what is a vita in a dissertation

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Thesis / dissertation formatting manual (2024).

• Filing Fees and Student Status
• Submission Process Overview
• Electronic Thesis Submission
• Paper Thesis Submission
• Formatting Overview
• Fonts/Typeface
• Pagination, Margins, Spacing
• Paper Thesis Formatting
• Preliminary Pages Overview
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures (etc.)
• Acknowledgements
• Text and References Overview
• Figures and Illustrations
• Using Your Own Previously Published Materials
• Using Copyrighted Materials by Another Author
• Open Access and Embargoes
• Copyright and Creative Commons
• Ordering Print (Bound) Copies
• Tutorials and Assistance
• FAQ This link opens in a new window
• Required only for PhD dissertations.
• Brief biographical sketch of the candidate; it is not intended to be a comprehensive resume.
• Includes a listing of the author's degrees and educational achievements with dates and the school where the degree was earned.
• Includes the degree currently being attained.
• May include academic or professional employment, publications, presentations, patents, or other scholarly work, awards, or distinctions.
• Do NOT include personal information such as date or place of birth, addresses (physical or email), phone numbers, marital status, headshots, etc.

Vita Example

This is an example of a Vita page from the Template. Note that it is not the same as a resume or a CV that one might use for employment.

• << Previous: Acknowledgements
• Next: Abstract >>
• Last Updated: Feb 20, 2024 2:09 PM
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• Formatting Additional Pages

The following pages are all included in a single file named research.pdf along with the main content of the thesis or dissertation. They are part of the research document, and so are considered research materials.

The naming convention for this file is very specific. It should be all lowercase, exactly as it is here: research.pdf .

Section Order for “ research.pdf”

The order of the sections in research.pdf is:

• Dissertation Title Page
• Thesis Title Page
• Copyright Page   (optional)
• Approval Page
• Dedication Page   (optional)
• Acknowledgements Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Illustrations, Figures, Tables, Nomenclature   (if necessary)
• Academic Abstract  
• Main Research Content
• Vita Page   (optional for theses)

Third-Party Copyright of a Thesis or Dissertation

If your work contains material that has been copyrighted by another party, students may need to seek permission to use the material in their thesis or dissertation. Examples of materials for which a student would need to seek copyright permission include but are not limited to:

• Third-Party Software
• Large Portions of Text

If copyright permission is needed, submit written approval for the use of the copyrighted material along with the thesis or dissertation.

Substituting Copyrighted Materials in Theses and Dissertations

The Graduate School encourages students to seek permission to use copyrighted material in their theses and dissertations. The work is published after it is submitted in approved form to the Graduate School and will be available to audiences who wish to know more about the subject you investigate.

The more full and complete the thesis or dissertation, the better the experience for the reader, and therefore the better the response to the fruits of the student’s hard work. However, if the student is unable or unwilling to obtain copyright permission for some of the materials in the research, other items may be substituted for the copyrighted material.

Acceptable substitutions include:

• Redrawing or tracing of maps, images, graphics, etc.
• References to URLs, printed documents or physical locations where the copyrighted material can be found.

A student whose thesis or dissertation has had copyrighted material removed prior to submission must have their advisor sign a document reading:

“[Student’s name] has removed copyrighted material from the copy of the thesis or dissertation submitted to the Graduate School for electronic publication. I certify that I approve the thesis or dissertation in this form. The student has presented accurate information as to where the removed, copyrighted material can be found.”

Advisor’s Name Date

Policy Regarding Theses and Dissertation Content

Students are prohibited from using research (data, results, methods or other content) in their theses or dissertations that could restrict subsequent publication or public disclosure of these documents. Examples of restricted information include classified or proprietary materials.

It is important to note that these restrictions do not apply to non-thesis or non-dissertation research approved by the student’s advisor and allowed by University of Missouri policies.

This policy was approved by the Graduate Faculty Senate. Questions regarding the applicability of this policy to thesis or dissertation content should be referred to the Graduate School.

Thesis Title Page Format

• Although the title page is counted as Roman numeral i, the number should not appear on the page.
• The body of the text should be centered on the page, both vertically and horizontally.
• Use the month and year of your graduation, not the month and year of your defense.

Dissertation Title Page Format

Copyright page for thesis or dissertation, copyright page format.

• Copyrighting is optional. To have your material copyrighted, you must pay an additional fee. Copyright registration provides a measure of security, but does not expand your legal rights to your intellectual property.
• The copyright page will appear after your Title page and before your Approval page .
• This page is not counted, numbered or listed in the Table of Contents .

Proquest GradWorks Guide

UMI/ Proquest is the company that does all the University’s thesis and dissertation processing. It has created a guide to copyright for dissertation and thesis authors , including how to avoid copyright infringement and how to protect your own copyrights. The document also includes a sample permission letter you may use to obtain permission for using copyrighted material in your dissertation or thesis.

Approval Page for Thesis or Dissertation

Approval page format.

• The approval page is not counted, numbered, or listed in the Table of Contents .
• It follows your title page, unless you have included the optional copyright page , in which case it will follow the copyright page.
• The title must be centered.
• Each person on your committee must be listed.
• The approval page in your thesis/dissertation should not have committee signatures.

Dedication Page for Thesis or Dissertation

Dedication page guidelines.

• The dedication page is optional.
• If used, it comes after the approval page .
• It is not counted, numbered or listed in the Table of Contents .
• It is used to acknowledge those who have supported you during your graduate school. This is not typically the place to recognize those who assisted you in your academic research, which is done on the required Acknowledgements page .
• There are no restrictions on the style or format.

Acknowledgements Page for Thesis or Dissertation

Acknowledgements format.

• The Acknowledgements page is required for all theses and dissertations. It follows the Approval page , unless there is the optional Dedication page , in which case it follows the Dedication page.
• Center the term “ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.”
• The page number should be Roman numeral “ii”.
• Indent and double-space the body of the text.
• There is no length restriction.

Table of Contents Page for Thesis or Dissertation

Table of contents format.

• Center the term “TABLE OF CONTENTS.”
• The Table of Contents should only include listings for the Acknowledgements page and any sections following the Table of Contents .
• Item page numbers should align at the right margin.
• Follow the spacing guidelines included in your chosen style manual.

List of Illustrations (Tables / Figures / Maps / Nomenclature)

List of illustrations page format.

• The title should centered.
• Single-space lines within entries, and double-space between entries.

Vita Page for Thesis or Dissertation

Vita page guidelines.

• The vita page is required for doctoral students, optional for master’s students.
• It is the final page of the research document and must have a page number.
• This is  not a curriculum vitae. Its purpose is to give a bit of background about the author.
• The title “VITA” should be centered.
• Formatting should be consistent with the rest of the research file.
• There is no restriction on the length.
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Formatting Overview

Formatting rules.

• Formatting Overview and Rules
• Spacing and Margins
• Template Library
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Incorrectly formatted documents require a lot of student and administrative time, as they must be evaluated by our staff, sent back to the student, then re-evaluated by the UGS staff.  Most theses and dissertations range from 30-300 pages, so it's important that the formatting rules are followed. 

Start with the  ETD PREPARATION MANUAL , then use this guide and its tutorials as a supplement. I also suggest having a look at the Common Error Checklist and the ETD Workshop Slides. The Common Error Checklist is the same checklist that is used to evaluate your D5/M3 draft and the final version of your ETD manuscript. The PowerPoint slides are from the ETD portion of the Graduation workshop held by UGS each semester.

• Common Error Checklist Use this checklist to ensure that your document conforms to UGS formatting guidelines. It can give you an idea of what UGS looks for in a well formatted document.
• ETD Workshop Slides The ETD portion of the UGS Graduation Workshop
• Committee Page
• Copyright Page (Optional)
• Dedication Page (Optional)
• Acknowledgments Page (Optional)
• Abstract Page(s)
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables, Figures, Symbols, Abbreviations and Acronyms, Plates
• Rules for Body of Text
• References, Footnotes, etc
• Inserting Images, Charts, & Equations
• LaTex Documents

1. The title for the thesis or dissertation should include meaningful keywords descriptive of the subject and content to facilitate its location on a subject index. This is particularly important for doctoral candidates, since titles are the basis for computer searches. "Catchy" titles should be avoided. A thesis concerning "The Purchasing Power of Teenage Girls," for example, would be difficult to locate if titled "Susie Needs A New Wardrobe."

