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The words ‘ dissertation ’ and ‘thesis’ both refer to a large written research project undertaken to complete a degree, but they are used differently depending on the country:
The main difference is in terms of scale – a dissertation is usually much longer than the other essays you complete during your degree.
Another key difference is that you are given much more independence when working on a dissertation. You choose your own dissertation topic , and you have to conduct the research and write the dissertation yourself (with some assistance from your supervisor).
Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education:
However, none of these are strict guidelines – your word count may be lower or higher than the numbers stated here. Always check the guidelines provided by your university to determine how long your own dissertation should be.
At the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the dissertation is usually the main focus of your final year. You might work on it (alongside other classes) for the entirety of the final year, or for the last six months. This includes formulating an idea, doing the research, and writing up.
A PhD thesis takes a longer time, as the thesis is the main focus of the degree. A PhD thesis might be being formulated and worked on for the whole four years of the degree program. The writing process alone can take around 18 months.
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Caulfield, J. (2022, May 05). What Is a Dissertation? | 5 Essential Questions to Get Started. Scribbr. Retrieved 29 August 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/what-is-a-dissertation/
Other students also liked, how to choose a dissertation topic | 8 steps to follow, how to write a dissertation proposal | a step-by-step guide, what is a literature review | guide, template, & examples.
If you are about to start writing your thesis, then it is extremely important to know as much as possible about the thesis structure. Learning the main thesis chapters should enable you to quickly structure your academic paper. Keep in mind that not structuring the paper correctly usually leads to severe penalties. We know some of you are probably having questions about numbering dissertation chapters. Basically, you just need to give all the major sections consecutive numbers. Use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, and so on). Check out the most frequently asked questions and them move on to the 7 parts of the thesis or dissertation structure.
The first part of the thesis structure is the abstract. It is basically an overview of the entire paper. There is no set dissertation abstract structure. It is just a summary of your thesis and it should be just 200 to 300 words long.
The introduction is one of the most important dissertation chapters. It should contain all of the following information:
A bit of background about the topic. Some information about the current knowledge. The aim of your research (the gap in knowledge that prompted you to write the thesis).
Remember that the introduction must present the thesis statement. It is very important to learn more about the thesis statement structure. A great thesis statement will pique the interest of the evaluation committee.
Many students who are looking to learn how to structure a thesis don’t know about the Literature Review section. Why? Because many people prefer to include it into the introduction. However, by separating the literature review from the intro, you can focus more on why your research is important. You can evaluate the most important research on your topic and clearly show the gap in knowledge.
In most cases, the Methods section is the easiest part of the structure of a thesis. All you have to do is present the method or methods you chose for the research. Don’t forget to also explain why you chose that specific research method. Your audience needs to understand that the chosen method is the best for the task.
This is one of the most important chapters of a dissertation. In the Results chapter, you need to present your findings. Remember that written text is not enough. You need figures, stats, graphs, and other forms of data. This section contains all the facts of your research and should be written in an objective, neutral manner. It would be unusual for your to discuss your findings in this section.
The Discussion chapter is very important in the dissertation chapters structure. It is the reason why you didn’t discuss your findings in the Results section. This is the section you can use to talk about your findings and provide your own opinions about the results. Here is what you can do in the discussion section:
Explain to the audience what your results mean for the scientific community. Comment on each of the results and discuss how your findings support your thesis. Explain any unexpected results so the evaluation committee can see that you know what you’re doing. Interpret the results and tie them with other research on the subject. How does your research help the academic community?
While not the most important chapter, the conclusion is one of the important chapters in a dissertation. It is the part where you can show your readers that you have achieved your research objectives. You can talk a bit about what you’ve learned in the process and even make some suggestions regarding the need for future research. In most cases, students also reiterate the thesis statement at the beginning of the conclusion, followed by a short summary of the paper’s most important chapters.
In case you are still struggling to find the best history dissertation structure, you should get some help as fast as possible. Remember that writing a thesis takes weeks, if not months. Don’t spend too much time trying to find the best structure. Instead, get in touch with a reliable academic company and get some quick assistance. For examples, one of our writers can create a thesis outline for you. You can just follow the outline and everything will be just fine.
Of course, you can also get some help with the thesis formatting. Citations and references can be difficult to master. Each academic writing style (MLA, Chicago, APA, etc.) has its own requirements. The way you format your academic paper is very important. Bolding and italicizing can emphasize certain ideas. A professional editor can help you make the thesis stand out from the rest. After all, a pleasantly-formatted dissertation that impresses the evaluation committee with its structure and quality of content has a very high chance of getting a top score.
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All Masters programmes include some form of extended individual project. Research-focussed programmes, such as an MRes , may include multiple independent research components. Taught courses usually culminate with a substantial research task, referred to as the Masters dissertation or thesis.
This article talks about how long a Masters dissertation is and the structure it follows.Before you get started on your dissertation, you'll usually need to write a proposal. Read our full guide to Masters dissertation proposals for more information on what this should include!
Length | 15,000 - 20,000 words |
Structure | Abstract (300 words) Introduction (1,000 words) Literature review (1,000 words) Research methodology (1,500 words) Results Discussion (12,000 words) Conclusion (1,500 words) References/Bibliography Appendices |
Supervision | Yes, you’ll be paired with an academic from your own university |
Assessment | External examiner along with additional members of faculty. There is not usually a viva at Masters level. |
What’s the difference between a masters dissertation and an undergraduate dissertation.
The Masters thesis is a bridge between undergraduate study and higher level postgraduate degrees such as the PhD .
A postgraduate dissertation may not look that different to its undergraduate equivalent. You’ll likely have to produce a longer piece of work but the foundations remain the same.
After all, one of the purposes of an undergraduate dissertation or final year project is to prepare you for more in-depth research work as a postgraduate. That said, there are some important differences between the two levels.
So, how long is a Masters dissertation? A Masters dissertation will be longer than the undergraduate equivalent – usually it’ll be somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 words, but this can vary widely between courses, institutions and countries.
To answer your overall research question comprehensively, you’ll be expected to identify and examine specific areas of your topic. This can be like producing a series of shorter pieces of work, similar to those required by individual modules. However, there’s the additional requirement that they collectively support a broader set of conclusions.
This more involved Masters dissertation structure will:
If the individual topics within your overall project require you to access separate sources or datasets, this may also have an impact on your research process.
As a postgraduate, you’ll be expected to establish and assert your own critical voice as a member of the academic community associated with your field .
During your Masters thesis you’ll need to show that you are not just capable of analysing and critiquing original data or primary source material. You should also demonstrate awareness of the existing body of scholarship relating to your topic .
So, if you’ll excuse the pun, a ‘Masters’ degree really is about achieving ‘mastery’ of your particular specialism and the dissertation is where you’ll demonstrate this: showing off the scholarly expertise and research skills that you’ve developed across your programme.
A dissertation is a long piece of (usually) written work on the same topic. A thesis is a little more specific: it usually means something that presents an original argument based on the interpretation of data, statistics or content.
So, a thesis is almost always presented as a dissertation, but not all dissertations present a thesis.
As you can probably imagine, no two dissertations follow the exact same structure, especially given the differences found between Masters programmes from university to university and country to country .
That said, there are several key components that make up the structure of a typical Masters dissertation
Most dissertations will typically be between 15,000 and 20,000 words long, although this can vary significantly depending on the nature of the programme.
You should also check with your university exactly which sections of the dissertation count towards the final word count (the abstract, bibliography and appendices won’t usually be included in the total).
Usually around 300 words long, the abstract is meant to be a concise summary of your dissertation. It should briefly cover the question(s) you aim to answer, your primary argument and your conclusion.
The purpose of the introduction is to provide context for the rest of the dissertation, setting out your aims and the scope of what you want to achieve with your research. The introduction should give a clear overview of the dissertation’s chapters and will usually be around 1,000 words long.
This part of the dissertation should examine the scholarship that has already been published in your field, presenting various arguments and counter-arguments while situating your own research within this wider body of work.
You should analyse and evaluate other publications and explain how your dissertation will contribute to the existing literature in your subject area. The literature review sometimes forms part of the introduction or follows immediately on from it. Most literature reviews are up to 1,000 words long.
Not all dissertations will require a section covering research methodology (Arts and Humanities dissertations won’t normally undertake the kind of research that involves a set methodology). However, if you are using a particular method to collect information for your dissertation, you should make sure to explain the rationale behind your choice of methodology. The word count for this part of the dissertation is usually around the 1,500 mark.
Those in the Arts and Humanities will usually outline their theoretical perspectives and approaches as part of the introduction, rather than requiring a detailed explanation of the methodology for their data collection and analysis.
If your research involves some form of survey or experiment, this is where you’ll present the results of your work. Depending on the nature of the study, this might be in the form of graphs, tables or charts – or even just a written description of what the research entailed and what the findings were.
This section forms the bulk of your dissertation and should be carefully structured using a series of related chapters (and sub-chapters). There should be a logical progression from one chapter to the next, with each part building on the arguments of its predecessor.
It can be helpful to think of your Masters dissertation as a series of closely interlinked essays, rather than one overwhelming paper. The size of this section will depend on the overall word count for your dissertation. However, to give you a rough idea for a 15,000-word dissertation, the discussion part will generally be about 12,000 words long.
Here you should draw together the threads of the previous discussion chapters and make your final concluding statements, drawing on evidence and arguments that you’ve already explored over the course of the dissertation. Explain the significance of your findings and point towards directions that future research could follow. This section of the Masters thesis will be around 1,500 words long.
While planning and writing your dissertation, you should keep an extensive, organised record of any papers, sources or books you’ve quoted (or referred to). This will be a lot easier than leaving all of it until the end and struggling to work out where a particular quotation is from!
Appendices won’t be necessary in many dissertations, but you may need to include supplementary material to support your argument. This could be interview transcripts or questionnaires. If including such content within the body of the dissertation won’t be feasible – i.e. there wouldn’t be enough space or it would break the flow of your writing – you should consult with your supervisor and consider attaching it in an appendix.
