What is a dissertation?

There are some obvious differences: an essay is relatively short — usually to words — and you are told clearly what to do by someone else. For example: Describe and evaluate major theories of globalisation. A dissertation is a subject you chose for yourself. A discussion involving different points of view or sets of ideas. A dissertation will therefore not only examine a subject but will review different points of view about that subject.

What is the Difference Between a Thesis and a Dissertation?

A dissertation or final year project, as a form of assessment differs from other module assessments. The expectation is that you, the learner, take responsibility for your own learning and that you produce a literature review, you choose a method for undertaking a study, write up your findings and discuss the outcomes in a discussion section. So this part of site provides you with a better understanding of the following:.

Watch What is a dissertation? Traditionally, an undergraduate degree in the social sciences and humanities uses a dissertation for a final piece of study. The degree might also offer other alternatives such as the option of an extended essay, or an independent learning project, or a senior paper. This is because the process of producing this type of assessment enables you to:.

In many ways this is about doing social science rather than writing about the social science that others have produced. Some of these skills are clearly academic and related to your discipline. Others are much broader and develop your effectiveness in collecting, manipulating and interrogating information, its application and the production of reports - all of which are useful skills in employment.

For many undergraduate degree students, a significant element of final year study is an independent learning project.

According to Todd et al while these projects may vary greatly in scope and nature e. Ultimately you will be drawing together issues of theory, method and methodology and bringing them to bear on your chosen topic. Those dissertations that can best accomplish this integration or even synthesis are often the most conceptually and methodologically accomplished pieces of work. The way in which this type of assessment is organised will vary from institution to institution and course to course.

It is important that you familiarise yourself with the particular arrangements for your degree. Look for a module handbook which sets out these requirements and how you are allocated a dissertation tutor or supervisor. Your supervisor and any handbooks that are produced are excellent sources of information and support and will help you understand how the dissertation process works.

The following checklist will start you on the dissertation journey, start planning and also clarify what is expected of you. Does the dissertation have any special status in the calculation of your final degree classification? When do you need to start planning the dissertation formally? Some degree programmes start this process in the second year, others in the final year.

Are there any key interim dates when for example outlines, sections or requests for the ethical approval of proposed research have to be submitted? How long is the dissertation and does the word count include the bibliography and appendices?

Is there a schedule of meetings that you have to attend or do you arrange them with your supervisor? Watch the What is special about a dissertation? The dissertation offers you the opportunity to further develop your subject expertise and your social research, intellectual and organisational skills:. This process improves your subject expertise, is a good preparation for further study and research at postgraduate level, and requires you to work independently and methodically in a variety of intellectually demanding contexts.

For all these reasons, the dissertation can be seen as the culmination of your undergraduate studies. Here you not only demonstrate the intellectual, study, research and presentation skills that you have developed throughout your degree course, but also create something which is uniquely your own.

In other courses it is set out what they want you to find out. This is about your individual thought and direction — you can go off in your chosen direction, branch out and make different things relate to each other. Todd, Bannister and Clegg, , pp All dissertations will vary in format, style and design. It is important that you familiarise yourself with the particular requirements of your institution and degree programme.

A typical format guide would require the dissertation to be word-processed with double or one-and-a-half spacing, and a wide left margin to enable binding. Most formats would include:. Findings either a certain number of chapters or an extended essay which has clearly identified sections. Conclusions and if appropriate recommendations. Bibliography a list of all the books, journal articles, web sites, newspapers and other sources that you have used in your dissertation.

Appendices e. However you decide to divide up your chapters and sections, certain essential ingredients need to be present in some form. These will include:. You will also be able to draw upon other experience, for example in the analysis and presentation of findings that you may have covered on methodology modules. You are probably aware of where your academic strengths and weaknesses lie. If you have never really thought about this it would be worth devoting some time to doing so.

In setting up your project you will want to play to your strengths. If you are concerned about your study or communication skills you may find support is available in your institution — seek it out.

Surviving Your Dissertation. A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process. A short article which describes the difference between a dissertation and an essay. Guide to undergraduate dissertations in the social sciences. Content About this site. Introduction Why does my degree programme include a dissertation?

Definitions How is your dissertation module organised? What is it that is special about a dissertation Use your experience and strengths Summary Key questions Further reading Web resources. How to start your dissertation Help with finding literature and research Formulating the research question Methodologies Responsibility in the research process Research Ethics Supervision of the Dissertation Writing the Dissertation Developing Your Academic Style of Writing Plagiarism.

