did they rush or elaborate for too long?
• Did the slide enhance the presentation? Was it clear, legible, and concise?

Comprehension

• Did the presentation help the audience understand the research?
• Did the presenter clearly outline the nature and aims of the research?
• Was the significance of the presenter's research clearly outlined?
• Did the presentation follow a logical sequence?
• Did the presentation make the audience want to know more?
• Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or 'dumb-down' the research?
• Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
• Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience's attention?
• Did the presentation make me want to know more about the speaker's research?

3MT History

The first 3MT was held at the University of Queensland (UQ) in 2008 with 160 students competing. Enthusiasm for the 3MT concept grew and its adoption by numerous universities led to the development of an international competition in 2010.

The inaugural Trans-Tasman 3MT was held at UQ in 2010 with 33 universities participating. In 2011, 43 universities were represented in the Trans-Tasman 3MT that was hosted by The University of Western Australia. Today students from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Hong Kong take part in their own regional events.

The University of Calgary held the first UCalgary3MT competition in 2013 with 44 participants from 14 departments. Participation and engagement has grown each year.

The University of Calgary hosted the first Western Canada 3MT competition* on May 2, 2014 . Many people came out or tuned-in to the live feed to watch the first Western Canada 3MT competition, where the top 3MT winners from the West competed against each other for a chance at participating in the first Canadian National competition at the end of May. The top finalists advanced to the first-ever Canadian National 3MT, hosted by  Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS) .

*Participation in the Western Canada 3MT is open to Western Deans Agreement participating Universities hosting a local 3MT competition. Eligible participants are the winner of their local competition.

The University of Calgary hosted their first VIRTUAL competition in the summer of 2020.  After the original live event was cancelled to due Covid-19 restrictions, the virtual competition was revamped for summer 2020 to include new rules, virtual one-on-one feedback sessions, virtual workshops, and a D2L site with numerous resources to help students prepare for the competition. Instead of presenting to a live audience, graduate students recorded their talks, using a skill not needed in previous competitions. The National competition was not held in 2020.

Six University of Calgary 3MT winners have gone on to Canadian Nationals , including Elizabeth Watt (2015), Aprami Jaggi (2017), Chidera Nwaroh (2018), Laura Rios Carreno (2019), Julia St. Louis (2022) and Dana Lowry (2023). Both Elizabeth Watt and Chidera Nwaroh won Canadian Nationals, while Laura Rios Carreno won the People's Choice award at nationals.

For more information on the history and mission of 3MT, visit the official 3MT website . 

Watch past UCalgary 3MT talks

Ucalgary on the national stage.

To date, six UCalgary 3MT winners have qualified for Canadian Nationals resulting in two national champions and one national People's Choice award winner, making the University of Calgary the most accomplished institution in the history of Canada's 3MT competition.

2023 Western Regional Second Place Winner and Finalist, Canadian Nationals

Program: Kinesiology. Supervisor: Dr. Raylene Reimer De Bruyn, PhD.

Protection with prebiotics: An early life intervention to mitigate negative effects of antibiotics.

Watch Dana's 3MT video

Julia St. Louis

2022 western regional peoples' choice winner and finalist, canadian nationals.

Program: Nursing. Supervisor: Dr. Shane Sinclair, PhD

Learning experiences of NICU nurses in providing end-of-life care

Watch Julia's 3MT video

Laura Rios Carreno

2019 canadian national people's choice winner.

Program: Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. Supervisor: Dr. Martin Jasso, PhD.

Modification of Asphalt with Reactive Polymers for Quality Enhancement of the Pavement.

Watch Laura's 3MT video

Chidera Nwaroh

2018 canadian national champion.

Program: Medical Science. Supervisor: Dr. Ashley Harris, PhD.

A Virtual Biopsy: Detecting Metabolite Changes in the Brain.

Watch Chidera's 3MT video

Aprami Jaggi

2017 western regional champion and finalist, canadian nationals.

Program: Geoscience. Supervisors: Dr. Steve R. Larter, PhD and Dr. Thomas B.P. Oldenburn, PhD

The Ultimate Fate of Oil in the Marine Environment Following Spillage.

Watch Aprami's 3MT video

Elizabeth Watt

2015 canadian national champion.

Program: Physics and Astronomy. Supervisor: Dr. Tyler Meyer, PhD.

Permanent Breast Seed Implant: Improving Patient Experience in Early-stage Breast Cancer.

Watch Elizabeth's 3MT video

Learn more about communication skills for graduate students

Upcoming events supporting graduate student success, Oct. 23-29

October 21, 2024

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Whether you are interested in professional development events, would like to support the immigrant community during a night of performance, or are looking for advice on how to support friends in crisis, graduate students can find events for those topics and more between Oct. 23-29 designed to support graduate student success at Penn State.      

These upcoming events are hosted by the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School or units around the University. A larger list of upcoming Fox Graduate School and community events for graduate students can be found on the Fox Graduate School website .      

Lend a Hand: Supporting Your Friends in Crisis

Hosted by the Office of Graduate Educational Equity Programs and the Gender Equity Center  Wednesday, Oct. 23, noon-1 p.m. 107 Pasquerilla Center (Memorial Lounge)    Join the second session of our Graduate Empowerment & Equity Series presented by the Office of Graduate Educational Equity Programs (OGEEP) and the Gender Equity Center.

