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Dissertation Structure: Comprehensive Guide For Students

dissertation structure

A dissertation is an opportunity for the students to demonstrate knowledge and research skills throughout their academic year. Writing a dissertation is an essential yet complicated task that greatly values a student’s life. It provides ground to master the subject and acquire skills that will benefit carrier building in the future.

The thesis also holds great significance because the final grading depends on your performance. If you fail to showcase your skills through your thesis, you may not graduate. Also, when you are planning and researching for your thesis, you learn many valuable skills such as time management, adaptability, effective communication, and many more.

Job applicants usually look for such skills when hiring an employee for any position. Therefore it’s crucial to know complete details on the structure of a dissertation. The article below will provide a comprehensive insight into writing a dissertation.

Everything To Know About Dissertation Sections

A thesis or a dissertation is an academic paper submitted to attain a professional degree by presenting the author’s findings and ideas related to a topic.

This is the simplest dissertation definition to help you understand what it means. The structure of a dissertation includes nine components, which are as follows:

  1. Title page
  2. Introduction
  3. Literature review
  4. Methodology
  5. Results
  6. Discussions
  7. Conclusion
  8. Reference list
  9. Appendices

We will discuss each dissertation chapter in detail to quickly help you write your dissertation. No matter the topic of your dissertation, it will have at least five components, including introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and conclusion.

You should check your course guideline to know whether other parts have to be added to your dissertation or not. It is essential to follow the dissertation structure as it’s a formal academic paper. The research content and findings should be arranged in the dissertation structure to make it easier for the reader to find out what information is present in each section. Following the structure gives a professional look to the academic paper and makes it easier for the reader to look for the ideas. Let us discuss how to write each part of a dissertation.

Dissertation Title Page And Introduction

The first page of your thesis contains the dissertation title, student’s name, department, institution, education program, and submission date for the thesis. You can also add your student Id, supervisor’s name, university name, and logo. The title page should be simple yet holds all the necessary information about the student and the title of the dissertation. This is a cover; hence you don’t have to explain the title; mention the title page so that the reader can understand what your dissertation is about.

You can also include acknowledgments to thank the people who helped you through the journey and made it possible to create the dissertation. Next comes the introduction of your thesis topic. The introduction explains the purpose of your topic and what to expect in the dissertation. The introduction should suffice the following points:

  • The research topic should give necessary background information to give the reader a brief idea of what the rest of the dissertation will be about
  • Describe the basis of the research
  • Discuss the existing research related to the topic and show how the idea is relevant to a broader problem
  • The introduction should contain all your objectives related to the research
  • An introduction should clearly state the research questions and how you will answer them
  • The introduction should be appealing and straightforward so that the reader should understand why you opted for the topic. By the end of the intro, all what, how, and why related to your topic should be evident in the reader’s mind.

Dissertation Introduction Example

Read this dissertation introduction sample to get an idea of how one might look like:

Turkey has experienced a rapid expression of consumer credit over the past decade. However, with signs of a slowdown in the Turkish economy, and possible saturation of the market, now is an appropriate time to ask how Turkish banks are attempting to identify and convert new credit customers in order to gain competitive advantage. Now that the low-hanging fruit has been picked, there is an open question as to how data analytics might be helping banks find and convert the Turkish consumers who have not yet sought credit, or who are willing to switch credit providers.

The literature indicates that, since around the beginning of the millennium, Turkey has experienced an expansion in credit (Srnec et al., 2013, Ozturk and Acaravci, 2013, Uzkurt et al., 2013, Kasman, 2012). Credit was virtually unknown in Turkey in the mid-1990s and beforehand. However, by 2015, Turkey has come to be enormously reliant on credit, particularly consumer credit. The expansion of consumer credit has radically expanded the number of Turks who could own cars and houses, and has become a cornerstone of the economy.

In recent years, Turkey has undergone some small-scale economic shocks and a devaluation in its currency. Currently, the economic situation continues to be fluid and volatile. For banks, the search for new consumers to whom to extend credit has become more difficult (Srnec et al., 2013, Ozturk and Acaravci, 2013, Uzkurt et al., 2013, Kasman, 2012). Despite the fact that the Turkish banking sector is one of the most innovative and dynamic financial sectors in Europe (Coopers, 2012, Omurgonulsen, 2009), there is limited empirical research on the strategy employed by Turkish banks. This gap is of practical importance given that the strategies pursued by Turkish banks in the attempt to extend domestic credit expansion might prove to be an important factor in the continued growth of the Turkish economy.

Data analytics are a key component of banks’ consumer credit strategies (Hitt et al., 2009). In developed countries, data analytics have been used by banks to (a) identify consumers who have not yet obtained credit and are therefore new customers, (b) upsell or cross-sell existing customers, and (c) package new products for the credit market. The advantage provided by analytics in all of these contexts is that of being able to generate actionable, strategic information from large bodies of data (Rosenberger and Nash, 2009).

