how to find my dissertation uk

Theses and dissertation: Finding a UK thesis

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Help and Support

The Electronic Theses Online System

The Electronic Theses Online System is a service from the British Library that provides online access to the full-text of UK doctoral theses. It contains over 380,000+ records of doctoral theses from UK Higher Education Institutions. Many of these have already been digitised and are available for immediate download.

Can I request UK theses from other universities from the Library?

You no longer request theses from other universities through Sussex University's Interlibrary Requests service - you can access them directly via EThOS.

Do I need to register?

You do not need to register to search the 380,000+ records in the EThOS database, but you will need to register if you would like to download a thesis.

Are immediate downloads available?

If the thesis in which you are interested has already been digitised, you will be able to download it immediately without charge. If the thesis you need has not yet been digitised, there will be a short delay whilst digitisation takes place. You will then be notified by EThOS when the thesis is ready to be downloaded. Once the thesis has been digitised it is then available for immediate download by any other user.

Are all theses digitised?

Some theses cannot be digitised for copyright reasons. If this is the case with the thesis you need, please inform the Interlibrary Requests team who will investigate whether a hard copy can be borrowed directly from the relevant university.

Does this service cost me anything?

On rare occasions you may be asked by EThOS to pay for the digitisation of a thesis. This is because, although the majority of institutions participating in EThOS have agreed to pay for the digitisation of their own theses on request, some institutions have not.

In such cases, the Library will pay the cost of digitisation provided that funding is available. Please contact the Research Support team on Tel: 01273 877941 (int 7941) or Email: [email protected] with the full details of your request.

image copyright: The British Library

Useful Links

Library Search

Browse SRO theses Browse theses added to Sussex Research Online
EThOS A service from the British Library that provides online access to the fulltext of UK doctoral theses. The EThOS database contains over 300,000+ records of doctoral theses from UK Higher Education Institutions.
Copyright guide A practical guide on copyright issues in your thesis.
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Last Updated: Feb 9, 2022 1:24 PM
URL: https://guides.lib.sussex.ac.uk/theses

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OU theses and dissertations

Online theses.

Are available via Open Research Online .

Print theses

Search for OU theses in the Library Search . To see only print theses click 'In the Walton Hall library' and refine your results to resource type 'Thesis'.

OU staff and research students can borrow a consultation copy of a thesis (if available). Please contact the Library helpdesk giving the author and title of the thesis.

UK theses and dissertations from EThOS

The Electronic Theses Online System (EThOS) offers free access to the full text of UK theses.

EThOS offers a one stop online shop providing free access to UK theses
EThOS digitizes theses on request into PDF format, this may require payment
EThOS is managed by the British Library in partnership with a number of UK universities
EThOS is open to all categories of library user

What does this mean to you as a library user?

When you need to access a PhD thesis from another UK based HE institution you should check EThOS to either download a thesis which has already been digitised or to request that a UK thesis be supplied to you.

For all UK theses EThOS will be the first point of delivery. You can use the online ordering and tracking system direct from EThOS to manage your requests for UK PhD theses, including checking the status of your requests
As readers you will deal directly with EThOS so will not need to fill in a document delivery request
OU staff and research students will still be entitled to access non-UK based PhD theses by filling in a document delivery request
In some cases where EThOS is unable to supply a UK thesis OU staff and research students will be able to access it by filling in a conventional document delivery request. The thesis will be supplied through direct loan
The EThOS system is both faster and cheaper than the previous British Theses service which was based on microfilm
The British Library no longer arranges interlibrary loans for UK PhD theses
Interlibrary Loan procedures for other types of request from the British Library (articles and books for example) will remain the same

If you have any queries about using EThOS contact the Document Delivery Team ( [email protected] or the Library Helpdesk ).

Note 13/03/2024: The British Library is continuing to experience a major technology outage affecting its websites and other online systems, due to a Cyber attack. as a result access to ETHOS might not be possible until the issue is fixed.

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Cambridge Libraries

Physical & Digital Collections

Theses & dissertations: home, access to theses and dissertations from other institutions and from the university of cambridge.

This guide provides information on searching for theses of Cambridge PhDs and for theses of UK universities and universities abroad.

For information and guidance on depositing your thesis as a cambridge phd, visit the cambridge office of scholarly communication pages on theses here ., this guide gives essential information on how to obtain theses using the british library's ethos service. .

On the last weekend of October, the British Library became the victim of a major cyber-attack. Essential digital services including the BL catalogue, website and online learning resources went dark, with research services like the EThOS collection of more than 600,000 doctoral theses suddenly unavailable. The BL state that they anticipate restoring more services in the next few weeks, but disruption to certain services is now expected to persist for several months. For the latest news on the attack and information on the restoration of services, please follow the BL blog here: Knowledge Matters blog and access the LibGuide page here: British Library Outage Update - Electronic Legal Deposit - LibGuides at University of Cambridge Subject Libraries

A full list of resources for searching theses online is provided by the Cambridge A-Z, available here .

