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A Guide to Dissertation Planning: Tips, Tools and Templates

Dissertations are a defining piece of academic research and writing for all students. To complete such a large research project while maintaining a good work-life balance, planning and organisation is essential. In this article, we’ll outline three categories for dissertation planning including project management, note-taking and information management, alongside tools and templates for planning and researching effectively.

For both undergraduates and postgraduates, a dissertation is an important piece of academic research and writing. A large research project often has many moving parts from managing information, meetings, and data to completing a lengthy write-up with drafts and edits. Although this can feel daunting, getting ahead with effective planning and organisation will make this process easier. By implementing project management techniques and tools, you can define a research and writing workflow that allows you to work systematically. This will enable you to engage in critical thinking and deep work, rather than worrying about organisation and deadlines. 

To get prepared, you can do two things: First, start your preliminary readings and research to define a topic and methodology.  You can do this in summer or during the first few weeks of university but the sooner, the better. This gives you time to discuss things with your supervisor, and really choose a topic of interest. Second, begin preparing the tools and techniques you’ll be using for your research and writing workflow. You can use the preliminary research phase to test these out, and see what works for you. 

Below, we’ll cover three key aspects to consider when managing your dissertation, alongside some digital tools for planning, research and writing. 

The 3 Categories of Dissertation Planning

Project Management and Planning 

Your dissertation is a project that requires both long and short-term planning. For long-term planning, roadmaps are useful to break your work down into sections, chapters or stages. This will give you a clear outline of the steps you need to work through to complete your dissertation in a timely manner. 

Most likely, your roadmap will be a mixture of the stages in your research project and the sections of your write-up. For example, stage 1 might be defined as preliminary research and proposal writing. While stage 3 might be completing your literature review, while collecting data. 

This roadmap can be supplemented by a timeline of deadlines, this is when those stages or chapters need to be completed by. Your timeline will inform your short-term plans, and define the tasks that need completing on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. This approach, using a roadmap and timeline, allows you to capture all the moving parts of your dissertation, and focus on small sub-sections at a time. A clear plan can make it easy to manage setbacks, such as data collection issues, or needing more time for editing. 

Note-taking 

Whether you use a notebook, or digital tool, it’s ideal to have a dedicated research space for taking general notes. This might include meeting notes from supervision, important information from informational dissertation lectures, or key reminders, ideas and thoughts. It can be your go-to place for miscellaneous to-do lists, or to map out your thought processes. It’s good to have something on hand that is easy to access, and keeps your notes together in one place. 

Beyond this, you’ll also need a dedicated space or system for literature and research notes. These notes are important for avoiding plagiarism, communicating your ideas, and connecting key findings together. A proper system or space can make it easier to manage this information, and find the appropriate reference material when writing. Within this system, you might also include templates or checklists, for example, a list of critical reading questions to work through when assessing a paper. 

Information Management 

It’s important to consider how you plan to organise your literature, important documents, and written work. Note-taking is a part of this, however, this goes a step further to carefully organise all aspects of your dissertation. For example, it’s ideal to keep track of your literature searches, the papers you’ve read, and their citations but also, your reading progress. Being able to keep track of how many passes a paper has been through, how relevant it is, or where it fits within your themes, or ideas, will provide a good foundation for writing a well-thought out dissertation. 

Likewise, editing is an important part of the write-up process. You’ll have multiple drafts, revisions and feedback to consider. It’s good to have some way of keeping track of all this, to ensure all changes and edits have been completed. You might also have checklists or procedures to follow when collecting data, or working through your research. A good information management process can reduce stress, making everything easy to access and keep track of, which then allows you to focus on getting the actual work complete. 

Digital Project Management and Research Tools for Dissertation Planning 

Trello is a project management tool that uses boards, lists and cards to help you manage all your tasks. In a board, you can create lists, and place cards within these lists. Cards contain a range of information such as notes, checklists, and due dates. Cards and lists can be used to implement a digital kanban board system , allowing you to move cards into a ‘to-do’, ‘in progress’ or ‘complete’ list. This gives a visual representation of your progress.

This is a flexible, easy to use and versatile tool that can help with project management of your dissertation. For example, cards and lists can be used to track your literature, each card can represent a paper and lists could be 1st pass, 2nd pass, or be divided into themes. Likewise, you can use this approach to organise the various chapters or stages of your dissertation, and break down tasks in a visual way. Students have used Trello to manage academic literature reviews , daily life as an academic , and collaborate with their supervisors for feedback and revisions on their write-up. 

Notion is an all-in-one note-taking and project management tool that is highly customisable. Using content blocks, pages, and databases, this tool allows you to build a workspace tailored to your needs. Databases are a key feature of Notion, this function allows you to organise and define pages using a range of properties such as tags, dates, numbers, categories and more. This database can then be displayed in a multitude of ways using different views, and filters. 

For example, you can create a table with each entry being a page of meeting notes with your supervisor, you can assign a date, person, and tags to each page. You can then filter this information by date, or view it in a board format. Likewise, you can use the calendar to add deadlines, within these deadlines, you can expand the page to add information, and switch to ‘timeline’ view . This is perfect for implementing project management techniques when planning your dissertation. 

Although this may sound complicated, there are many templates and resources to get you started . Notion is an ideal tool for covering all three aspects of dissertation planning from project and information management to note-taking of all kinds. Students have used Notion for literature reviews , thesis writing , long-term PhD planning , thesis management , and academic writing . The best part, these students not only share their systems, but have also created free templates to help you build your own system for research. 

Asana is a project management and to-do list tool that uses boards, lists, timelines and calendars. If you’re someone who prefers using lists to organise your life and projects, Asana is ideal for you. You can use this tool to manage deadlines, reading progress, or break down your work into projects and sub-tasks. Asana can integrate with your calendar, which is perfect if you already use other calendar tools for organisation. If something like Notion is too overwhelming, using a mixture of tools with different purposes can be a more comfortable approach. 

Genei is an AI-powered research tool for note-taking and literature management. Your research and reading material can be imported, and organised using projects and folders. For each file, genei produces an AI-powered summary, document outline, keyword list and overview. This tool also extracts key information such as tables, figures, and all the references mentioned. You can read through documents 70% faster but also, collect related articles by clicking on the items in the reference list. Genei can generate citations, and be used alongside other popular reference management tools, such as Zotero and Mendeley . 

This tool is ideal for navigating information management and literature notes for your dissertation. You can compile notes across single documents or folders of documents using the AI-generated summaries. These notes remain linked to their original source, which removes the need for you to keep track of this information. If you find it hard to reword content, there’s also summarising and paraphrasing tools to help get you started. Genei is a great tool to use alongside project management solutions, such as Trello and Asana, and note-taking tools like Notion. You can define an efficient research and writing workflow using these range of tools, and make it easier to stay on top of your dissertation. 

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Dissertation Planner: Dissertation Planner

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This Dissertation Planner is a step-by-step guide to help you write a dissertation from starting to think about your question through to final submission. At each stage you will find useful tips and support. You can return to the planner by bookmarking the URL. 

• Last Updated: Mar 13, 2024 3:14 PM
• URL: https://library.soton.ac.uk/sash/dissertation-planner

Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings . In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

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:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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Your Dissertation Plan - 18 Free Tools

Find your perfect postgrad program search our database of 30,000 courses.

• by Charlotte King
• In Theses and Dissertations

A dissertation  requires solid organisational skills and effective time management  in order to achieve a high standard, so we’ve put together a list of some of the best free tools available to make the planning stages of your project easier.  

