Writing a 12,000-word dissertation for school or your job can be tricky, but there are some guidelines to make it easier for new students. This post will give you a complete breakdown of how an in-depth dissertation will be structured.
Dissertation Word Count Breakdown
When asked, “What is Dissertation Structure?” Every dissertation has its own unique structure. Word count and the nature of the topic you’re writing about also play a role. In this article, I will explain in great detail how to organize a 12k-word dissertation.
You’ll have to devote 10% of your dissertation (or 1,200 words out of a total of 12,000) to the introduction, where you’ll lay out the context for your research, introduce your research questions, explain why your dissertation exists, and outline how you plan to go about achieving those goals.
Methodology/Literature Review The literature review is a required component of a dissertation and accounts for 30% of the total dissertation length (or 3,600 words for a dissertation of 12,000 words), during which time you will need to address the gap in the literature, take a methodological approach to the topic, and propose possible solutions to the unanswered questions.
Methodology The research methodology chapter of a dissertation should be 15%, or 1800 words, of the total length of a 12,000-word dissertation. In this section, you should outline the entire dissertation, go into great detail about how you plan to analyze the data, and give a thorough overview of how you plan to evaluate the various research methods you employ.
Insights/ Outcomes A dissertation’s findings or results chapter accounts for only 5 percent of the entire document. The findings or results section of a dissertation typically consists of 600 words out of a total of 12,000. A student must provide an in-depth analysis of dissertation findings in just 600 words.
Critical Thinking/Discussions: The analysis or discussion section of a dissertation accounts for 30 percent of the total, or 3,600 words in a 12-chapter, 6,000-word dissertation, and must provide a comprehensive overview of the results and their relevance to the dissertation’s main theme.
Results and Suggestions: Thirty percent of a dissertation is made up of the conclusion chapter. The concluding chapter of a dissertation that is 12,000 words long has 1,000 words. You have 3 hours to summarize your dissertation and make sure your reader understands your main argument in just 3600 words.
Dissertation Word Count Per Section
The dissertation word count is a critical factor for your success! This is because it will determine the quality of your research paper, as well as its length. The average dissertation word count should be between 10,000-15,000 words. However, this depends on the subject matter of your dissertation and its topic.
The dissertation is divided into chapters and each chapter is divided into sections. The dissertation must have a minimum of five chapters, with each chapter containing four to six sections. A section is defined as a separate part of your paper that discusses a particular topic or subtopic. The word count for each section varies from 500 to 1000 words in length.
It is necessary to maintain consistency in word count per section throughout the entire document for two reasons:
- It prevents you from going overboard with your writing, which can result in unnecessary repetition of words and phrases; and
- It ensures that you are not under-utilizing any part of your paper, thus failing to achieve your purpose and goals as an author.
How Many Words in a Dissertation?
The typical length of a dissertation varies from institution to institution and from discipline to discipline. It can be anywhere between 40-150 pages (5-12,000 words) or more. However, you should always avoid writing too much or too little as both would have adverse effects on your grade. The ideal word count will depend upon the topic of discussion and your personal writing style.
The dissertation may have to be shorter or longer than 100 pages. The main purpose of dissertation writing is to show how much you have learned during your studies and what new knowledge you have gained through conducting research on a particular topic. There are several factors that affect your word count:
The type of paper you are writing (e.g., literature review, literature review with theoretical framework, literature review with theoretical framework plus hypothesis statement). For example, if you are going to write an article review paper, then your word count will be less than if you were going to write an empirical study with data collection methodologies such as surveys or interviews).
How to Structure a Dissertation
Any dissertation should have at least four or five chapters, though the exact number will vary from field to field (including an introduction and conclusion chapter). Whether you’re writing a dissertation for the sciences or the humanities, the most common format consists of:
- Your topic introduced
- An analysis of the existing literature that covers all the bases
- Give us an outline of how you came to these conclusions.
- In-depth analysis of the findings and their relevance to the field
- A summary of the results that demonstrate the value of your study is required.
The Title Page
Include your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date on the first page of your dissertation. Your supervisor’s name, your student ID number, and the school’s mascot may also be included. The title page of a dissertation must adhere to specific formatting guidelines for many programs. When having your dissertation printed and bound, the title page doubles as the cover.
Acknowledgments
In the discretionary acknowledgments section of your dissertation, you can express your gratitude to anyone who played a role in its creation. People who helped you along the way could be your supervisors, people who took part in your research, or even just friends and family.
Abstract
A dissertation abstract is a brief synopsis of your work (typically between 150 and 300 words). It’s best to save it for last after you’ve finished the rest of the dissertation. For the summary, remember to:
- Provide an overview of your study and its primary objectives.
- Detail the procedures you followed.
- The key findings should be summarized.
- Explain your thinking.
Although brief, the abstract is often the first (and only) part of your dissertation that readers encounter. Consequently, it must be thoroughly and accurately written. Check out our abstract writing guide if you’re having trouble crafting a compelling one.
Getting Started: Table of Contents
You should include a table of contents with a complete list of all of the chapters and subsections, as well as the page numbers where they can be found. If you want your reader to get the most out of your dissertation, make sure to include a contents page.
The table of contents should include the appendices as well as the main body of your dissertation. Word makes it easy to automatically create a table of contents.