It’s worth bearing in mind that these sections won’t always be discretely labelled in every dissertation. For example, everything up to ‘discussion’ might be covered in introductory chapter (rather than as distinct sections). If you’re unsure about the structure of your Masters dissertation, your supervisor will be able to help you map it out.
As a Masters student at the dissertation stage you’ll usually be matched with an academic within your institution who will be tasked with guiding your work. This might be someone who has already taught you, or it may be another scholar whose research interests and expertise align well with what you want to do. You may be able to request a particular supervisor, but taught postgraduates are more likely to be assigned them by their department.
Specific arrangements with your supervisor will vary depending on your institution and subject area. They will usually meet with you at the beginning of the dissertation period to discuss your project and agree a suitable schedule for its undertaking. This timetable will probably set dates for:
Though your supervisor is there to help and advise you, it is important to remember that your dissertation is a personal research project with associated expectations of you as an independent scholar.
As a rule of thumb, you can expect your supervisor to read each part of your dissertation once at the draft stage and to offer feedback. Most will not have time to look at lots of subsequent revisions, but may respond favourably to polite requests for exceptions (provided their own workload permits it).
Inundating your supervisor with emails or multiple iterations of draft material is best avoided; they will have their own research to manage (as well as other supervision assignments) and will be able to offer better quality feedback if you stick to an agreed schedule.
On most courses your dissertation will be assessed by an external examiner (as well as additional members of faculty within your university who haven’t been responsible for supervising you), but these will read and critique the work you submit without personally questioning and testing you on it.
Though this examination process is not as challenging as the oral defence or ‘ viva voce ’ required for a PhD thesis, the grading of your Masters dissertation is still a fundamental component of your degree.
On some programmes the result awarded to a student’s dissertation may determine the upper grade-band that can be awarded to their degree.
Ready to start looking for your ideal postgraduate opportunity? Browse and compare Masters degrees on FindAMasters.com.
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A dissertation is a long written piece of academic research completed as part of a university degree.
The dissertation will be the longest thing you write at university. It might be anywhere from:
Your dissertation will explain the processes and results of research that you conducted. You would also write an analysis of the results and recommendations for further research.
You usually complete your dissertation at the end of your degree, so in North America you might hear people calling it the “capstone project”.
We often use the terms ‘dissertation’ and ‘thesis’ interchangeably. I’ve also read a lot of articles out there on the internet that claim that there are clear differences between the two. There aren’t.
I’ve completed an undergraduate and a doctoral dissertation. I’ve supervised well over 100 dissertation students at undergraduate, masters and PhD level. I’ve taught at universities in Europe, Australia and North America. In all my time, it’s been quite apparent to me that people use the terms interchangeably.
Now, there is also another time we use the term ‘thesis’. A thesis is also known as your main argument in an essay and/or dissertation.
So, technically, a dissertation contains a thesis . The dissertation is the written report that you can pick up and carry around. The thesis is the key argument you’re making within the written report.
But save yourself the stress of trying to differentiate between the two: in 90% of all situations, when someone says ‘dissertation’ or ‘thesis’ they mean the same thing: they just mean “that big project you’ve been working on for the past 2 years of your life and you want to throw out the window.”
When you start your dissertation, you’ll be allocated a dissertation supervisor. Your supervisor will guide you through the process.
For undergraduate students, this may be the first time you’ve worked closely in a one-to-one environment with a university professor before. You’ll meet up for regular meetings and they’ll look over drafts of your work and tell you how to improve it.
Dissertations can be written during undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Here are the three different levels:
You may be asked to write a dissertation to get your undergraduate degree. Outside of North America, this is a requirement if you want to graduate “with honors”.
An undergraduate dissertation will range from about 5,000 to 30,000 words. Most undergraduate dissertations that I’ve come across usually come out at about 10,000 words and take their full senior to complete. However, different universities have different standards.
Undergraduate students are not usually asked to do complicated research studies. It’s an introduction to academic research, so you’re likely only going to do a small pilot study, but it’s good for learning how research happens and getting your toes wet.
You’ll also get to zoom-in on a topic of your choice, so it’s a chance to show future employers what your interests are and how you’ve pursued them at university level.
A masters dissertation is completed by people who choose to do a masters degree “by research”. Some masters by coursework degrees don’t have a dissertation component, so you may not have to do a dissertation at all.
At masters level, you’ll need to step up your game a little. Masters-level dissertations typically range from 15,000 to 50,000 words and involve a small but rigorous research study.
Many of the masters students who I have supervised in the past have conducted case study or ‘action research’ projects where they did a study in their own workplace.
Others have done standalone studies where they’ve come up with a topic to research and gone ahead to conduct the research over about a 12 to 24 month period.
A PhD or doctorate dissertation is the big kahuna of dissertations. If you successfully write one of these, you can call yourself ‘Doctor’ for the rest of your days (but you won’t be one of those doctors – you know, the ones with stethoscopes).
Most PhD dissertations are 80,000 to 100,000 words long – or about the length of your average novel. Now that’s a lot of words!
Your PhD absolutely has to (at a minimum) make a unique contribution to knowledge. That means you need to study something no one else has ever studied before and convince experts in the field that it was a well-done and valid study. Ideally you should also be able to tell people that you’re a world-leading expert in the topic you studied.
There are many different ways you can structure your dissertation. Different disciplines have different expectations and standards.
Many of my students freak out that they have to write such long pieces of work. But, by splitting the dissertation up into sections like I have done below, they come to realize that it’s just a whole lot of short pieces all glued together to make a coherent, interesting story.
Here’s one of the most common structures that 95% of all of my students in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences follow:
The introduction gives an overview of the topic to readers and lets them know of its importance. It will introduce the reader to the research topic and the question you’re studying. It might also introduce some key terms and give an overview of the structure of the piece to come.
A literature review will give a detailed overview of everything that’s currently known about the topic. It’ll show the reader that you have deep knowledge of the topic and that you’re qualified to conduct the study.
Ideally, you’ll also use the literature review to show how your study builds upon what’s already known. You don’t want to just do a study that’s already been done, but you can learn a lot from previous studies and use their knowledge to make your work better.
This section isn’t always used (you’ll probably skip it for an undergraduate dissertation), but it is common in some Masters and PhD level studies. It outlines what lens you’re using to critique concepts. Maybe you’ll use a theory like ‘grounded theory’, ‘ postmodernism ’, ‘ critical theory ’ or ‘feminist theory’ to study something from a particular perspective. You’ll need to show your reader that you have deep knowledge of that theory that you’re using, and why the theory is worth employing in your study.
If this is all too confusing to you now, never mind: you may not even need to use a theoretical framework , depending on the requirements of your course.
A methodology section outlines how you will conduct your study. What methods, procedure and ethical guidelines will you use? How will you ensure your work is honest, trustworthy, reliable or accurate?
The results section outlines what you found out. Particularly in quantitative work (that’s a study that uses methods that measure things using numbers and algorithms), you’ll have a results section separate from the analysis section. In qualitative work , often the results and analysis are blended together.
The analysis is the section where you critique the results. What do the results reveal about your topic? How do your results show us something new or provide fresh insights into an old topic?
The conclusion will usually sum up what you’ve said and explain its relevance for researchers or practitioners. You will give recommendations to future researchers on what studies they might want to undertake, or you might tell practitioners how your findings could be used to improve their workplace.
Conclusions also often outline weaknesses or challenges you faced. This is important to show that you’ve reflected on your blindspots and acknowledged them. No study is perfect.
You’ll have to choose a research topic, study it in depth, and conduct original research on it. It seems like a daunting task, but with your dissertation supervisor, you’ll work together to break it down into manageable chunks.
Let’s say Laura has to write a 10,000 word undergraduate dissertation in her Education Studies degree. This would be pretty common if she wants to graduate with honors. Here’s what she might do:
1. Choose a Topic
Laura needs to choose a topic to write about. She is really interested in play-based learning , so she chose this as her topic for her dissertation.
>>>RELATED POST: 51 BEST EDUCATION DISSERTATION TOPIC IDEAS
2. Conduct a Literature Review
Laura started reading up about the topic and write a 2,500 word review of all of the literature that’s out there on play-based learning. She found a few themes in the articles she read, so she split it up into 6 sections for the 5 themes she found, with 500 words in each section.
3. Come up with a Research Question
Now that Laura has some in-depth knowledge about her topic, she’s going to have to conduct some original research of her own to prove her expertise in the topic. Usually, we ask students to do research that no one has done before so that it is unique and tells us something new about the topic. Fortunately, because she’s done her literature review, Laura will now have deep knowledge of the topic and know things about play-based learning that haven’t been researched in the past.
Let’s say Laura decided that she wanted to interview teachers about the challenges they face during play-based learning lessons. She has decided to go out and interview, say, 10 teachers at the local school.
4. Devise a Methodology
Because it’s an academic study, Laura needs to prove that she did the research systematically. If she doesn’t have a procedure to follow, her results won’t be valid. So, she has to write a section in her dissertation about how she conducted the research to ensure it is reliable. This might be another 2,500 words and explain her methodology (procedure) and how she did it ethically (didn’t cheat or harm anyone).
5. Get Approval to Conduct the Study
Before Laura conducts the study, she’ll have to get it approved by:
Usually, she’ll have to present a written research proposal that outlines her plans and shows she’s thought about her methodology and literature review. This can be a long process, but it’s helped by the fact that he’s already conducted her literature review, written her methodology, and gotten them checked by her supervisor on a regular basis.
6. Conduct the Study
Once she’s gotten approval, Laura will have to go out and conduct the study!
She’ll go out to schools and interview the 10 teachers using a recording device – asking them all the same questions – and then come back to university and look over their answers.
7. Analyze the Results
Laura will have to look through the interviews to see what key points were that kept coming up in her interviews. We call these recurring points ‘key themes’.