Formulae, symbols, superscripts, Greek letters, acronyms, and abbreviated forms in general MUST be spelled out (e.g., K3 Mn(CN)6 is written Potassium Manganicyanide; MMPI is written Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; TESL is written Teaching English as a Second Language).  Bolding is NOT allowed, while quotes are allowed for signaling another work (E.g. “Title of an Article”), and italics is allowed only for Latin and formulas.

2. The major in which the candidate is earning the degree must be written as the approved University major listed in the FIU Graduate Catalog. For example, FIU awards a degree of Master of Science in Biology, not a Master of Science in Biological Sciences.  Also, some degrees will not have an 'in' (e.g. Master of Music).  You should not list subplans like Master of Music in Guitar Performance. If there are any questions about the degree name, the candidate should consult the current FIU Graduate Catalog.  Also double checking PantherSoft could reveal the exact major under the student plan - don't list the subplan.

3. The candidate's name must be the name under which he or she is registered at FIU and must match the name that appears on the approval forms, copyright page (if the copyright is being registered), signature page, and abstract. If the student wishes to change the name of record, an appropriate petition must be filed in the Office of the Registrar.

The date at the bottom of the title page is the year in which the degree is awarded. This is the same year in which the manuscript is filed, except in the case when the manuscript is filed with the  University   Graduate   School  after the published deadline. For example, if a student files the manuscript after the fall semester deadline, the degree will be awarded in the spring semester of the following year and is to be dated accordingly.

There is no page number on the title page.  The title page is counted as the first preliminary page but is not numbered. For architecture manuscripts with an oversize volume, see also Section E in Chapter I.

• Title Page Template (Doctoral)
• Title Page Template (Master)

• THE COMMITTEE PAGE MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE ETD MANUSCRIPT.
• IN THE ETD, THE COMMITTEE PAGE WILL NOT HAVE SIGNATURES.

The Committee page is always page ii of the manuscript, and it is the first page on which a number appears (ii appears 1/2 to 3/4 inch from the bottom of the page). Every page from this page on is numbered. The preliminary pages are in Roman numerals (i, ii, iii), and the body text pages are in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).

The candidate's name, as recorded by the FIU Office of the Registrar, appears on the Committee page. The name should be the same as that which appears on the first page of the Abstract, the Title page, Copyright page, and the Final ETD Approval form.  

List the names of each committee member and the major professor.  The name of the major professor must be listed last.  The title "Major Professor" follows that individual’s name. If there are two major professors, each is titled "Co-Major Professor".  Do NOT include Dr., Professor, or any other titles or academic letters for the major professor or committee members (e.g.  Dr. Peter Jordan is not acceptable while Peter Jordan is acceptable).

The date when the oral defense took place is typed after the major professor. The last name on the page is that of the dean of the  University   Graduate   School . The date at the bottom of the page is the year in which the degree is awarded and is the same as the year on the Title page and the Abstract.

The Committee page should only be one page.

• Thesis: 3 Committee Members
• Thesis: 4 Committee Members
• Thesis: 5 Committee Members
• Dissertation: Co-Major Professors and Two Committee Members
• Dissertation: Co-Major Professors and Three Committee Members
• Dissertation: Co-Major Professors and Four Committee Members
• Dissertation: Major Professor and Three Committee Members
• Dissertation: Major Professor and Four Committee Members

Unlocking the Templates

You may need to unlock these templates to copy and paste them into your document or change the font type to match the rest of your document. 

Windows Instructions

1. Click File --> Info --> Protect Document --> Restrict Editing. The Restrict Editing pane will open on the right side of the page.

2. Click Stop Protection at the bottom of the Restrict Editing pane.

Mac Instructions

In the Mac version of Word, you'll need to make sure the Developer tab is visible before you can unlock the templates:

1. Click the Word menu.

2. Click Preferences.

3. In the Authoring and Proofing Tools section, click View.

4. In the Ribbon section, select the Show Developer Tab check box.

5. Click the Developer tab, then Protect Form.

The following information must appear centered (vertically and horizontally) on the copyright page:

© Copyright 1998 by Jennifer Anne Garcia  All rights reserved.

To be consistent, use your name as it appears in title page, signature page, and abstract.  The format for the copyright page is the same for the master's thesis and the doctoral dissertation. If the copyright has already been registered, insert the registration number after the author's name, the year the copyright was obtained in place of the year the degree was awarded.

The candidate can insert the copyright page regardless of whether they register the copyright or not.

The candidate is responsible for acknowledging each permission to reproduce an external work in accordance with the wishes of those granting permission (this can be done on the acknowledgments page).

NOTE: You should only need to worry about registering your copyright if you foresee a need for litigation for damages.  Otherwise, you have copyright as soon as you fix your work in tangible form.

• Copyright Page Template

This page is optional, but, if included, it will always be numbered and is to be double-spaced (even between DEDICATION and the body of text).  No bolding, italics, or quotation marks.  If the length of the dedication is short (less than half a page), center the text vertically on the page.

• Dedication Page Template

This page is to thank those who have helped in the process of obtaining the graduate degree. Acknowledgments are optional, except when you have external funding e.g., fellowships, grants, etc.  

Acknowledgments are to be typed double-spaced under the heading ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (centered, all capital letters, no underlining, no italics, no bold).  The text must acknowledge any FIU fellowships.  No bolding, quotation marks, or italics in body of text.  

NOTE: The most common error on this page is the spelling of acknowledgments.  Do not spell acknowledgEments.  For FIU purposes, please spell 'acknowledgments' (without the E before the M).

• Acknowledgments Page Template

The words ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION (doctorate) or ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS (master) appear in capital letters at the top margin. Double space everything. The title, candidate's name, year of degree, and name of the major professor must match the spelling used on other preliminary pages and the approval forms.

The title "Professor" precedes the name of the major professor (no matter what the individual's normal title is). The title "Major Professor" follows the name.  If you have Co-Major Professors, both Professors should appear as the following: Professor *** ****, Co-Major Professor. 

The abstract is published without further editing or revisions; therefore, special care must be taken in its preparation.

Master's thesis abstract is not to exceed 150 words.

Doctoral dissertation abstract must not exceed 350 words. 

• Abstract Page Template (Dissertation)
• Abstract Page Template (Thesis)

The table of contents should have a heading of TABLE OF CONTENTS in capital letters, centered at the top margin (1'').  Right below the main heading, the subheadings CHAPTER and PAGE MUST be separated from title (above) and entries (below) by double spacing. The contents should begin with the first chapter title (e.g. Preface, Introduction, Chapter I) and continue until the last chapter of the manuscript is listed.  This applies to the list of references, appendices and vita (where applicable).

Be sure to match the titles in spelling and style (e.g. CHAPTER I on table of contents should match CHAPTER I on page 1).  

Do NOT include preliminary pages in the table of contents.

Do NOT list all the appendices, but include the page number where they start, and make sure that page matches what the table of contents list in terms of spelling and style (e.g. CAPS).

Page numbers must be given for each item listed, and the page numbers must be aligned.

Single space within a chapter, but double space between chapters.

• Manual Table of Contents

The lists of tables, figures, symbols, abbreviations and acronyms, and plates should have a heading of LIST OF TABLES (FIGURES, etc.) in capital letters, centered at the top margin (1''). You can use the Table of Contents template to format these pages.  

In the lists of tables and figures, the subheadings TABLE (FIGURE) and PAGE should be typed double-space below the main heading. Table and figure titles should be single-spaced with double spacing between entries. Page numbers must be given for each table and figure listed. The titles should be listed word-for-word as they appear in the text. 

Include a list of tables or list of figures only if there are five or more tables or figures in the manuscript.  The list of tables and list of figures should not be combined into one list.

Note: The last page of the table of contents or the lists of tables, figures, symbols, abbreviations and acronyms, and plates (if any) is the last page of the preliminary pages and the last page numbered with Roman numerals. Any other item in a manuscript that has not been specifically listed and discussed above must not be included in the preliminary pages.