Choosing a topic

Before you even get near your research proposal , you need to have a topic in mind. Mind mapping is a great way to organise and visualise your early ideas when developing your dissertation topic. Mind42.com 's mind mapping tool allows you to collaborate with colleagues online, which could be useful for sharing with peers or your project supervisor. Mindmeister.com  also features collaboration and boasts mobile access with it’s free iPhone app, whilst Bubbl.us  focuses on speed with it's handy keyboard shortcuts.

Evernote  provides tools for your computer, mobile device, or web browser which capture your ideas, notes, and inspiration wherever you are. This free toolset lets users save text notes, web pages, photos, and screenshots with a comprehensive search feature so that you can retrieve your ideas quickly and easily.

Reading & research

Using Google Scholar  you can search a large index of scholarly articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions. To get the most out this research tool check out Google’s guide to Advanced Scholar Searches . Compiling a bibliography in the required format can be a time consuming task at the end of a dissertation, especially if you haven't kept track whilst writing . Fortunately there are free tools available which help you to store your citations from the beginning of your project and retrieve them in a number of commonly use formats. Bibdesk  is an Open Source Mac app with bibliography management and search features, as well as some useful import and export capabilities. Alternatively, you could use Zotero 's browser extension for Firefox which can automatically sync your data with multiple computers. It also features browsing for mobile devices, which means you can access your data in away from your computer. For Windows users, BiblioExpress  offers a simple reference manager that can format citations in common styles such as ACS, APA, and MLA.

Planning your time

Time management is crucial  in a large project such as a dissertation. It may be useful to plan backwards from your deadline, allowing extra time where necessary for unforeseen delays and revisions. Gantt charts are a very visual way to allocate time to your dissertation tasks and there are many free tools to help you build your own. This is especially great if you're accommodating some non-work time too . Google Docs has a Gadget  in it’s spreadsheet feature which creates Gantt charts for free. Similarly, if you already own Microsoft Excel you can build Gantt charts with it too.

Tomsplanner  is a dedicated web-based Gantt generator which is free for personal use, and Team Gantt 's free trial offers an alternative with a slick interface. If you’re not keen on Gantt charts you could simply plan your project in a standard calendar. Google Calendars  is web based meaning you can access it from any computer and most mobile devices. You could also share your calendar with your supervisor if you think you're likely to miss deadlines. Microsoft Outlook’s calendar and iCalendar on Mac could also be useful planning tools.

To-do lists

If you need to organise your dissertation workload on a shorter time scale,  TeuxDeux 's well designed interface helps you to plan your tasks on a weekly basis. There’s also a paid iPhone app for task management on the go.

HabitRPG  is an excellent option for those of you who need a bit of positive reinforcement alongside your planning. If a week is still too much to think about, check out Todokyo  which takes simplicity to the next level with a clean-looking daily list.

Productivity

If you find yourself constantly distracted by the lures of email and social networking, you could try Freedom’s free trial . This Mac app blocks your web connection for up to 3 hours at a time, leaving you to concentrate on your dissertation. Alternatively you can block specific websites from Firefox using Leechblock , and Google Chrome users can do the same with StayFocusd .

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Halley Jan. 10, 2020, 5:57 a.m.

Great article! Thank you :)

Charlotte King Jan. 13, 2020, 8:28 p.m.

Glad you liked it – hope you found it useful too!

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How to plan your dissertation

It's probably the most important piece of research and writing you will undertake during your undergraduate career – so the thought of writing your dissertation can be daunting. Starting out with a robust plan will focus your research, use your time efficiently and keep the task manageable.

Select your field of interest

First things first: what topics have you most enjoyed on your course? Investigating a subject you genuinely enjoy will make dissertation research less overwhelming.

Do as much preliminary reading around the subject area as you can to make sure there is plenty of literature out there to support your initial ideas.

Take a good look at the most recent writings in your areas of interest. They will help you to identify the best angle to take and could highlight the gaps in current inquiry that you can address.

Choose an approach and a title

What will your line of inquiry be? You may, for example, wish to extend a study that has already been carried out, apply a theory to some practical experience and critique how successful it is, or closely analyse an idea or object using a particular approach.

Your approach will inform your title. The title should clearly present the line of inquiry your dissertation will take. If you're unsure, make up a working title. You could even compose a few different titles each with a slightly different emphasis, and keep them all in mind as you do your research.

Remember to run your title by your dissertation tutor. They will be able to give you advice, help you refine any grey areas and suggest reading for research.

Make an outline plan

The general essay structure is as follows:

Introduction – say what you are going to say Main body – say it Conclusion – say what you've said

You can break down each of these three areas further. In the introduction, your subheadings could include:

What you are examining How are you going to do it (concepts/theories/studies)

The main body might break down into:

Definitions, setting out areas of research, anticipating problems Main argument or theme Alternative argument or theme

And your conclusion would include:

Summary of your findings Is there a solution? What remains unresolved? What future research could illuminate the issue further?

Start a list of sources

When you're planning your sections, include the full names of books and page numbers wherever you can to help you retrieve information quickly as you write your draft. It is also useful to begin to compile you bibliography during the planning stage.

Review and adjust your plan as you go

Even the best laid plans go astray – so don't worry! As you read and research around your key areas, the structure and direction of your initial plan may shift. This is the beauty of having a plan. As a potential new focus arises, you can adjust your title, section headings and content notes to encompass your new ideas before your draft writing begins. A good plan means you will not lose focus on the end result.

Next in this three-part series: How to write your dissertation.

Thanks to Goldsmiths University for supplying this content.

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• Dissertation
• Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Published on 8 June 2022 by Tegan George .

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process . It helps you to lay out and organise 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:

• Your anticipated title
• Your abstract
• Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review, research methods, avenues for future research, etc.)

In the final product, you can also provide a chapter outline for your readers. This is a short paragraph at the end of your introduction to inform readers about the organisational structure of your thesis or dissertation . This chapter outline is also known as a reading guide or summary outline.

Table of contents

How to outline your thesis or dissertation, dissertation and thesis outline templates, chapter outline example, sample sentences for your chapter outline, sample verbs for variation in your chapter outline, frequently asked questions about outlines.

While there are some inter-institutional differences, many outlines proceed in a fairly similar fashion.

• Working Title
• ‘Elevator pitch’ of your work (often written last).
• Introduce your area of study, sharing details about your research question, problem statement , and hypotheses . Situate your research within an existing paradigm or conceptual or theoretical framework .
• Subdivide as you see fit into main topics and sub-topics.
• Describe your research methods (e.g., your scope, population , and data collection ).
• Present your research findings and share about your data analysis methods.
• Answer the research question in a concise way.
• Interpret your findings, discuss potential limitations of your own research and speculate about future implications or related opportunities.

To help you get started, we’ve created a full thesis or dissertation template in Word or Google Docs format. It’s easy adapt it to your own requirements.

 Download Word template    Download Google Docs template

It can be easy to fall into a pattern of overusing the same words or sentence constructions, which can make your work monotonous and repetitive for your readers. Consider utilising some of the alternative constructions presented below.

Example 1: Passive construction

The passive voice is a common choice for outlines and overviews because the context makes it clear who is carrying out the action (e.g., you are conducting the research ). However, overuse of the passive voice can make your text vague and imprecise.

Example 2: IS-AV construction

You can also present your information using the ‘IS-AV’ (inanimate subject with an active verb) construction.