The first thing Laura will do is transcribe the interviews. This means she’ll listen to the interviews and type them up word-for-word (‘verbatum’). Then, she’ll print them out and highlight important or revealing quotes that she thinks appeared multiple times in each interview.
Sometimes, people use software to help them find these themes.
8. Write up the Results
Now that Laura thinks she has some key themes from the interviews, she’ll write her ‘analysis’ and /or ‘results’ sections of her dissertation. She will write about all the themes she found and provide some quotes from the teachers to back up her points.
9. Write an Introduction and Conclusion
Lastly, Laura needs to write her introduction and conclusion . These come last when everything else was written. The introduction will give the reader a fly-by of what is said throughout the dissertation. The conclusion will highlight the importance of the results, maybe discuss some weaknesses of her study, and make recommendations for practitioners or future researchers based on her newfound knowledge.
I’ve got a ton of resources on this website to help you write your dissertation. My goal is to show you how to do it in easy to understand language – no academic B.S.! I recommend you get started with your dissertation by reading my post on how to choose a dissertation topic .
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Reference management. Clean and simple.
1. abstract, 2. introduction, 3. literature review, 6. discussion, 7. conclusion, 8. reference list, frequently asked questions about structuring a thesis, related articles.
Starting a thesis can be daunting. There are so many questions in the beginning:
Each educational program has different demands on your thesis structure, which is why asking directly for the requirements of your program should be a first step. However, there is not much flexibility when it comes to structuring your thesis.
Abstract : a brief overview of your entire thesis.
Literature review : an evaluation of previous research on your topic that includes a discussion of gaps in the research and how your work may fill them.
Methods : outlines the methodology that you are using in your research.
Thesis : a large paper, or multi-chapter work, based on a topic relating to your field of study.
The abstract is the overview of your thesis and generally very short. This section should highlight the main contents of your thesis “at a glance” so that someone who is curious about your work can get the gist quickly. Take a look at our guide on how to write an abstract for more info.
Tip: Consider writing your abstract last, after you’ve written everything else.
The introduction to your thesis gives an overview of its basics or main points. It should answer the following questions:
In answering the first question, you should know what your personal interest in this topic is and why it is relevant. Why does it matter?
To answer the "how", you should briefly explain how you are going to reach your research goal. Some prefer to answer that question in the methods chapter, but you can give a quick overview here.
And finally, you should explain "what" you are studying. You can also give background information here.
You should rewrite the introduction one last time when the writing is done to make sure it connects with your conclusion. Learn more about how to write a good thesis introduction in our thesis introduction guide .
A literature review is often part of the introduction, but it can be a separate section. It is an evaluation of previous research on the topic showing that there are gaps that your research will attempt to fill. A few tips for your literature review:
For more insights on lit reviews, take a look at our guide on how to write a literature review .
The methodology chapter outlines which methods you choose to gather data, how the data is analyzed and justifies why you chose that methodology . It shows how your choice of design and research methods is suited to answering your research question.
Make sure to also explain what the pitfalls of your approach are and how you have tried to mitigate them. Discussing where your study might come up short can give you more credibility, since it shows the reader that you are aware of its limitations.
Tip: Use graphs and tables, where appropriate, to visualize your results.
The results chapter outlines what you found out in relation to your research questions or hypotheses. It generally contains the facts of your research and does not include a lot of analysis, because that happens mostly in the discussion chapter.
Clearly visualize your results, using tables and graphs, especially when summarizing, and be consistent in your way of reporting. This means sticking to one format to help the reader evaluate and compare the data.
The discussion chapter includes your own analysis and interpretation of the data you gathered , comments on your results and explains what they mean. This is your opportunity to show that you have understood your findings and their significance.
Point out the limitations of your study, provide explanations for unexpected results, and note any questions that remain unanswered.
This is probably your most important chapter. This is where you highlight that your research objectives have been achieved. You can also reiterate any limitations to your study and make suggestions for future research.
Remember to check if you have really answered all your research questions and hypotheses in this chapter. Your thesis should be tied up nicely in the conclusion and show clearly what you did, what results you got, and what you learned. Discover how to write a good conclusion in our thesis conclusion guide .
At the end of your thesis, you’ll have to compile a list of references for everything you’ve cited above. Ideally, you should keep track of everything from the beginning. Otherwise, this could be a mammoth and pretty laborious task to do.
Consider using a reference manager like Paperpile to format and organize your citations. Paperpile allows you to organize and save your citations for later use and cite them in thousands of citation styles directly in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or LaTeX:
🔲 Introduction
🔲 Literature review
🔲 Discussion
🔲 Conclusion
🔲 Reference list
The basic elements of a thesis are: Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and Reference List.
It's recommended to start a thesis by writing the literature review first. This way you learn more about the sources, before jumping to the discussion or any other element.
It's recommended to write the abstract of a thesis last, once everything else is done. This way you will be able to provide a complete overview of your work.
Usually, the discussion is the longest part of a thesis. In this part you are supposed to point out the limitations of your study, provide explanations for unexpected results, and note any questions that remain unanswered.
The order of the basic elements of a thesis are: 1. Abstract, 2. Introduction, 3. Literature Review, 4. Methods, 5. Results, 6. Discussion, 7. Conclusion, and 8. Reference List.
How to write a masters dissertation or thesis: top tips.
It is completely normal to find the idea of writing a masters thesis or dissertation slightly daunting, even for students who have written one before at undergraduate level. Though, don’t feel put off by the idea. You’ll have plenty of time to complete it, and plenty of support from your supervisor and peers.
One of the main challenges that students face is putting their ideas and findings into words. Writing is a skill in itself, but with the right advice, you’ll find it much easier to get into the flow of writing your masters thesis or dissertation.
We’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to write a dissertation or thesis for your masters degree, with top tips to consider at each stage in the process.
There are slight differences between theses and dissertations , although both require a high standard of writing skill and knowledge in your topic. They are also formatted very similarly.
At first, writing a masters thesis can feel like running a 100m race – the course feels very quick and like there is not as much time for thinking! However, you’ll usually have a summer semester dedicated to completing your dissertation – giving plenty of time and space to write a strong academic piece.
By comparison, writing a PhD thesis can feel like running a marathon, working on the same topic for 3-4 years can be laborious. But in many ways, the approach to both of these tasks is quite similar.
Before writing your masters dissertation, get to know your research topic inside out. Not only will understanding your topic help you conduct better research, it will also help you write better dissertation content.
Also consider the main purpose of your dissertation. You are writing to put forward a theory or unique research angle – so make your purpose clear in your writing.
Top writing tip: when researching your topic, look out for specific terms and writing patterns used by other academics. It is likely that there will be a lot of jargon and important themes across research papers in your chosen dissertation topic.
Writing a thesis is a unique experience and there is no general consensus on what the best way to structure it is.
As a postgraduate student , you’ll probably decide what kind of structure suits your research project best after consultation with your supervisor. You’ll also have a chance to look at previous masters students’ theses in your university library.
To some extent, all postgraduate dissertations are unique. Though they almost always consist of chapters. The number of chapters you cover will vary depending on the research.
A masters dissertation or thesis organised into chapters would typically look like this:
Section | Description |
Title page | The opening page includes all relevant information about the project. |
Abstract | A brief project summary including background, methodology and findings. |
Contents | A list of chapters and figures from your project. |
Chapter 1 – Background | A description of the rationale behind your project. |
Chapter 2 – Literature Review | A summary and evaluation of the literature supporting your project. |
Chapter 3 – Methodology | A description of the specific methodology used in your project. |
Chapter 4-6 – Data analysis and Findings | An overview of the key findings and data from your research. |
Chapter 7 - Discussion and Evaluation | A description of what the data means and what you can draw from the findings. |
Chapter 8 - Conclusion | Main summary of your overall project and key findings. |
Bibliography | A list of the references cited in your dissertation or thesis. |
Appendices | Additional materials used in your research. |
Write down your structure and use these as headings that you’ll write for later on.
Top writing tip : ease each chapter together with a paragraph that links the end of a chapter to the start of a new chapter. For example, you could say something along the lines of “in the next section, these findings are evaluated in more detail”. This makes it easier for the reader to understand each chapter and helps your writing flow better.
One of the best places to start when writing your masters dissertation is with the literature review. This involves researching and evaluating existing academic literature in order to identify any gaps for your own research.
Many students prefer to write the literature review chapter first, as this is where several of the underpinning theories and concepts exist. This section helps set the stage for the rest of your dissertation, and will help inform the writing of your other dissertation chapters.
The literature review chapter is more than just a summary of existing research, it is an evaluation of how this research has informed your own unique research.
Demonstrate how the different pieces of research fit together. Are there overlapping theories? Are there disagreements between researchers?
Highlight the gap in the research. This is key, as a dissertation is mostly about developing your own unique research. Is there an unexplored avenue of research? Has existing research failed to disprove a particular theory?
Back up your methodology. Demonstrate why your methodology is appropriate by discussing where it has been used successfully in other research.
For instance, a more theoretical-based research topic might encompass more writing from a philosophical perspective. Qualitative data might require a lot more evaluation and discussion than quantitative research.
The methodology chapter is all about how you carried out your research and which specific techniques you used to gather data. You should write about broader methodological approaches (e.g. qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods), and then go into more detail about your chosen data collection strategy.
Data collection strategies include things like interviews, questionnaires, surveys, content analyses, discourse analyses and many more.
The data analysis or findings chapter should cover what you actually discovered during your research project. It should be detailed, specific and objective (don’t worry, you’ll have time for evaluation later on in your dissertation)
Write up your findings in a way that is easy to understand. For example, if you have a lot of numerical data, this could be easier to digest in tables.
This will make it easier for you to dive into some deeper analysis in later chapters. Remember, the reader will refer back to your data analysis section to cross-reference your later evaluations against your actual findings – so presenting your data in a simple manner is beneficial.
Think about how you can segment your data into categories. For instance, it can be useful to segment interview transcripts by interviewee.
Top writing tip : write up notes on how you might phrase a certain part of the research. This will help bring the best out of your writing. There is nothing worse than when you think of the perfect way to phrase something and then you completely forget it.
