Scientific Writing Resources / Preparing Scholarly Work / Dissertation/Thesis

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Dissertation/Thesis

A dissertation or thesis is a type of scholarly work that presents original research in support of an academic degree or a professional qualification. It is a comprehensive document that includes the background literature that motivated the project, the hypothesis that governed the research, the objectives for pursuing the work, the methodology that was conducted, the results of the work, a discussion of the key findings, and concluding statements. 

Although the structure of a dissertation or thesis can vary between institutions and universities, the following is a typical structure:

  • Title page: Includes the title of your research, your full name, discipline/ department, institution, degree program, submission date, and logo of the institute/university. You may also be required to include your student/roll number and your supervisor’s name.
  • Acknowledgements: You can acknowledge/ thank the individuals who have guided and supported you during your research journey, such as your supervisors, mentors, colleagues, friends, and family.
  • Abstract: Provides an overview of your work, and includes an introductory statement, hypotheses/objectives of the research, a description of the methodology, a summary of main results, and concluding statements.
  • Table of Contents: Provides an overview of the organization of the dissertation/thesis and helps the reader navigate to specific sections. 
  • List of Figures and Tables: A list of itemized figures and tables presented in the work.
  • List of Abbreviations: Provide the full form of uncommon abbreviations used in your text.
  • Introduction: Includes a review of the literature that are relevant to your topic. This section sets the stage of the context of your dissertation/ thesis and states the research questions, hypotheses, and objectives clearly.
  • Methodology: Provides a description of the methods conducted in your research.
  • Results: Includes the relevant results corresponding to your research questions and objectives.
  • Discussion: Provides a detailed interpretation of the results and descriptions of their implications and contributions to the existing body of research.
  • Conclusions: Presents the broad contributions of the research and future perspectives. 
  • References: Includes a list of references that is cited in the document.
  • Appendices: Includes additional information about the research that does not fit directly into the main body of the document.

Several months prior to submission of your dissertation or thesis, determine the preferred structure of the document by consulting with your supervisor and/or the Academics department of your institution or university .  

The following are resources on preparing your dissertation or thesis document:

Articles

Books

  • Bolker, J. (1998) Writing your dissertation in fifteen minutes a day. Holt Paperbacks. ISBN: 978-0805048919. IIT Gandhinagar Library Call Number: 808.066378 BOL (Browse shelf)
  • Evans, D., Gruba, P., and Zobel, J. (2014) How to write a better thesis. 3rd edition, Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-04286-2 
  • Roberts, C.M. and Hyatt, L. (2010) The dissertation journey: A practical and comprehensive guide to planning, writing, and defending your dissertation. 3rd edition, Corwin Press. ISBN: 978-1412977982. IIT Gandhinagar Library Call Number: 808​.066378 ROB (Browse shelf)
  • Single, P.B. (2009). Demystifying dissertation writing: A streamlined process from choice of topic to final text. Stylus Publishing. ISBN: 978-1579223137. IIT Gandhinagar Library Call Number: 808.02 SIN (Browse shelf)

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