University of Cambridge theses

Finding a cambridge phd thesis online via the institutional repository.

The University's institutional repository, Apollo , holds full-text digital versions of over 11,000 Cambridge PhD theses and is a rapidly growing collection deposited by Cambridge Ph.D. graduates. Theses in Apollo can be browsed via this link . More information on how to access theses by University of Cambridge students can be found on the access to Cambridge theses webpage. The requirement for impending PhD graduates to deposit a digital version in order to graduate means the repository will be increasing at a rate of approximately 1,000 per year from this source. About 200 theses are added annually through requests to make theses Open Access or via requests to digitize a thesis in printed format.

Locating and obtaining a copy of a Cambridge PhD thesis (not yet available via the repository)

Theses can be searched in iDiscover . Guidance on searching for theses in iDiscover can be found here . Requests for consultation of printed theses, not available online, should be made at the Manuscripts Reading Room (Email: [email protected] Telephone: +44 (0)1223 333143). Further information on the University Library's theses, dissertations and prize essays collections can be consulted at this link .

Researchers can order a copy of an unpublished thesis which was deposited in print form either through the Library’s Digital Content Unit via the image request form , or, if the thesis has been digitised, it may be available in the Apollo repository. Copies of theses may be provided to researchers in accordance with the law and in a manner that is common across UK libraries. The law allows us to provide whole copies of unpublished theses to individuals as long as they sign a declaration saying that it is for non-commercial research or private study.

How to make your thesis available online through Cambridge's institutional repository

Are you a Cambridge alumni and wish to make your Ph.D. thesis available online? You can do this by depositing it in Apollo the University's institutional repository. Click here for further information on how to proceed. Current Ph.D students at the University of Cambridge can find further information about the requirements to deposit theses on the Office of Scholarly Communication theses webpages.

UK Theses and Dissertations

Electronic copies of Ph.D. theses submitted at over 100 UK universities are obtainable from EThOS , a service set up to provide access to all theses from participating institutions. It achieves this by harvesting e-theses from Institutional Repositories and by digitising print theses as they are ordered by researchers using the system. Over 250,000 theses are already available in this way. Please note that it does not supply theses submitted at the universities of Cambridge or Oxford although they are listed on EThOS.

Registration with EThOS is not required to search for a thesis but is necessary to download or order one unless it is stored in the university repository rather than the British Library (in which case a link to the repository will be displayed). Many theses are available without charge on an Open Access basis but in all other cases, if you are requesting a thesis that has not yet been digitised you will be asked to meet the cost. Once a thesis has been digitised it is available for free download thereafter.

When you order a thesis it will either be immediately available for download or writing to hard copy or it will need to be digitised. If you order a thesis for digitisation, the system will manage the process and you will be informed when the thesis is available for download/preparation to hard copy.

See the Search results section of the help page for full information on interpreting search results in EThOS.

EThOS is managed by the British Library and can be found at http://ethos.bl.uk . For more information see About EThOS .

World-wide (incl. UK) theses and dissertations

Electronic versions of non-UK theses may be available from the institution at which they were submitted, sometimes on an open access basis from the institutional repository. A good starting point for discovering freely available electronic theses and dissertations beyond the UK is the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) , which facilitates searching across institutions. Information can also usually be found on the library web pages of the relevant institution.

The DART Europe etheses portal lists several thousand full-text theses from a group of European universities.

The University Library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (PQDT) database which from August 31 2023 is accessed on the Web of Science platform. To search this index select it from the Web of Science "Search in" drop-down list of databases (available on the Documents tab on WoS home page)

PQDT includes 2.4 million dissertation and theses citations, representing 700 leading academic institutions worldwide from 1861 to the present day. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full text coverage for older graduate works. Each dissertation published since July 1980 includes a 350-word abstract written by the author. Master's theses published since 1988 include 150-word abstracts.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The University Library only subscribes to the abstracting & indexing version of the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database and NOT the full text version. A fee is payable for ordering a dissertation from this source. To obtain the full text of a dissertation as a downloadable PDF you can submit your request via the University Library Inter-Library Loans department (see contact details below). NB this service is only available to full and current members of the University of Cambridge.

Alternatively you can pay yourself for the dissertation PDF on the PQDT platform. Link from Web of Science record display of any thesis to PQDT by clicking on "View Details on ProQuest". On the "Preview" page you will see an option "Order a copy" top right. This will allow you to order your own copy from ProQuest directly.

Dissertations and theses submitted at non-UK universities may also be requested on Inter-Library Loan through the Inter-Library Loans department (01223 333039 or 333080, [email protected] )

Last Updated: Dec 20, 2023 9:47 AM
URL: https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/theses

Finding UK theses

The Bodleian Libraries hold copies of some UK theses. These are listed on SOLO and may be ordered for delivery to a reading room.

