How to Write an Effective Dissertation Structure?

Writing a dissertation is not an easy task. One of the biggest tasks is to work with extensive word count. Also, if this is your first time to write this type of academic task then let me tell you, it doesn’t follow a basic structure. So yes, many pupils don’t get sufficient time to ensure the structure of their dissertations. Without a doubt, it requires various sections which we will discuss in this guide.

Essential Sections of a Dissertation

When it comes to writing a dissertation, it’s vital to know every section and its importance. Moreover, the structure of a dissertation also depends on the given guidelines by your professor. However, here’s a breakdown of all the essential sections to include in your content:

Title Page

The very first thing that comes in a dissertation is a title page. You must add:

• Your name
• The name of your institute
• Roll number
• Department’s name
• Your professor’s name
• The main topic of the dissertation
• Submission date

Many institutes have a strict rule to include “only the asked” information in the title page. Therefore, make sure to cross-check this with your professor before writing it.

Acknowledgment

This is an optional section. This part aims to thank everyone who has helped you in this journey. In addition, it can be your course instructor, other teachers, classmates, mentors, etc. However, you may skip this part as it will not impact your final document.

Abstract

Here’s the official academic start of your dissertation. Yes, it’s an abstract. It is a 150-250 word paragraph that describes the important points. These are:

• The main topic and aim of your dissertation
• Research methods used in the process
• Result or findings of the research
• State conclusion is 1-2 sentences

This is the shortest and one of the only sections of a dissertation that people read. So, make sure that it’s error-free and has accurate information.

List of tables and figures

Dissertations involve many tables and figures in the content. Therefore, it’s vital to add a list of these so that readers can get a better idea. It’s a good and intelligent move to use the short form of long words. However, if you do that, you must also add a list of these abbreviations in the content. In general, people write them at the end of the content.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget to include the list of abbreviations as it helps readers to understand the context.

Introduction

Introduction is an important section of a dissertation. In this part, a pupil must tell the background information of the topic. In addition, it can also be history, some facts and figures, or stats. Moreover, you must state the research question clearly and concisely. Also, this is your only chance to grab the reader’s attention so make certain to create it with a question, anecdote, or an interesting fact.

Literature Review

Writing a thesis, especially a literature review is the most common issue for them (Boote and Beile 2005). As the statement says it is the hardest part of writing a dissertation. In this section, a pupil has to rethink the existing theories, modules, and knowledge relevant to his topic. Also, do you know that literature reviews are of different types? Yes, that’s right. Here’s a list:

• Systematic reviews
• Meta-analyses
• Scooping reviews
• Empirical reviews
• Rapid reviews
• Umbrella reviews

Yes, there are various types of it. However, you must first reach out to your professor and ask him which type of LR is asked. After that, follow the given guidelines to get better results.

Methodology

Methodology is the step where research begins. Indeed, it’s not easy at all for pupils. According to (Zakri, 2006), he says that there are three major obstacles in research. These are research capacity, productivity, and value. It’s an important section of a dissertation as it shows your research and helps readers to understand the context.  Don’t forget to share which method you have used in your dissertation. These can be:

• Qualitative
• Quantitative
• Mixed
• Sampling method

Moreover, you may also address when, why, and who to precisely describe the data.
Pro Tip: You cannot be careless with this section at all. Therefore, once you are done, make sure to cross-check the content. Also, you can seek help from professional MBA Dissertation Helpers UK and ask them to check your content.

Results and Discussions

Now that you have explained the methodology, it’s time to show your results and discuss them in your content. For this part, you can add tables and graphs to simplify the data collected through research. Also, make sure to only include that information is relevant to the topic.  Once you have done that, now discuss and explore the meaning of the results. For this section, you must interpret the results in detail to check whether they match with the discussions.  Also, you can make recommendations for future research and practical actions. 

Conclusion

A conclusion is the main section that restates the research question and answers it briefly. So, make sure to mention the crucial findings of your research and highlight the key points only.
Pro Tip: Avoid including any new piece of information in this part.

References

A reference list includes all the sources you have used to gather information. So, make sure to make a list of them and cite the sources properly. Moreover, there’s little to zero acceptance of making any mistakes in this section.

Final Words

And that’s it for this guide. In this blog, we have discussed how to structure a dissertation. In addition, some of the important sections include a title page, abstract, introduction, literature review, results, and many others. However, it’s best to consult with your professor and ask them for any further guidelines. In addition, it will help you understand better. In case of any confusion, you can get help from experts and get their guidance.