A table of contents is a crucial component of an academic thesis. Whether you’re completing a Bachelor’s or a postgraduate degree, the table of contents is a requirement for dissertation submissions. As a rule of thumb, your table of contents will usually come after your title page, abstract, acknowledgement or preface. Although it’s not A Complete Dissertation The Big Picture OVERVIEW Following is a road map that briefly outlines the contents of an entire dissertation. This is a comprehensive overview, and as such is helpful in making sure that at a glance you understand up front the necessary elements that will constitute each section of your dissertation dissertation definition: 1. a long piece of writing on a particular subject, especially one that is done in order to receive. Learn more
Thesis - Wikipedia
A dissertation or thesis is a long piece of academic writing based on original research. This article helps you work out exactly what you should include and where to include it.
You can also download our full dissertation template in. docx or Google Docs format. The template includes a ready-made table of contents with notes on what to include in each chapter. You can adapt it to your own requirements.
Download Word template Download Google Docs template. Not all dissertations are structured exactly the same — the form your research takes will depend on your location, discipline, topic and approach.
For example, dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essaycontents order dissertation, building an overall argument to support a central thesiswith 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, contents order dissertation, 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 come before the discussion. Many programs have strict requirements for formatting the dissertation title page. 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 used heading styles. If you have used a lot of tables and figures in your dissertation, you should itemize them in a numbered list. You can automatically generate this list using the Insert Caption feature in Word.
If you have used a lot of abbreviations in your dissertation, you can include them in an alphabetized list of abbreviations so that the reader can easily look up their meanings. If you have used a lot of highly specialized terms that will not be familiar to your reader, it might be a good idea to include a glossary.
List the terms alphabetically and explain each term with a brief description or definition. The introduction should:. Everything in the introduction should be clear, engaging, and relevant to your research. By the end, the reader should understand the whatwhy and how of your research. If you need more help, read our guide on how to write a dissertation introduction. Before you start on your research, you should have conducted a literature review to gain a thorough understanding of the academic work that already exists on your topic.
This means:. For example, it might aim to show how your research:. The literature review often becomes the basis for a theoretical frameworkin which you define and analyze the key theories, concepts and models that frame your research. In this section you can answer descriptive research questions about the relationship between concepts or variables. The methodology chapter or section describes how you conducted your research, allowing your reader to assess its validity. You should generally include:.
Your aim in the methodology is to accurately report contents order dissertation you did, as well as convincing the reader that this was the best approach to answering your research questions or objectives, contents order dissertation.
Next, you report the results of your research. You can structure this section around sub-questions, hypotheses, or themes. In some disciplines, the results section is strictly separated from the discussion, while in others the two are combined.
For example, in qualitative methods like ethnographythe presentation of the data will often be woven together with discussion and analysis. However, in quantitative and experimental research, the results should be presented separately before you discuss their meaning:. Additional data including raw numbers, full questionnaires, contents order dissertation, or interview transcripts can be included as an appendix.
The discussion is where you explore the meaning and implications of your results in relation to your research questions. Here contents order dissertation should interpret the results in detail, discussing whether they met your expectations and how well they fit with the framework that you built in earlier chapters. If any of the results were unexpected, offer explanations for why contents order dissertation might be. The discussion should refer back to contents order dissertation sources to show how your results fit with existing knowledge.
The dissertation conclusion should concisely answer the main research question, leaving contents order dissertation reader with a clear understanding of your central argument and emphasizing what your research has contributed. In some academic conventions, the conclusion refers to a short section that comes before the discussion: contents order dissertation you directly state your overall conclusions, then you discuss and interpret their meaning.
In other contexts, however, the conclusion refers to the final chapter, where you wrap up your dissertation with a final reflection on what you found. This type of conclusion often also includes recommendations for future research or practice, contents order dissertation.
What have you added to contents order dissertation was already known? You must include full details of all sources that you have cited in a reference list sometimes also called a works cited list or bibliography.
Each style has strict and specific requirements for how to format your sources in the reference list. Contents order dissertation save time creating the reference list and make sure your citations are correctly and consistently formatted, you can use the Scribbr Citation Generator. Create APA citations Create MLA citations. Your dissertation itself contents order dissertation contain only essential information that directly contributes to answering your research question.
Documents you have used that do not fit into contents order dissertation main body of your dissertation such as interview transcripts, survey questions or tables with full figures can be added as appendices, contents order dissertation. Making sure all the sections are in the right place is only the first step to a well-written dissertation. Leave plenty of time for editing and proofreading.
Grammar mistakes and sloppy formatting errors can drag down the quality of your hard work. You should plan to write and revise several drafts of your thesis or dissertation before focusing on language mistakestypos and inconsistencies. My title page includes all information required by my university. I have included acknowledgements thanking those who helped me.
My abstract provides a concise summary of the dissertation, giving the reader a clear idea of my key findings or arguments, contents order dissertation.
I have created a table of contents to help the reader navigate my dissertation. The table of contents includes all chapter titles, but excludes the title page, acknowledgements, and abstract.
My introduction leads into my topic in an engaging way and shows the relevance of my research. My introduction clearly defines the focus of my research, stating my research questions and objectives. I have reviewed the most important literature to show the current state of knowledge on my topic.
My literature review does not just summarize but engages critically with sources, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of existing research. My literature review shows how my dissertation addresses a gap or contributes something new to existing research.
I have clearly outlined the theoretical framework of my research, explaining the theories and models that support my approach. I have thoroughly described my methodologyexplaining how I collected and analyzed data.
Contents order dissertation have concisely and objectively reported all relevant results, contents order dissertation. I have evaluated and interpreted the meaning of the results in my discussion.
I have clearly stated the answer to my main research question in the conclusion. I have clearly explained the implications of my conclusion, emphasizing what new insight my research has contributed.
If relevant, I have included appendices with supplemental information, contents order dissertation. I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source. I have consistently followed the rules of my chosen citation style. The end is in sight—your dissertation is nearly ready to submit! Make sure it's perfectly polished with the help of a Scribbr editor.
Download and adapt these slides to teach your students about structuring a dissertation. Open Google Slides Download PowerPoint. Have a language expert improve your writing. Check your paper for plagiarism in 10 minutes. Do the check. Generate your APA citations for free! APA Citation Generator. Home Knowledge Base Dissertation. How to structure a dissertation A dissertation or thesis is a long piece of academic writing based on original research.
Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services Trustpilot. My literature review discusses patterns, themes, contents order dissertation, and debates in the literature. I have acknowledged any important limitations of the results. I have provided relevant recommendations for further research or practice, contents order dissertation. I have listed every source in a reference list at the end of my dissertation.
How to Structure Your Dissertation - Scribbr ��
, time: 5:05Dissertation Acknowledgements | Who To Thank and How To Write
Aug 12, · The table of contents is the section of a dissertation that guides each section of the dissertation paper’s contents. Depending on the detail level in a table of contents, the most useful headings are listed to provide the reader concerning which page the said information may be found Mar 06, · Dissertation acknowledgements. Published on March 6, by Courtney Gahan. Revised on October 13, The dissertation acknowledgements section is where you thank those who have helped and supported you during the research and writing process The order for the dissertation pages is listed below. After the pages are arranged in the correct order, they should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page and continuing NO levels within the table of contents should be bolded, underlined, or italicized. List of
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