• Abbreviations and Acronyms Sample
• Do not leave big gaps on the pages.
• Double space between references and footnotes,  BUT  single space within each entry.
• All non-textual insertions must be decipherable and clear even if you have to take up the whole page.  
• The body starts with page 1.
• Landscape pages are fine.
• Make sure the chapter and sub-chapter headings are formatted exactly how they appear on the Table of Contents.
• Make sure the chapter and sub-chapter headings are found on the same pages that the Table of Contents lists them.
• Do NOT use more than one font type and size.  This includes headings, titles, etc. Captions may be a smaller font size than the rest of the body text but must still be the same font type.
• Do NOT leave a widow/orphan. A widow is the last line of a paragraph at the to of a page, appearing by itself; an orphan is the first line of a paragraph or heading at the bottom of a page. 
• Single-space within figure and table captions.
• If the manuscript is a collection of works, each work should be treated as a separate chapter.  It's acceptable to have a title page for each work/chapter.

• Single space within an entry, & double space between entries for references and footnotes.  
• Between REFERENCES (page title) and first entry, there should be no more and no less than a double space.
• Do NOT bold the REFERENCES heading.
• REFERENCES should be at the 1'' top margin. If each chapter contains its own references section, that section should begin beneath the final line of text in the chapter and not on a separate page.
• Footnotes can be as small as a size 10 font, BUT make sure the font type matches the rest of the document.
• Heading can be REFERENCES, LIST OF REFERENCES, BIBLIOGRAPHY, etc. 
• References AND Footnotes

1) Inserting Images:   It's important to optimize your images so that your ETD file stays a modest file size (<1-10MBs).  Best way is to convert large file formats like TIFF to smaller formats like JPEG.  This isn't an exact rule, but if your Word document is over 50MB, then that's probably too much.  The video below explains how to optimize images.

2) Inserting Charts/Graphs:   Microsoft Excel offers several options for importing graphs or charts into Word.  The only acceptable way to do this is by pasting or importing as a picture.  Do not link the data as this will cause conversion problems when the library attempts to create a robust preservation copy of your work.

3) Inserting Equations:   First, we suggest you use the most current version of Microsoft Word, which all students are entitled to a free copy of.  Second, students should, if possible, use the Microsoft Equation 3.0 tool.  The Equations tool (pi symbol) may be used, but it can cause font problems.  Please watch the video for explanation.

The vita is required for doctoral dissertations ONLY. The vita provides a brief biographical background of the candidate. It is not intended to be a comprehensive resume or curriculum vitae. The heading, VITA (centered, in capital letters, and not underlined), should be typed below the top margin. All vita entries should be listed in strict chronological order, with no subcategories or subheadings. The vita can include place of birth, dates of degrees and names of colleges or universities (exclude the degree for which this dissertation is written), academic or professional employment, publications and presentations.

If the candidate wishes, it may also include military service, honors, awards and distinctions. The vita should not exceed two pages.

If including publications and presentations do not break them into two separate categories. Type a heading PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS as illustrated in the sample page. List all entries in strict alphabetical order by first author's last name. List presentation entries using a standard citation format. If a presentation paper has not been subsequently published and the candidate is uncertain about citation format, a style manual should be consulted for correct formats for unpublished presentation papers.

• Vita Sample

LaTex Package

Click the link below to download our LaTex template package. This package was developed by a faculty member and provided to UGS.  Overall, it conforms to many of our formatting requirements, but we may still ask you to adjust the format of your unique manuscript. .

• UGS LaTex Package 01242022
• << Previous: Copyright Information
• Next: Formatting Overview and Rules >>
• Last Updated: Sep 26, 2023 12:36 PM
• URL: https://library.fiu.edu/etd

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THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

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Dissertation Formatting Requirements

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University Library Digital Publishing Services Dissertation Information

ProQuest Dissertation Submission FAQ

ProQuest Resources and Guidelines Formatting, intellectual property, and copyright guides.

The Graduate School sets the minimum formatting standards for the PhD dissertation to ensure uniformity, legibility, and to comply with ProQuest and University Library requirements for publishing/archiving.  These guidelines do not address all facets of formatting and style.  Students should consult with their adviser, committee, and academic program’s choice of style manual for formatting questions outside what is described below.

A sample template providing examples of what is outlined below can downloaded as either a PDF or Word document.

Arrangement of Pages

Dissertations must be arranged in the following order.  Items in italics are optional.  

• Copyright page
• Acknowledgment page
• List of Abbreviations (required in dissertations with significant use of abbreviations)
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables, Illustrations, Figures, or Graphs
• Introduction
• Tables, Illustrations, Figures, Graphs (if not incorporated into body of text)
• Vita (optional, but recommended)
• The page size should be 8.5" x 11”, standard US Letter size (not A4).
• Margins must be 1” on all sides with the exception of page numbers, figures, headers/footers, footnotes/endnotes, and full-page images, which may be ¾" from edge of page.
• The abstract, dedication, acknowledgements, table of contents, and body of the manuscript should be double spaced.
• Quotations as paragraphs, captions, items in tables, lists, graphs, charts, footnotes/endnotes, bibliographic entries, and lists in appendices may be single spaced.
• Any legible font is permitted except script or ornamental fonts.
• Fonts must be embedded.
• Font size should be equivalent in scale to 10pt Arial or 12pt Times New Roman.
• Every page in a dissertation is numbered, except the title page .
• Page numbering will begin on the second page with Arabic numeral 2 .
• Page number should appear in upper right corner of page at least ¾” from both the top and right edges of the page.
• For best screen readability: page numbers should appear in the upper right corner when the page is viewed on a screen. This is usually what word processing software does by default when pages are changed to landscape layout within a document. Note that page numbers with this layout may end up being obscured in bound copies of the dissertation.
• For best on-paper readability (for printed/bound copies): page numbers should appear in the correct position when the page is printed and bound, i.e., as if the page were actually portrait-oriented. A landscape page tutorial appears in the formatting template .
• If the primary language of the dissertation is not English, a 10-20 page summary of the dissertation in English must be included as an appendix.
• The abstract of a foreign language dissertation must be in English.
• Layout: The title page should conform to this sample .
• The title of the dissertation should be in mixed case; the first and last words and all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs are capitalized. Articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor), and prepositions, regardless of length, are lowercased unless they are the first or last word of the title or subtitle.
• Special characters cannot be used in titles. Use word substitutes in place of formulas, symbols, superscripts, or Greek letters.
• See Dissertation Title Best Practices
• Program name: Should be the name of the students’ academic program as listed here .
• Date: The date should be the month and year in which the degree will be officially conferred (December 20XX for Fall graduates, March 20XX for Winter graduates, June 20XX for Spring graduates, September 20XX for Summer graduates).

Copyright (optional)

• If the choice is made to register copyright in the manuscript, a copyright notice should be included on its own page immediately after the title page.
• Additional information about dissertation copyright can be found on the University Library Copyright Basics website as well as on ProQuest’s resources and guidelines website .
• A double-spaced abstract is required and should immediately follow the title page (or the copyright page, if one is included).
• There is no word limit.
• Mathematical formulas, photographs, diagrams, and other illustrative materials should not be included in the abstract.

Lists of Tables, Illustrations, Figures, or Graphs

• Lists should reproduce the specific titles and page locations of illustrative materials.
• If not incorporated into the main body of the text, these items should immediately follow the text, not at the end of chapters.
• Each dissertation must include references to document the text.
• References may be included at the bottom of the page or at the end of the text, but cannot be placed at the end of each chapter.
• The format for references should conform to the guidelines in an approved style manual. References may be single-spaced.

Supplementary Materials (optional)

• If supplementary materials—such as audio, video, data sets and spreadsheets—are part of the dissertation or thesis, they can be submitted as supplementary files during the online submission process.

Use of Copyrighted Material

• Information about including previously published materials can be found in the ProQuest Copyright Guide. 
• In many cases it is fine to include sections of previously published (or in-press/forthcoming) papers in the dissertation, but students should (1) obtain written permission from co-authors in order to quote extensively and/or reproduce tables, figures, etc. and (2) seek or verify permission from the original publisher of the paper to ensure it is permitted.
• It is recommended that a line be included in those chapters such as, “Printed with permission of [co-author] and [original publisher].” 

