How to Write a Dissertation

Dissertations are stressful, to say the least. They are too important to be taken lightly, too long to finish them fast, and often too time consuming for a busy schedule. If you are looking for a way to simplify this process, you should look in the helpful guide made by our online assignment help experts.

As people who have been offering dissertation writing services and other academic content for years, we’ve come across – and resolved all challenges related to this process. In the article below, you’ll learn all about the paper itself, its structure, as well as some insightful tips that will help out the writing process.

What Is Dissertation?

Before we unravel the steps and teach you how to write a dissertation, it’s important to understand what this paper is and what it represents. Dissertations are lengthy papers on a given subject, but they differ a lot from other research papers and projects.

Consider this your first official piece as a true academic. It sure builds up the pressure, but the great thing about it is – once you have a great dissertation, you are ready to get your degree.

The Dissertation Structure Explained

Dissertations have a very specific arrangement of contents. These are much longer and therefore have several chapters and many paragraphs. When you’re dealing with such a lengthy piece of content, it can be tough to establish flow of ideas. The structure helps a lot in the process.

Even though the specific structure can differ depending on the academic discipline or even the university you are attending, some parts can be found in every dissertation. These are:

1. Title page. This page is the very first page and as such, it includes the title, your name, that of the mentor and your school, the date, etc. The arrangement of this information can differ, and students are usually given a sample in terms of what it should look like by their academic institution.
2. Abstract. Before the paper starts, there’s a short, less-than-one-page summary of the entire thing. It’s what the author writes last but the reader reads first.
3. Introduction A dissertation introduction is much lengthier than traditional research paper introduction. It’s not just a paragraph that ends with a thesis statement. In some cases, it is over a dozen pages long. We’ll discuss how you can handle this part later in this article.
4. Literature review. Every dissertation is based on research of the topic, which includes research of previous work. This is where the findings related to other literature belong.
5. Methodology. Dissertations are basically research projects, and the writer has to tell readers how they conducted the research and collected the data.
6. Findings/ Results/ Discussions. These can be separate chapters or joined together. In them, the author shares their findings or the results from the research, and discusses them. It’s where you place most of the tables, charts, numbers, etc.
7. AcknowledgementsThis can go at the start or end of the dissertation based on the instructions. In it, the author mentions everyone who helped them through the process, including mentors or supervisors, friends, experts, parents, etc.
8. Table of content. The table of content is usually at the beginning, but sometimes at the end. It serves to help readers navigate easily throughout the long piece of content. It basically tells them which chapter and heading can be found on which page.
9. Conclusion. After all the chapters comes the dissertation conclusion. It’s the place where the writer explains the answers to the research questions and the findings, and shares any tips for future research.
10. Reference list. Dissertations have pages of references. To avoid plagiarism, you are expected to list all of your sources by using the format requested by your school. Most dissertations are written with MLA or APA citations.
11. AppendicesThis is the final part where you include any interviews, questionnaires, or similar data.

How to Choose a Dissertation Topic

Choosing a dissertation topic is very important and honestly, not easy at all. This will determine everything – where you’ll look for research data, how your paper content will flow, how many research questions you’ll have, whether or not you’ll enjoy the process, etc.

This is why it is important to choose a great one before you get started. Here are some tips that we came up with:

• Choose a topic that YOU like. Many students try to impress their mentors and focus only on things that they would like. You need your dissertation topic to be interesting to you since you’ll be spending tons of time writing it.
• Get creative with it. Dissertations that are unique have the best results and are the most fun to write.
• Don’t make it too narrow or too general. Topics that are too general are very hard to research and write about. Topics that are too narrow will limit your research access. Find something in the middle.

Read a full guide: How to Choose a Dissertation Topic

How to Write a Dissertation Step by Step

Here comes the most important part – our list of steps on writing a great dissertation.

Step 1: Craft an amazing proposal. Your dissertation needs to be accepted first before you actually get to write it. You’ll do tons of research in this process, too, and you can use that data in the dissertation later. Make sure that you write an amazing proposal because without it, your idea won’t be accepted.

Step 2: Spend tons of time researching. This paper is based on thorough research, probably the most detailed one you have ever made. Don’t jump at writing it until you’ve researched every source you could get your hands on. You’re expected to showcase your expertise on the topic, so you have a lot to catch up on.

Step 3: Have a fierce research and writing strategy in place. It is now more important than ever to have a writing plan, an outline, and a schedule for this assignment. Be realistic about it – this will take tons of time, so leave time in your schedule for each piece of the project.

Step 4: Consider how much time you’ll need for editing. Writing papers is exhausting, and having to edit them later is often frustrating. You have to read and re-read the content to find errors, run it through some spell checkers and fix the things that can sound better. Now, imagine doing this to a paper that is hundreds of page long. You’ll need a lot of time for it. Consider getting help with at least this part. You can easily miss errors in your writing, especially when you’re tired from crafting hundreds of pages.

How to Write a Dissertation Acknowledgment

This part is usually optional, but many students decide to do it because they want to thank at least their mentors. In it, include people who helped you such as your mentors, other participants in your research, and people who supported you while you worked on it.

How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation

In the abstract, you need to summarize the entire paper in around 150 to 300 words. Write this one when you are done with the entire thing. In it, include only:

• The thesis statement or main topic
• The aim of your research
• The key results
• Your conclusions

How to Write a Dissertation Introduction

The introduction must include three key elements: topic, relevance, and purpose. Here are some tips:

• Establish the topic of your paper and provide background information
• Set the focus of your paper – narrow it down
• Discuss some of the existing research, but leave most of it for the literature review
• State your research questions clearly
• State your objectives
• Provide an overview of the structure of the paper

How to Write a Literature Review Dissertation

The literature review will tell the readers about other academic work on the topic. This will demand a lot of research and reviewing of other people’s work. In it, make sure to:

• Use only relevant sources, not too broad information with almost no relation to your topic
• Critically analyze and evaluate each of them
• Draw connections to make your points
• Address literature gaps, if any

How to Write a Methodology for a Dissertation

In this chapter, you need to share how you conducted the research. Here are some tips:

• Tell readers when and where the research takes place and who is involved in it
• Talk about your methods for analyzing the collected data, as well as any tools and materials used in the process
• Tell readers about the type of research – quantitative or qualitative, ethnographic, experimental, etc.
• Share which methods you used to collect the data – online research, surveys and interviews, archives, journals, etc.
• Discuss any obstacles if they occurred

How to Write a Dissertation Discussion

Once you present the results, it’s time to discuss them. Explore their meaning, as well as their implications. Tell readers what your results mean to the research, why they matter, and discuss any limitations to what you’ve found.

How to Write a Dissertation Conclusion

Finish your paper with a conclusion that answers your research questions, especially the main one. Your readers should have a very clear understanding of the purpose of the paper, so summarize it once again, as well as your key findings. Then, share recommendations for future research.

Tips for Effective Writing of a Dissertation

Finally, we’d like to present you with some extra helpful tips:

• Don’t hesitate to discuss your progress and any problems with your mentor or supervisor
• Leave the proofreading and editing for last
• Be very direct and clear – not vague in your dissertation
• Follow the structure specifications to the latter (font size, citation format, etc.)
• Re-check your table of contents after you edit your paper
• Re-check all of your sources and make sure they are accurate
• Run it through a plagiarism scanner

FAQ

How long does it take to write a dissertation?

This depends on many factors including: the paper length, the complexity of the topic, available research data, your experience and writing skills, and the instructions by your academic institution. It takes months for most students to craft this piece.

How long does it take to write a 10000 word dissertation?

On average, 10,000 words take a few hours to be typed, but this paper demands thorough research, many citations and links, coherent structure, and content without mistakes. You need at least a few weeks of hard work unless you have professional experience in it.

How to write a dissertation in 3 days?

If you don’t have help, it is impossible to craft a dissertation in just 3 days. You can always reach out to us for assistance if you are stuck.

How many pages is a dissertation?

Dissertations are usually 100+ pages in length. In many cases, these can go up to 300 or more pages depending of where and what you study.

What is the main difference between thesis and dissertation?

The thesis presents existing and already available information. The dissertation presents such information, but also develops unique concepts and explains a process of collecting new information.