A chapter is an inanimate object, so it is not capable of taking an action itself (e.g., presenting or discussing). However, the meaning of the sentence is still easily understandable, so the IS-AV construction can be a good way to add variety to your text.

Example 3: The I construction

Another option is to use the ‘I’ construction, which is often recommended by style manuals (e.g., APA Style and Chicago style ). However, depending on your field of study, this construction is not always considered professional or academic. Ask your supervisor if you’re not sure.

Example 4: Mix-and-match

To truly make the most of these options, consider mixing and matching the passive voice , IS-AV construction , and ‘I’ construction .This can help the flow of your argument and improve the readability of your text.

As you draft the chapter outline, you may also find yourself frequently repeating the same words, such as ‘discuss’, ‘present’, ‘prove’, or ‘show’. Consider branching out to add richness and nuance to your writing. Here are some examples of synonyms you can use.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organise your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .

All level 1 and 2 headings should be included in your table of contents . That means the titles of your chapters and the main sections within them.

The contents should also include all appendices and the lists of tables and figures, if applicable, as well as your reference list .

Do not include the acknowledgements or abstract   in the table of contents.

Cite this Scribbr article

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

George, T. (2022, June 08). Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved 13 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/outline-thesis-dissertation/

Is this article helpful?

Tegan George

Other students also liked, dissertation table of contents in word | instructions & examples, how to write a dissertation proposal | a step-by-step guide, thesis & dissertation acknowledgements | tips & examples.

Library Guides

Dissertations 1: getting started: planning.

• Starting Your Dissertation
• Choosing A Topic and Researching
• Devising An Approach/Method
• Thinking Of A Title
• Writing A Proposal

Planning Your Time

The dissertation is a large project, so it needs careful planning. To organise your time, you can try the following:  

Break down the dissertation into smaller stages to complete (e.g., literature search, read materials, data collection, write literature review section…). 

Create a schedule. Working backwards from your deadline, decide when you will complete each stage. 

Set aside time to regularly work on the dissertation. 

Consider what times of day you are most alert and what makes a suitable space to study. 

Identify a specific task to work on. 

If overwhelmed, try to identify one task that needs doing rather than focusing on the larger project. 

Leave time to redraft, proof-read, format, and complete the reference list. 

Gantt Charts

As the dissertation project involves certain processes to take place simultaneously, rather than in a sequence, you can use a Gantt chart to organise your time.  

A Gantt chart is a bar chart which shows the schedule for a project. The project is broken down into key tasks/elements to be completed. A start and finish date for each task/element of the project is given. Some tasks are scheduled at the same time or may overlap. Others will start when a task has been completed. 

To produce a Gantt chart, you can use Word, Excel (see example in the attachment) or an online planner.

• Tom's Planner . There's  an example  for you to use to complete your plan. 
• Excel:  example of Gantt Chart in Excel . This is an example of a Gantt chart which can be used to generate a plan of work (timeline) for your dissertation. You can download and edit it as you please. The chart has been created by the University of Leicester. 

Research Data Management

This video helps you to understand the importance of research data management and how you can plan, organise, store, preserve, and share your data.

• Link to video on Research Data Management
• Feedback Form Please give us feedback on our videos!
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• URL: https://libguides.westminster.ac.uk/starting-your-dissertation

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Dissertation planning

Information on how to plan and manage your dissertation project.

What is research?

A dissertation project is an opportunity to pursue your own ideas in an environment of relative intellectual freedom.

It also present a number of new challenges relating to the scale, scope and structure of a piece of work that is likely to be more substantial than any you have undertaken before.

These resources will help you to break the process down and explore ways to plan and structure your research and organise your written work.

A research-led university

Sheffield prides itself on being a  research-led university . Crucially, this means that teaching is informed by cutting-edge research in the academic field.

It also means that you are learning in an environment where you develop and use research skills as you progress. The most successful students tend to develop research skills early and use them consistently.

Research in higher education

Research sometimes just means finding out information about a topic. However, in the HE setting, specific understandings of 'research' carry a lot of weight.

The classic definition is that research leads to an original ' contribution to knowledge ' in a particular field of inquiry by defining an important question or problem and then answering or solving it in a systematic way.

You will build this contribution on the foundation of a robust structure of primary and secondary sources and evidence.

Differences across disciplines

Depending on the discipline you work in, there will be different ways of designing and articulating a research problem and different methods for answering these problems.

Not everything about research is 'original'. Sometimes the majority (or even all) of a research project will involve documenting or summarising information or ideas that are already available.

Not all research leads to answers. Sometimes research produces unusable results, or the inquiry leads to only more questions. Sometimes the originality of a research project is that it straddles more than one field of inquiry.

Some examples of approaches to research and what that contribution to knowledge might look like include:

• Explore an under-researched area
• Develop or test out a new methodology or technique
• Extend or develop a previous study
• Review the knowledge thus far in a specific field
• Makes connections between disciplines
• Replicate an existing study/approach in a different setting
• Apply a theoretical idea to a real world problem

This all adds up to the fact that research is a complicated topic that seems to mean a lot to academic experts but is very difficult to understand intimately when you are a novice.

As someone new to research, you will need to do some work to find out how research is conceived of and done in your discipline.

301 Recommends:

Our Dissertation Planning Essentials workshop will look at the initial stages and challenges of preparing for a large-scale dissertation project.

Our Dissertation Writing workshop will break down the process of writing a dissertation and explore approaches to voice and style to help develop a way of writing academically.

Our Creativity and Research interactive workshop looks at how to identify, develop and apply your creativity and innovation skills to the research process, whatever stage you're at. In our Creativity and Problem Solving interactive workshop you'll learn how to identify and develop your creativity and innovation skills, address problems and challenges, explore creative models and strategies, and look at how you can apply this to your academic work.

Our Part 1 workshop on Setting Research Priorities will help to break down the research process by identifying the key information that you need to have in place to develop your project. It will help you to prioritise key tasks and create a project workflow to set targets, track progress and reach key milestones. Part 2 will revisit that workflow to assess progress. It will encourage you to reflect on your project so far, identify opportunities for feedback and review your intermediate targets to ensure that you stay on track towards your deadline.

Explore this Illustrated Guide to a PhD  by Matt Might as a visualisation of research to help you identify how you can develop your research ideas.  

Our Video Dissemination workshop will give you an insight into the best practices for using video to disseminate research and communicate your ideas. It will look at styles, common communication techniques and the pedagogy of visual mediums, as well as top production tips for making your content engaging, informative and professional.

Research proposals

A research proposal often needs to encompass many things: it is part description, part analysis, part review, part guesswork, part advert, part CV.

Writing a research proposal that can achieve all these things is an important first step towards realising your project idea. Your research proposal will allow you to receive some early feedback on your ideas and will act as a guide as you plan and develop your project more fully.

But how can you explain what you hope to discover in the project before you’ve done the research?

There are a number of things that you can do to make sure that your research proposal is professional, realistic and relevant:

• Read around your topic of interest as much as possible. Getting a feel for what other kinds of research have been done will give you a much clearer idea of where your project might fit in. 
• Create a mind map of relevant topics to explore the links and connections between themes. Which branches of your mind map seem most promising as an area for enquiry?
• Be realistic. You may dream of making the next big breakthrough in the field, but this is probably unlikely! Set your self aims and objectives that are realistic within the timescales of your project. 
• Finally, make sure you follow your department guidelines and include everything that you need to in your proposal. 