How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

8 straightforward steps to craft an a-grade dissertation.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020

Writing a dissertation or thesis is not a simple task. It takes time, energy and a lot of will power to get you across the finish line. It’s not easy – but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a painful process. If you understand the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis, your research journey will be a lot smoother.  

In this post, I’m going to outline the big-picture process of how to write a high-quality dissertation or thesis, without losing your mind along the way. If you’re just starting your research, this post is perfect for you. Alternatively, if you’ve already submitted your proposal, this article which covers how to structure a dissertation might be more helpful.

How To Write A Dissertation: 8 Steps

• Clearly understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is
• Find a unique and valuable research topic
• Craft a convincing research proposal
• Write up a strong introduction chapter
• Review the existing literature and compile a literature review
• Design a rigorous research strategy and undertake your own research
• Present the findings of your research
• Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Step 1: Understand exactly what a dissertation is

This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but all too often, students come to us for help with their research and the underlying issue is that they don’t fully understand what a dissertation (or thesis) actually is.

So, what is a dissertation?

At its simplest, a dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research , reflecting the standard research process . But what is the standard research process, you ask? The research process involves 4 key steps:

• Ask a very specific, well-articulated question (s) (your research topic)
• See what other researchers have said about it (if they’ve already answered it)
• If they haven’t answered it adequately, undertake your own data collection and analysis in a scientifically rigorous fashion
• Answer your original question(s), based on your analysis findings

In short, the research process is simply about asking and answering questions in a systematic fashion . This probably sounds pretty obvious, but people often think they’ve done “research”, when in fact what they have done is:

• Started with a vague, poorly articulated question
• Not taken the time to see what research has already been done regarding the question
• Collected data and opinions that support their gut and undertaken a flimsy analysis
• Drawn a shaky conclusion, based on that analysis

If you want to see the perfect example of this in action, look out for the next Facebook post where someone claims they’ve done “research”… All too often, people consider reading a few blog posts to constitute research. Its no surprise then that what they end up with is an opinion piece, not research. Okay, okay – I’ll climb off my soapbox now.

The key takeaway here is that a dissertation (or thesis) is a formal piece of research, reflecting the research process. It’s not an opinion piece , nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position. Writing a good dissertation involves asking a question and taking a systematic, rigorous approach to answering it.

If you understand this and are comfortable leaving your opinions or preconceived ideas at the door, you’re already off to a good start!

Step 2: Find a unique, valuable research topic

As we saw, the first step of the research process is to ask a specific, well-articulated question. In other words, you need to find a research topic that asks a specific question or set of questions (these are called research questions ). Sounds easy enough, right? All you’ve got to do is identify a question or two and you’ve got a winning research topic. Well, not quite…

A good dissertation or thesis topic has a few important attributes. Specifically, a solid research topic should be:

Let’s take a closer look at these:

Attribute #1: Clear

Your research topic needs to be crystal clear about what you’re planning to research, what you want to know, and within what context. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or vagueness about what you’ll research.

Here’s an example of a clearly articulated research topic:

An analysis of consumer-based factors influencing organisational trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms.

As you can see in the example, its crystal clear what will be analysed (factors impacting organisational trust), amongst who (consumers) and in what context (British low-cost equity brokerage firms, based online).

Need a helping hand?

Attribute #2:   Unique

Your research should be asking a question(s) that hasn’t been asked before, or that hasn’t been asked in a specific context (for example, in a specific country or industry).

For example, sticking organisational trust topic above, it’s quite likely that organisational trust factors in the UK have been investigated before, but the context (online low-cost equity brokerages) could make this research unique. Therefore, the context makes this research original.

One caveat when using context as the basis for originality – you need to have a good reason to suspect that your findings in this context might be different from the existing research – otherwise, there’s no reason to warrant researching it.

Attribute #3: Important

Simply asking a unique or original question is not enough – the question needs to create value. In other words, successfully answering your research questions should provide some value to the field of research or the industry. You can’t research something just to satisfy your curiosity. It needs to make some form of contribution either to research or industry.

For example, researching the factors influencing consumer trust would create value by enabling businesses to tailor their operations and marketing to leverage factors that promote trust. In other words, it would have a clear benefit to industry.

So, how do you go about finding a unique and valuable research topic? We explain that in detail in this video post – How To Find A Research Topic . Yeah, we’ve got you covered 😊

Step 3: Write a convincing research proposal

Once you’ve pinned down a high-quality research topic, the next step is to convince your university to let you research it. No matter how awesome you think your topic is, it still needs to get the rubber stamp before you can move forward with your research. The research proposal is the tool you’ll use for this job.

So, what’s in a research proposal?

The main “job” of a research proposal is to convince your university, advisor or committee that your research topic is worthy of approval. But convince them of what? Well, this varies from university to university, but generally, they want to see that:

• You have a clearly articulated, unique and important topic (this might sound familiar…)
• You’ve done some initial reading of the existing literature relevant to your topic (i.e. a literature review)
• You have a provisional plan in terms of how you will collect data and analyse it (i.e. a methodology)

At the proposal stage, it’s (generally) not expected that you’ve extensively reviewed the existing literature , but you will need to show that you’ve done enough reading to identify a clear gap for original (unique) research. Similarly, they generally don’t expect that you have a rock-solid research methodology mapped out, but you should have an idea of whether you’ll be undertaking qualitative or quantitative analysis , and how you’ll collect your data (we’ll discuss this in more detail later).

Long story short – don’t stress about having every detail of your research meticulously thought out at the proposal stage – this will develop as you progress through your research. However, you do need to show that you’ve “done your homework” and that your research is worthy of approval .

So, how do you go about crafting a high-quality, convincing proposal? We cover that in detail in this video post – How To Write A Top-Class Research Proposal . We’ve also got a video walkthrough of two proposal examples here .

Step 4: Craft a strong introduction chapter

Once your proposal’s been approved, its time to get writing your actual dissertation or thesis! The good news is that if you put the time into crafting a high-quality proposal, you’ve already got a head start on your first three chapters – introduction, literature review and methodology – as you can use your proposal as the basis for these.

Handy sidenote – our free dissertation & thesis template is a great way to speed up your dissertation writing journey.

What’s the introduction chapter all about?

The purpose of the introduction chapter is to set the scene for your research (dare I say, to introduce it…) so that the reader understands what you’ll be researching and why it’s important. In other words, it covers the same ground as the research proposal in that it justifies your research topic.

What goes into the introduction chapter?

This can vary slightly between universities and degrees, but generally, the introduction chapter will include the following:

• A brief background to the study, explaining the overall area of research
• A problem statement , explaining what the problem is with the current state of research (in other words, where the knowledge gap exists)
• Your research questions – in other words, the specific questions your study will seek to answer (based on the knowledge gap)
• The significance of your study – in other words, why it’s important and how its findings will be useful in the world

As you can see, this all about explaining the “what” and the “why” of your research (as opposed to the “how”). So, your introduction chapter is basically the salesman of your study, “selling” your research to the first-time reader and (hopefully) getting them interested to read more.

How do I write the introduction chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this post .

Step 5: Undertake an in-depth literature review

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to do some initial review of the literature in Steps 2 and 3 to find your research gap and craft a convincing research proposal – but that’s just scratching the surface. Once you reach the literature review stage of your dissertation or thesis, you need to dig a lot deeper into the existing research and write up a comprehensive literature review chapter.

What’s the literature review all about?

There are two main stages in the literature review process:

Literature Review Step 1: Reading up

The first stage is for you to deep dive into the existing literature (journal articles, textbook chapters, industry reports, etc) to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of research regarding your topic. While you don’t need to read every single article, you do need to ensure that you cover all literature that is related to your core research questions, and create a comprehensive catalogue of that literature , which you’ll use in the next step.

Reading and digesting all the relevant literature is a time consuming and intellectually demanding process. Many students underestimate just how much work goes into this step, so make sure that you allocate a good amount of time for this when planning out your research. Thankfully, there are ways to fast track the process – be sure to check out this article covering how to read journal articles quickly .

