A dissertation can be described as an extended essay. Nowadays, most of the academic programs need students to write a dissertation and submit it by the end of the academic year as a partial fulfillment of their program. Since as a student you must have written countless essays and papers so far, you must have the basic idea of writing a dissertation as well.
However, in a dissertation you have to work keeping in mind a more extended format. For a clear idea, we have listed a few points, which you must keep in mind when structuring your dissertation. These points will give you a clear outline on how to begin with writing a dissertation and how to logically and systematically divide your entire content.
Structuring a Dissertation
There are generally three parts of a dissertation – introduction, main body and conclusion. Now, let see what each part consists of.
The Introduction:
Without a doubt, this is the main part of any dissertation. This is not only because the readers will read this first, but it is this part of the dissertation where you will introduce the topic, the thesis statement as well as connect your readers to the intended methodology. It is crucial to come up with a sharp and focused introduction in order to create a strong base for the entire dissertation.
Make sure it is as clear as possible. In order to give an effective conclusion to the introduction, it is recommended to include a sentence or two from the main body. You can let the readers know about what you have elaborated in the main body by just discussing a few points in the introduction.
The Main Body:
Just like an essay, the main body of your dissertation will cover different aspects of your topic. However, the only different is the main body of the dissertation consists of chapters and not paragraphs. Each chapter will elaborate and discuss different aspects and gradually lead to the conclusion of the dissertation.
In general, there are 3 to 4 chapters in the main body. However, this depends on the length of your dissertation and the scope of the topic. There will be many sub-headings in chapters and all of them will be linked with the central argument of the entire work.
When you are writing your chapters, make sure to analyze your each and every quotation and comment. Also, backing up each and every argument throughout the dissertation is necessary.
The Conclusion
The conclusion is certainly the last part of your dissertation, but don’t make a mistake of drafting it in the end or in any rush. In fact, you must be clear with the conclusion right from the beginning of the dissertation. After all, the conclusion is where all your arguments and statements are leading too.
The conclusion must cover:
- Summary of all your thoughts and findings of the dissertation.
- Indications of the limits of the study and potentials future scope.
Lastly, in order to ensure good quality work, go through the entire dissertation at least twice or thrice. You can even involve a professional writing service like quickwriter.com/dissertations/dissertation-for-sale.html, to help you with proofreading and corrections. Also, don’t make the mistake of completing the bibliography at the last moment. In fact, it is ideal to side by side make the bibliography while you are researching or writing the dissertation.