301 Recommends: Research Project Design Template

Make a copy of this Research project design template (google doc) to capture the key information you need to complete your research proposal.

Research ethics

Whenever you undertake research, no matter what level you are working at, it is always important to consider the immediate and continued impact of your project.

All research should be designed to ensure that individuals involved in the project as subjects or participants are treated with respect and consideration. In practice, this means that:

• Participants have a right to full knowledge about the project and what its results will be used for.
• You should also be mindful of an individual's rights to privacy and confidentiality.
• You should consider the issue of data protection, how you will store project data safely and how long you will need to retain the data
• The physical, emotional and psychological well-being of participants and researchers should be prioritised in your research design.
• Environmental impacts of the research should be considered and mitigated where possible.
• Longer-term impacts, for example, if you are planning to publish findings from the project, should also be considered. 

It is perhaps easy to think that working directly with living participants raises the most pressing ethical questions.

However, you equally need to give very important consideration to the ethics of working in text-based subjects, especially when considering unpublished material (see also copyright).

Your department will have its own guidelines on the area of research ethics and you should certainly consult your tutor or supervisor as s/he will be able to give you detailed topic-specific guidance. More more guidance on ethics in research, visit Research Services Ethics and Integrity pages here . 

Project management

The key to completing a research project successfully is to invest time in planning and organising your project.

A student research project, whether a dissertation or a research placement, will usually involve tight timescales and deadlines. Given the wealth of tasks involved in a typical dissertation project, this can seriously limit the time available for actual data collection or research. 

Setting yourself clear and achievable aims and objectives will help to ensure that the project is manageable within the timeframe available.

As an early stage of the planning process, have a go at breaking your project down into its constituent parts: i.e. all of the tasks that you will need to complete between now and the deadline. How long will each of them take? For example:

Every project will have its own specific tasks, but breaking them down in this way will allow you to start planning ahead, adding milestones to your calendar and chipping away at the project task by task. 

301 Recommends: Trello

Trello is an online planning tool that allows you to create a project workflow. It is a simple and accessible tool that allows you to set yourself deadlines, colour code tasks and share your project plan with collaborators. View our example Dissertation Planning Trello board here and some guidance for students on using Trello (Linked In Learning) .

Working with your supervisor

Your supervisor will be your first point of contact for advice on your project and to help you to resolve issues arising. 

Remember, your supervisor will have a busy schedule and may be supervising several students at once. Although they will do their best to support you, they may not be able to get back to you right away and may be limited in their availability to meet you. 

There are a number of things that you can do to make the most out of the relationship. Some strategies to consider include:

• Share plans/ideas/work-in-progress with your supervisor early 
• Plan for meetings, sketch out an informal agenda 
• Write down your main questions before the meeting. Don’t leave without answers!
• Be receptive to feedback and criticism
• Take notes/record the meeting on a smartphone with your supervisor’s permission!)

301 recommends: Supervisor and supervisee relationships interactive digital workshop

This interactive resource will help you to develop a positive and productive working relationship with your supervisor. 

Top Tips and resources

• Read other dissertations from students in your department/discipline to get an idea of how similar projects are organised and presented. 
• Break your project down into its constituent parts and treat each chapter as an essay in its own right.
• Choose a topic that interests you and will sustain your interest, not just for a few days, but for a few months!
• Write up as you go along - writing can and should be part of all stages of the diissertation planning and developing process. 
• Keep good records – don’t throw anything out!
• If in doubt, talk to your supervisor.

Internal resources

• Library -  Research and Critical Thinking Resources
• Library –  Digital Skills for Dissertations : Information, resources and training on developing your dissertation projects, including finding and referencing sources, your literature review and creating and using images and infographics.
• ELTC -  Writing Advisory Service
• 301 -  Dissertation Essentials lecture recording
• 301 -  Dissertation Writing lecture recording

External resources

• The Theis Whisperer -  Writing Blog
• Gradhacker -  When it comes to dissertations, done is best

Related information

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Plan Your Dissertation

• Charlotte Brookfield - Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
• Jamie Lewis - Cardiff University, UK
• Description

Super Quick Skills  provides the essential building blocks you need to succeed at university - fast. Packed with practical, positive advice on core academic and life skills, you’ll discover focused tips and strategies to use straight away. Whether it’s writing great essays, understanding referencing or managing your wellbeing, find out how to build good habits and progress your skills throughout your studies.

• Learn core skills quickly
• Apply them right away and see results
• Succeed in your studies and in life

Super Quick Skills  gives you the foundations you need to confidently navigate the ups and downs of university life.

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A really easy read that gives you all the information to start thinking about writing a dissertation. The format and structure is perfect for students. I have already shared this text with my Year 2 undergraduate students in preparation for their Independent Project module in Year 3.

Fantastic little book for students, it is clear, concise, easy to read, easy to follow and inexpensive! I have recommended the range of Dissertation related books to my students. Highly recommended.

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Dissertation Planner: Prepare & Propose

• Getting Started
• Prepare & Propose
• Plan & Research
• Write & Edit
• Defense & Closure
• Help & Resources

Work on Your Research Topic and Methodology

• Identify Topic
• Perform Literature Review
• Adjust Research Question
• Develop Research Methodology
• Finalize Topic

Establish a Committee

ESTABLISHING YOUR COMMITTEE moves the dissertation project ahead and will help you develop areas of interest and expertise. To begin the formation of a dissertation committee, you should:

• review departmental guidelines regarding dissertation committee make-up;
• seek out an advisor who can be a compatible ally and an on-task mentor; and
• initiate a dialog with individuals who might serve on the committee.

Overall, dissertation committee members should:

• represent a range of expertise related to your research interests and methodological choices;
• advise you throughout the process; and
• comment on written materials from the proposal stage through the conclusion of the dissertation.

Keep in mind this caveat: Forming your committee need not be driven only by the idea of amassing content experts. Rather, consider these:

• Set up a committee that includes faculty who will support you in different ways
• Work with your advisor to form your committee
• Take time to think about why you select certain faculty
• Figure out how, why, and when to interact with the committee throughout the process

Once you have found your committee members, you are required to submit an Advisory Committee Request Form, which is available on the Doctoral Degree Candidate Forms page from the Graduate School. 

Submit a Proposal

• Purpose of Proposal
• Questions to Consider
• Proposal Meeting

The specific requirements for your PROPOSAL are determined by your department and your committee. Therefore, check with your advisor to ensure compliance with these specific requirements.

Generally, the purpose of your proposal is to persuade your committee that your dissertation will pursue an interesting and worthwhile research question. Furthermore, the proposal demonstrates that you are a researcher capable of:

• explaining the significance of your research topic and question;
• setting out a plan for gathering data and assembling information;
• locating materials germane to your focus;
• pursuing substantive examination of materials gathered; and
• presenting a sound analysis of ideas to an academic audience.

The proposal helps you clarify your thoughts, arguments, and approach to your topic. The proposal is not a time to prove or claim you have read every article and book on the topic. Consider these questions when drafting a proposal:

• What problem are you going to tackle?
• Why is it a problem?
• Why is it important to solve it?
• Where are you going to look for answers?
• Why are you going to look there?

You want to make clear and explicit the ways in which your conclusions or hypotheses follow from the ideas and research you have outlined in the proposal. Moreover, you should locate your own work within the larger field of study.

Schedule your proposal meeting after approval by your advisor, and make sure to follow all departmental guidelines and procedures. Procedures for proposal meetings and approvals vary widely among departments. Check that you are following the correct ones for yours.