Once you’ve presented your findings, it’s time to evaluate and discuss them.
It might feel difficult to differentiate between your findings and discussion sections, because you are essentially talking about the same data. The easiest way to remember the difference is that your findings simply present the data, whereas your discussion tells the story of this data.
Your evaluation breaks the story down, explaining the key findings, what went well and what didn’t go so well.
In your discussion chapter, you’ll have chance to expand on the results from your findings section. For example, explain what certain numbers mean and draw relationships between different pieces of data.
Top writing tip: don’t be afraid to point out the shortcomings of your research. You will receive higher marks for writing objectively. For example, if you didn’t receive as many interview responses as expected, evaluate how this has impacted your research and findings. Don’t let your ego get in the way!
Your introduction sets the scene for the rest of your masters dissertation. You might be wondering why writing an introduction isn't at the start of our step-by-step list, and that’s because many students write this chapter last.
Here’s what your introduction chapter should cover:
Problem statement
Research question
Significance of your research
This tells the reader what you’ll be researching as well as its importance. You’ll have a good idea of what to include here from your original dissertation proposal , though it’s fairly common for research to change once it gets started.
Writing or at least revisiting this section last can be really helpful, since you’ll have a more well-rounded view of what your research actually covers once it has been completed and written up.
When to start writing your thesis or dissertation.
When you should start writing your masters thesis or dissertation depends on the scope of the research project and the duration of your course. In some cases, your research project may be relatively short and you may not be able to write much of your thesis before completing the project.
But regardless of the nature of your research project and of the scope of your course, you should start writing your thesis or at least some of its sections as early as possible, and there are a number of good reasons for this:
Academic writing is about practice, not talent. The first steps of writing your dissertation will help you get into the swing of your project. Write early to help you prepare in good time.
Write things as you do them. This is a good way to keep your dissertation full of fresh ideas and ensure that you don’t forget valuable information.
The first draft is never perfect. Give yourself time to edit and improve your dissertation. It’s likely that you’ll need to make at least one or two more drafts before your final submission.
Writing early on will help you stay motivated when writing all subsequent drafts.
Thinking and writing are very connected. As you write, new ideas and concepts will come to mind. So writing early on is a great way to generate new ideas.
The best way of improving your dissertation or thesis writing skills is to:
Finish the first draft of your masters thesis as early as possible and send it to your supervisor for revision. Your supervisor will correct your draft and point out any writing errors. This process will be repeated a few times which will help you recognise and correct writing mistakes yourself as time progresses.
If you are not a native English speaker, it may be useful to ask your English friends to read a part of your thesis and warn you about any recurring writing mistakes. Read our section on English language support for more advice.
Most universities have writing centres that offer writing courses and other kinds of support for postgraduate students. Attending these courses may help you improve your writing and meet other postgraduate students with whom you will be able to discuss what constitutes a well-written thesis.
Read academic articles and search for writing resources on the internet. This will help you adopt an academic writing style, which will eventually become effortless with practice.
The easiest way to keep the track of all the articles you have read for your research is to create a database where you can summarise each article/chapter into a few most important bullet points to help you remember their content.
Another useful tool for doing this effectively is to learn how to use specific reference management software (RMS) such as EndNote. RMS is relatively simple to use and saves a lot of time when it comes to organising your bibliography. This may come in very handy, especially if your reference section is suspiciously missing two hours before you need to submit your dissertation!
Plagiarism may cost you your postgraduate degree and it is important that you consciously avoid it when writing your thesis or dissertation.
Occasionally, postgraduate students commit plagiarism unintentionally. This can happen when sections are copy and pasted from journal articles they are citing instead of simply rephrasing them. Whenever you are presenting information from another academic source, make sure you reference the source and avoid writing the statement exactly as it is written in the original paper.
Read your university’s guidelines before you actually start writing your thesis so you don’t have to waste time changing the format further down the line. However in general, most universities will require you to use 1.5-2 line spacing, font size 12 for text, and to print your thesis on A4 paper. These formatting guidelines may not necessarily result in the most aesthetically appealing thesis, however beauty is not always practical, and a nice looking thesis can be a more tiring reading experience for your postgrad examiner .
The length of time it takes to complete your MSc or MA thesis will vary from student to student. This is because people work at different speeds, projects vary in difficulty, and some projects encounter more problems than others.
Obviously, you should submit your MSc thesis or MA thesis when it is finished! Every university will say in its regulations that it is the student who must decide when it is ready to submit.
However, your supervisor will advise you whether your work is ready and you should take their advice on this. If your supervisor says that your work is not ready, then it is probably unwise to submit it. Usually your supervisor will read your final thesis or dissertation draft and will let you know what’s required before submitting your final draft.
Set yourself a target for completion. This will help you stay on track and avoid falling behind. You may also only have funding for the year, so it is important to ensure you submit your dissertation before the deadline – and also ensure you don’t miss out on your graduation ceremony !
To set your target date, work backwards from the final completion and submission date, and aim to have your final draft completed at least three months before that final date.
Don’t leave your submission until the last minute – submit your work in good time before the final deadline. Consider what else you’ll have going on around that time. Are you moving back home? Do you have a holiday? Do you have other plans?
If you need to have finished by the end of June to be able to go to a graduation ceremony in July, then you should leave a suitable amount of time for this. You can build this into your dissertation project planning at the start of your research.
It is important to remember that handing in your thesis or dissertation is not the end of your masters program . There will be a period of time of one to three months between the time you submit and your final day. Some courses may even require a viva to discuss your research project, though this is more common at PhD level .
If you have passed, you will need to make arrangements for the thesis to be properly bound and resubmitted, which will take a week or two. You may also have minor corrections to make to the work, which could take up to a month or so. This means that you need to allow a period of at least three months between submitting your thesis and the time when your program will be completely finished. Of course, it is also possible you may be asked after the viva to do more work on your thesis and resubmit it before the examiners will agree to award the degree – so there may be an even longer time period before you have finished.
Most universities will have a clear procedure for submitting a masters dissertation. Some universities require your ‘intention to submit’. This notifies them that you are ready to submit and allows the university to appoint an external examiner.
This normally has to be completed at least three months before the date on which you think you will be ready to submit.
When your MA or MSc dissertation is ready, you will have to print several copies and have them bound. The number of copies varies between universities, but the university usually requires three – one for each of the examiners and one for your supervisor.
However, you will need one more copy – for yourself! These copies must be softbound, not hardbound. The theses you see on the library shelves will be bound in an impressive hardback cover, but you can only get your work bound like this once you have passed.
You should submit your dissertation or thesis for examination in soft paper or card covers, and your university will give you detailed guidance on how it should be bound. They will also recommend places where you can get the work done.
The next stage is to hand in your work, in the way and to the place that is indicated in your university’s regulations. All you can do then is sit and wait for the examination – but submitting your thesis is often a time of great relief and celebration!
Some universities only require a digital submission, where you upload your dissertation as a file through their online submission system.
What Is The Difference Between A Dissertation & A Thesis
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Writing A Dissertation Proposal
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Each student and their supervisory committee should work together to determine the scholarly scope and most appropriate structure of the thesis, keeping in mind scholarly standards within their fields and professional objectives of the student.
As forms of scholarship continue to evolve, so do the possibilities for how a body of scholarly work can be expressed. Theses at UBC can include many forms of knowledge production and scholarly representation. Some examples are:
Within this flexibility of structure, there remain several elements that must be included in each thesis or dissertation, and specifications to be followed, in order to enable consistent standards and proper archiving.
In addition to the preliminary materials described below, all theses should include an introduction to the subject, a critical analysis of the relevant prior scholarly work, a description of the scholarly methods, a presentation of the results, and a discussion and summary of the results and their implications. Knowledge dissemination products or modes can be incorporated as appropriate.
As appropriate, representation of the research results or methodologies may take a variety of forms, including scholarly publications or submissions (manuscripts), scholarly text, creative text, graphics, audio/visual products, or web pages, Additional knowledge translation or dissemination products or descriptions of activities can be incorporated, such as policy briefs, lay or professional publications, syllabi, or outlines of workshops or exhibits.
Every thesis will have a PDF component that includes at least the following elements:
2. committee page (required).
The committee page:
See Resources for Thesis Preparation and Checking for examples and templates.
Doctoral students: Please include this page in the copy for the External Examiner, with your supervisory committee entered. If you know which members of the committee will be on the Examining Committee you can include them there; otherwise, they can go under Additional Supervisory Committee Members.
Doctoral students post-defence: Please remember to update the committee page before final post-defence submission if necessary.
The abstract is a concise and accurate summary of the scholarly work described in the document. It states the problem, the methods of investigation, and the general conclusions, and should not contain tables, graphs, complex equations, or illustrations. There is a single scholarly abstract for the entire work, and it must not exceed 350 words in length.
The lay or public summary is a simplified version of the abstract that explains the key goals and contributions of the research/scholarly work in terms that can be understood by the general public. it does not use technical terms and discipline-specific language. It must not exceed 150 words in length.
Sample Prefaces
The Preface includes a statement indicating the student's contribution to the following:
If any of the work was collaborative, the above statement must also detail the relative contributions of all collaborators, including the approximate proportion of the research, analysis, and writing/representation conducted by the student.
If any of the work has led to any publications, submissions, or other dissemination modes, all must be listed in the Preface. For publications, the title of the article, the names and order of all co-authors, and the journal details (if accepted or published) must be included, and linked to the related chapter or portion of the thesis. For further details, see “Including Published Material in a Thesis or Dissertation”.
If any of the work is intended for publication but has not yet been published, you must say whether or not it has been submitted. Do not say where it has been submitted, as if it is not accepted for publication that information will be misleading.
If the work includes other scholarly artifacts (such as film and other audio, visual, and graphic representations, and application-oriented documents such as policy briefs, curricula, business plans, computer and web tools, pages, and applications, etc.) that have been published or otherwise publicly disseminated or that have co-authors, they must be listed in the Preface (with bibliographical information, including information on co-creators, if applicable).
