A strong dissertation structure entails taking care of many things that are standard practice in academia. It entails a solid thesis research problem, questions, aims and objectives, strong research methodology, data collection, and analysis methods. Each section must have a logical connection, and the ideas must be consistent throughout the dissertation. Each paragraph chapter develops and expands the key idea of the research, therefore, conferring unity and structure to the entire dissertation. It is imperative to develop a coherent and strong structure in academic dissertations. Therefore, this article will provide you with some tips on creating a strong dissertation structure.
What are the major components of a dissertation?
Here are the major components of a strong dissertation structure:
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Research Methodology
- Results
- Discussion and Analysis
- Conclusion
These components are the major ingredients of a strong dissertation structure. They must be included in a logical and chronological order in the research.
What are the tips for writing a strong dissertation structure?
Write an Abstract
An abstract is a synopsis of your research that appears after the title, list of abbreviations, and acknowledgments page. An abstract captures the essence of your entire dissertation and provides a preliminary overview of your research to the reader. It includes the research problem, significance of your research, methodology, findings, conclusions, and recommendations. An abstract must be strong and provide the necessary information to the reader to compel him or her to keep reading. An abstract is between 250-300 words. It is a concise yet comprehensive section that entails the key points of your research. However, it is preferable to write an abstract once you finish your dissertation because then you will have a better idea of the key parts of your research.
Write the Introduction
A strong dissertation structure is based on writing an impressive introduction. The introduction sets the tone and direction for the entire research. An introduction provides the background information to the reader and develops the research context by laying down the groundwork. An impressive start helps to keep your reader engaged, but if you fail to write an engaging introduction, the reader will lose interest halfway through reading. The introduction includes the research problem, which is essentially the gap identified by you during the literature review, research questions, aims and objectives, and scope and limitations of the research. Here are some tips for writing an impressive introduction section for creating a strong dissertation structure:
- Start the Introduction with attention grabbers or hooks to capture the reader’s attention
- Provide background knowledge on the topic to the reader
- Include the relevant information and highlight the significance of your research
- Do not introduce your research problem abruptly but instead smoothly transition towards it by first building a case for the research problem
- The background information must not be too lengthy but enough for the readers to understand the context of the topic
- Write down the research questions. Research questions must be formulated to cater to the research problem. Questions must be specific and straightforward and must attempt to find an answer to the research problem
- The aims and objectives of the research must be stated clearly
- The significance of the research justifies the rationale of the research
- Write down the limitations of the research
Write down the literature review
A literature review in a dissertation has a lot of significance. A strong dissertation structure entails writing a literature review highlighting the existing research’s strengths and weaknesses. A literature review is not a summary of previous studies. Instead, it is a critical assessment of the strengths and shortcomings of existing literature. The writer acknowledges previous researchers’ contributions and highlights the existing gaps. Gap identification is essential in writing a literature review because once you identify the gap, you try to connect it with your research problem. It requires justifying how your research will address the identified gaps and what will be your contributions to the literature.
It is also imperative to include the counter-evidence and studies that contradict your assertions and acknowledge those perspectives. Acknowledging the counter-evidence establishes your credibility as a researcher and helps build a balanced account. It is imperative to keep track of sources and cite everything properly in the required format. However, if you need any help writing the literature review section for your dissertation, you can always take help from expert writers at Dissertation Writing Service.
Write down the Research Methodology
A strong dissertation structure entails writing down a research methodology that incorporates the research design and practical steps for arriving at results and findings. It must inform the reader about the overall research philosophy and research type; inductive or deductive method. It requires informing the reader about the overall research approach; quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods approach. The research methodology section justifies the choices you made to conduct your research. It must convince the readers about the feasibility of your research method to arrive at the results, such as the data collection and analysis methods.
State the Results
A strong dissertation structure delineates everything in a logical order. After stating the research methodology, you must state the results. It is imperative to state the key results of your research. Remember that the results do not include analysis. You must present your research results objectively. You do not necessarily have to state all the key results; instead, provide the important ones. The details for the remaining results can be provided later in the appendices section.
Write down the discussion and analysis
The discussion section is the part where you evaluate your findings in light of the literature review. You must connect your findings with the literature and justify how your findings have addressed the identified gap. Discussion section is an analytical portion where you compare and contrast the findings by providing arguments and arguments. If you need any help writing the discussion section, you can always take help from experts at Dissertation Writers.
Write down the conclusion
A conclusion is the last part of your dissertation, and you must wrap up the discussion in this section. Conclusion must be a logical derivation of the discussion in the main body. You must reiterate the key points of your research problem, supporting points, and findings to justify the significance of your research. It also includes recommendations and suggestions for future researchers and a call for action.
Final Remarks
A strong dissertation structure entails logical consistency and coherence between the ideas. Each passage must be a logical extension of the prior sections. There must be smooth transitions from one passage to another, and ideas must flow naturally from one section to another.