As in all things related to your dissertation, check often with your advisor and department about internal requirements because they may change. One good way to determine the expectations and requirements for your proposal meeting is to talk to other students in your program who have completed the proposal process.

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• Next: Plan & Research >>
• Last Updated: Jan 23, 2024 10:01 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uky.edu/dissertation-planner

50 Best Finance Dissertation Topics For Research Students

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Finance Dissertation Made Easier!

Embarking on your dissertation adventure? Look no further! Choosing the right finance dissertation topics is like laying the foundation for your research journey in Finance, and we're here to light up your path. In this blog, we're diving deep into why dissertation topics in finance matter so much. We've got some golden writing tips to share with you! We're also unveiling the secret recipe for structuring a stellar finance dissertation and exploring intriguing topics across various finance sub-fields. Whether you're captivated by cryptocurrency, risk management strategies, or exploring the wonders of Internet banking, microfinance, retail and commercial banking - our buffet of Finance dissertation topics will surely set your research spirit on fire!

What is a Finance Dissertation?

Finance dissertations are academic papers that delve into specific finance topics chosen by students, covering areas such as stock markets, banking, risk management, and healthcare finance. These dissertations require extensive research to create a compelling report and contribute to the student's confidence and satisfaction in the field of Finance. Now, let's understand why these dissertations are so important and why choosing the right Finance dissertation topics is crucial!

Why Are Finance Dissertation Topics Important?

Choosing the dissertation topics for Finance students is essential as it will influence the course of your research. It determines the direction and scope of your study. You must make sure that the Finance dissertation topics you choose are relevant to your field of interest, or you may end up finding it more challenging to write. Here are a few reasons why finance thesis topics are important:

1. Relevance

Opting for relevant finance thesis topics ensures that your research contributes to the existing body of knowledge and addresses contemporary issues in the field of Finance. Choosing a dissertation topic in Finance that is relevant to the industry can make a meaningful impact and advance understanding in your chosen area.

2. Personal Interest

Selecting Finance dissertation topics that align with your interests and career goals is vital. When genuinely passionate about your research area, you are more likely to stay motivated during the dissertation process. Your interest will drive you to explore the subject thoroughly and produce high-quality work.

3. Future Opportunities

Well-chosen Finance dissertation topics can open doors to various future opportunities. It can enhance your employability by showcasing your expertise in a specific finance area. It may lead to potential research collaborations and invitations to conferences in your field of interest.

4. Academic Supervision

Your choice of topics for dissertation in Finance also influences the availability of academic supervisors with expertise in your chosen area. Selecting a well-defined research area increases the likelihood of finding a supervisor to guide you effectively throughout the dissertation. Their knowledge and guidance will greatly contribute to the success of your research.

Writing Tips for Finance Dissertation

A lot of planning, formatting, and structuring goes into writing a dissertation. It starts with deciding on topics for a dissertation in Finance and conducting tons of research, deciding on methods, and so on. However, you can navigate the process more effectively with proper planning and organisation. Below are some tips to assist you along the way, and here is a blog on the 10 tips on writing a dissertation that can give you more information, should you need it!

1. Select a Manageable Topic

Choosing Finance research topics within the given timeframe and resources is important. Select a research area that interests you and aligns with your career goals. It will help you stay inspired throughout the dissertation process.

2. Conduct a Thorough Literature Review

A comprehensive literature review forms the backbone of your research. After choosing the Finance dissertation topics, dive deep into academic papers, books, and industry reports, gaining a solid understanding of your chosen area to identify research gaps and establish the significance of your study.

3. Define Clear Research Objectives

Clearly define your dissertation's research questions and objectives. It will provide a clear direction for your research and guide your data collection, analysis, and overall structure. Ensure your objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

4. Collect and Analyse Data

Depending on your research methodology and your Finance dissertation topics, collect and analyze relevant data to support your findings. It may involve conducting surveys, interviews, experiments, and analyzing existing datasets. Choose appropriate statistical techniques and qualitative methods to derive meaningful insights from your data.

5. Structure and Organization

Pay attention to the structure and organization of your dissertation. Follow a logical progression of chapters and sections, ensuring that each chapter contributes to the overall coherence of your study. Use headings, subheadings, and clear signposts to guide the reader through your work.

6. Proofread and Edit

Once you have completed the writing process, take the time to proofread and edit your dissertation carefully. Check for clarity, coherence, and proper grammar. Ensure that your arguments are well-supported, and eliminate any inconsistencies or repetitions. Pay attention to formatting, citation styles, and consistency in referencing throughout your dissertation.

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Finance Dissertation Topics

Now that you know what a finance dissertation is and why they are important, it's time to have a look at some of the best Finance dissertation topics. For your convenience, we have segregated these topics into categories, including cryptocurrency, risk management, internet banking, and so many more. So, let's dive right in and explore the best Finance dissertation topics:

Dissertation topics in Finance related to Cryptocurrency

1. The Impact of Regulatory Frameworks on the Volatility and Liquidity of Cryptocurrencies.

2. Exploring the Factors Influencing Cryptocurrency Adoption: A Comparative Study.

3. Assessing the Efficiency and Market Integration of Cryptocurrency Exchanges.

4. An Analysis of the Relationship between Cryptocurrency Prices and Macroeconomic Factors.

5. The Role of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) in Financing Startups: Opportunities and Challenges.

Dissertation topics in Finance related to Risk Management

1. The Effectiveness of Different Risk Management Strategies in Mitigating Financial Risks in Banking Institutions.

2. The Role of Derivatives in Hedging Financial Risks: A Comparative Study.

3. Analyzing the Impact of Risk Management Practices on Firm Performance: A Case Study of a Specific Industry.

4. The Use of Stress Testing in Evaluating Systemic Risk: Lessons from the Global Financial Crisis.

5. Assessing the Relationship between Corporate Governance and Risk Management in Financial Institutions.

Dissertation topics in Finance related to Internet Banking

1. Customer Adoption of Internet Banking: An Empirical Study on Factors Influencing Usage.

Enhancing Security in Internet Banking: Exploring Biometric Authentication Technologies.

2. The Impact of Mobile Banking Applications on Customer Engagement and Satisfaction.

3. Evaluating the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Internet Banking Services in Emerging Markets.

4. The Role of Social Media in Shaping Customer Perception and Adoption of Internet Banking.

Dissertation topics in Finance related to Microfinance

1. The Impact of Microfinance on Poverty Alleviation: A Comparative Study of Different Models.

2. Exploring the Role of Microfinance in Empowering Women Entrepreneurs.

3. Assessing the Financial Sustainability of Microfinance Institutions in Developing Countries.

4. The Effectiveness of Microfinance in Promoting Rural Development: Evidence from a Specific Region.

5. Analyzing the Relationship between Microfinance and Entrepreneurial Success: A Longitudinal Study.

Dissertation topics in Finance related to Retail and Commercial Banking

1. The Impact of Digital Transformation on Retail and Commercial Banking: A Case Study of a Specific Bank.

2. Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty in Retail Banking: An Analysis of Service Quality Dimensions.