Literature Review Step 2: Writing up

Once you’ve worked through the literature and digested it all, you’ll need to write up your literature review chapter. Many students make the mistake of thinking that the literature review chapter is simply a summary of what other researchers have said. While this is partly true, a literature review is much more than just a summary. To pull off a good literature review chapter, you’ll need to achieve at least 3 things:

• You need to synthesise the existing research , not just summarise it. In other words, you need to show how different pieces of theory fit together, what’s agreed on by researchers, what’s not.
• You need to highlight a research gap that your research is going to fill. In other words, you’ve got to outline the problem so that your research topic can provide a solution.
• You need to use the existing research to inform your methodology and approach to your own research design. For example, you might use questions or Likert scales from previous studies in your your own survey design .

As you can see, a good literature review is more than just a summary of the published research. It’s the foundation on which your own research is built, so it deserves a lot of love and attention. Take the time to craft a comprehensive literature review with a suitable structure .

But, how do I actually write the literature review chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this video post .

Step 6: Carry out your own research

Once you’ve completed your literature review and have a sound understanding of the existing research, its time to develop your own research (finally!). You’ll design this research specifically so that you can find the answers to your unique research question.

There are two steps here – designing your research strategy and executing on it:

1 – Design your research strategy

The first step is to design your research strategy and craft a methodology chapter . I won’t get into the technicalities of the methodology chapter here, but in simple terms, this chapter is about explaining the “how” of your research. If you recall, the introduction and literature review chapters discussed the “what” and the “why”, so it makes sense that the next point to cover is the “how” –that’s what the methodology chapter is all about.

In this section, you’ll need to make firm decisions about your research design. This includes things like:

• Your research philosophy (e.g. positivism or interpretivism )
• Your overall methodology (e.g. qualitative , quantitative or mixed methods)
• Your data collection strategy (e.g. interviews , focus groups, surveys)
• Your data analysis strategy (e.g. content analysis , correlation analysis, regression)

If these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these in plain language in other posts. It’s not essential that you understand the intricacies of research design (yet!). The key takeaway here is that you’ll need to make decisions about how you’ll design your own research, and you’ll need to describe (and justify) your decisions in your methodology chapter.

2 – Execute: Collect and analyse your data

Once you’ve worked out your research design, you’ll put it into action and start collecting your data. This might mean undertaking interviews, hosting an online survey or any other data collection method. Data collection can take quite a bit of time (especially if you host in-person interviews), so be sure to factor sufficient time into your project plan for this. Oftentimes, things don’t go 100% to plan (for example, you don’t get as many survey responses as you hoped for), so bake a little extra time into your budget here.

Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to do some data preparation before you can sink your teeth into the analysis. For example:

• If you carry out interviews or focus groups, you’ll need to transcribe your audio data to text (i.e. a Word document).
• If you collect quantitative survey data, you’ll need to clean up your data and get it into the right format for whichever analysis software you use (for example, SPSS, R or STATA).

Once you’ve completed your data prep, you’ll undertake your analysis, using the techniques that you described in your methodology. Depending on what you find in your analysis, you might also do some additional forms of analysis that you hadn’t planned for. For example, you might see something in the data that raises new questions or that requires clarification with further analysis.

The type(s) of analysis that you’ll use depend entirely on the nature of your research and your research questions. For example:

• If your research if exploratory in nature, you’ll often use qualitative analysis techniques .
• If your research is confirmatory in nature, you’ll often use quantitative analysis techniques
• If your research involves a mix of both, you might use a mixed methods approach

Again, if these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these concepts and techniques in other posts. The key takeaway is simply that there’s no “one size fits all” for research design and methodology – it all depends on your topic, your research questions and your data. So, don’t be surprised if your study colleagues take a completely different approach to yours.

Step 7: Present your findings

Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to present your findings (finally!). In a dissertation or thesis, you’ll typically present your findings in two chapters – the results chapter and the discussion chapter .

What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?

While these two chapters are similar, the results chapter generally just presents the processed data neatly and clearly without interpretation, while the discussion chapter explains the story the data are telling  – in other words, it provides your interpretation of the results.

For example, if you were researching the factors that influence consumer trust, you might have used a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between potential factors (e.g. perceived integrity and competence of the organisation) and consumer trust. In this case:

• Your results chapter would just present the results of the statistical tests. For example, correlation results or differences between groups. In other words, the processed numbers.
• Your discussion chapter would explain what the numbers mean in relation to your research question(s). For example, Factor 1 has a weak relationship with consumer trust, while Factor 2 has a strong relationship.

Depending on the university and degree, these two chapters (results and discussion) are sometimes merged into one , so be sure to check with your institution what their preference is. Regardless of the chapter structure, this section is about presenting the findings of your research in a clear, easy to understand fashion.

Importantly, your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions (which you outlined in the introduction or literature review chapter). In other words, it needs to answer the key questions you asked (or at least attempt to answer them).

For example, if we look at the sample research topic:

In this case, the discussion section would clearly outline which factors seem to have a noteworthy influence on organisational trust. By doing so, they are answering the overarching question and fulfilling the purpose of the research .

For more information about the results chapter , check out this post for qualitative studies and this post for quantitative studies .

Step 8: The Final Step Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Last but not least, you’ll need to wrap up your research with the conclusion chapter . In this chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and explaining what the implications of these findings are.

What exactly are key findings? The key findings are those findings which directly relate to your original research questions and overall research objectives (which you discussed in your introduction chapter). The implications, on the other hand, explain what your findings mean for industry, or for research in your area.

Sticking with the consumer trust topic example, the conclusion might look something like this:

Key findings

This study set out to identify which factors influence consumer-based trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms. The results suggest that the following factors have a large impact on consumer trust:

While the following factors have a very limited impact on consumer trust:

Notably, within the 25-30 age groups, Factors E had a noticeably larger impact, which may be explained by…

Implications

The findings having noteworthy implications for British low-cost online equity brokers. Specifically:

The large impact of Factors X and Y implies that brokers need to consider….

The limited impact of Factor E implies that brokers need to…

As you can see, the conclusion chapter is basically explaining the “what” (what your study found) and the “so what?” (what the findings mean for the industry or research). This brings the study full circle and closes off the document.

Let’s recap – how to write a dissertation or thesis

You’re still with me? Impressive! I know that this post was a long one, but hopefully you’ve learnt a thing or two about how to write a dissertation or thesis, and are now better equipped to start your own research.

To recap, the 8 steps to writing a quality dissertation (or thesis) are as follows:

• Understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is – a research project that follows the research process.
• Find a unique (original) and important research topic
• Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal
• Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter
• Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review
• Undertake your own research
• Present and interpret your findings

Once you’ve wrapped up the core chapters, all that’s typically left is the abstract , reference list and appendices. As always, be sure to check with your university if they have any additional requirements in terms of structure or content.  

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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20 Comments

thankfull >>>this is very useful

Thank you, it was really helpful

unquestionably, this amazing simplified way of teaching. Really , I couldn’t find in the literature words that fully explicit my great thanks to you. However, I could only say thanks a-lot.

Great to hear that – thanks for the feedback. Good luck writing your dissertation/thesis.

This is the most comprehensive explanation of how to write a dissertation. Many thanks for sharing it free of charge.

Very rich presentation. Thank you

Thanks Derek Jansen|GRADCOACH, I find it very useful guide to arrange my activities and proceed to research!

Thank you so much for such a marvelous teaching .I am so convinced that am going to write a comprehensive and a distinct masters dissertation

It is an amazing comprehensive explanation

This was straightforward. Thank you!

I can say that your explanations are simple and enlightening – understanding what you have done here is easy for me. Could you write more about the different types of research methods specific to the three methodologies: quan, qual and MM. I look forward to interacting with this website more in the future.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions 🙂

Hello, your write ups is quite educative. However, l have challenges in going about my research questions which is below; *Building the enablers of organisational growth through effective governance and purposeful leadership.*

Very educating.

Just listening to the name of the dissertation makes the student nervous. As writing a top-quality dissertation is a difficult task as it is a lengthy topic, requires a lot of research and understanding and is usually around 10,000 to 15000 words. Sometimes due to studies, unbalanced workload or lack of research and writing skill students look for dissertation submission from professional writers.