These theses are not all catalogued in a uniform way. Adding the word 'thesis' as a keyword in SOLO may help, but this is unlikely to find all theses, and may find published works based upon theses as well as unpublished theses.

Card catalogue

Some early theses accepted for higher degrees and published before 1973 are held in the Bodleian Libraries but are not yet catalogued on SOLO. These holdings can be found in the Foreign Dissertations Catalogue card index.

To request access to material in the catalogue, speak to library staff at the Main Enquiry Desk in the Lower Reading Room of the Old Bodleian Library, or contact us via [email protected] or phone (01865 277162).

Other finding aids

Proquest dissertations & theses.

You can use ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global to locate theses accepted for higher degrees at universities in the UK and Ireland since 1716. The service also provides abstracts of these theses.

Library Hub Discover

You can use Library Hub Discover to search the online catalogues of some of the UK’s largest university research libraries to see if a thesis is held by another UK library.

EThOS is the UK’s national thesis service, managed by the British Library. It aims to provide a national aggregated record of all doctoral theses awarded by UK higher education institutions, with free access to the full text of many theses. It has around 500,000 records for theses awarded by over 120 institutions.

UTREES - University Theses in Russian, Soviet, and East European Studies 1907–

UTREES is a bibliographical database of research in the British Isles. The database has been continuously extended from the printed volume, most recently with 202 recent theses added in 2021. The database lists details of over 6,000 doctoral and selected masters’ theses from British and Irish universities. It covers research relating to Eastern and Central Europe, Russia and the area of the former USSR, including Central Asia, the Caucasus and Siberia.

Individual universities

You can also go to individual UK universities' sites for their online theses repositories.

You can purchase copies of Cambridge University theses through the Cambridge University Library's online order form . There is a standard charge of £75 (plus VAT and postage). White Rose ETheses Online is an online repository of doctoral theses from the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. It is part of a national and international network of open access online databases which promote access to research outputs. Many theses have been digitised by the British Library as part of the EThOS. However, there have been instances where theses are available via WhiteRose eTheses Online before they reach EThOS.

Ordering UK theses

Many theses from other UK universities are available from the British Library's EThOS service. Unfortunately, this service is currently unavailable due to a cyber attack on the British Library.

You can also request theses from other UK universities as an inter-library request .

Please note that it may not be possible to obtain some theses due to restrictions on lending placed by the author of the thesis or the institution at which it is held.

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Find theses and dissertations

This guide gives you an overview of key theses resources and what material they include.

If you're new to theses and want to know how they can support your studies: check out the theses and dissertations section in our Library Research Skills Moodle module .

UK and international theses

Many UK theses are available on the British Library EThOS site. You need to register/login to download a thesis or order a digitised copy - it's free.

If the thesis you need isn't available on EThOS or you're asked to pay for it, make a document delivery request . Your school or department may pay for you to get access to the thesis.

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global is a collection of dissertations and theses from around the world.

See our full list of theses and dissertations databases .

University of Kent theses

Kent theses completed since September 2014 are held indigital format in the Kent Academic Repository (KAR) .

Older theses are held by the Library in print format; they can't be borrowed - you can only read them in the Library building.

Before using the methods below to search for theses, it's worth checking EThOS , which includes over 4000 Kent theses, including digitised print theses.

Go to Advanced Search .
Change one of the filters to "Awarding body" and enter "University of Kent".

Kent theses completed since September 2014

These are all included in LibrarySearch and you can find them by keyword. But the easiest way to browse Kent theses in a particular subject is to go directly to KAR :

use the Advanced Search
scroll down and under the heading ‘Item type’ tick the box next to ‘Thesis’
to narrow your search, complete other relevant fields (for example the school, date or date range, or a term in the title).
Use KAR to find specific theses
Use KAR to find examples of theses for your school

You can download most theses in KAR, but some may be restricted. If you want to access a restricted thesis, click Contact us about this publication and complete the form. We'll contact the author for you.

Kent theses before September 2014

All print theses are included in LibrarySearch . To request a print thesis, click Place Reservation and we'll email you when it's ready to pick up. Theses are confined, which means you can only use them in the Library building.