Resources Further reading Research papers. What is a Dissertation? So this part of site provides you with a better understanding of the following: What a dissertation is Why you are required to do a dissertation What your dissertation may look like How to set about your initial reading and writing Watch What is a dissertation? This is because the process of producing this type of assessment enables you to: Identify your own area of interest. Explore an area in depth. Define your own question.

Experience the process of producing knowledge. Manage a project from beginning to end. Consolidate your communication, information-seeking and intellectual skills. Definitions For many undergraduate degree students, a significant element of final year study is an independent learning project. First, the learner determines the focus and direction of their work. Second, this work is carried out on an individual basis — although usually with some tutor support and direction provided.

Finally, learners will have a more prolonged engagement with the chosen subject than is the case with 'standard' coursework assignments such as essays or reports, with the work consequently expected to be more 'in-depth'. How is your dissertation module organised? The following checklist will start you on the dissertation journey, start planning and also clarify what is expected of you Checklist Question Answer How many credit points or module equivalents is the dissertation worth?

What is the submission date for the final piece? Are there any lectures, seminars or workshops associated with the module? Will you have a dissertation supervisor?

How are supervisors allocated? How often are you allowed to meet with your supervisor? It is an opportunity for originality and intellectual independence. Your first course essays were usually though not always written to titles prescribed by your tutor. As you progressed through your course, you may have been given the opportunity to make up your own titles. In this way, your independence, as a reader and critic, developed. The dissertation builds on this foundation; it grows out of your own particular interest, both in terms of the material you choose to write about and the topic that provides the focus of your study.

So when you read books and papers on your chosen topic, you become aware that you are reading with a different sense of purpose - to understand and re-present the arguments - yes, but you then start to make sense of what particularly interested you in the books, journal articles or media sources and what particular critical questions you wanted to ask about them.

A longer word count of the dissertation allows you to sustain your analysis and interpretation over a greater range of material and almost inevitably involves you in more careful and subtle argument. The preparation and writing of the dissertation makes you take responsibility, with the support of a tutor, for your own learning, for the whole process of personal, independent study, time management, and the clear and methodical presentation of the results of your research.

In summary, the dissertation requires you to: Undertake an extensive programme of reading and research. Demonstrate intellectual independence and originality by choosing your own subject of study and defining its nature and scope. Engage in sustained analysis, interpretation and comparison of a substantial body of data.

Present the results of your research in a clearly written, academically cogently argued, logically structured and properly referenced form.

Todd, Bannister and Clegg, , pp What does a dissertation look like? Introduction Literature Review Methodology Findings either a certain number of chapters or an extended essay which has clearly identified sections Discussion Conclusions and if appropriate recommendations Bibliography a list of all the books, journal articles, web sites, newspapers and other sources that you have used in your dissertation Appendices e.

These will include: Literature Review — Similar in form and length to a longish essay entitled 'how I have set up my research topic and how it fits in with existing work in the area'.

Methodology — Another essay-sized section entitled 'why I chose the methods I chose to answer my particular question, the strengths and weaknesses of that approach as a tool for generating knowledge, and how I actually did it'.

Findings — Describing and presenting your own data, evidence or case study could well take slightly less or more than the earlier sections. This will depend in part on the kind of findings you are presenting. Discussion — This is the section that brings all of the strands of your argument together. One way to think of it is as a three-way conversation between the literature you discussed, the methodology you adopted and the findings you have presented.

Conclusion and recommendations — This chapter will draw together the conclusions as well as noting any recommendations for practice. You should not include new ideas at this stage — they should have been dealt with in the discussion section.

A thesis or dissertation is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings. Sometimes known as a thesis (in some countries, this term is used only for the final assignments of PhD degrees, while in other countries.

Covid Update: We've taken precautionary measures to enable all staff to work away from the office. These changes have already rolled out with no interruptions, and will allow us to continue offering the same great service at your busiest time in the year. A dissertation is either partly taught and partly researched or completely researched. In the case of the second of these, you will need to find a topic that is both interesting and original and that is capable of sustaining an extended argument. Taught dissertations tend to follow the subsequent structure:.

Let's revisit the idea of the thesis itself. It is a hypothesis, a conjecture, a theorem.

A dissertation or thesis is a long piece of academic writing based on original research, submitted as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. The structure of a dissertation depends on your field, but it is usually divided into at least four or five chapters including an introduction and conclusion chapter.

What is a dissertation?