3. Analyzing the Relationship between Bank Branch Expansion and Financial Performance.

4. The Role of Fintech Startups in Disrupting Retail and Commercial Banking: Opportunities and Challenges.

5. Assessing the Impact of Mergers and Acquisitions on the Performance of Retail and Commercial Banks.

Dissertation topics in Finance related to Alternative Investment

1. The Performance and Risk Characteristics of Hedge Funds: A Comparative Analysis.

2. Exploring the Role of Private Equity in Financing and Growing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.

3. Analyzing the Relationship between Real Estate Investments and Portfolio Diversification.

4. The Potential of Impact Investing: Evaluating the Social and Financial Returns.

5. Assessing the Risk-Return Tradeoff in Cryptocurrency Investments: A Comparative Study.

Dissertation topics in Finance related to International Affairs

1. The Impact of Exchange Rate Volatility on International Trade: A Case Study of a Specific Industry.

2. Analyzing the Effectiveness of Capital Controls in Managing Financial Crises: Comparative Study of Different Countries.

3. The Role of International Financial Institutions in Promoting Economic Development in Developing Countries.

4. Evaluating the Implications of Trade Wars on Global Financial Markets.

5. Assessing the Role of Central Banks in Managing Financial Stability in a Globalized Economy.

Dissertation topics in Finance related to Sustainable Finance

1. The impact of sustainable investing on financial performance.

2. The role of green bonds in financing climate change mitigation and adaptation.

3. The development of carbon markets.

4. The use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in investment decision-making.

5. The challenges and opportunities of sustainable Finance in emerging markets.

Dissertation topics in Finance related to Investment Banking

1. The valuation of distressed assets.

2. The pricing of derivatives.

3. The risk management of financial institutions.

4. The regulation of investment banks.

5. The impact of technology on the investment banking industry.

Dissertation topics in Finance related to Actuarial Science

1. The development of new actuarial models for pricing insurance products.

2. The use of big data in actuarial analysis.

3. The impact of climate change on insurance risk.

4. The design of pension plans that are sustainable in the long term.

5. The use of actuarial science to manage risk in other industries, such as healthcare and Finance.

Tips To Find Good Finance Dissertation Topics 

Embarking on a financial dissertation journey requires careful consideration of various factors. Your choice of topic in finance research topics is pivotal, as it sets the stage for the entire research process. Finding a good financial dissertation topic is essential to blend your interests with the current trends in the financial landscape. We suggest the following tips that can help you pick the perfect dissertation topic:

1. Identify your interests and strengths 

2. Check for current relevance

3. Feedback from your superiors

4. Finalise the research methods

5. Gather the data

6. Work on the outline of your dissertation

7. Make a draft and proofread it

In this blog, we have discussed the importance of finance thesis topics and provided valuable writing tips and tips for finding the right topic, too. We have also presented a list of topics within various subfields of Finance. With this, we hope you have great ideas for finance dissertations. Good luck with your finance research journey!

Frequently Asked Questions

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The Best Smart Notebooks of 2024

Note-taking remains essential, but it now has a modern twist.

Smart notebooks offer a seamless solution to issues you might encounter with paper notebooks: they're lightweight, easy to digitize, and offer advanced note-taking features all in one slim tablet. Here are some of the best smart notebooks you can buy today.

Kobo Libra Colour

Rocketbook smart reusable notebook, apple ipad 10, amazon kindle scribe, remarkable 2, best smart notebook overall: kobo libra colour.

Whether it's your first foray into smart notebooks or you're looking for an upgrade, the Kobo Libra Colour tablet offers an ideal balance between quality and affordability. This eReader introduces a novel e-Ink screen with color , allowing you to read, highlight, and annotate while viewing a work as it was originally intended.

Like other smart notebooks, the Kobo Libra Colour offers a reading experience delightfully free of ads and other distractions. The tablet's display is small, but its fantastic pen latency and anti-glare surface make it worthwhile for reading or working on the go. When you're ready to export your files from the Kobo, you can use the Kobo Cloud or integrate Dropbox or Google Drive.

If you're interested in Kobo notebooks but want a larger screen, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is the way to go.

Reading eBooks and taking notes has never been simpler thanks to the Kobra Libra Colour, an innovation upon the classic e-Ink smart notebook that offers 32GB of storage and a full-color display. This notebook is easy to take on-the-go thanks to its IPX8 full waterproof protection, ergonomic controls, and small, portable display — but it's as well-suited for an evening of reading at home.

• Full-color display
• Ideal for taking on-the-go
• Ergonomic input and good pen latency
• Screen may be too small for some users
• Display has "screen door effect"

Best Budget Smart Notebook: Rocketbook Smart Reusable Everyday Planner

If you want a smart planner that won't break your wallet, the Rocketbook is the perfect solution: it offers all the advantages of smart notebooks while using your phone as the hardware. The Rocketbook Everyday Planner is one of several editions released by Rocketbook, featuring 48 pages that can be wiped and reused endlessly.

Once you've written out your schedule, digitizing your plans is as simple as scanning each page with the Rocketbook app. Afterward, you can seamlessly transfer the files to cloud services like Google Drive, Slack, and OneNote. While the Rocketbook isn't high-tech, the simplicity of pen and paper makes it just as powerfully distraction-free as the best smart notebooks.

If you want regular pages along with a planner, the Rocketbook Fusion may be better suited for your needs.

Rocketbook Everyday Planner

With the Rocketbook Everyday Planner, you’ll never need to use another piece of paper for work again! It comes complete with 48 reusable notebook pages, a Pilot FriXion erasable pen, and a microfiber cloth. Once your notes are in the cloud, you can add smart titles, smart searches, and email transcription to make your catalog easier to navigate.

• Eco-friendly and endlessly reusable
• Extremely affordable
• Cataloguing in Rocketbook app is perfect
• Not a true smart notebook
• Pen may smear on the paper

Best Smart Planner: Apple iPad

With a price point to match the best smart notebooks and many more features, the Apple iPad is the perfect solution if you want something high-tech that isn't just limited to taking notes. Paired with the Notability app and an Apple Pencil , you can write, draw, and craft the perfect notes with iOS's powerful toolset right at your fingertips.

The 10th-generation iPad features a powerful A14 Bionic chip and a powerful battery, making the tablet powerful enough to keep up without needing to charge as you go about your day. Taking notes with the iPad is seamless, too, with the gorgeous Liquid Retina display offering industry-leading touch and pencil latency.

The Apple iPad 10th-Generation is Apple's most affordable modern tablet, allowing you to enjoy multimedia on the go without breaking the bank. It comes in four vibrant colors and features some of the best hardware yet, offering enough power to make your day-to-day work or school routine a breeze.

• Choose from any planner app on the app store
• Similar price to the best smart notebooks but more versatile
• Available in four amazing colors
• Apple Pencil latency is the best in the industry
• Packed with distractions, unlike conventional smart notebooks
• Battery not as long-lasting as most smart notebooks

Best Smart Notebook Tablet: Amazon Kindle Scribe

While other smart notebooks might have more features than the Amazon Kindle Scribe , this tablet delivers all the essentials you need at a fantastic price. This digital notebook has a massive 10.2-inch paperwhite display and a fantastic variety of page templates and brushes, ensuring that you can take notes without any practical limits.

The Amazon Kindle Scribe includes some quality-of-life essentials, such as seamless OCR handwriting-to-text conversion and direct support for importing documents from Microsoft Word. While the pen latency on the Amazon Kindle Scribe isn't as good as with the reMarkable, its 300 ppi display puts it in a league of quality beyond most mid-budget smart notebooks.

Reading, writing, or studying is simple when using the Amazon Kindle Scribe. This tablet features a 10.2-inch display and fantastic pen latency, so reading the fine print or annotating your favorite novel is always a breeze.

