Mohamed 1 University, Oujda Distance Learning Prof.

Hakim
S5 Study Skills & Research Fall 2020 Gr: 5,6,7,8

Dissertation structure

1. Title page
2. Acknowledgements
3. Abstract
4. Table of Contents
5. List of Figures and Tables
6. List of Abbreviations
7. Glossary
8. Introduction
9. Literature review / Theoretical framework
10. Methodology
11. Results
12. Discussion
13. Conclusion
14. Reference list
15. Appendices

Deciding on your dissertation’s structure

Not all dissertations are structured exactly the same – the form your research takes will
depend on your discipline (literature or linguistics), topic and approach.

For example, dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay,
building an overall argument to support a central thesis, with chapters organized
around different themes or case studies.

But if you’re doing empirical research in the sciences or social sciences, your
dissertation should generally contain all of the following elements. In many cases, each
will be a separate chapter, but sometimes you might combine them. For example, in
certain kinds of qualitative social science, the results and discussion will be woven
together rather than separated.

Title page
The very first page of your document contains your dissertation’s title, your name,
department, institution, and degree program. Sometimes it also includes your student
number, your supervisor’s name, and the university’s logo.

Acknowledgements
The acknowledgements section is usually optional, and gives space for you to thank
everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation. This might include your
supervisors, participants in your research, and friends or family who supported you.

Abstract

The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation, usually about 150-300 words long.
You should write it at the very end, when you’ve completed the rest of the dissertation.
In the abstract, make sure to:

• State the main topic and aims of your research

• Describe the methods you used

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 • Summarize the main results
• State your conclusions

Although the abstract is very short, it’s the first part (and sometimes the only part) of
your dissertation that people will read, so it’s important that you get it right.

Table of Contents
In the table of contents, list all of your chapters and subheadings and their page
numbers. This gives the reader an overview of your structure and helps easily navigate
the document.

All parts of your dissertation should be included in the table of contents, including the
appendices.

List of Figures and Tables

If you have used a lot of tables and figures in your dissertation, you should itemize them
in a numbered list.

List of Abbreviations
If you have used a lot of abbreviations in your dissertation, you can include them in
an alphabetized list of abbreviations so that the reader can look up their meanings.

Glossary
If you have used a lot of highly specialized terms that will not be familiar to your reader,
it might be a good idea to include a glossary. List the terms alphabetically and explain
each term with a brief description or definition.

Introduction
In the introduction, you set up your dissertation’s topic, purpose, and relevance, and tell
the reader what to expect in the rest of the dissertation. The introduction should:

• Establish your research topic, giving necessary background information to

contextualize your work
• Narrow down the focus and define the scope of the research
• Discuss the state of existing research on the topic, showing your work’s
relevance to a broader problem or debate
• Clearly state your research questions and objectives
• Give an overview of your dissertation’s structure

Everything in the introduction should be clear, engaging, and relevant to your research.
By the end, the reader should understand the what, why and how of your research.

Literature review / Theoretical framework

Before you start on your research, you should have conducted a literature review to gain
a thorough understanding of the academic work that already exists on your topic. This
means:

• Collecting sources (e.g. books and journal articles) and selecting the most
relevant ones

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 • Critically evaluating and analyzing each source
• Drawing connections between them (e.g. themes, patterns, conflicts, gaps) to
make an overall point

In the dissertation literature review chapter or section, you shouldn’t just summarize
existing studies, but develop a coherent structure and argument that leads to a clear
basis or justification for your own research. For example, it might aim to show how your
research:

• Addresses a gap in the literature

• Takes a new theoretical or methodological approach to the topic
• Proposes a solution to an unresolved problem
• Advances a theoretical debate
• Builds on and strengthens existing knowledge with new data

The literature review often becomes the basis for a theoretical framework, in which you
define and analyze the key theories, concepts and models that frame your research. In
this section you can answer descriptive research questions about the relationship
between concepts or variables.

Methodology
The methodology chapter or section describes how you conducted your research,
allowing your reader to assess its validity. You should generally include:

• The overall approach and type of research (e.g. qualitative, quantitative,

experimental, ethnographic)
• Your methods of collecting data (e.g. interviews, surveys, archives)
• Details of where, when, and with whom the research took place
• Your methods of analyzing data (e.g. statistical analysis, discourse analysis)
• Tools and materials you used (e.g. computer programs, lab equipment)
• A discussion of any obstacles you faced in conducting the research and how you
overcame them
• An evaluation or justification of your methods

Your aim in the methodology is to accurately report what you did, as well as convincing
the reader that this was the best approach to answering your research questions or
objectives.

Results
Next, you report the results of your research. You can structure this section around sub-
questions, hypotheses, or topics. Only report results that are relevant to your objectives
and research questions. In some disciplines, the results section is strictly separated from
the discussion, while in others the two are combined.

For example, for qualitative methods like in-depth interviews, the presentation of the
data will often be woven together with discussion and analysis, while in quantitative and
experimental research, the results should be presented separately before you discuss
their meaning. If you’re unsure, consult with your supervisor and look at sample
dissertations to find out the best structure for your research.

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In the results section it can often be helpful to include tables, graphs and charts. Think
carefully about how best to present your data, and don’t include tables or figures that
just repeat what you have written – they should provide extra information or usefully
visualize the results in a way that adds value to your text.

Full versions of your data (such as interview transcripts) can be included as

an appendix.

Discussion
The discussion is where you explore the meaning and implications of your results in
relation to your research questions. Here you should interpret the results in detail,
discussing whether they met your expectations and how well they fit with the
framework that you built in earlier chapters. If any of the results were unexpected, offer
explanations for why this might be. It’s a good idea to consider alternative
interpretations of your data and discuss any limitations that might have influenced the
results.

The discussion should reference other scholarly work to show how your results fit with
existing knowledge. You can also make recommendations for future research or
practical action.

Conclusion
The dissertation conclusion should concisely answer the main research question,
leaving the reader with a clear understanding of your central argument.

In some academic conventions, the conclusion refers to a short section that comes
before the discussion: first you directly state your overall conclusions, then you discuss
and interpret their meaning.

In other contexts, however, the conclusion refers to the final chapter, where you wrap
up your dissertation with a final reflection on what you did and how you did it. This type
of conclusion often also includes recommendations for research or practice.

In this section, it’s important to show how your findings contribute to knowledge in the
field and why your research matters. What have you added to what was already known?

Reference list
You must include full details of all sources that you have cited in a reference
list (sometimes also called a works cited list or bibliography). It’s important to follow a
consistent citation style. Each style has strict and specific requirements for how to
format your sources in the reference list.

Common styles include APA and MLA, but your department will often specify which
citation style you should use – ask your supervisor if you’re unsure .

Appendices
Your dissertation itself should contain only essential information that directly
contributes to answering your research question. Documents you have used that do not
fit into the main body of your dissertation (such as interview transcripts, survey
questions or tables with full figures) can be added as appendices.