If ethics approval was required for the research, the Preface must list the Certificate Number(s) of the Ethics Certificate(s) applicable to the project.
In a thesis where the research was not subject to ethics review, produced no publications, and was designed, carried out, and analyzed by the student alone, the text of the Preface may be very brief. Samples are available on this website and in the University Library's online repository of accepted theses.
The content of the Preface must be verified by the student's supervisor, whose endorsement must appear on the final Thesis/Dissertation Approval form.
Acknowledgements, introductory material, and a list of publications do not belong in the Preface. Please put them respectively in the Acknowledgements section, the first section of the thesis, and the appendices.
7. list of tables (required if document has tables), 8. list of figures (required if document has figures), 9. list of submitted files (required if additional files are submitted with the pdf), 10. list of illustrations (advisable if applicable).
If you remove copyrighted tables, figures, or illustrations from your thesis you must insert the following at the spot where the table, figure, or illustration previously appeared:
See the UBC Library Copyright Educational Resources: Theses and Dissertations Guide “ Unable to get Permission? ”
12. glossary (optional), 13. acknowledgements (optional).
This may include statements acknowledging support and contributions from various sources, including the student’s research supervisor and committee, research participants, colleagues, friends, and family members. IMPORTANT : Please ensure that everyone you mention in your Acknowledgements understands and accepts that their name will be appearing online in an open-access document.
Any funding for the research should be listed here.
15-17. thesis body: introduction, research chapters, conclusion (usually required unless the thesis consists only of multimedia).
This contains the comprehensive contextualization, methods, findings, analysis and implications of the scholarly work. These components can be organized and expressed in a manner that the student and their supervisory committee deems to be most appropriate to the work, to the student and their objectives, and to the relevant disciplines.
In many cases the thesis will be organized in chapters, while for others (especially those including creative and/or other modes of expression) it may take different forms. The different elements should be divided appropriately (and indicated as such in the Table of Contents) to enable ease of review. The thesis should be presented in a manner that enables a cohesive understanding of the work and which is credible within the field. In all cases, certain elements are required:
Introductory content. This must clearly state its theme, topics, hypotheses and/or goals and provide sufficient background information to enable a non-specialist in the subject matter to understand them. It must contextualize the topic and questions within a thorough review of relevant literature and/or other foundational scholarship
Research/Scholarship methodologies, findings, products. The account and products of the scholarly work should be complete and sufficiently detailed to enable a reader to understand how the work was carried out and analyzed, and how to apply similar methods in another study.
Analysis and summary content. This should include a reflective analysis of the scholarly findings and/or products, integrated into the context of the thesis subject to demonstrate how the thesis leads to new understandings and contributions. The work’s potential (or actual) impact, its limitations, and its significance should be outlined.
There must be only one Bibliography or References section for the whole thesis.
These consist of supporting material that is not integral to the understanding of the work and/or easily incorporated into the thesis body, potentially including additional methodological details or data, copies of surveys used, etc. They must be referred to in the document.
Home » Thesis – Structure, Example and Writing Guide
Table of contents.
Definition:
Thesis is a scholarly document that presents a student’s original research and findings on a particular topic or question. It is usually written as a requirement for a graduate degree program and is intended to demonstrate the student’s mastery of the subject matter and their ability to conduct independent research.
The concept of a thesis can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was used as a way for students to demonstrate their knowledge of a particular subject. However, the modern form of the thesis as a scholarly document used to earn a degree is a relatively recent development.
The origin of the modern thesis can be traced back to medieval universities in Europe. During this time, students were required to present a “disputation” in which they would defend a particular thesis in front of their peers and faculty members. These disputations served as a way to demonstrate the student’s mastery of the subject matter and were often the final requirement for earning a degree.
In the 17th century, the concept of the thesis was formalized further with the creation of the modern research university. Students were now required to complete a research project and present their findings in a written document, which would serve as the basis for their degree.
The modern thesis as we know it today has evolved over time, with different disciplines and institutions adopting their own standards and formats. However, the basic elements of a thesis – original research, a clear research question, a thorough review of the literature, and a well-argued conclusion – remain the same.
The structure of a thesis may vary slightly depending on the specific requirements of the institution, department, or field of study, but generally, it follows a specific format.
Here’s a breakdown of the structure of a thesis:
This is the first page of the thesis that includes the title of the thesis, the name of the author, the name of the institution, the department, the date, and any other relevant information required by the institution.
This is a brief summary of the thesis that provides an overview of the research question, methodology, findings, and conclusions.
This page provides a list of all the chapters and sections in the thesis and their page numbers.
This chapter provides an overview of the research question, the context of the research, and the purpose of the study. The introduction should also outline the methodology and the scope of the research.
This chapter provides a critical analysis of the relevant literature on the research topic. It should demonstrate the gap in the existing knowledge and justify the need for the research.
This chapter provides a detailed description of the research methods used to gather and analyze data. It should explain the research design, the sampling method, data collection techniques, and data analysis procedures.
This chapter presents the findings of the research. It should include tables, graphs, and charts to illustrate the results.
This chapter interprets the results and relates them to the research question. It should explain the significance of the findings and their implications for the research topic.
This chapter summarizes the key findings and the main conclusions of the research. It should also provide recommendations for future research.
This section provides a list of all the sources cited in the thesis. The citation style may vary depending on the requirements of the institution or the field of study.
This section includes any additional material that supports the research, such as raw data, survey questionnaires, or other relevant documents.
Here are some steps to help you write a thesis:
Example of Thesis template for Students:
Title of Thesis
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Chapter 3: Research Methodology
Chapter 4: Results
Chapter 5: Discussion
Chapter 6: Conclusion
References:
Appendices:
Note: That’s just a basic template, but it should give you an idea of the structure and content that a typical thesis might include. Be sure to consult with your department or supervisor for any specific formatting requirements they may have. Good luck with your thesis!
Thesis is an important academic document that serves several purposes. Here are some of the applications of thesis:
The purpose of a thesis is to present original research findings in a clear and organized manner. It is a formal document that demonstrates a student’s ability to conduct independent research and contribute to the knowledge in their field of study. The primary purposes of a thesis are:
The timing for writing a thesis depends on the specific requirements of the academic program or institution. In most cases, the opportunity to write a thesis is typically offered at the graduate level, but there may be exceptions.
Generally, students should plan to write their thesis during the final year of their graduate program. This allows sufficient time for conducting research, analyzing data, and writing the thesis. It is important to start planning the thesis early and to identify a research topic and research advisor as soon as possible.
In some cases, students may be able to write a thesis as part of an undergraduate program or as an independent research project outside of an academic program. In such cases, it is important to consult with faculty advisors or mentors to ensure that the research is appropriately designed and executed.
It is important to note that the process of writing a thesis can be time-consuming and requires a significant amount of effort and dedication. It is important to plan accordingly and to allocate sufficient time for conducting research, analyzing data, and writing the thesis.
The characteristics of a thesis vary depending on the specific academic program or institution. However, some general characteristics of a thesis include:
There are several advantages to writing a thesis, including:
There are also some limitations to writing a thesis, including:
Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer
This page outlines the stages of an honours thesis and provides links to other pages that will give you more information and some examples from past theses.
Write this last. It is an overview of your whole thesis, and is between 200-300 words.
See writing abstracts for honours theses for what to include in your abstract or see some example abstracts .
Usually longer than an abstract, and provides the following:
See thesis introductions exercises for more information.
Often part of the Introduction, but can be a separate section. It is an evaluation of previous research on your topic, where you show that there is a gap in the knowledge that your research will attempt to fill. The key word here is evaluation.
See literature reviews for more information and examples to get you started on your literature review.
Often the easiest part of the thesis to write. Outlines which method you chose and why (your methodology); what, when, where, how and why you did what you did to get your results.
Here are some sample methods .
Outlines what you found out in relation to your research questions or hypotheses, presented in figures and in written text.
Results contain the facts of your research. Often you will include a brief comment on the significance of key results, with the expectation that more generalised comments about results will be made in the Discussion section. Sometimes Results and Discussion are combined: check with your supervisor and with highly rated past theses in your School.
Here are some suggestions for writing up results .
The Discussion section:
The Discussion should also relate your specific results to previous research or theory. You should point out what the limitations were of your study, and note any questions that remain unanswered. The Discussion CAN also include Conclusions/Future Research. Check with your supervisor.
See our theses in discussion page for more information or try these exercises .
Very important! This is where you emphasise that your research aims/objectives have been achieved.
You also emphasise the most significant results, note the limitations and make suggestions for further research.
Conclusions can include Future Directions. Check with your supervisor.
For more information see conclusions in honours theses or sample conclusions .
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Published on September 21, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on July 18, 2023.
When starting your thesis or dissertation process, one of the first requirements is a research proposal or a prospectus. It describes what or who you want to examine, delving into why, when, where, and how you will do so, stemming from your research question and a relevant topic .
The proposal or prospectus stage is crucial for the development of your research. It helps you choose a type of research to pursue, as well as whether to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.
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What should your proposal contain, dissertation question examples, what should your proposal look like, dissertation prospectus examples, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about proposals.
Prior to jumping into the research for your thesis or dissertation, you first need to develop your research proposal and have it approved by your supervisor. It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives .
Depending on your department’s requirements, there may be a defense component involved, where you present your research plan in prospectus format to your committee for their approval.
Your proposal should answer the following questions:
Ultimately, your proposal should persuade your supervisor or committee that your proposed project is worth pursuing.
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Strong research kicks off with a solid research question , and dissertations are no exception to this.
Dissertation research questions should be:
An easy rule of thumb is that your proposal will usually resemble a (much) shorter version of your thesis or dissertation. While of course it won’t include the results section , discussion section , or conclusion , it serves as a “mini” version or roadmap for what you eventually seek to write.