• Several storage size options available
• OCR, PDF, Microsoft Word supported
• Good pen latency
• Provides access to the Amazon Kindle library
• Screen may be too large for some users
• Annotation and notebook syncing is clunky

Best Premium Smart Notebook Pick: reMarkable 2

The reMarkable 2 smart notebook is among the most famous smart notebooks out there, and it lives up to its reputation. Beyond its impressively responsive screen, the reMarkable 2 boasts an impressively comprehensive organization system, built-in OCR handwriting-to-text conversion support, and unlimited cloud storage with automatic syncing.

The reMarkable 2's primary drawback is its price, but its incredible quality makes it worthwhile. The reMarkable pen is impressively responsive, and the notebook's e-ink CANVAS display is well-lit but dim enough to resemble actual paper.

Seamless digital notetaking is achievable with the reMarkable 2 if you're willing to splurge. This tablet is approximately the same size as a notebook and provides 47 built-in templates, providing everything you could possibly need from a planner with a fraction of the paper waste.

• Impressive paper-like feel
• Excellent pen responsiveness and hand recognition
• Built-in cloud storage and syncing
• Not as versatile as other smart notebooks

Q: What is a smart notebook?

Smart notebooks are devices that essentially replace traditional notebooks, all while offering incredible extra features like searchable notes, immediate PDF or OCR text conversion, and even cloud storage. Some, like the reMarkable 2, even minimize the drawbacks of digital devices by offering a nice paper-like feel and fantastic pen/hand differentiation.

Q: Are all smart notebooks reusable?

All smart notebooks are reusable. You can reuse most smart notebooks, like the reMarkable 2 and iPads with planner apps, by simply switching to a new page in your virtual notebook. You can even reuse the Rocketbook, which uses physical pages, because the pages can be wiped and re-scanned as often as you want to use them.

Q: Do I need a special pen to use a smart notebook?

Some smart notebooks require a special pen, but most don't require them for use. You will need to buy a pen for devices like the reMarkable 2, while devices like iPads are capable of responding to touch input. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, third-party pens are available for most smart notebooks.

Q: Can a digital notebook convert handwriting to text?

Some digital notebooks support converting handwriting to text with a feature called Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Some devices and applications, like Notability on iOS and the reMarkable 2 notebook, have built-in OCR. Some smart notebooks don't have any support for OCR, but it's uncommon for them to lack the feature.

CEO alpha: A new approach to generating private equity outperformance

Private equity (PE) sponsors and portfolio companies continue to view operational improvements as a crucial lever for realizing outsize returns. 1 Markus Biesinger, Cagatay Bircan, and Alexander Ljungqvist, “ Value creation in private equity ,” European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, September 24, 2020. But there is another important enabler of PE value creation—what we call CEO alpha, or the value created from CEOs’ outperformance. If the PE portfolio company CEO, who calls the shots and makes the strategic decisions, lacks the right leadership capabilities, targeted operational improvements are less likely to be sustained or may never materialize.

McKinsey research shows that top-quintile CEOs have historically delivered total shareholder returns that are 9 percent above industry peers in each year of their tenure. In industries such as financial services and automotive, these high-performing CEOs have achieved excess total annual returns of 16 percent on average. 2 McKinsey analysis.

Against this backdrop, it’s clear that CEO alpha is an idea whose time has come—or is maybe even overdue—in the rapidly evolving PE industry. Private equity sponsors generally agree. They increasingly cite leadership as an important source of EBITDA growth and value creation alongside the usual performance levers (the targeted operational improvements as well as technology innovation, financial leverage, and multiple expansion). Indeed, in a 2022 survey of general partners, 94 percent say they believe PE portfolio company leadership contributed an average of 53 percent toward investment returns. 3 Peter Callas et al., “Leadership alpha in private equity,” Teneo, November 16, 2022.

In our own conversations and work with PE CEOs and sponsors, all acknowledge the importance of CEO alpha and agree that they could, and should, do more to build PE portfolio company CEOs’ capabilities to realize outsize returns. Industry research suggests the same. For instance, among the general partners polled in the 2022 survey, 8 percent say they are committing money, 27 percent say they are deploying resources, and 36 percent say they are putting in the time to optimize PE portfolio company leadership. 4 Peter Callas et al., “Leadership alpha in private equity,” Teneo, November 16, 2022.

What’s more, playbooks  for intentionally building leadership excellence in private equity have been scarce, which represents a huge missed opportunity: investing in human capital now can pay off over the longer term.

To achieve CEO alpha, PE portfolio company CEOs need distinct capabilities—those that go beyond typical leadership traits found among the best public company CEOs —and that account for PE-specific time horizons for investment and exit and speed to impact. In this article, we provide an overview of those capabilities and the ways to achieve them. Whether the CEO is new or an experienced leader, an expert practitioner of PE, or someone with a more diverse background, the essentials of CEO alpha can be customized and adapted to meet their unique context and opportunities.

Why CEO alpha matters in private equity

PE portfolio company CEOs face unique challenges in an already complex role. The level of autonomy in decision making, the degree of focus on EBITDA, and the way that boards govern are different in PE portfolio companies than in other companies. “There is less freedom within strategy setting,” the CEO of a PE-owned healthcare company told us. “Where to compete is also more tightly defined, because of the time-bound nature of investments.” Another PE executive, based in Canada, noted that EBITDA is a central theme in all conversations among the portfolio company CEO, the board, and the general partners.

Changes in the global economy and the broader business landscape have only made the job of these CEOs harder. Private equity is not immune to cyclical economic challenges such as the elevated risks of a US recession, high interest rates, and inflation. It also faces digitization, sustainability, the changing  geopolitical order, and other disruptive trends that are likely to have profound and lasting consequences on the investing ecosystem. These headwinds, coupled with the volatility in financial markets, slowing IPO activity, and falling tech valuations, are weighing on  PE deal flow, fundraising, and performance.

In addition, PE portfolio company CEOs tend to come from varied backgrounds. Some may have a science background or previously led public companies. Often, company founders grow a small business to a certain level, take in private capital, and suddenly find themselves leading a midsize company with very different organizational needs, which they may not have the necessary expertise, experience, and PE-specific core competencies to navigate.

Most leadership development programs are not tailored to the unique needs of this community of CEOs. In fact, in our experience working with PE CEOs, we have not encountered many such programs that have been widely adopted in the industry. The few programs that do exist are usually the result of an enterprising sponsor that is beginning to build a unique capability.

Achieving CEO alpha in private equity

The essentials of private equity ceo alpha.

To achieve CEO alpha, PE portfolio company CEOs need distinct capabilities—those that go beyond typical traits found in all leaders. Below we highlight ten such essentials:

• Talent management to support the investment thesis
• Private-equity-style performance management and dashboards
• Strategic planning within a three- to five-year time horizon
• Board and sponsor governance
• Advanced financial decision making
• Rapid earnings and cash acceleration
• Profit dissection and resource allocation
• Inorganic growth to support the investment thesis
• Value creation through frontier technologies
• Exit and monetization preparation

At the heart of the concept of CEO alpha is the belief that leaders can systematically develop the capabilities required to achieve outperformance. Indeed, PE portfolio companies should design their capability building programs with the essentials of CEO alpha in mind (see sidebar, “The essentials of private equity CEO alpha.”)

A focus on three essentials of CEO alpha, in particular, could help PE portfolio company CEOs address some of their toughest challenges and realize even greater impact: talent management, PE performance management, and strategic planning.