To find all print theses in a particular subject, browse this list:

Actuarial Science
Alcohol Counselling
American Studies
Anthropology
Applied Computing
Applied Language Studies
Applied Linguistics
Applied Mathematics
Applied Psychology
Applied Social Sciences
Applied Theology
Archaeology
Architecture
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Bibliography
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Biotechnology & Computation
Broadband & Mobile Communications Networks
Business Administration
Business in the Environment
Business Studies
Cartoons and Caricature
Chemical Physics
Chemistry & Education
Chemistry with Environmental Science
Classical Archaeology
Clinical Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Communication Systems Engineering
Communications & Image Studies
Community Development
Comparative Federalism
Comparative Literary Studies
Computer Science
Computing & Social Statistics
Conservation Biology
Conservation of Soil Fertility
Continuing Education
Creative Writing
Criminology
Cultural Studies
Dance, Contemporary
Dickens & Victorian Culture
Digital Arts
Econometrics & Social Statistics
Economic & Social History
Economics & Econometrics
Electronic Engineering
Elizabethan & Jacobean Studies
Environmental Anthropology
Environmental Law & Conservation
Environmental Law & Policy
Environmental Science
Environmental Social Science
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Enzyme Chemistry
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European Business Administration
European Business Studies
European Economic Integration
European Integration
European Studies
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Film Studies
Forensic Psychology
Fungal Technology
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Health Promotion/Education
Health Psychology
Health Studies
Hispanic Studies
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History and Theory of Music
History of Science
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Knowledge Base
Dissertation

How to Write a Dissertation | A Guide to Structure & Content

A dissertation or thesis is a long piece of academic writing based on original research, submitted as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

The structure of a dissertation depends on your field, but it is usually divided into at least four or five chapters (including an introduction and conclusion chapter).

The most common dissertation structure in the sciences and social sciences includes:

An introduction to your topic
A literature review that surveys relevant sources
An explanation of your methodology
An overview of the results of your research
A discussion of the results and their implications
A conclusion that shows what your research has contributed

Dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay , building an argument by analysing primary and secondary sources . Instead of the standard structure outlined here, you might organise your chapters around different themes or case studies.

Other important elements of the dissertation include the title page , abstract , and reference list . If in doubt about how your dissertation should be structured, always check your department’s guidelines and consult with your supervisor.

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Acknowledgements, table of contents, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review / theoretical framework, methodology, reference list.

The very first page of your document contains your dissertation’s title, your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date. Sometimes it also includes your student number, your supervisor’s name, and the university’s logo. Many programs have strict requirements for formatting the dissertation title page .

The title page is often used as cover when printing and binding your dissertation .

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

The acknowledgements section is usually optional, and gives space for you to thank everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation. This might include your supervisors, participants in your research, and friends or family who supported you.

The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation, usually about 150-300 words long. You should write it at the very end, when you’ve completed the rest of the dissertation. In the abstract, make sure to:

State the main topic and aims of your research
Describe the methods you used
Summarise the main results
State your conclusions

Although the abstract is very short, it’s the first part (and sometimes the only part) of your dissertation that people will read, so it’s important that you get it right. If you’re struggling to write a strong abstract, read our guide on how to write an abstract .

In the table of contents, list all of your chapters and subheadings and their page numbers. The dissertation contents page gives the reader an overview of your structure and helps easily navigate the document.

All parts of your dissertation should be included in the table of contents, including the appendices. You can generate a table of contents automatically in Word.

If you have used a lot of tables and figures in your dissertation, you should itemise them in a numbered list . You can automatically generate this list using the Insert Caption feature in Word.

If you have used a lot of abbreviations in your dissertation, you can include them in an alphabetised list of abbreviations so that the reader can easily look up their meanings.

If you have used a lot of highly specialised terms that will not be familiar to your reader, it might be a good idea to include a glossary . List the terms alphabetically and explain each term with a brief description or definition.

In the introduction, you set up your dissertation’s topic, purpose, and relevance, and tell the reader what to expect in the rest of the dissertation. The introduction should:

Establish your research topic , giving necessary background information to contextualise your work
Narrow down the focus and define the scope of the research
Discuss the state of existing research on the topic, showing your work’s relevance to a broader problem or debate
Clearly state your objectives and research questions , and indicate how you will answer them
Give an overview of your dissertation’s structure

Everything in the introduction should be clear, engaging, and relevant to your research. By the end, the reader should understand the what , why and how of your research. Not sure how? Read our guide on how to write a dissertation introduction .

Before you start on your research, you should have conducted a literature review to gain a thorough understanding of the academic work that already exists on your topic. This means:

Collecting sources (e.g. books and journal articles) and selecting the most relevant ones
Critically evaluating and analysing each source
Drawing connections between them (e.g. themes, patterns, conflicts, gaps) to make an overall point

In the dissertation literature review chapter or section, you shouldn’t just summarise existing studies, but develop a coherent structure and argument that leads to a clear basis or justification for your own research. For example, it might aim to show how your research:

Addresses a gap in the literature
Takes a new theoretical or methodological approach to the topic
Proposes a solution to an unresolved problem
Advances a theoretical debate
Builds on and strengthens existing knowledge with new data

The literature review often becomes the basis for a theoretical framework , in which you define and analyse the key theories, concepts and models that frame your research. In this section you can answer descriptive research questions about the relationship between concepts or variables.