Undertaken after a student completes coursework and passes a comprehensive examination , the dissertation is the final hurdle in completing a Ph. The dissertation is expected to make a new and creative contribution to a field of study and to demonstrate the student's expertise. In social science and science programs, the dissertation usually requires conducting empirical research. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges , a strong medical dissertation relies heavily on the creation of a specific hypothesis that can be either disproven or supported by data collected by independent student research. Further, it must also contain several key elements starting with an introduction to the problem statement, conceptual framework and research question as well as references to literature on already published on the topic.

How to structure a dissertation

Skip to content. Skip to navigation. This Study Guide addresses the task of writing a dissertation. It aims to help you to feel confident in the construction of this extended piece of writing, and to support you in its successful completion. The process of having to describe your study in detail, in a logical sequence of written words, will inevitably highlight where more thought is needed, and it may lead to new insight into connections, implications, rationale, relevance, and may lead to new ideas for further research. The good news is that you have already started writing if you have written any of the following in relation to this study:. In each case the object of the writing was to communicate to yourself, your supervisors, or to others, something about your work. In writing your dissertation you will draw on some of this earlier writing to produce a longer and more comprehensive account. Before embarking on any substantial writing for your dissertation you will need to check the exact requirements regarding:. There are some conventions that guide the structuring of dissertations in different disciplines.

If you're considering a doctoral program, you've probably been wondering exactly what a dissertation is.

A thesis or dissertation [1] is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings. The required complexity or quality of research of a thesis or dissertation can vary by country, university, or program, and the required minimum study period may thus vary significantly in duration.

How to write a dissertation

A dissertation or final year project, as a form of assessment differs from other module assessments. The expectation is that you, the learner, take responsibility for your own learning and that you produce a literature review, you choose a method for undertaking a study, write up your findings and discuss the outcomes in a discussion section. So this part of site provides you with a better understanding of the following:. Watch What is a dissertation? Traditionally, an undergraduate degree in the social sciences and humanities uses a dissertation for a final piece of study. The degree might also offer other alternatives such as the option of an extended essay, or an independent learning project, or a senior paper. This is because the process of producing this type of assessment enables you to:. In many ways this is about doing social science rather than writing about the social science that others have produced. Some of these skills are clearly academic and related to your discipline. Others are much broader and develop your effectiveness in collecting, manipulating and interrogating information, its application and the production of reports - all of which are useful skills in employment. For many undergraduate degree students, a significant element of final year study is an independent learning project.

What is a dissertation?

If you're contemplating graduate school, you may have heard that a comprehensive paper is required to graduate, and you likely wonder what exactly is the difference between a thesis and a dissertation. It's good that you're thinking ahead. There are definite differences between the two terms, though they are sometimes used interchangeably and often confused. Both papers are similar in their structure, as they contain an introduction, literary review, body, conclusion, bibliography and appendix. Beyond that, the similarities basically end. Let's delve further into the definition of each and the differences between them. The main difference between a thesis and a dissertation is when they are completed.

Writing and structuring your dissertation

Your approach to one of the most important challenges of your academic career will determine the quality of your finished work - discover how to devise and stick to a work schedule. Devoting sufficient time to planning and structuring your written work while at university is important, but when it comes to that all-encompassing dissertation, it's essential that you prepare well. From settling on a topic and coming up with a title, to the moment you hand it in, the process is guaranteed to give you feelings of excitement, self-doubt, panic and euphoria. See our 5 ways to manage student stress. Irrespective of whether it's your undergraduate, Masters or PhD dissertation you're gearing up for, the following pointers should help keep you on track. It's vital that your research topic is something you find engaging and meaningful - perhaps an issue that fits with your career aspirations, and is important to the wider academic community, says Dr Alex Patel, learning development adviser at the University of Leicester's Learning Institute. If you're struggling for ideas, you can research course materials, academic journals, newspapers and other media, to identify current issues that relate to your field and to find some inspiration for your dissertation subject. Additionally, Alex recommends that you work with your supervisor to agree a clear focus or research question, benefitting from their understanding of the research area, appropriate methods, and what might be achievable within your time frame.

This article helps you work out exactly what you should include and where to include it. For example, dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay , building an overall argument to support a central thesis , with chapters organized around different themes or case studies. In many cases, each will be a separate chapter, but sometimes you might combine them. For example, in certain kinds of qualitative social science, the results and discussion will be woven together rather than separated. The order of sections can also vary between fields and countries. For example, some universities advise that the conclusion should always come before the discussion.