Thank you 💕😊 very much. I was confused but your comprehensive explanation has cleared my doubts of ever presenting a good thesis. Thank you.

thank you so much, that was so useful

Hi. Where is the excel spread sheet ark?

could you please help me look at your thesis paper to enable me to do the portion that has to do with the specification

my topic is “the impact of domestic revenue mobilization.

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How To Write a Vita For Thesis?

In simple terms, a thesis can be termed as the main idea or essence of an essay, or a research paper. It is a form of expository writing. The term vita is derived from a Latin word, namely vitae. English translation and meaning of this term is ” the course of one’s life” A vita can be used to summarize a person’s personal and professional life. In many theses, a vita can also be used as the template. For educational purposes, it is used as a curriculum vita or C.V. It is a more described form of a resume including details like past work experiences, academic achievements, publications, interests, preferred work environment, and other personal information included in the person’s resume. One difference between a curriculum vita or C.V. and a resume is that a vita is a more descriptive form of a resume. A vita can also be called a more broad format of a person’s resume.Lets checkout how to write a vita for thesis?

A Vita In a Thesis IN A THESIS

 The formation and the rules to write a vita for a thesis are to some extent similar to writing a curriculum vita or C.V. A thesis can be defined as an explanatory research work paper written on one specific concept, place, topic, or person. It describes the main idea of the research work briefly summarizing the whole concept. The main purpose of writing a thesis is to attract the reader’s attention. Similarly, a vita in a thesis is required to brief about the writer’s point of view and other relevant information. A vita includes the overview of the research paper or thesis, summary or main idea of the thesis, the topic covered, sub-topics, main characters, writer’s information including his personal and professional details, and many more. 

Rules to write a Vita For Thesis

• The length and the word limit of writing a vita is already fixed. Moreover, the people must not extend these ord or page limits. Generally, the ideal vita consists of a half or one page and not more than one page. 
• A vita includes the short biographical narrative of the one or two people to whom the irrespective document belongs. It must be a little more descriptive as compared to the person’s resume.
• A vita consisting of the person’s information must include his personal, professional, and academic history and qualifications. It must be stated in the form of short and simple bullet points.
• The person who write a vita for the thesis must title a separate blank page, in the top left corner as “VITA”. It is an optional guideline, but it is preferable to include this step for more clarity. It specifies the purpose of including a heading or sub-heading that attracts the reader’s attention and makes it easy to read or focus on the thesis.

Attributes to a good Vita for Thesis

• A vita must be short and simple. It must not extend the required word or page limit. A vita must be written in such a manner that it is capable of attracting the readers’ attention.
• Vits written by the person must be straightforward, explaining and summarizing all the required details. It must also state the purpose of writing the thesis.
• The language of the vita must be simple and clear. The words of commonly used vocabulary must be included while writing a vita.
• Only the relevant information must be included in a vita. Therefore, the person must avoid writing unnecessary and unwanted information.  

Steps and Tips to write a Vita

There are many effective tips, techniques, and steps to write a short and effective curriculum vita. The person who wants to write a vita must include only the relevant and summarized details about the topic. He can also take help from the following given points.

Step 1- Sorting the required Information

A vita must only include vital information. The writer must sort the information he wants to include or not to include in the curriculum vita or C.V. Moreover, the person can also choose appropriate taglines for example name, address, experience, work experience, brief hobbies, or interests, educational qualifications, awards, publications, and many more.

Step 2 – Including the needed information

From the above-mentioned taglines, the writer can select or choose the important topics to describe the tags. The vita writers can also cut short the information provided by them to keep the curriculum vita short, simple, and straight- forward. 

Step 3 – Describing the Taglines

The writer must brief about the taglines in simple words or short points. The points must be descriptive but short to give the readers a small overview of the topic. It is one of the most important aspects of writing a good vita for a thesis, research papers, documents, etc.

Step 4 – Reaching the required word Limit

The person who is framing the vita must include all the information while keeping in mind the required word limit. It must not extend more than one page or one and a half pages. It is because the vita must be only used to summarize the important details in a thesis or regarding a person. 

Step 5 – Removing the Irrelevant Information to make a Vita short

If the vita is extending the required word limit the writer can remove the information he finds unneeded or irrelevant. He can also cut short some detailed taglines or headings.

Thesis writing is a form of expository writing commonly used in research works, paper writing, essays, and more. The purpose of thesis writing is to broaden the scope of subjective topics in such a manner that it is available and approachable to all people. A vita is also an important part of a thesis. It is used to describe the writer’s personal and professional details or qualifications. It can also be used as a more descriptive form of a resume. In a thesis or research paper, a vita is used to summarize the main idea of the work written by the writer, an overview of the theses, a quick summary of the topic, topics covered in the thesis, etc. Its main purpose is to attract the reader’s attention. 

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Submitting an eTD

•  /  Complete Your Degree
•  /  Thesis and Dissertation Information
•  /  About eTDs
•  /  Creating eTDs
•  /  Submitting an eTD

Steps in the eTD Submission Process

Formatting for submission.

• Become familiar with the formatting requirements by reading the Thesis and Dissertation Handbook carefully.
• Apply to graduate in LionPATH during the semester in which you plan to graduate. See Office of These and Dissertation Calendar for deadline.
• Upload a draft of the thesis or dissertation for format review to the eTD website  by format review deadline. Corrections and detailed instructions will be returned to you by email within two weeks.
• Make any changes required by your committee and the Office of These and Dissertation.
• Review the document one last time to be sure that no further changes are needed. It will not be possible to make corrections after final approval by the Office of These and Dissertation. Upload the final copy, as a pdf file, to the eTD website by the deadline.
• Submit the supporting materials to the Office of These and Dissertation (this may be done either before or after you upload your file).
• Await notification of approval (if further changes are required, you will be notified).
• If you want bound copies, contact the Multimedia Print Center or you may use an off-campus source. All copies are the author's responsibility; The Graduate School does not provide copies.

HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS/REMINDERS

• Have you included a one-page vita at the end of the eTD (doctoral only)?
• Are all pages numbered correctly (Roman numerals for the front matter; Arabic numbers for the text and back matter)? Be sure that the text begins on page 1.
• Have you checked your PDF file for missing pages, poor font translation, and other anomalies?
• Are all internal and external multimedia objects and files present?
• Have you included a Table of Contents and a list of each multimedia object type?
• Have you checked your title page for the correct date (month and year of graduation)?
• Have you completed all supporting materials for the Office of These and Dissertation (incomplete information may delay the review and approval of your eTD).

Back to Top

After you have written your thesis or dissertation, you must prepare the electronic version for submission. Overall, it is important to submit an eTD that has a consistent appearance throughout.

Global Page Settings

All the pages in your eTD should follow a general form regarding page numbering, margins, and line spacing.

Page Numbering : Except for the title page and vita, all pages in your eTD should be numbered. Page numbers appear in page headers or footers. Consult the manual for your word processor on how to set these up.You may "hide" page numbers on the first page of each section or chapter if you wish.

Number the pages in the front matter with lower-case Roman numerals placed at the top or bottom center or right-hand corner of the page. The title page (page i) and the vita (last page) should not show a page number.

Number all pages through the body and back matter with Arabic numbers (1,2,3, etc.).

The first page of the text, or body, must be page 1.

Margins :All margins for your eTD (left, right, top, bottom) should be no less than 1 inch, but may be more if you choose.

Line Spacing :Line spacing can be either 1 line (single-spaced) or 1-1/2 lines, or double-spaced. Your committee may prefer the working paper drafts to be double-spaced, but smaller spacing is easier to read on a computer screen. A spacing of 1-1/2 may be a compromise that will be accepted by your committee. Please consult them to determine their preference during the draft phase.

The format should emulate an 8-1/2" x 11" page (portrait style). Landscape style is acceptable where necessary to accommodate tables, figures, or other materials. Page numbers on landscape pages may be landscape style as well.

Fonts : For best readability, normal body text should be no smaller than 9pt.

Formatting the Front Matter

The title page contains the name of the University, thesis title, author's name, and other important information (see example in Thesis and Dissertation Handbook ). The date that appears on the title page must be the month of the author's graduation (either May, August, or December), followed by the year. The committee page is page ii. The abstract starts on page iii and can be any length (every thesis and dissertation must include an abstract). The table of contents is next, followed by the lists of tables, figures, and multimedia objects, each on a separate page. Finally, acknowledgments appear as the last item in the front matter. See the Thesis Guide for examples and additional information.