The methodology chapter or section describes how you conducted your research, allowing your reader to assess its validity. You should generally include:

The overall approach and type of research (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, experimental, ethnographic)
Your methods of collecting data (e.g. interviews, surveys, archives)
Details of where, when, and with whom the research took place
Your methods of analysing data (e.g. statistical analysis, discourse analysis)
Tools and materials you used (e.g. computer programs, lab equipment)
A discussion of any obstacles you faced in conducting the research and how you overcame them
An evaluation or justification of your methods

Your aim in the methodology is to accurately report what you did, as well as convincing the reader that this was the best approach to answering your research questions or objectives.

Next, you report the results of your research . You can structure this section around sub-questions, hypotheses, or topics. Only report results that are relevant to your objectives and research questions. In some disciplines, the results section is strictly separated from the discussion, while in others the two are combined.

For example, for qualitative methods like in-depth interviews, the presentation of the data will often be woven together with discussion and analysis, while in quantitative and experimental research, the results should be presented separately before you discuss their meaning. If you’re unsure, consult with your supervisor and look at sample dissertations to find out the best structure for your research.

In the results section it can often be helpful to include tables, graphs and charts. Think carefully about how best to present your data, and don’t include tables or figures that just repeat what you have written – they should provide extra information or usefully visualise the results in a way that adds value to your text.

Full versions of your data (such as interview transcripts) can be included as an appendix .

The discussion is where you explore the meaning and implications of your results in relation to your research questions. Here you should interpret the results in detail, discussing whether they met your expectations and how well they fit with the framework that you built in earlier chapters. If any of the results were unexpected, offer explanations for why this might be. It’s a good idea to consider alternative interpretations of your data and discuss any limitations that might have influenced the results.

The discussion should reference other scholarly work to show how your results fit with existing knowledge. You can also make recommendations for future research or practical action.

The dissertation conclusion should concisely answer the main research question, leaving the reader with a clear understanding of your central argument. Wrap up your dissertation with a final reflection on what you did and how you did it. The conclusion often also includes recommendations for research or practice.

In this section, it’s important to show how your findings contribute to knowledge in the field and why your research matters. What have you added to what was already known?

You must include full details of all sources that you have cited in a reference list (sometimes also called a works cited list or bibliography). It’s important to follow a consistent reference style . Each style has strict and specific requirements for how to format your sources in the reference list.

The most common styles used in UK universities are Harvard referencing and Vancouver referencing . Your department will often specify which referencing style you should use – for example, psychology students tend to use APA style , humanities students often use MHRA , and law students always use OSCOLA . M ake sure to check the requirements, and ask your supervisor if you’re unsure.

To save time creating the reference list and make sure your citations are correctly and consistently formatted, you can use our free APA Citation Generator .

Your dissertation itself should contain only essential information that directly contributes to answering your research question. Documents you have used that do not fit into the main body of your dissertation (such as interview transcripts, survey questions or tables with full figures) can be added as appendices .

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Finding dissertations and theses

How to find university of bath dissertations and theses in the library and online or search other libraries for theses and dissertations..

Undergraduate dissertations and project reports

Undergraduate dissertations and project reports are not provided by the Library in either online or printed format.

Masters dissertations

A sample of dissertations submitted for taught Masters degree courses are kept for five years and made available online to members of the University of Bath only. You may also like to ask your academic department whether they can provide access to any additional dissertations.

View dissertations listed by degree programme
How to submit your dissertation to the Library
Theses (University of Bath)

Information about submitting your thesis

How to search for a University of Bath thesis : the Library holds copies of all theses submitted to the University of Bath. You can access them via the following options:

Online : theses submitted since 1967 are available through the Research Portal - you can filter theses by department. Links to digitised theses can be found in the Library Catalogue .

Print copies of theses are available for reading in the Library only. Search for a title using the Library Catalogue. Request a thesis at the Reader Services Desk on Level 2. Please note: theses submitted in the past 13 years are available immediately but theses submitted more than 13 years ago will not be available until the next working day.

Theses listed by department (print and online) : some recent theses will not appear in these lists. To view online copies only, click a link below and then click the 'full text online' option.

Architecture and Civil Engineering
Biology and Biochemistry - up to 2022 when incorporated into Life Sciences
Chemical Engineering
Computer Science
Engineering and Applied Science
Electronic and Electrical Engineering
European Studies and Modern Languages
Life Sciences
Mathematical Sciences
Mechanical Engineering
Pharmacy and Pharmacology - up to 2022 when incorporated into Life Sciences
Politics, Languages and International Studies
Social and Policy Sciences
Sport and Exercise Science 2002-2004 : for more recent theses, click the Health link above
Theses and dissertations from other institutions
EThOS: the UK’s national thesis service
Proquest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT): is the world's most comprehensive collection of full-text dissertations and theses. Presentation explaining how to search PQDT (52 minutes).
EBSCO Open Dissertations: provides the full text of open access dissertations and theses free of charge
NDLTD: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
OATD: Open Access Theses and Dissertations
DART-Europe
Theses Canada
Trove: theses & other content from the National Library of Australia

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Library Team

On this page.

