5 parts of a dissertation
Now its time to start the actual dissertation writing journey. To craft a winning dissertation or thesis, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure. 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. Typically, a traditional dissertation or thesis is structured with the following layout:. As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure.
Main components of a master’s thesis or dissertation
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what order you choose to write up the various chapters in your dissertation, but we would recommend one or two approaches: a the traditional route and b our preferred route. The traditional route is one that you will see a lot of students follow. It breaks the write up into three parts :.
Write up the core chapters first, typically chapter-by-chapter i. If you managed to find time to write up Chapter One: Introduction , Chapter Two: Literature Review and Chapter Three: Research Strategy before you started to analyse your data, the traditional route is often an appropriate route to take.
However, we would still suggest working on your References and Dissertation Formatting before moving on to write up any more of the major chapters because this can save you a lot of time latter on i.
Start by focusing on Dissertation Formatting because this allows you to set up your document in such a way that it is easier to update as you go along, saving you time towards the end of the dissertation process;. Carry out your Data Analysis if you haven't already and write up Chapter Four: Results because it is not only a very challenging chapter, but can have a big influence on your available word count for the remaining chapters;.
Complete the majority of your References at this stage to avoid finding yourself with insufficient time to complete these at the end of the dissertation process;. Complete your Appendices , finish off any References , before updating the formatting you set up at the start of the write up process i.
We prefer this approach to the traditional one we highlighted previously because we find it to a be the most time efficient, b better take into account available word count, and c lead to fewer nasty last minute surprises. The guides in this section will help you through the main components of writing up, whether you are following Route A: Duplication , Route B: Generalisation or Route C: Extension. In each section of every chapter, we make suggestions about a the structure of the chapter, b what components to include, and c what you are trying to say in each of the components, whilst d providing examples to highlight our suggestions.
You can access the Route 1: Chapter-by-Chapter section here. It breaks the write up into three parts : Write up the core chapters first, typically chapter-by-chapter i. Moving forward
Let us begin by deconstructing a dissertation. What are the main parts of a dissertation? What to include and what not to include? A dissertation as we. A traditional dissertation is comprised of five chapters: Introduction,; Review of Literature,; Methodology,; Findings,; Conclusions, Discussion.
By Carrie Winstanley. Most dissertations follow the same basic structure and are made up of five parts: an abstract, introduction, methods and discussion, conclusions and references. Although the exact detail of each part can vary such as the numbers of words allowed in the abstract , the inclusion of each part is standard and fixed. Before starting your dissertation find out exactly what is required by your university or institution.
Research is a process which involves a lot of thinking, planning and writing. It is advisable to think about topics that interest you at the beginning of your program.
Skip to content. Skip to navigation. This Study Guide addresses the task of writing a dissertation.
Writing and structuring your dissertation
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. Dissertations are structured rather differently from essays and more akin to academic books though, not textbooks. Some dissertations contain primary research such as laboratory studies, surveys or a case-study conducted by the author. Every dissertation includes one or more substantive chapters, an introduction and conclusion.
Writing a dissertation
Do acknowledgements follow or precede the table of contents? What comes first — the appendix or the bibliography? And what is the difference between a bibliography and a list of references? In this article, you can read about the main components of a doctoral dissertation and their order. A doctoral dissertation is a book, and books have a particular structure. Most of us are familiar with the basic book design: we know that the preface comes before the first chapter and the appendices are somewhere towards the end. But the ordering of some book components can be less obvious: Do acknowledgements follow or precede the table of contents? Many of these principles apply to master theses and books in general. A dissertation has three major divisions: the front matter, the body matter, and the back matter. Each of them contains several parts.
The Dissertation — Chapter Breakdown.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what order you choose to write up the various chapters in your dissertation, but we would recommend one or two approaches: a the traditional route and b our preferred route. The traditional route is one that you will see a lot of students follow. It breaks the write up into three parts :. Write up the core chapters first, typically chapter-by-chapter i.
How to Structure a Dissertation
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. Instead of the standard structure outlined here, you might organise your chapters around different themes or case studies. Other important elements of the dissertation include the title page , abstract , and reference list. The title page is often used as cover when printing and binding your dissertation. The acknowledgements section is usually optional, and gives space for you to thank everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation. This might include your supervisors, participants in your research, and friends or family who supported you. The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation, usually about words long. In the abstract, make sure to:. In the table of contents, list all of your chapters and subheadings and their page numbers. The dissertation contents page gives the reader an overview of your structure and helps easily navigate the document. All parts of your dissertation should be included in the table of contents, including the appendices. You can generate a table of contents automatically in Word. If you have used a lot of tables and figures in your dissertation, you should itemise them in a numbered list.
