So, this time has come. It’s time to write your dissertation! It’s an important and necessary step on the degree you want. You are required to write long academic research based on an original problem. We may not pitch the idea for you, but there will be help with structuring the whole thing. If you need help with ideas, come over to custom dissertation services. They’ll help for sure and even can consult you during writing.
The field will vary in the structure and content of a dissertation. It is usually divided into at most four to six chapters, including an introduction and conclusion. This is the most common dissertation structure:
- A brief introduction to the topic
- Literature review of relevant sources
- Explain your method
- A summary of your research results
- Discussion of the results and their implications
- A conclusion that illustrates your contribution to research
Because you use primary and secondary sources to build your argument, the humanities dissertations can be structured more like essays. You can arrange your chapters around different themes or case studies.
So, let’s go to review separate parts.
Title page
The title of your dissertation, your name, department, institution, degree programs, and submission date will be on the first page. Some programs have very strict formatting requirements for dissertation titles pages.
This page is the title page and it serves to cover the printing and binding of your dissertation.
Acknowledgments
An acknowledgment is usually optional. You can thank everyone who helped with your dissertation, including your supervisors and participants.
Abstract
An abstract is usually a summary of your dissertation. The abstract can range from 150 to 300 words.
- Define your main topic and its goals
- Please describe the methods you used
- Summarize all results
- Make your conclusions
The abstract, although it is short, is crucial. The abstract is often the most important part of your dissertation.
Table Of Contents
List all chapters and subheadings in the table. This page contains a detailed overview of your dissertation and allows you to easily navigate it.
Your dissertation should be included in the table. You can create a Table of Contents using Word.
Tables and figures
Numbering the tables and figures in your dissertation is a smart idea. This list can be generated automatically by Word’s Insert Caption Tool.
List Abbreviations
You might use abbreviations from your dissertation to make it easier for readers to understand their meanings.
Glossary
A glossary might be a good idea if you use specialized terms that are not well-known to your readers. List the terms alphabetically and then give a description or definition of each term.
Introduction
The introduction should outline the topic, purpose and relevance of the article.
- Give background information to contextualize the topic that you are researching
- Get to the point and set the scope of your research
- Discuss current research and the state of the art on this topic. Your work should be relevant to a larger problem or debate.
- Clarify your research goals. How will you answer them?
- A brief overview of the structure and content of your dissertation
It is important that everything be clear, concise, and relevant to your research.
Literature review/ Theoretical Framework
Before you begin your research you must have read the literature on your topic.
Identifying and evaluating sources (e.g. journal articles and book chapters) and deciding which are most relevant.
Analyzing and evaluating each source
Drawing connections among them (e.g. Patterns, conflicts, gaps, and themes can all be used to create larger points.
A dissertation literature section or chapter must not only summarize existing research but also present a coherent structure or argument to support your research.
- We address the literature gap
- This topic is approached from a new theoretical or methodological perspective
- Proposes a solution to an under-standing problem
- Discussions in a Theoretical Debate
- Enhances and refines existing knowledge with new data
A literature review can be used to help you create a framework. You will here analyze and describe the key concepts, theories and models that are the foundation of your research.
Methodology
This section or chapter describes the methodology of your research and allows you to evaluate its validity. Usually include:
- The overall approach to research (e.g. qualitative and quantitative, experimental, ethnographic, etc.
- Data collection methods (e.g. interviews, surveys, archives)
- Details of whereabouts and whenabouts as well as who was involved with the research
- Analyzing data using different methods (e.g. Data analysis methods (e.g., statistical analysis, discussion analysis)
- The following tools and materials may have been used: lab equipment, computer programs)
- We’ll discuss the problems you encountered while researching and the solutions that you found.
- We will evaluate your methods and justify them
Your goal in the methodology is to accurately describe what you did. You must convince the reader that your method was the best to answer research questions.
Results
Next, present the results of your research. In others, however, they can be combined.
In-depth conversations and qualitative methods, for example, will combine the presentation of data with analysis and discussion. Both experimental and quantitative research require that you present the results separately before you can discuss the meaning.
In the results section, tables, graphs, and charts can be extremely helpful. Tables and figures should not be used to repeat the content of your writing.
An appendix can be added with complete versions of your data (such as interview transcripts).
Discussion
This is where you discuss the implications and meaning of your results in relation to your research questions. You should discuss your results in detail.
Refer to other academic work to show how your results are consistent with the existing knowledge. Make suggestions for future research and take practical actions.
Conclusion
The conclusion should answer the key research questions and be concise. It should answer the main research questions and be concise.
This section will show how your research contributed to knowledge and the importance of your findings.
Reference list
It is essential to include all references within your reference list. You should include all references in your reference list.
Vancouver referencing and Harvard referencing are two of the most popular styles used at UK universities. For example, psychology students might use APA while law students might use MHRA. Ask your supervisor if you are unsure.
Appendices
Only include information that is directly relevant to your research question in your dissertation.