Dissertations@Portsmouth

The University Library maintains a limited selection of undergraduate student dissertations, taught postgraduate student dissertations and MPhils in electronic form. See our policies and procedures for handling dissertations and requirements for acceptance as well as information about what is included in the selection.

Please note that some courses, including all Business and Law courses do not submit dissertations to this service. If you cannot find relevant dissertations here, please contact your tutor or check on Moodle.

To quickly find dissertations and MPhils by title or course, start typing keywords in the appropriate field below. Any matches will be listed in a dropdown - the more you enter, the more precise the result. Click on any item on the list to select it. Or click 'Advanced Search' to find items by title & abstract, author, date, department or course, alone or in combination.

Search for a title:

Search for a course:

Most recent additions to the collection

Antwi, Abolanle (2024) An investigation into the increase of cybercrime during Covid-19 . (unpublished MSc dissertation), University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth
Alikali, Moses (2021) The impact of free or subsidized malaria treatment on self-medication practices amongst people in rural communities in Taraba State Nigeria . (unpublished MSc dissertation), University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth
Tanner, Javier Alejandro Perez (2021) Exploring factors for sustainable rural electrification projects through Solar Home Systems: Case studies in Argentina and Peru . (unpublished MSc dissertation), University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth
Gill, Jane Elizabeth (2023) The Kraken at the fin de siècle: an ecocritical reading of literary representations of giant cephalopods . (unpublished MA dissertation), University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth
Foulk, Kathryn (2023) Exploring the significance of improving the accountability of Non-Governmental Organisations to ensure optimal development within Sub-Saharan Africa . (unpublished BA dissertation), University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth

See more recent additions ...

Subject Guides

Academic writing: a practical guide

Dissertations.

Academic writing
The writing process
Academic writing style
Structure & cohesion
Criticality in academic writing
Working with evidence
Referencing
Assessment & feedback
Reflective writing
Examination writing
Academic posters
Feedback on Structure and Organisation
Feedback on Argument, Analysis, and Critical Thinking
Feedback on Writing Style and Clarity
Feedback on Referencing and Research
Feedback on Presentation and Proofreading

Dissertations are a part of many degree programmes, completed in the final year of undergraduate studies or the final months of a taught masters-level degree.

Introduction to dissertations

What is a dissertation.

A dissertation is usually a long-term project to produce a long-form piece of writing; think of it a little like an extended, structured assignment. In some subjects (typically the sciences), it might be called a project instead.

Work on an undergraduate dissertation is often spread out over the final year. For a masters dissertation, you'll start thinking about it early in your course and work on it throughout the year.

You might carry out your own original research, or base your dissertation on existing research literature or data sources - there are many possibilities.

What's different about a dissertation?

The main thing that sets a dissertation apart from your previous work is that it's an almost entirely independent project. You'll have some support from a supervisor, but you will spend a lot more time working on your own.

You'll also be working on your own topic that's different to your coursemate; you'll all produce a dissertation, but on different topics and, potentially, in very different ways.

Dissertations are also longer than a regular assignment, both in word count and the time that they take to complete. You'll usually have most of an academic year to work on one, and be required to produce thousands of words; that might seem like a lot, but both time and word count will disappear very quickly once you get started!

Find out more:

Key dissertation tools

Digital tools.

There are lots of tools, software and apps that can help you get through the dissertation process. Before you start, make sure you collect the key tools ready to:

use your time efficiently
organise yourself and your materials
manage your writing
be less stressed

Here's an overview of some useful tools:

Digital tools for your dissertation [Google Slides]

Setting up your document

Formatting and how you set up your document is also very important for a long piece of work like a dissertation, research project or thesis. Find tips and advice on our text processing guide:

University of York past Undergraduate and Masters dissertations

If you are a University of York student, you can access a selection of digitised undergraduate dissertations for certain subjects:

History
History of Art
Social Policy and Social Work

The Library also has digitised Masters dissertations for the following subjects:

Archaeology
Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Centre for Medieval Studies
Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies
Centre for Women's Studies
English and Related Literature
Health Sciences
History of Art
Hull York Medical School
Language and Linguistic Science
School for Business and Society
School of Social and Political Sciences

Dissertation top tips

Many dissertations are structured into four key sections:

introduction & literature review

There are many different types of dissertation, which don't all use this structure, so make sure you check your dissertation guidance. However, elements of these sections are common in all dissertation types.