Tables and Figures List
The use of numerous tables and figures necessitates an iterated list at the end of the dissertation. In Word, the Insert Caption function can be used to quickly and easily generate such a list.
Abbreviations List
You can help your reader find what each abbreviation stands for by including an alphabetized list of them at the end of your dissertation.
If you have used many technical terms that your reader is unlikely to be familiar with, you may want to include a glossary. Compile an alphabetical list of the terms and provide a brief explanation for each.
Introduction
In the introduction, you will lay the groundwork for your dissertation’s topic, purpose, and relevance, as well as give the reader a taste of what’s to come in the body. Your first paragraph should:
- Set the stage for your investigation by providing the historical context you’ll need to fully understand your topic.
- Limit the study’s scope and zero in on its specific goals.
- Give an overview of the current research on the subject, tying your findings into the larger discussion or problem at hand.
- Specify what you hope to achieve and what questions you hope to answer, and explain how you plan to do so.
The structure of your dissertation, in brief. Your introduction should be well-organized, interesting, and pertinent to your study. Your research’s what, why, and how should all be clear when the reader reaches a conclusion.
Exposition of the Background Literature and Conceptual Structure
In order to get a firm grasp on the academic work that has already been done on your topic, you should conduct a literature review before beginning your own research. So, what does this imply?
- Assembling a library of books and articles and picking out the best ones
- Evaluate and analyze each source critically
- Making a larger point by linking various elements together (e.g., commonalities, differences, contrasts, and contradictions).
The literature review chapter or section of your dissertation should do more than merely summarize previous studies; it should also provide a clear rationale for your own study. Some examples of things it could prove are that your research:
- Fills a need in the existing literature
- Adopts a novel set of theoretical or methodological premises
- Identifies a problem and suggests a way to fix it
- Contributes to a theoretical discussion
- Improves upon prior understanding by incorporating new information
You can build your theoretical framework, in which you define and analyze the central theories, concepts, and models that underpin your research, on the results of your literature review. Research questions pertaining to the description of associations between concepts or variables can be found here.
Methodology
The credibility of your research can be evaluated thanks to the information you provide in the methodology chapter or section. In most cases, you need to make sure to include:
- The methodological stance and field of study (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, experimental, ethnographic)
- When gathering information, you use (e.g. interviews, surveys, archives)
- Descriptions of the study’s timing, location, and participants
- Analysis techniques you use (e.g. statistical analysis, discourse analysis)
- What you used for instruments and supplies (e.g. computer programs, lab equipment)
- Explain any problems you encountered and the solutions you found while conducting the research.
- A rationale or analysis of the procedures you followed
The purpose of the methodology section is twofold: to provide a clear account of the procedures you followed and to persuade the reader that these steps were necessary and appropriate for achieving your research goals.
Results
The next step is to present the findings of your investigation. This section can be organized in a variety of ways, including subquestions, hypotheses, or topics. Make sure that the findings you share are directly related to your aims and hypotheses. The results and discussion sections may be combined in some fields, but in others, they remain strictly separate.
In qualitative research, such as in-depth interviews, the presentation of data is often intertwined with discussion and analysis; in quantitative and experimental research, the results should be presented separately before you discuss their meaning. Don’t guess about the best way to organize your research; instead, talk to your advisor and read through some sample dissertations.
Tables, graphs, and charts are all great tools to use in the results section. Don’t include tables or figures that merely restate what you’ve already written; instead, give the reader something new to learn or provide a helpful visual representation of the results. You can add an appendix with all of your raw data (like interview transcripts) if you like.
Discussion
The discussion is where you dive into the significance and application of your findings to your research questions. In this section, you will be expected to thoroughly analyse the findings, explaining how they relate to your hypotheses and if/how they contradict your earlier work. Give reasons for any unexpected findings. It’s important to talk about the potential limitations of your study and other possible interpretations of the data. In order to demonstrate how your findings contribute to the body of knowledge, you should cite relevant scholarly articles in the discussion. Add suggestions for additional study or potential next steps.
Conclusion
The dissertation’s conclusion should provide a clear and succinct response to the study’s central research question. The concluding chapter of your dissertation should include an analysis of your methods and results. Recommendations for future study or practice are also frequently included in the summary. Explain the significance of your study and how your findings add to the existing body of knowledge in this area. What new information have you uncovered?
A List of References
An exhaustive reference list containing information about every source you used is required (sometimes also called works cited list or bibliography). When citing sources, be sure to use the same format every time. The reference list in your paper must adhere to the strict guidelines of the chosen style.
Harvard and Vancouver referencing are the predominant styles used in UK universities. Referencing styles are often mandated by departments; for instance, APA is commonly used by psychology students, MHRA is common among humanities majors, and OSCOLA is required of law students. You should verify the prerequisites and consult your manager if you have any questions.
Appendices
Only relevant information that helps answer your research question should be included in the dissertation itself. Interview transcripts, survey questions, and tables with complete figures that do not belong in the main body of your dissertation should be included as appendices.
Bottom Line
Due to its large size, the 12000-word dissertation paper is a daunting and strenuous task. However, with proper research, writing and outlining of the content, as well as using valid and useful evidence, it can be a rewarding experience for all parties involved.