Formatting the Body

The text, or body, of the thesis/dissertation is usually divided into chapters and often includes introductory and concluding sections, which may or may not be designated as chapters. Subheadings may also be needed within chapters to indicate the orderly progression of topics. In any case, you should decide on an appropriate system of headings and subheadings and apply it consistently throughout the thesis.

Footnotes and/or endnotes may be used. The numbering system for notes may be consecutive throughout the text or may begin again with 1 in each chapter. The format for the notes themselves varies among academic disciplines.

Multimedia Objects

Multimedia object types include tables, complex equations, graphs, diagrams, digital pictures, digital video, digital audio, virtual reality, and even computer software that you have developed.

Simple Objects : Most simple objects like tables, graphs, and diagrams can be embedded in your eTD using your word processor:

Put the object at the point of reference or "float" it to the top or bottom of the page or to the top of the next page.

Center the object between the left and right margins of the page.

Directly below the object for figures and above for tables, center the type and number according to its position in the chapter (e.g., in Chapter 5 we may have Table 5.1, Table 5.2, and Figures 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3).

Give the object a concise, descriptive title.

Complex Objects : More complex multimedia objects, however, require special treatment. They either do not fit naturally on a page or the file size is too large to fit reasonably within a document. For complex objects, do the following:

Place the type and number of the object along with its concise, descriptive title, centered on a line by itself. In parentheses, include the media encoding (e.g., JPEG) and file size (e.g., 1.5 Megabytes).

See instructions below on how to connect object titles using the PDF link feature.

Be sure to submit each multimedia object file you have linked when you submit your PDF file.

Note that many complex multimedia object types have a simple object version (often called "thumbnail") that is a reduction of the picture or one frame of video. If possible, we recommend that you include this reduction in the main document along with a PDF link to the complex object.

Formatting the Back Matter

References or Bibliography : Every thesis/dissertation must include references or bibliography, either in the back matter or at the end of each chapter. You should select and follow a scholarly style manual in your field.

Appendices : Appendices are enumerated alphabetically from A to Z, then AA, AB, and so on. They may be placed either before or after the reference section. Page numbering should be in Arabic numbers, consecutive with the rest of the text or body matter. Do not use page numbers like A-1, A-2, etc.

Vita : Center the word Vita and your name (as it appears on the title page) at the top of the page. Include autobiographical information based on your academic and professional experience in paragraph or resume form. The vita must not be longer than one page in length and should not be numbered. A vita is required in the doctoral dissertation but not in the master's thesis.

Questions and suggestions may be directed to [email protected] .

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Dissertation Formatting Tips and Tricks

All instructions are written for Word 2007 for PC. The basic instructions are the same for most versions of Word but the actual key strokes maybe slightly different.

Setting Margins

• Put your cursor at the very beginning of your document
• Select the ‘Page Layout’ tab from the ribbon
• Select ‘Margins’ in the Page Setup box
• Select ‘Custom Margins’
• Set the margins

Inserting a Two Inch Top Margin for the First Page of Chapter/Major Section

• Before beginning a new chapter or equivalent (bibliography, abstract, vita, etc.) insert a hard page break by pressing the ‘Ctrl’ key and the ‘Enter’ key at the same time.
• To insert a two inch top margin if you are in single line spacing press the ‘Enter’ key six times. If you are in double line spacing press the ‘Enter’ key three times. This will move the cursor down an additional inch so the page will have a two inch top margin without affecting the rest of the pages in the section or document.

Page Numbers

Insert page numbers.

• Select ‘Insert’ tab from ribbon
• Select ‘Page Number’ from the Header & Footer box
• Select ‘Bottom of Page’
• Select ‘Plain Number 2’
• In the Position box move the bottom position to 1 inch (default is 0.5 inch)
• Close the Header & Footer

Cover Unwanted Page Numbers

• Go to the page with the unwanted page number
• Select the ‘Insert’ tab from the ribbon
• Select ‘Text Box’ from Text
• Select ‘Draw Text Box’ from the Text Box options
• Draw your box anywhere on the page except in the footer area
• Drag the box you drew to cover the page number
• Select ‘Shape Outline’ from the Shape Styles box
• Select ‘No Outline’

Beginning with Small Roman Numerals for Preliminary Pages

• Put your cursor at the end of the copyright page
• Select Page Layout’ from the ribbon
• Select ‘Breaks’ from the Page Setup box
• Select ‘Next Page’ from the Breaks list
• Insert page number as previously discussed
• Select ‘Format Page Number’
• Change ‘Number Format’ to small Roman numerals
• Change ‘Start at’ to  'ii' (small Roman II)

Note : Some versions of Word will insert page numbers on the title page and the copyright page even though the insert command is not until the abstract page. A simple method for addressing this is covered in ‘Cover Unwanted Page Numbers.’

Changing from Small Roman Numerals to standard Arabic Numbers

• Put your cursor at the end of the text on the last page of your preliminary pages
• Select ‘Page Layout’ from the ribbon
• Select ‘Breaks’ from the Page Setup Box
• Insert page number (see Insert Page Number)
• Change ‘Number Format’ to standard numerals (1, 2, 3, …)
• Change ‘Start at’ to Arabic 1

Putting a Page Number in the Portrait Position on a Landscaped Page

• Put your cursor on the landscaped page so you can see both the landscaped page number and the left margin (bottom edge when viewed in portrait orientation)
• Insert a text box described in 'Cover Unwanted Page Numbers'
• Cover the page number in the landscaped position
• Remove the box outline as discussed in 'Cover Unwanted Page Numbers'
• Draw a second text box on the same page
• Drag the second text box to the left margin approximately one inch from the left edge
• Type in the correct page number
• Rotate the text in the text box by selecting ‘Text Direction’ from the Text options
• Once the page number is in the correct orientation, remove the box outline
• You may have to adjust the size of the text box and move it slightly until it is in the correct placement

Table of Contents

Manually creating a table of contents.

Includes setting tab stops and leader dot tabs

• Type in the items you want to appear in the Table of Contents. At minimum the Table of Contents must include the abstract, dedication (if present in document), acknowledgments (if present in document), vita, list of tables (if present in document), list of figures (if present in document) each chapter with the chapter title, bibliography, each appendix as a separate entry (if appendices are in your document). These items are level one in the Table of Contents. How detailed the table of contents is up to you and your committee. Subheading within these major divisions would be indented based on their level in the text of your document. Every entry in the Table of Contents must have leader dots from the end of the entry to the page number where it begins (see below)
• After the entry press the tab key once and then type the page number when the entry begins
• Select the table of contents
• Select the ‘Page Layout’ tab
• Go to the ‘Paragraph’ Box and open the dialogue box (click on the small box in the lower right corner of the box.)
• Select tabs
• Set tab stops for any sub levels within your Table of Contents by inserting the position (in inches) and clicking ‘set.’ These tabs should be left aligned. The first level of the table of contents does not need to be set as it is the left margin of the page
• Set a tab stop for the page number positions (between 5” and 5.75” is usually a good spacing for the page number placement). Leave as a left aligned tab (the left edge of the numbers will line-up) or select right aligned tab (the right edge of the numbers will line up). Select the appropriate leader dots (the periods—usually the second option). Click ‘set’
• Click ‘okay’

Word Created Table of Contents

Using styles.

Once all titles, major headings, and subtitle headings have been formatted using Styles, place the cursor on the Table of Contents page

• Select the ‘References’ tab
• Select ‘Table of Contents’
• Select the format
• The Table of Contents should generate

Not Using Styles

• Go to the first item to appear in the Table of Contents (usually ‘Abstract’)
• Highlight the title
• Select ‘Add Text’ from the Table of Contents box
• Select level

Note: if you did not use Styles marking the item for inclusion in the Table of Contents may change how it appears on the text page. Correcting the format on the text page may change how it appears in the Table of Contents

• Turn Styles on
• From Home tab, go to Styles box, click on small box in the lower right corner to open the Styles window
• Select Style to modify by hovering over the Style title with the cursor
• Click on the down arrow on the right side of the Style
• From the menu that appears select ‘Modify’
• To change the font size, add or remove bold, change color, and justification, make changes as normal in the modify box
• To change spacing above or below, click on ‘Format’ and select ‘Paragraph’
• Adjust up or down
• To remove or add accent line click on ‘Format’ and select ‘Borders’
• Select ‘No Borders’ and click ‘okay’

Dissertation and Theses

The dissertation is the hallmark of the research expertise demonstrated by a doctoral student. It is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student’s area of specialization. 