Be sure to include:
The length of your proposal varies quite a bit depending on your discipline and type of work you’re conducting. While a thesis proposal is often only 3-7 pages long, a prospectus for your dissertation is usually much longer, with more detailed analysis. Dissertation proposals can be up to 25-30 pages in length.
Writing a proposal or prospectus can be a challenge, but we’ve compiled some examples for you to get your started.
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The research methods you use depend on the type of data you need to answer your research question .
A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.
Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:
A well-planned research design helps ensure that your methods match your research aims, that you collect high-quality data, and that you use the right kind of analysis to answer your questions, utilizing credible sources . This allows you to draw valid , trustworthy conclusions.
The priorities of a research design can vary depending on the field, but you usually have to specify:
A dissertation prospectus or proposal describes what or who you plan to research for your dissertation. It delves into why, when, where, and how you will do your research, as well as helps you choose a type of research to pursue. You should also determine whether you plan to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.
It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives , ready to be approved by your supervisor or committee.
Note that some departments require a defense component, where you present your prospectus to your committee orally.
Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .
However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:
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). How to Write a Dissertation or Thesis Proposal. Scribbr. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/thesis-dissertation-proposal/
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A dissertation is a long academic piece of writing based on a student’s independent research . It is usually submitted in the final semester of UG, PG and PhD courses . It takes about 1-2 years to complete the dissertation as it requires a lot of research and written documentation . The aim of writing a dissertation is to test a student’s research skills. It allows students to develop their research, problem-solving, project management and numerical skills . During the course of writing a dissertation, students become able to present their research-based findings to the proposition they chose for themselves.
Empirical dissertation, non-empirical dissertation, skills you need to show, how long is a dissertation, empirical dissertation structure, non-empirical structure, dissertation project example, checklist for dissertation, helpful tips for writing a dissertation, difference between a dissertation and essay, dissertation vs thesis, types of dissertation.
The type of dissertation you may be doing completely depends upon the field of your study. However, there are 2 types of dissertation mentioned below in the table:
Collecting Original Data | Analysing Sources | |
Experiments, Observations, Surveys, | , Artworks, Historical Documents. |
If you are a student of sciences or social sciences, you’ll be required to write an empirical dissertation . Its focus is mainly on collecting original data and analysing every aspect of the data. Students can choose different research methods such as surveys, observation, laboratory experiments and interviews . Keeping in mind that the aim of an Empirical dissertation is to produce standardized scientific knowledge, students must consider the variables they will investigate, the reliability of their measurements, and choose the correct sampling method.
Non-empirical research is generally done for subjects such as arts and humanities . Choosing a particular topic and collecting the data from primary and secondary sources is the first step of starting with this type of dissertation. While working on non-empirical research, a student does the work with existing research or other texts, presents original analysis, argumentation, but there is no original data . The aim is to analyse theoretical texts and interpret the sources with your own understanding.
Regardless of the type of dissertation you write or the topic you pick, you’ll need to demonstrate the following abilities:
Defining and defining a study topic with a specific query | Identifying the most important problems |
Obtaining the necessary information | Considering its trustworthiness and validity |
Considering both sides of a debate’s evidence | Arriving at a well-thought-out conclusion |
Organizing and presenting your study’s findings in a critical, captivating, and eloquent manner while following all formatting guidelines. |
A dissertation’s length varies by study level and location, although it normally ranges from 10,000 to 12,000 words for undergraduates, 15,000 to 25,000 words for master’s students, and up to 50,000 words or more for PhD students.
A dissertation is basically divided into chapters and sections . Both empirical and non-empirical dissertations have different kinds of structures that are supposed to be followed while writing a dissertation. Empirical dissertations usually have a more standardized structure than that of a non-empirical dissertation which is more flexible.
The structure may be slightly different but an empirical dissertation must include the following chapters:
The structure or outline of a non-empirical dissertation is quite flexible as it involves existing research and texts . The aim of non-empirical research is to present original and independent analysis based on theoretical research . It is basically an extended essay but while writing a non-empirical thesis, the text must be presented precisely to serve your arguments in a logical manner. However, mentioned below is a general outline that must be followed while writing a non-empirical dissertation:
*The main body is divided into 2-4 chapters.
Depending on the topic you’ve chosen, the main body can be divided into different types. One of the most common topics of non-empirical research is history-based . The following mentioned is an example of a renaissance based topic:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mentioned below is a checklist to make sure you’ve included all the required information:
You get to choose the topic | You are provided with the topics |
Research is done to add something new to a specific field of study | The purpose is to inform others about a particular topic |
The audience is an academic committee and scholars of the specific field of study | The audience is the teacher and the professor who assigned the given topic |
You are required to analyze and present your original thoughts | You are not obliged to present your own opinions or present an analysis |
PhD must include over 60,000 words and should not exceed the limit of 80,000 words.
It takes around a year or two to complete a dissertation but if you manage time properly and catch up the speed you may be able to complete it in less than 8 months.
Hopefully, this blog assisted you in finding out what is Dissertation, its structure and more. If you require any assistance regarding your application process while enrolling for your further studies, our experts at Leverage Edu are just one click away. Call us anytime at 1800 572 000 for a free counselling session!
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Gathering the necessary material for a large and saturated project is just half the battle, to set up everything and format the work properly is a real deed, challenging and exacting. There are a lot of specific requirements and rules to be born in mind. But don't take it so hard, we give you all the fundamental information concerning thesis paper format. You'll find out
So, get ready to remember all the important principles in terms of paper finalization.
In the process of thesis creation, everyone should set up the data in a specific way. The general structure and stylistic patterns are usually the same everywhere, though some minor issues may vary from one department to another.
When working with the material it is crucial to stick to the thesis writing format in order to:
The thesis structure format implies such parts, obligatory for a good consistent work.
Title Page | It is the first page, forming the impression of the whole work. There should be the title itself, the writer's name, academic information (institution, department, and others), and submission date. There may be some additional local requirements as well, just check the local guidelines. |
Abstract | It is a summarized copy of the project, usually consisting of 170-300 words. A key target, chosen methods, results, and finalizing inference should be introduced here. |
Acknowledgments | It is a paragraph to express gratitude towards your tutor, professor – or any person – who helped you during the work. |
Table of Contents | It is a significant part of a basic thesis format, reflecting the project structure. There is a recommendation to create it with the help of the automatic updating function, presented in the word-processing app. |
Figures and Tables | If there is any visual material (tables, schemes, charts, and whatnot) in the work, make up a list of all issues. Index them and add relevant page numbers to it. |
Introduction | Due to the introduction thesis format, here the author gives some background data, a hypothesis, and key points of the work. |
Literature Review | This part is devoted to literary sources, a person took as the basis of the research. Here it is advisable to analyze existing investigations and point out what is explored insufficiently. |
Methodology | It is a section where methods of work should be presented (including information about participants of the experiment, used instruments, and data collecting). |
Results | It is a place for all the findings the author has got. The best way of presenting is visual (charts, schemes, etc.).The format of a thesis insists on adding them sufficiently. |
Discussion | In the section the author should analyze the results of the researching activity, offer the way of their implication, and formulate ideas for future investigation. |
Conclusion | This part is the summary of the writer's results and ideas, underlining the significance of the work and its benefit for the followers. |
References | It is a list of all cited sources a person used while creating the project. Check the local format rules to avoid any mistakes while writing this section. |
Appendices | Here the writer should add any supplementary he needs for supporting the project, especially if they are too overwhelming for the main body. |
Having discussed the standard structure of the paper, it's high time to discuss useful rules and tips on how to complete the processing.
Well, how to format a thesis correctly? The most important points are presented in the table.
Font | Times New Roman, 12 pt |
Margins | 1 inch from every side of the page |
Spacing | Double, throughout all the text |
Citing | It depends on the formatting style (APA, MLA, or Chicago) |
Headings and Subheadings | Format them in a consistent way throughout the whole work |
Tables and Figures | Every issue should have its own number and a clear legend, and be included in the list mentioned above |
Page numbers | Every page should have a sequential number, placed as it is described in the local guideline (upper right, center, etc.) |
Page Break | It is used to divide all the material into sections and chapters. |
These recommendations are general, and every writer must look through the local guidelines in all cases. Almost every department has a thesis format example, and by getting acquainted with it everyone is certain to get rid of potential mistakes. It doesn't take much time but accentuates your interest and thoroughness, so important for a perfect researcher.
Apart from answering the question 'What is the thesis format?', we'd like to present some additional recommendations and tips concerning the work. It is useful to remind that visual division helps to acquire information in a better way
Studying general rules of formatting is crucial for students, researchers, and other specialists of the sphere. But every time you are also to look into the guidelines offered by your local headmen. The correct paperwork is pleasant to read. Moreover, it underlines the author's professionalism and preciseness.
If you need to get acquainted with thesis format essay, try Aithor . It is a professional instrument, generating texts according to input parameters. You may choose the language, writing style, topic, outline, and other necessary options.
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Adjustments in this area help align the paper with academic standards and expectations,
Editing and proofreading are essential components of the writing process that ensure academic papers are polished and error-free.
While many students may view these tasks as merely a final step to be completed quickly, they are crucial for producing a coherent, compelling, and technically correct document. Let’s examine the distinct roles of editing and proofreading, outline their respective processes, and provide strategies to effectively enhance your paper’s quality.
Editing is a comprehensive process that involves revising a paper’s content, structure, and flow. The primary focus during editing is to enhance the paper’s argument, ensuring that the narrative is coherent and the ideas presented are logically connected. Editing also aims to improve the document’s readability and persuasiveness, making it more compelling to the reader. For students who struggle with these aspects, consulting an online paper writing service can provide an external perspective, highlighting areas for improvement that the writer might overlook.
On the other hand, proofreading focuses on the surface-level details of the writing. This stage involves checking the text for grammatical, typographical, and formatting errors before the final submission. Proofreading is critical as it addresses minor mistakes that can detract from the paper’s professionalism and credibility. It ensures that all paper elements are polished and adhere to the required academic standards.
See also If You Only Teach Students One Thing About The Writing Process
Content review.