In Turkey, the science of data analytics remains in its infancy. The relative novelty of domestic credit, and of the marketing sector in general, means that businesses lack detailed data on consumers (Srnec et al., 2013, Ozturk and Acaravci, 2013, Uzkurt et al., 2013, Kasman, 2012). Turkish businesses have only recently begun to invest in powerful forms of enterprise software, including data analytics software, and to apply it to business problems.

Given that data analytics have been used extensively in the financial sector, it is likely that Turkey’s banks, at least the larger banks, already have robust data analytics solutions in place. However, because of gaps in the empirical literature, little is known of the prevalence of data analytics in Turkey, much less of how such solutions are being adapted and applied to contemporary business problems. This gap in the literature, combined with the importance of continued consumer credit expansion in the context of Turkey’s economic growth, provide ample justification for the research topic.

Literature Review

Read previous work, research, and all the critical information you can find on the topic before writing a literature review. Search journals, research articles, and books to collect information related to your topic. Critically evaluate and analyze the information gathered through each source.

Draw connections between the information so that it supports your topic. In your literature review, you can analyze different vital theories, ideas, and models that support your research. Also, this dissertation chapter can be used to answer research questions raised on your topic. Make sure that the goal of the literature review is not to summarize existing research but develop a structure that justifies your research. Your literature review should aim for the following:

  • Address loopholes in the literature
  • Should adopt a new theoretical approach for your topic
  • Propose a solution to the problem that you have outlined
  • Should be able to build new research on the existing research and knowledge related to the topic
  • Should provide points to advance the debate

Methodology

This dissertation component tells us what type of research is used, how the research was conducted, and all the details about how data was analyzed. The aim of methodology should be to report how you carried out the research accurately. Moreover, in this section, you should convince the reader that this was the best approach to answer the research objectives and questions. You should include the following details in the methodology section of your thesis:

  • The approach and the type of research( e.g., quantitative, qualitative, ethnographic, experimental)
  • The methods used to collect data (e.g., surveys, interviews, archives)
  • Details of the research such as when, where, and with whom the research was conducted
  • Methods used to analyze data (e.g., discourse analysis, statistical analysis)
  • Tools and instruments used to carry out the research (e.g., lab equipment or computer programs)
  • Discuss any obstacles you faced while carrying out the research and how you managed to overcome the problem
  • Provide evaluation or justification of the methods used

Dissertation Methodology Example

Check out this section of a dissertation methodology sample to help guide your writing:

For purposes of this study, a mixed method approach will be adopted. This will allow the researcher to gain the most information, by adopting a two-prong approach to investigating the conflicts currently taking place within the Middle East. Many researchers have confirmed the validity of a mixed method approach for investigating strategic phenomenon, and historical phenomena. One can best describe the conflicts that have occurred in the Middle East as strategic phenomenon, and historical conflicts at best.

Schensul & LeCompte (2012) suggest a mixed methods approach that includes an ethnography, or systematic study of people and cultures, where the case researcher may observe a group or society from the subject point of view. This can allow for graphical representation of a culture, and a resulting field or case study report reflecting the knowledge and system of meanings that a particular cultural group has. This may be particularly important in understanding the people living in Israel and Palestine, along with how conflict has affected the Syrian people.

Further, an ethnographic approach may help individuals better understand US interests in foreign land and in maintaining its security and sovereignty in matters of war. The researcher proposes a multiple case study approach to investigating the role of international law in the Middle East, with specific attention to three cases: The American Invasion of Iraq, the Syrian War and the Palestinian Conflict. The ethnographic portion of the study will require a survey of cultural and political ideologies from organizations and/or parties interested in the relationship between law/legal and culture, including its effect on war.

Dissertation Findings And Discussion

Use the findings dissertation chapter to report the findings of your research. You can structure this chapter by including questions, sub-questions, charts, histograms, tables to showcase your findings.

This chapter aims to report the results relevant to your topic. In some dissertation structures, findings and discussions are separately included; however, some might be incorporated together.

To help the reader understand your findings in a better way, use tables, charts, and graphs to illustrate your research findings. Don’t repeatedly add figures and tables to your findings, as it can make your findings look vague. Make sure to add information that adds value to your thesis and provides a good understanding of your research findings. You can also include data such as interview transcripts to support your findings.

In the discussion part of your dissertation, you will explain the meaning of your results and how it implies the research question. Here, you will discuss your findings in detail and analyze whether they met your expectations. You will also discuss how the findings from your research will fit in with the framework you built earlier.

If there are unexpected results, explain why this might have happened. Also, you can consider discussing the limitations of your research or the factors that might affect the research results. It will be beneficial to include references from other scholars to show how your findings are related to the existing knowledge. Lastly, you can also recommend improving the issue discussed for future research.

Dissertation Conclusion, Reference List and Appendices

The conclusion should aim to answer the research question, making it clear for the reader to understand your actual argument. Sum up your dissertation by briefly explaining what and how you did your dissertation.