A thesis is a hallmark of some master’s programs. It is a piece of original research, generally less comprehensive than a dissertation and is meant to show the student’s knowledge of an area of specialization.

Still Have Questions?

Dissertations & Theses 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Doctoral Exams, Master's Examination, Graduation Requirements 614-292-6031 [email protected]

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• Dissertation

What Is a Dissertation? | 5 Essential Questions to Get Started

Published on 26 March 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 5 May 2022.

A dissertation is a large research project undertaken at the end of a degree. It involves in-depth consideration of a problem or question chosen by the student. It is usually the largest (and final) piece of written work produced during a degree.

The length and structure of a dissertation vary widely depending on the level and field of study. However, there are some key questions that can help you understand the requirements and get started on your dissertation project.

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Table of contents

When and why do you have to write a dissertation, who will supervise your dissertation, what type of research will you do, how should your dissertation be structured, what formatting and referencing rules do you have to follow, frequently asked questions about dissertations.

A dissertation, sometimes called a thesis, comes at the end of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. It is a larger project than the other essays you’ve written, requiring a higher word count and a greater depth of research.

You’ll generally work on your dissertation during the final year of your degree, over a longer period than you would take for a standard essay . For example, the dissertation might be your main focus for the last six months of your degree.

Why is the dissertation important?

The dissertation is a test of your capacity for independent research. You are given a lot of autonomy in writing your dissertation: you come up with your own ideas, conduct your own research, and write and structure the text by yourself.

This means that it is an important preparation for your future, whether you continue in academia or not: it teaches you to manage your own time, generate original ideas, and work independently.

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During the planning and writing of your dissertation, you’ll work with a supervisor from your department. The supervisor’s job is to give you feedback and advice throughout the process.

The dissertation supervisor is often assigned by the department, but you might be allowed to indicate preferences or approach potential supervisors. If so, try to pick someone who is familiar with your chosen topic, whom you get along with on a personal level, and whose feedback you’ve found useful in the past.

How will your supervisor help you?

Your supervisor is there to guide you through the dissertation project, but you’re still working independently. They can give feedback on your ideas, but not come up with ideas for you.

You may need to take the initiative to request an initial meeting with your supervisor. Then you can plan out your future meetings and set reasonable deadlines for things like completion of data collection, a structure outline, a first chapter, a first draft, and so on.

Make sure to prepare in advance for your meetings. Formulate your ideas as fully as you can, and determine where exactly you’re having difficulties so you can ask your supervisor for specific advice.

Your approach to your dissertation will vary depending on your field of study. The first thing to consider is whether you will do empirical research , which involves collecting original data, or non-empirical research , which involves analysing sources.

Empirical dissertations (sciences)

An empirical dissertation focuses on collecting and analysing original data. You’ll usually write this type of dissertation if you are studying a subject in the sciences or social sciences.

• What are airline workers’ attitudes towards the challenges posed for their industry by climate change?
• How effective is cognitive behavioural therapy in treating depression in young adults?
• What are the short-term health effects of switching from smoking cigarettes to e-cigarettes?

There are many different empirical research methods you can use to answer these questions – for example, experiments , observations, surveys , and interviews.

When doing empirical research, you need to consider things like the variables you will investigate, the reliability and validity of your measurements, and your sampling method . The aim is to produce robust, reproducible scientific knowledge.

Non-empirical dissertations (arts and humanities)

A non-empirical dissertation works with existing research or other texts, presenting original analysis, critique and argumentation, but no original data. This approach is typical of arts and humanities subjects.

• What attitudes did commentators in the British press take towards the French Revolution in 1789–1792?
• How do the themes of gender and inheritance intersect in Shakespeare’s Macbeth ?
• How did Plato’s Republic and Thomas More’s Utopia influence nineteenth century utopian socialist thought?

The first steps in this type of dissertation are to decide on your topic and begin collecting your primary and secondary sources .

Primary sources are the direct objects of your research. They give you first-hand evidence about your subject. Examples of primary sources include novels, artworks and historical documents.

Secondary sources provide information that informs your analysis. They describe, interpret, or evaluate information from primary sources. For example, you might consider previous analyses of the novel or author you are working on, or theoretical texts that you plan to apply to your primary sources.

Dissertations are divided into chapters and sections. Empirical dissertations usually follow a standard structure, while non-empirical dissertations are more flexible.

Structure of an empirical dissertation

Empirical dissertations generally include these chapters:

• Introduction : An explanation of your topic and the research question(s) you want to answer.
• Literature review : A survey and evaluation of previous research on your topic.
• Methodology : An explanation of how you collected and analysed your data.
• Results : A brief description of what you found.
• Discussion : Interpretation of what these results reveal.
• Conclusion : Answers to your research question(s) and summary of what your findings contribute to knowledge in your field.

Sometimes the order or naming of chapters might be slightly different, but all of the above information must be included in order to produce thorough, valid scientific research.

Other dissertation structures

If your dissertation doesn’t involve data collection, your structure is more flexible. You can think of it like an extended essay – the text should be logically organised in a way that serves your argument:

• Introduction: An explanation of your topic and the question(s) you want to answer.
• Main body: The development of your analysis, usually divided into 2–4 chapters.
• Conclusion: Answers to your research question(s) and summary of what your analysis contributes to knowledge in your field.

The chapters of the main body can be organised around different themes, time periods, or texts. Below you can see some example structures for dissertations in different subjects.

• Political philosophy

This example, on the topic of the British press’s coverage of the French Revolution, shows how you might structure each chapter around a specific theme.

This example, on the topic of Plato’s and More’s influences on utopian socialist thought, shows a different approach to dividing the chapters by theme.

This example, a master’s dissertation on the topic of how writers respond to persecution, shows how you can also use section headings within each chapter. Each of the three chapters deals with a specific text, while the sections are organised thematically.

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Like other academic texts, it’s important that your dissertation follows the formatting guidelines set out by your university. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.

Formatting guidelines concern things like:

• line spacing
• page numbers
• punctuation
• title pages
• presentation of tables and figures

If you’re unsure about the formatting requirements, check with your supervisor or department. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.

How will you reference your sources?

Referencing means properly listing the sources you cite and refer to in your dissertation, so that the reader can find them. This avoids plagiarism by acknowledging where you’ve used the work of others.

Keep track of everything you read as you prepare your dissertation. The key information to note down for a reference is:

• The publication date
• Page numbers for the parts you refer to (especially when using direct quotes)

Different referencing styles each have their own specific rules for how to reference. The most commonly used styles in UK universities are listed below.

You can use the free APA Reference Generator to automatically create and store your references.

APA Reference Generator

The words ‘ dissertation ’ and ‘thesis’ both refer to a large written research project undertaken to complete a degree, but they are used differently depending on the country:

• In the UK, you write a dissertation at the end of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and you write a thesis to complete a PhD.
• In the US, it’s the other way around: you may write a thesis at the end of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and you write a dissertation to complete a PhD.

The main difference is in terms of scale – a dissertation is usually much longer than the other essays you complete during your degree.

Another key difference is that you are given much more independence when working on a dissertation. You choose your own dissertation topic , and you have to conduct the research and write the dissertation yourself (with some assistance from your supervisor).

Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education:

• An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000–15,000 words
• A master’s dissertation is typically 12,000–50,000 words
• A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000–100,000 words

However, none of these are strict guidelines – your word count may be lower or higher than the numbers stated here. Always check the guidelines provided by your university to determine how long your own dissertation should be.

At the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the dissertation is usually the main focus of your final year. You might work on it (alongside other classes) for the entirety of the final year, or for the last six months. This includes formulating an idea, doing the research, and writing up.

A PhD thesis takes a longer time, as the thesis is the main focus of the degree. A PhD thesis might be being formulated and worked on for the whole four years of the degree program. The writing process alone can take around 18 months.

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