Dissertations that are an extended literature review do not involve data collection, thus do not have a methods or result section. Instead they have chapters that explore concepts/theories and result in a conclusion section. Check your dissertation module handbook and all information given to see what your dissertation involves.

Introduction & literature review

The Introduction and Literature Review give the context for your dissertation:

What topic did you investigate?
What do we already know about this topic?
What are your research questions and hypotheses?

Sometimes these are two separate sections, and sometimes the Literature Review is integrated into the Introduction. Check your guidelines to find out what you need to do.

Literature Review Top Tips [YouTube] | Literature Review Top Tips transcript [Google Doc]

The Method section tells the reader what you did and why.

Include enough detail so that someone else could replicate your study.
Visual elements can help present your method clearly. For example, summarise participant demographic data in a table or visualise the procedure in a diagram.
Show critical analysis by justifying your choices. For example, why is your test/questionnaire/equipment appropriate for this study?
If your study requires ethical approval, include these details in this section.

Methodology Top Tips [YouTube] | Methodology Top Tips transcript [Google Doc]

More resources to help you plan and write the methodology:

The Results tells us what you found out .

It's an objective presentation of your research findings. Don’t explain the results in detail here - you’ll do that in the discussion section.

Results Top Tips [YouTube] | Results Top Tips transcript [Google Doc]

The Discussion is where you explain and interpret your results - what do your findings mean?

This section involves a lot of critical analysis. You're not just presenting your findings, but putting them together with findings from other research to build your argument about what the findings mean.

Discussion Top Tips [YouTube] | Discussion Top Tips transcript [Google Doc]

Conclusions are a part of many dissertations and/or research projects. Check your module information to see if you are required to write one. Some dissertations/projects have concluding remarks in their discussion section. See the slides below for more information on writing conclusions in dissertations.

Conclusions in dissertations [Google Slides]

The abstract is a short summary of the whole dissertation that goes at the start of the document. It gives an overview of your research and helps readers decide if it’s relevant to their needs.

Even though it appears at the start of the document, write the abstract last. It summarises the whole dissertation, so you need to finish the main body before you can summarise it in the abstract.

Usually the abstract follows a very similar structure to the dissertation, with one or two sentences each to show the aims, methods, key results and conclusions drawn. Some subjects use headings within the abstract. Even if you don’t use these in your final abstract, headings can help you to plan a clear structure.

Abstract Top Tips [YouTube] | Abstract Top Tips transcript [Google Doc]

Watch all of our Dissertation Top Tips videos in one handy playlist:

Research reports, that are often found in science subjects, follow the same structure, so the tips in this tutorial also apply to dissertations:

Other support for dissertation writing

Online resources.

The general writing pages of this site offer guidance that can be applied to all types of writing, including dissertations. Also check your department guidance and VLE sites for tailored resources.

Other useful resources for dissertation writing:

Appointments and workshops

There is a lot of support available in departments for dissertation production, which includes your dissertation supervisor, academic supervisor and, when appropriate, staff teaching in the research methods modules.

You can also access central writing and skills support:

<< Previous: Reports
Next: Reflective writing >>
Last Updated: Apr 3, 2024 4:02 PM
URL: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/academic-writing

Skills for Learning : Dissertations & Literature Reviews

Dissertations are extended projects in which you choose, research and write about a specific topic. They provide an opportunity to explore an aspect of your subject in detail. You are responsible for managing your dissertation, though you will be assigned a supervisor. Dissertations are typically empirical (based on your own research) or theoretical (based on others’ research/arguments).

The Dissertation IT Kit contains information about formatting your dissertation document in Word.

Look at the Library Subject Guides for your area. These have information on finding high quality resources for your dissertation.

We run interactive workshops to help you prepare for your dissertation. Find out more on the Skills for Learning Workshops page.

We have online academic skills modules within MyBeckett for all levels of university study. These modules will help your academic development and support your success at LBU. You can work through the modules at your own pace, revisiting them as required. Find out more from our FAQ What academic skills modules are available?

Dissertation proposals

What are dissertation proposals.

A dissertation proposal is an outline of your proposed research project. It is what you imagine your dissertation might look like before you start. Consider it a temporary document which might change during the negotiation process between you and your dissertation supervisor. The proposal can help you clarify exactly what you want to cover in your dissertation. It can also outline how you are going to approach it. Your dissertation plan and structure might change throughout this process as you develop your ideas. Your proposal is the first step towards your goal: a completed dissertation.

Structuring your dissertation proposal

The structure, content, and length of your dissertation proposal will depend on your course requirements. Some courses may require that your aims and objectives are separate from the main body of the proposal. You might be expected to write a literature review, and/or provide a detailed methodology. You might also be asked to include an extensive context for your proposed study. Consult your module handbook or assignment brief for the specific requirements of your course.