1. Talent management: Building a fit-for-purpose team

Talent management is a top concern within private equity these days. This reflects, in part, the ever-changing competition for talent, but it also reflects the unique executive profiles that PE portfolio company CEOs are targeting, as well as the number of roles they must fill. For example, one PE portfolio company told us that 37 roles among thousands of employees in the organization drove 80 percent of its EBITDA, which prompted senior leaders to change time allocation, managerial focus, and apprenticeship priorities for employees.

Much more than public company CEOs, PE portfolio company CEOs must build their management teams to execute a specific investment thesis. They must find and hire leaders who are execution focused, decision oriented, financially astute and motivated, and able to make consequential decisions quickly. What’s more, PE portfolio company CEOs often have to build and rebuild their teams. For example, on average, they are responsible  for filling between 30 and 40 percent of level-two positions (heads of divisions) and 50 to 65 percent of level-three positions (vice presidents).

As one PE executive said in an interview, “Outside of M&A, people decisions are most important, and getting them right is critical.” McKinsey research supports this point: CEOs who frequently reallocate talent are 2.2 times more likely to outperform their peers, and those that get talent right in the first year achieve 2.5 times the return on initial investment. 5 Claudy Jules, Vik Krishnan, Vivek Pandit, and Jason Phillips, “ A playbook for newly minted private equity portfolio-company CEOs ,” McKinsey, September 24, 2021.

How can PE portfolio company CEOs begin to build capabilities in talent management? Keeping the investment thesis and time horizons in mind, they’ll need to identify the roles that will create the most value for the portfolio company and then match talent to value (whether from inside or outside the company). As one PE leader advised, “Do it fast, and early in your tenure.”

PE portfolio company CEOs will also need to institute performance management processes that set “reverse hockey stick” targets (rapidly making decisions that drive the greatest financial benefits the soonest) and make it easier to monitor organizational performance and address unfavorable variances. For instance, a PE portfolio company may expect 60 to 80 percent of all run-rate benefits targeted over a three-year period to be captured within the first six to 12 months. The performance management process must allow for private-equity-style consequence management and provide upskilling opportunities for leaders.

2. Cascaded performance: Using financial and operational dashboards to run the business

PE portfolio company CEOs must be on top of every performance metric at a level of detail unfamiliar to many public company CEOs. Given the short time horizons for meeting value creation goals, they are expected to continually monitor performance, spot variances, and pivot quickly as needed. It’s important, then, for PE portfolio company CEOs to set up robust performance dashboards (and rules for using those dashboards) that take both people and purpose into account.

At a minimum, the dashboards should enable standard reporting, risk management, and identification of key opportunities. They should yield detailed and dynamic performance reports that take pricing, safety, quality, speed, satisfaction, efficiency, and integrated economics into account. The teams using these dashboards should be clear about their roles and operate within the scope of those roles. And CEOs should ensure that dashboards are used in all decision-making discussions across the organization.

This detailed, holistic approach can yield positive results: one PE portfolio company was looking at controlling high labor costs, but a closer look at the company’s integrated performance dashboards revealed that a lack of world-class safety was actually a big factor in the increased labor costs. With this information, the PE portfolio company CEO was able to successfully divert resources to address both safety and cost issues.

3. Strategic planning: Achieving far more in far less time

All CEOs must help to define their company’s vision and strategy, but the process is different for PE portfolio company CEOs. The PE sponsor typically performs rigorous due diligence on a portfolio company, often over a six- to 12-month time frame, and formulates a specific investment thesis. The PE portfolio company CEO is then hired to execute the sponsor’s thesis in a timely manner. That CEO must partner with the PE sponsor and the board on strategy, ensuring that any changes made will create value within the industry’s typical three- to five-year time horizon for value capture. To achieve CEO alpha in strategic planning, PE portfolio company CEOs must embed strategy into their day-to-day work—that is, in every discussion with sponsors, teams, and other key stakeholders, and in every review of performance outcomes and financial and operational results. Strategic actions in this context must be bold, actionable, and executed quickly. “Public companies build aspirational, long-term, often vague visions,” the CEO of a private debt firm told us. “But PE companies need to have clear, tangible short-term decisions. As a PE CEO, you are almost always given the strategy as part of the value creation plan and expected to refine and execute.”

With the essentials of CEO alpha in mind, sponsors can review their portfolios against their value creation plans to identify where the biggest opportunities and capability gaps are and create fit-for-purpose capability building programs for PE portfolio company CEOs.

The prevailing research and our work with hundreds of PE company sponsors suggest that an increasing number of PE firms are doing just this. They are prioritizing CEO development and leadership effectiveness as the means to generate outperformance. They are starting to put just as much emphasis on recruiting, onboarding, peer learning, succession planning, and performance management as they do on other key levers of value creation.

In short, they are beginning to target the essentials of CEO alpha. And the sponsors that get it right can build portfolio companies that attract and develop topflight CEOs and seed the industry with even more high-end talent for the future.

Marla Capozzi is a partner in McKinsey’s Boston office, Sacha Ghai and John Kelleher are senior partners in the Toronto office, and Kurt Strovink is a senior partner in the New York office.

This article was edited by Arshiya Khullar, an editor in the Gurugram office.

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Android Police

Weekend poll: are you planning to watch google i/o 2024.

This year, the show really is all about AI

Although it might feel like last year's Pixel 8 launch was just a few weeks ago, believe it or not, we've already made it to the next high-profile Google event. Google I/O kicks off from the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View on Tuesday, May 14, and unlike last year, we're expecting to hear about nothing more than AI for nearly two hours straight. That might sound a little exhausting, but if you're at all interested in seeing the future of Google — and the future of Android — this year's keynote is the one to watch.

Having just rewatched last year's conference to see just how well the company lived up to its lofty promises (short answer: better than you might have expected), I'm feeling completely prepped for this year. Google has seemingly gotten its hardware news out of the way, announcing the Pixel 8a earlier this week alongside a dockless variant of the Pixel Tablet that still feels a little overpriced. That leaves two full hours to be filled by, presumably, all AI features, all the time.

What to expect at Google I/O 2024

That's not to say that I/O is the Gemini conference this year, of course. We'll still have plenty of different things to focus on, including our first real look at what Android 15 is shaping up to be. But unlike in previous years, I wouldn't expect sections focused on Android or specific apps like Maps or Photos to act as a break from AI. Rather, we're likely looking at the first real year where Google wants you to think of all of its products as AI-powered, no matter what application you're looking at.

I'm pretty split on this — I think Gemini could serve as a great upgrade to Assistant one day, but I'm praying the company's definitely-not-ready-for-primetime AI search results remain an opt-in experience for as long as possible — and I imagine much of the audience will feel the same. In some ways, though, that makes this year's I/O keynote one of the most exciting yet. While Pixel hardware usually leaks months in advance, we really don't know what's coming for us on the software side. That

And hey, who knows? Maybe we'll get some early hardware teases ahead of the fall anyway, just to keep us all on our toes. Remember, Google officially showed off the Pixel 7 series and the Pixel Watch at I/O 2022, months before an official unveiling told us everything we actually wanted to know. Even if the Pixel Fold 2 and Pixel 9 series aren't likely to hit shore shelves until the fall, it'd be an easy way to send the keynote off on a high note.

So, are you planning on watching I/O this year, or are you feeling burnt out on all the AI hype? Either way, both myself and AP's Taylor Kerns will be on the scene covering everything Google announces. Whether you're planning on skipping the entire event or watching every developer conference offered, Android Police will have all your breaking news covered. Now, if you excuse me, I have to finish packing.

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