At this fall lunch series you’ll have the opportunity to build community, seek expert advice, and empower your decision-making. Bring your questions and a friend! Register for the session here . 

STEM Libraries Workshop: Systematic Review/Evidence Synthesis  

Hosted by the University Libraries   Wednesday, Oct. 23, 5-6 p.m. Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building       Join the University Libraries for the Fall 2024 STEM Libraries Workshop Series. This week's workshop is only available in person in the new Engineering Library on the second floor of the Engineering Collaborative Research and Education (ECoRE) Building. The workshop will focus on how systematic review and evidence synthesis. Register for a reminder email about the STEM Libraries Workshop .  

Talking with Advisers: Negotiating and Being Your Own Advocate – EPPIC Speak UP 

Hosted by the English for Professional Purposes Intercultural Center (EPPIC)     Wednesday, Oct. 23, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 208 Business Building     Speak UP is a weekly speaking group that focuses on advanced, real-world language use in everyday university contexts. Participants have an opportunity to engage with their new knowledge through group discussions and role-plays with international and American peers. Learn more and register here .  

Fostering a Growth Mindset and Developing a Sense of Belonging in Your Students

Hosted by the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL)  Friday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Online 

Learn from social and educational psychology in this one-part workshop on how instructors can foster growth mindsets in their students, and how that in turn can foster greater student motivation, achievement, and belonging. What factors hold back or push students forward in learning and performing the best they can? How do students react to successes and challenges? Interested attendees can register for this workshop on the CIRTL website . All Penn State graduate students and postdoctoral scholars can register for CIRTL workshops for free.  

Data Cartels & Commercial Obstacles to Open Access

Hosted by the Penn State University Libraries  Thursday, Oct. 24, 1:30-3 p.m. Zoom  

In celebration of Open Access Week 2024, the Penn State University Libraries are pleased to host Sarah Lamdan of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom for a talk related to the week's theme, "Community over Commercialization." Please register on Zoom to attend this virtual event. 

The 16th Annual Stoop 

Hosted by the Paul Robeson Cultural Center and the Office of Graduate Educational Equity Programs  Thursday, Oct. 24, 4-9:30 p.m. HUB 008 Lion's Lair Lounge 

Join the Paul Robeson Cultural Center and the Fox Graduate School’s Office of Graduate Educational Equity Programs for a night of storytelling and uplifting the immigrant and undocumented community during an evening of artistic expression through spoken word, original music, dance and more! 

What is a Research Paper? Types, Tips, and Techniques – EPPIC Workshop 

Hosted by the English for Professional Purposes Intercultural Center (EPPIC)     Thursday, Oct. 24, 5-6:30 p.m. Zoom 

This workshop will discuss the various types of research papers and provide tips and techniques for writing them. Learn more and register here . 

Register for the Three Minute Thesis Competition 

Hosted by the Fox Graduate School — Deadline: Friday, Oct. 25

This week is the final week you can register to be a part of the 2024-25  Penn State Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition , hosted by the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School! Any graduate student can compete, and any community member can serve as judge in the first round. Register by Oct. 25 to share your research and compete to earn recognition and a cash prize.

Focus on Pronunciation: Intonation in American English – EPPIC Workshop 

Hosted by the English for Professional Purposes Intercultural Center (EPPIC)     Monday, Oct. 28, 5:30-7 p.m. E403 Paterno Library  

In this session, you will understand how and why intonation — the musical “flow” of English — is as important as individual sounds, learn common intonation patterns that may be useful in your spoken English, analyze a speech to “see” how English is spoken by fluent speakers in an American context, and practice new strategies and learn about resources for self-study. Learn more on the EPPIC website .  

Supporting Family Caregivers in STEMM: Graduate Student and Post-Doc Caregivers Webinar 

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine  Tuesday, Oct. 29, 12:30-2 p.m. Online 

Caregiving is a universal experience--whether providing care for children or aging relatives or receiving care when ailing, everyone at some point will be touched by caregiving. And yet, caregiving remains stigmatized and under-supported in academia, with particular challenges for graduate students and post-docs who face greater hurdles to accessing and advocating for their needs. Building on the recent release of a National Academies report on Supporting Family Caregivers in STEMM, this webinar will unpack the caregiving experiences of post-doctoral scholars and graduate students and examine what institutions can do to better support these populations. Those interested can register on the National Academies’ website . 

Networking: Breaking the Ice at Professional Events – EPPIC Workshop 

Hosted by the English for Professional Purposes Intercultural Center (EPPIC)     Tuesday, Oct. 29, 4-6:30 p.m. E403 Paterno Library 

This workshop will discuss networking tips for conferences and other professional events. Learn more about EPPIC and upcoming events . 

Liam Jackson

• [email protected]
• Cell Phone: 814-863-4356
• Faculty and Staff
• University Park
• Fox Graduate School

Get the news by email

Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism

Defence of doctoral thesis: Comparing theories of pre-linguistic normalization for vowel perception

On the 29 of November 2024, Anna Persson will defend her doctoral thesis in Scandinavian Languages: Comparing theories of pre-linguistic normalization for vowel perception. The defence is public and free of charge and will be held in English. Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism at Stockholm University.

See our event page:

L1 talkers’ adaptation to L2 speech. Computational and experimental approaches to vowel perception. This project investigates how the speech perception system deals with the fact that we all differ in our pronunciation.

Last updated: October 21, 2024

Source: Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism