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Brief Dissertation Structure

Structure of dissertation

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Sinikiwe Chipo Lundako
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6 views

Brief Dissertation Structure

Structure of dissertation

Uploaded by

Sinikiwe Chipo Lundako
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HOW TO STRUCTURE A DISSERTATION

A dissertation or thesis is a long piece of academic writing based on original research. It is


submitted as part of an LLB programme.
TITLE PAGE
The title page (or cover page) of your dissertation contains all key information about the document.
It usually includes:
 Dissertation title
 Your name
 Student Number
 Name of the Faculty
 Name of the Programme
 The date of submission
 Supervisor’s name, and your university’s logo (On top).

Title page format


Be sure to check whether there are specific guidelines for margins, spacing and font size.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The dissertation acknowledgements section is where you thank those who have helped and
supported you during the research and writing process. This includes both professional and
personal acknowledgements.
The dissertation acknowledgements appear directly after the title page and before the abstract, and
should usually be no longer than one page.
In the acknowledgements, you can use a more informal style than is usually permitted in academic
writing. This is not part of the academic work itself — it is your chance to write something more
personal. For that reason, you may use first-person pronouns in this section.
An abstract is a summary of a longer work (such as a dissertation or research paper). The abstract
concisely report the aims and outcomes of your research so that readers know exactly what the
paper is about.

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ABSTRACT
Write the abstract at the very end, when you’ve completed the rest of the text. There are four things
you need to include:
 Your research problem and objectives
 Your methods
 Your key results or arguments
 Your conclusion
An abstract is usually around 150–300 words, but there’s often a strict word limit, so make sure to
check the requirements of the university or journal.
In a dissertation or thesis, include the abstract on a separate page, after the title page and
acknowledgements but before the table of contents.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The table of contents is where you list the chapters and major sections of your dissertation, along
with their page numbers. A clear and well-formatted contents page is essential as it indicates a
quality paper is to follow.
The table of contents belongs between the abstract and the introduction. The maximum length
should be two pages.
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction
In the introduction section, where you are expected to present the structure (or outline) of your
dissertation. There are not that many different ways to state what is included in Chapter 2, or are
there? Key elements to consider:
 Brief background
 Statement of the Problem
 Research Objectives
 Research Questions
 Research Methodology
 The rationale of the study
CHAPTER TWO – LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 Introduction
A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of
current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing
research.

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Writing a literature review involves finding relevant publications (such as books and journal
articles), critically analyzing them, and explaining what you found. There are five key steps:
 Search for relevant literature
 Evaluate sources
 Identify themes, debates and gaps
 Outline the structure
 Write your literature review
A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes, and critically
evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

CHAPTER THREE – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY


3.0 Introduction
In your thesis or dissertation, you will have to discuss the methods you used to do your research.
The methodology chapter explains what you did and how you did it, allowing readers to evaluate
the reliability and validity of the research. It should include:
• The type of research you did
• How you collected your data
• How you analyzed your data
• Any tools or materials you used in the research
• Your rationale for choosing these methods
The methodology section should generally be written in the past tense.
Academic style guides in your field may also provide detailed guidelines on what to include for
different types of studies.
CHAPTER FOUR – DATA ANALYSIS AND IMPLEMENTATION
4.0 INTRODUCTION
4.1 RESULTS AND FINDINGS
Once you’ve finished collecting and analyzing your data, you can begin writing up the results.
This is where you report the main findings of your research.
All relevant results should be reported concisely and objectively in a logical order. You may use
tables and graphs to illustrate specific findings.
Don’t include subjective interpretations of why you found these results or what they mean – your
evaluation should be saved for the discussion.

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4.2 EXPLAINING AND EVALUATING FINDINGS
The discussion chapter is where you delve into the meaning, importance and relevance of your
results. It should focus on explaining and evaluating what you found, showing how it relates to
your literature review and research questions, and making an argument in support of your overall
conclusion. There are many different ways to write this section, but you can focus your discussion
around four key elements:
 Interpretations: what do the results mean?
 Implications: why do the results matter?
 Limitations: what can’t the results tell us?
 What practical actions or scientific studies should follow?

There is often overlap between the discussion and conclusion, and in some dissertations, these two
sections are included in a single chapter. Occasionally, the results and discussion will be combined
into one chapter. If you’re unsure of the best structure for your research, consult your supervisor.
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.0 Introduction
The conclusion is the very last part of your thesis or dissertation. Its main purposes are to:
 Clearly state the answer to the main research question
 Summarize and reflect on the research
 Make recommendations for future work on the topic
 Show what new knowledge you have contributed
The conclusion should be concise and engaging. Aim to leave the reader with a clear understanding
of the main discovery or argument that your research has advanced.
5.1 RECOMMENDATIONS
 Make recommendations for future work on the topic

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