The first step in the editing process is thoroughly reviewing the content. Evaluate the strength and clarity of the thesis statement and its supporting arguments. Each point should be well-supported with credible evidence and linked to the main thesis. This ensures that the paper presents a convincing argument that is both informative and engaging to the reader.
Next, assess the structure and organization of the paper. Check the logical flow of ideas and ensure smooth transitions between paragraphs. Each section should logically follow the previous one, effectively guiding the reader through the argument. The overall structure—introduction, body, and conclusion—should be clear and properly executed to maintain the paper’s coherence.
During editing, it’s also important to focus on the clarity and conciseness of the writing. Identify and revise any sentences that are ambiguous or confusing. Eliminate unnecessary words or repetitive information that does not contribute to the argument. This refinement process improves the paper’s readability and enhances its academic tone. But a skilled paper writer focuses not only on content but also meticulously checks for grammatical accuracy and formatting consistency.
Finally, ensure that the style and tone of the paper are consistent and appropriate for an academic audience. The writing should reflect the formal requirements of scholarly discourse and adhere to specific formatting or style guidelines provided (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago). Adjustments in this area help align the paper with academic standards and expectations, reinforcing its scholarly impact.
The editing process transforms the initial drafts into refined, impactful academic papers by meticulously addressing each area. Understanding and applying these steps can significantly enhance the quality of your academic writing, ensuring that it meets the high standards expected in scholarly communication.
Once the editing phase is complete, the proofreading begins, focusing on the fine details of grammar and punctuation. This stage involves scrutinizing the paper for common grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues and tense consistency. Attention to punctuation is equally essential; mistakes like comma splices and misplaced commas can disrupt the flow and clarity of writing. Rigorous proofreading ensures that the paper adheres to the grammatical standards expected in academic settings.
In addition to grammar and punctuation, proofreading must address spelling and typographical errors. While spell-check tools are helpful, they are not infallible. It is crucial to manually review the document for commonly confused words (e.g., ‘there” vs. ‘their’ ) and typographical mistakes that automated tools might miss. This meticulous attention to detail can distinguish between polished and sloppy paper. Online paper writing services can provide additional proofreading support, ensuring your document is polished and professional.
Consistency in formatting and adherence to citation guidelines are vital in academic writing. During proofreading, verify that the paper follows the specific citation style required, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. Ensure all headings, fonts, and spacing are uniform throughout the document. Proper formatting enhances the paper’s presentation and demonstrates a professional approach to academic writing, reflecting well on the author.
Take a break.
One effective strategy for editing and proofreading is to take a break after finishing the initial draft. Stepping away from the paper allows you to return with a fresh perspective, making it easier to spot errors and inconsistencies. This distance can be crucial for effective self-revision and significantly improve the paper’s quality.
Reading the paper aloud is another helpful technique. This strategy makes it easier to catch awkward phrasing and subtle errors that might be overlooked when reading silently. Hearing the words can help identify rhythm issues and improve the overall flow of the paper, ensuring that the narrative is smooth and engaging.
For additional support, consider using digital editing tools. Services like Grammarly, Hemingway, or ProWritingAid can provide valuable feedback for grammar, style, and readability. While these tools should not replace manual revision, they can complement your efforts and help ensure a higher standard of accuracy.
Engaging peers or mentors in the editing process can provide new insights and feedback that might be missed when working alone. A peer review can highlight unclear sections and offer suggestions for improvement, enriching the paper’s development.
Finally, tackle editing and proofreading in separate stages. Focusing on content and minute details simultaneously can be overwhelming and less effective. By breaking the process into manageable tasks, you can concentrate more fully on each aspect, ensuring a thorough review.
Editing and proofreading are indispensable stages in the writing process that enhance academic papers’ clarity, coherence, and professionalism. By adopting strategic approaches and avoiding common pitfalls, writers can significantly improve the quality of their work. Whether self-revising or using a professional paper writing service, remember that meticulous attention to detail can transform a good paper into a great one.
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Structure of doctoral curricula.
Information regarding the structure of the Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Music Education degrees is available under the relevant departmental sections of this bulletin. All Doctor of Music degrees, however, have a common structure, as discussed in this section. Specific requirements relating to each category may be found under departmental listings. Further details of general requirements for the degree may be found in the " Regulations and Procedures " section of this bulletin.
36-38 credit hours.
12 credit hours. The Doctor of Music degree requires a minor in music history and literature, music theory, or music education. Certain departments may further restrict the choice of options for the minor field for their majors. For DM students who have completed master’s degrees in one of these three fields, the appropriate department may, with the approval of the director of graduate studies, waive part or all of the doctoral minor coursework and determine an appropriate department involvement in the written and oral qualifying examinations. Students will take additional courses in the major field or in other areas to make up the required 12 credit hours of the first minor.
12 credit hours. Credit hours may be used toward a second formal minor inside or outside the Jacobs School of Music; toward an individualized minor; or toward general electives taken inside or outside the Jacobs School of Music, including within the major field. The follow ing conditions apply:
If all credit hours are taken in a single field outside the student’s department or on an instrument other than the student's major instrument, a formal minor must be declared. A maximum of 9 credit hours may be taken in a single department unless a minor is declared.
Candidates for doctoral degrees who expect to do research in specialized fields or who must have specialized techniques beyond those normally required of master’s degree students must possess or acquire such techniques in addition to the regular course requirements. Candidates for certain doctoral degrees have language or tool subject requirements according to the nature of their degree plans.
Applicants for a doctoral degree are not considered candidates for the degree until they have passed the qualifying examinations and have been recommended by their advisory committee to the dean of the University Graduate School or the dean of the Jacobs School of Music.
Before the qualifying examinations are scheduled, doctoral students must have been admitted to the curriculum and have met the following preliminary requirements:
Research topic proposals must be approved by the student’s research committee and, if the research involves human subjects, by the Bloomington Institutional Review Board. Information on procedures for securing approval of research topics may be obtained from the Music Graduate Office. When preliminary requirements have been met, students may schedule qualifying examinations in the Music Graduate Office. Upon application, written qualifying examinations may be written during the summer term.
Written Examinations
Except as listed below, students must take written examinations in the major and minor fields. These examinations are prepared by the advisory committee member(s) representing the major or minor field and may be based on the content of courses taken in each field or on the background and concepts pertinent to the area. A failed examination may be retaken once.
Oral Examination
The oral qualifying examination is administered by the student’s advisory committee. The major field oral qualifying examination has as its aim the assessment of the student’s knowledge of the major area. For DM students (performance, conducting, or composition), the examination is especially focused on the literature included in a repertoire list approved by the chair of the student’s advisory committee and the director of graduate studies, a list which must include composers that reflect diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, or other historically excluded groups. The responsibility for assessing this requirement for diversity rests with the advisory committee chair. This examination may include assessment of the student’s ability to articulate an understanding of the formal/analytical characteristics of the music, its historical development and social context, and features related to its teaching and learning. Minor field oral examinations, if required, take place at the same time as the major field oral examination, but are evaluated separately. The result of each portion of the examination is determined by a majority vote of the advisory committee members from that field. A failed examination may be retaken once. The committee will prescribe the scope of questioning of the reexamination. Oral examinations may be scheduled during the summer term only if the entire advisory committee is available.
Instructions for the development of a topic proposal may be obtained from the Music Graduate Office ( https://intranet.music.indiana.edu/degrees/graduate-diploma/doctoral/ ). The same office manages the scheduling of the dissertation or final project public presentation. Students desiring to undertake the public presentation during the summer term should consult the Music Graduate Office before March 15.
In order to make the final project public presentation (where required), a DM student must be a candidate for the degree and have completed all other degree requirements, including recitals. The public presentation may take one of a number of formats as outlined on the Music Graduate Office website: https://intranet.music.indiana.edu/degrees/graduate-diploma/doctoral/ .
A PhD or DME student must be a candidate for the degree in order to defend a dissertation. The defense of the dissertation is oral and is normally based upon the dissertation, although it may also address the major field literature or any field of general music interest that the research committee deems pertinent.
Previous bulletins.
Students are ordinarily subject to the curricular requirements outlined in the Bulletin in effect at the start of their current degree. See below for links to previous Bulletins.
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Home > ETDs 2023- > 281
Statistical analysis of the cellular structure in normal and oblique detonation waves.
Robyn Cideme , University of Central Florida Follow
Gaseous detonations, Cellular structure, Pressure gain combustion, Oblique detonation wave, Combustion modeling
The advent of detonation-based propulsion systems represents an opportunity for more sustainable combustion processes and hypersonic travel. In regular detonations, some yet to be resolved instabilities are attributed to the propagation and collision of triple points, formed at the intersection of a Mach stem, an incident shock and a transverse wave. Over time, the tracks observed by these points form a structure made of diamond-shaped cells. Ultimately, The ability to sustain these instabilities plays a key role in the propagation of detonations. The present work unveils the dynamics of gaseous detonations at a sub-cellular level. The experiments are conducted with hydrogen fuel which is of great potential for detonation engine applications. The hydrogen-oxygen mixtures are held at stoichiometry and the nitrogen dilution in oxygen is varied from 30% to 70%. This allows to observe the effects of activation energy through the dilution on the sub-cellular wave dynamics. Measurements of cell sizes and wave velocity are reported through shadowgraph imaging. A new methodology is developed for the simultaneous resolution of the velocity field and cellular structure. The statistical analysis is made possible due to the design of a fully automated detonation facility. The experiments are conducted in a thin channel to minimize gradients in the third direction and confine the detonation cells to a plane. The results in cell sizes are in good agreement with the literature and expand the conditions reported thus far. Local observations of the velocity within the cells are used to explain the regularity of the overall wave speed, found to increase at lower dilution. Lastly, high fidelity simulations are conducted to model the cellular structure in hydrogen-air oblique detonation waves. Similarly to the experiments, the velocity field is extracted along the detonation cells and reveals the effects of wave curvature on triple point dynamics.
Committee chair.
