If you’re about to enroll in a doctoral program that requires a dissertation, you might be wondering how to write a dissertation.
A dissertation is a large research paper included in many PhD programs. As a doctoral student, part of earning your degree may include selecting a dissertation topic to conduct original research on and writing a dissertation that details your findings and contributes to your discipline.
Depending on your school and program of study, you may begin working on your dissertation once you’ve completed all your doctoral coursework.
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Writing a dissertation is a lengthy process that includes conducting preliminary and principal research as well as writing a first and final draft.
You’ll also maintain communication with your dissertation advisor to gain feedback throughout the dissertation writing process.
These are the 10 major steps that go into creating a dissertation:
Communicating with your dissertation advisor and other members of your dissertation committee is important to receive valuable feedback. The dissertation committee is there to support you through this process, and they may offer additional sources for you to review to create a stronger dissertation.
You can also look at other dissertations in your field of study to get an idea of how to structure your dissertation and clearly communicate your ideas.
The structure of a dissertation can vary depending on your topic, discipline, and the guidelines provided by your school.
Major differences in dissertations can be seen between STEM doctoral programs versus non-STEM programs. Although there are some differences, most dissertations include these chapters:
Along with these chapters, a dissertation also includes a title page, abstract, table of contents, and bibliography. Some dissertations have an acknowledgment page, list of figures and tables, abbreviations page, and glossary.
A dissertation is a long-form research paper typically required in PhD programs that introduces a new theory supported by original research. The dissertation process includes finding research gaps related to your topic and conducting original research to address those gaps.
Researching a topic and writing a dissertation is one of the final stages in earning your doctoral degree. Once you’ve completed the writing process and your dissertation advisor has approved your final draft, the next step is presenting your dissertation in a dissertation defense.
What is a dissertation defense? A dissertation defense, as a final step, is an oral examination where a doctoral candidate presents and defends their research, methodology, and conclusions before a committee of experts to determine if they have met the requirements for earning a PhD.
Yes, you can get a PhD without a dissertation. Although producing a dissertation is standard for doctoral programs, some PhD programs don’t require a dissertation.
One example is earning a law degree, which usually requires legal writing courses in place of a dissertation. In addition, accelerated PhD programs may not require a dissertation.
Some online doctoral programs in education without dissertation require a capstone project instead. Capstone projects may be delivered as a paper, portfolio, or product intended to solve a real-world problem by applying new research.
Dissertation length can widely vary depending on your program of study and topic. Non-STEM dissertations are usually longer than STEM dissertations.
A dissertation may be anywhere between 80,000 to 100,000 words or about 100-300 pages. Non-STEM dissertations may be closer to 200-300 pages, while a STEM dissertation is usually 100-200 pages.
The length of each chapter in a dissertation also varies. The literature review is typically the longest chapter, generally ranging from 20 pages to 25 pages. Other chapters may be between 10 pages to 20 pages long.
Writing a doctoral dissertation can take months or years depending on your own writing process, discipline, and topic.
On average, it may take 1 year to 2 years to finish writing a dissertation. The total time it takes to complete a dissertation, including the research process, may be anywhere between 1 year to 3 years or longer.
If your dissertation is closer to 300 pages long, it may take more than 1 year to write it. The writing process may also take longer if your dissertation advisor makes any revision requests. As you can see, how long it takes to write a dissertation depends on a number of factors.
Writing a doctoral dissertation is a lengthy process that takes about 1 to 3 years. Most doctoral students begin the dissertation research and writing process once all graduate coursework is completed.
The research portion is key because this is when you can take a lot of notes and become an expert on your topic. It can be helpful to approach the writing process step by step. It’s recommended to start with the chapter you feel most comfortable writing first.
If you want to complete a doctoral degree and tackle a dissertation, you can also consult with your dissertation advisor and other members of the dissertation committee for feedback.
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