The conclusion often includes recommendations for future research and practice. It’s crucial to highlight how your results can contribute to advancements in the field. In addition, explain why your research is vital.

A reference list should be added to the dissertation that includes details of the sources used in the research. Make sure to follow a consistent referencing style as each style has specific requirements on how to format the references. Most thesis is written in MLA citation or APA citation; consult your instructor on which referencing type she wants you to use in the dissertation.

Appendices are the last part of your dissertation, including surveys, tables, questionnaires, interview transcripts, and figures that contributed to finding answers to your research question. Your document should contain essential details that answer the research question. Other documents that cannot be included in the main content of the thesis are added in the appendices.

Dissertation Conclusion Example

Finally, check out this dissertation conclusion sample to help you make things more understandable.

International law is likely most influential in cases including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where Israeli citizens have been fighting for decades not about one or two aspects of international law, but multiple aspects of law. These aspects include boundaries, religious and cultural preferences and the legality of annexation or incorporation of lands that one entity may see as more appropriate or less than another. There is also preliminary evidence that suggests that one’s interpretation of international law may influence outcome, or the influence that international law has in mitigating a conflict. There are many examples of cases where states have interpreted the law in their favor to act aggressively on another party, whether or not this is justified by international law. One must lean on interpretation, which research suggests is not uniform.

Further, in cases like Syria, there is a great push for human rights, and de-escalation of the conflict by what many might consider the world superpowers. The desire to reduce escalation of conflict is often related to international law, and whether laws have been broken. In this regard, a better understanding of the duties of supporting agents may help further the cause of international law. Better definitions, including those of self-defense, may also help international agencies when attempting to define the constrictions, limitations or ability to expand interpretation of international law with regard to the protection of a nation, or states within a nation.

The American penetration into Iraq may for example, involve a self-defense motive, which the some argue the US have used to protect its interest in invading another country. However, there are aggressors that can use the same defense to attack a helpless nation, whether or not such an argument is valid. Thus, mitigating factors, or test factors may be required to determine the extent to which international law allows assistance from external agencies. Clearer uniform and majority definitions of assistance may also be warranted, so that a state or nation does not violate the humanitarian rights of others in any region, including within the Middle East.

What is the Best Way to Write a Dissertation?

Writing a thesis can become problematic if you don’t have any experience or knowledge. You can find different structures available online and plan your dissertation accordingly. There are some tips and tricks that you should keep in mind while writing to help improve your dissertation’s clarity and quality, all from our best custom dissertation writing service writers. Tips on writing a good dissertation are as follows:

  1. Work on your title
    Create a clear and simple title for your thesis that is easily comprehensible to the reader.
  2. Just start writing
    When you decide the title, start writing right away, as the more you wait, the more difficult it will get to start. The more you think about starting, the more complicated it may seem, so start writing. You can always revise and rephrase your work, but the original ideas will provide a base for further work advancement.
  3. Clear abstract
    Make sure to keep your abstract short and on point to avoid distractions. The abstract should encourage the reader to avoid adding unnecessary details that might confuse the reader.
  4. Impressive introduction
    The introduction highlights the main of your thesis and explains why you have chosen to work on the topic. Make an impressive introduction so that the reader is interested in finding details related to your topic in your thesis.
  5. The first draft is a rough draft
    When working on a project of great importance, always consider your first draft as a rough draft. Start writing right away then; after you are done, revise and rewrite to make changes in the final draft.
  6. Time is important
    It’s essential to plan and start way before the due date to have enough time to research and work on your thesis. Also, make sure to keep some time to proofread and edit your thesis to avoid errors.
  7. Take care of your references
    Check all the scientific articles and magazines to find the latest information on your topic. Use reference management software to record all the references you used.
  8. Create unique content
    Take care of plagiarism and create unique content for your thesis. Cite the information you borrow from used sources that might create plagiarism in your document.
  9. Pay attention to small details
    Small details such as grammar, writing style, and spelling mistakes make your thesis considerable difference. Make sure to look through all the typos before submitting the thesis.
  10. Get your supervisor’s feedback
    If possible, discuss your work with them to highlight their preferences and highlight any problems they observed.

With time and practice, you can master writing skills. If you follow the advice given above, you can create an outstanding thesis that will get you closer to your degree.

Need Dissertation Help?

A dissertation is a gist of what you have learned throughout your academic year, and your academic degree depends on how you perform; hence there is no room for errors. You should take all the help you need from your classmates, professors, or other experts to create a good thesis. Other knowledgeable sources can help you draft the best thesis.

Various dissertation writers are available online for thesis help; they are trustworthy and offer high-quality content to guarantee you a degree. If you’re thinking “How will I write my dissertation?” then we can help you! Our thesis writers provide writing solutions for undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. programs. If you are a university student struggling, contact us for custom help with your dissertation. You can also contact us through “Write my thesis” to let our brilliant writers help you with your dissertation.

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