Ahmed, Kareem
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College of Engineering and Computer Science
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace Engineering
application/pdf
Length of campus-only access, access status.
Doctoral Dissertation (Campus-only Access)
Orlando (Main) Campus
Cideme, Robyn, "Statistical Analysis of the Cellular Structure in Normal and Oblique Detonation Waves" (2024). Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024 . 281. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2023/281
Meets minimum standards for ETDs/HUTs
Restricted to the UCF community until 8-15-2027 ; it will then be open access.
Since August 26, 2024
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Objective To examine the acute and chronic effects of reducing prolonged sedentary time (ST) with physical activity (PA) on cognitive and brain health.
Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data sources PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses.
Eligibility criteria Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published from inception to 17 June 2024, with healthy participants without cognitive impairment or neurological conditions that affect cognitive functioning, aged ≥4 years, testing acute and chronic effects of reducing ST and/or prolonged ST by reallocating ST to PA on cognitive function, brain function, and structure.
Results We included 25 RCTs (n=1289) investigating acute (21 studies) and chronic (4 studies) effects on cognitive function (acute: n=20, chronic: n=4) and brain function (acute: n=7, chronic: n=1); there were no studies on brain structure. Acutely interrupting continuous ST with either multiple or a single PA bout improved cognitive function measured from 3 hours to three consecutive days based on 91 effect sizes ( g =0.17, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.29, p=0.005, I 2 =45.5%). When comparing single versus multiple PA bouts, only multiple PA bouts yielded a positive effect on cognitive function based on 72 effect sizes ( g =0.20, 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.35, p=0.006; I 2 =48.8%). Chronic studies reported null findings on cognitive function (n=4), with some evidence of improved neural efficiency of the hippocampus (n=1).
Conclusion Interrupting ST with PA acutely improves cognitive function. The evidence from chronic studies remains inconclusive.
Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42020200998.
Data are available in a public, open access repository. All data used in this study are publicly available in the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/wkyrb/?view_only=53fcae98b76b4f9e91f9208694512415 .
https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108444
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Contributors NF: drafted the manuscript and performed data analysis; TSL: acquired the data and performed qualitative data analysis; NB, RJS: screened and acquired the data; NP, TA, A-FU, AY, SM, DH, DV, EMM, TS, SD, HS, WK, KG, ON, FQ, ELC: screened the data; JJP: codesigned search strategies; TSL, LR, PCH: contributed to data interpretation; DMMP conceived of the work presented in the manuscript, designed search strategies, acquired the data, drafted the manuscript. All authors have critically reviewed the manuscript for important intellectual content. DP acts as a guarantor for the study.
Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. NF is funded by the CNPq (150161/2023-9). TSL is funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (2021/43/D/HS6/02959). LY was supported by Shenzhen Educational Research Funding [grant number zdzb2014], Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission [grant number 202307313000096], Social Science Foundation from the China’s Ministry of Education [grant number 23YJA880093], The Post-doctoral Fellowship [grant number 2022M711174], The National Center for Mental Health [grant number Z014], and Research Excellence Scholarships of Shenzhen University [grant number ZYZD2305] MF and GG are funded by the National Institute on Aging [grant numbers R01AG059878 and RF1AG062666]. DMP is funded by the National Institute on Aging [grant numbers R21AG080411-01A1 and R01AG059878].
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.
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Time to recap…. And there you have it - the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows: Title page. Acknowledgments page. Abstract (or executive summary) Table of contents, list of figures and tables.
The structure of your dissertation depends on a variety of factors, such as your discipline, topic, and approach. Dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay, building an overall argument to support a central thesis, with chapters organized around different themes or case studies.
Dissertation structure and requirements Title page. The focus of your dissertation title page is—surprise!—your title. The title of your dissertation should succinctly explain the topic you're discussing and directly relate to your research question or thesis statement. Anyone who reads the title should understand what you're writing about.
The dissertation will be structured such that it starts with an introduction, develops on the main idea in its main body paragraphs and is then summarised in conclusion. However, if you are basing your dissertation on primary or empirical research, you will be required to include each of the below components.
Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal. Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter. Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review. Undertake your own research. Present and interpret your findings. Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications.
abstract, appendices, conclusion, discussion, essay title, introduction, literature review, method, references, results, structure. In this post, we look at the structural elements of a typical dissertation. Your department may wish you to include additional sections but the following covers all core elements you will need to work on when ...
The structure of a dissertation depends on your field, but it is usually divided into at least four or five chapters (including an introduction and conclusion chapter). The most common dissertation structure in the sciences and social sciences includes: An introduction to your topic. A literature review that surveys relevant sources.
It can intimidating to know where to start your dissertation, which is probably the longest piece of writing you've ever written. In this video, you'll learn...
A thesis or dissertation outline helps you to organize your ideas succinctly, and can provide you with a roadmap for your research. FAQ ... This is a short paragraph at the end of your introduction to inform readers about the organizational structure of your thesis or dissertation. This chapter outline is also known as a reading guide or ...
Revised on 5 May 2022. A dissertation is a large research project undertaken at the end of a degree. It involves in-depth consideration of a problem or question chosen by the student. It is usually the largest (and final) piece of written work produced during a degree. The length and structure of a dissertation vary widely depending on the ...
The structure of a dissertation methodology can vary depending on your field of study, the nature of your research, and the guidelines of your institution. However, a standard structure typically includes the following elements: Introduction: Briefly introduce your overall approach to the research.
Overview of the structure. To help guide your reader, end your introduction with an outline of the structure of the thesis or dissertation to follow. Share a brief summary of each chapter, clearly showing how each contributes to your central aims. However, be careful to keep this overview concise: 1-2 sentences should be enough.
Thesis Abstract. The first part of the thesis structure is the abstract. It is basically an overview of the entire paper. There is no set dissertation abstract structure. It is just a summary of your thesis and it should be just 200 to 300 words long.
Abstract. Usually around 300 words long, the abstract is meant to be a concise summary of your dissertation. It should briefly cover the question(s) you aim to answer, your primary argument and your conclusion. Introduction. The purpose of the introduction is to provide context for the rest of the dissertation, setting out your aims and the scope of what you want to achieve with your research.
A dissertation is a long written piece of academic research completed as part of a university degree. The dissertation will be the longest thing you write at university. It might be anywhere from: Shortest: 5000 words long (a baby undergraduate dissertation), up to. Longest: 100,000 words (a PhD dissertation in the social sciences).
A typical thesis structure. 1. Abstract. The abstract is the overview of your thesis and generally very short. This section should highlight the main contents of your thesis "at a glance" so that someone who is curious about your work can get the gist quickly. Take a look at our guide on how to write an abstract for more info.
Writing a masters dissertation or thesis is a sizable task. It takes a considerable amount of research, studying and writing. Usually, students need to write around 10,000 to 15,000 words. It is completely normal to find the idea of writing a masters thesis or dissertation slightly daunting, even for students who have written one before at ...
Summarize the dissertation structure, including a preview of the subsequent chapters. State how the chosen issue is relevant in the modern age. Chapter 2: Literature Review. In essence, the literature review is a comprehensive survey and synthesis of studies that already exist on the selected topic. It often forms the basis for the theoretical ...
Each student and their supervisory committee should work together to determine the scholarly scope and most appropriate structure of the thesis, keeping in mind scholarly standards within their fields and professional objectives of the student. As forms of scholarship continue to evolve, so do the possibilities for how a body of scholarly work can be expressed. Theses at UBC can include many ...
Thesis. Definition: Thesis is a scholarly document that presents a student's original research and findings on a particular topic or question. It is usually written as a requirement for a graduate degree program and is intended to demonstrate the student's mastery of the subject matter and their ability to conduct independent research.
Thesis Structure. This page outlines the stages of an honours thesis and provides links to other pages that will give you more information and some examples from past theses. Abstract: Write this last. It is an overview of your whole thesis, and is between 200-300 words.
When starting your thesis or dissertation process, one of the first requirements is a research proposal or a prospectus. It describes what or who you want to examine, delving into why, when, where, and how you will do so, stemming from your research question and a relevant topic. The proposal or prospectus stage is crucial for the development ...
Meaning, Projects, Report Work. A dissertation is a long academic piece of writing based on a student's independent research. It is usually submitted in the final semester of UG, PG and PhD courses. It takes about 1-2 years to complete the dissertation as it requires a lot of research and written documentation.
of your dissertation, so that the dissertation or thesis approval forms may be properly prepared to match your title page. • The table of contents and the lists of tables of figures do not match what is actually in text. You must make a systematic check of each of these pages against the text to be certain that titles and page numbers are ...
A Thesis and its Parts. The thesis structure format implies such parts, obligatory for a good consistent work. Title Page. It is the first page, forming the impression of the whole work. There should be the title itself, the writer's name, academic information (institution, department, and others), and submission date. There may be some ...
Evaluate the strength and clarity of the thesis statement and its supporting arguments. Each point should be well-supported with credible evidence and linked to the main thesis. This ensures that the paper presents a convincing argument that is both informative and engaging to the reader. Structure and Organization
Suggested structure for the proposal 1. Introduction In order to draw the attention to your proposal, you must write an interesting introduction that leads to the formulation of your project idea. You may want to include the topic of your proposed project: a heritage element or a heritage-related phenomenon (e.g. medieval churches in Armenia,
Information regarding the structure of the Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Music Education degrees is available under the relevant departmental sections of this bulletin. All Doctor of Music degrees, however, have a common structure, as discussed in this section. ... Credit hours may be used for capstone courses (e.g., dissertation, document ...
The advent of detonation-based propulsion systems represents an opportunity for more sustainable combustion processes and hypersonic travel. In regular detonations, some yet to be resolved instabilities are attributed to the propagation and collision of triple points, formed at the intersection of a Mach stem, an incident shock and a transverse wave. Over time, the tracks observed by these ...
Objective To examine the acute and chronic effects of reducing prolonged sedentary time (ST) with physical activity (PA) on cognitive and brain health. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses. Eligibility criteria Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published from inception to ...