Give each section of your proposal a heading You can also experiment with giving your proposed dissertation a title. Both of these approaches may help you focus and stay on topic. Most dissertation proposals will have a fairly standard structure, under the following headings:

Sections of a dissertation proposal

Aims and objectives
Rationale for your study
Methodology
Brief literature review
Benefits of your research

Describe what you plan to investigate. You could write a statement of your topic, a research question(s), or a hypothesis.

Explain why you want to do this research.
Write a justification as to why the project is worth undertaking.
Reasons might include: a gap in existing research; questioning or extending the findings of earlier research; replicating a piece of research to test its reliability.
Describe and justify how you plan to do the research.
You might be reviewing the work of others, which mainly involves secondary, or desk-based, research. Or you might plan to collect data yourself, which is primary research. It is common for undergraduate dissertations to involve a mixture of these.
If you are doing secondary research, describe how you will select your sources. For primary research, describe how you will collect your data. This might include using questionnaires, interviews, archival research, or other methods.
Others will have researched this topic before, or something similar.
The literature review allows you to outline what they have found and where your project fits in. For example, you could highlight disagreements or discrepancies in the existing research.

Outline who might potentially gain from your research and what you might find out or expand upon. For example, there could be implications for practice in a particular profession.

Dissertation style and language

A dissertation is a logical, structured, argument-based exploration of a topic. The style of your writing may vary slightly in each chapter. For example, your results chapter should display factual information, whereas your analysis chapter might be more argument-based. Make sure your language, tone and abbreviations are consistent within each section. Your language should be formal and contain terminology relevant to your subject area. Dissertations have a large word count. It is important to structure your work with headings and a contents page. Use signposting language to help your reader understand the flow of your writing. Charts, tables or images may help you communicate specific information.

Top tip! To signpost in your dissertation, use the ‘Signalling Transition’ section of the Manchester Academic Phrasebank .

Download the Dissertation Project Checklist Worksheet to help with planning your dissertation work.

Dissertation Project Checklist Worksheet

The Dissertation IT Kit also contains information about formatting your dissertation document in Microsoft Word.

Past dissertations

Exploring past dissertations within your academic field can give you an idea as to how to structure your dissertation and find similar research methodologies. You can access dissertations and theses completed by students at Leeds Beckett and other universities. To find external dissertations, look at our FAQ answer ' Are there other dissertations I can look at?' . To find dissertations completed by Leeds Beckett students, use the FAQ answer ' Can I find copies of past dissertations in the Library? '

Sections of a dissertation

Not all dissertations will follow the same structure. Your style can change depending on your school. Check your module handbook, assignment brief or speak with your course tutor for further guidance.

To decide what to include:

Think about your project from an outsider’s perspective. What do they need to know and in what order? What is the most clear and logical way for you to present your research?
Discuss your project with your supervisor. Be open about ideas or concerns you have around the structure and content.

Each section of a dissertation has a different purpose. Think about whether you're doing an empirical or theoretical dissertation and use the headings below to find out what you should be including.

You can also use the Leeds Beckett Dissertation Template to help you understand what your dissertation should look like.

Leeds Beckett Dissertation Template

Empirical (research-based)

1. Abstract
2. Contents Page
3. Introduction
4. Literature Review
5. Methodology
6. Findings / Results
7. Discussion
8. Conclusion
9. Reference List / Bibliography
10. Appendices

Abstract : provides a brief summary of your whole dissertation.

The abstract outlines the purpose of your research and your methodology (where necessary). You should summarise your main findings and conclusion.

Top tips! Give the reader a sense of why your project is interesting and valuable. Write in the past tense. Aim for about half a page.

Contents page : lists all the sections of your dissertation with the page numbers. Do this last by using the automatic function in Word.

Introduction: introduces the reader to your research project.

Provide context to the topic and define key terms. Ensure that the scope of your investigation is clear. Outline your aims and objectives, and provide a brief description of your research methods. Finally, give an indication of your conclusion/findings.

Top tips! Start broad (background information) and get more specific (your research aims and findings). Try writing the introduction after the literature review and methodology chapters. This way, you will have a better idea of your research aims.

Literature Review : positions your research in relation to what has come before it.

The literature review will summarise prior research on the topic, such as journal articles, books, government reports and data. You should introduce key themes, concepts, theories or methods that provide context for your own research. Analyse and evaluate the literature by drawing comparisons and highlighting strengths and weaknesses. Download the Critical Analysis Questions and Evidence Matrix Worksheets to help you with this process and for more information on literature searching see Finding Information .

Critical Analysis Questions Worksheet
Evidence Matrix Worksheet

The literature review should justify the need for your research and highlight areas for further investigation. Avoid introducing your own ideas at this point; instead, compare and comment on existing ideas.

Top tips! Your literature review is not a descriptive summary of various sources. You need to synthesise (bring together) and critically analyse prior research. Sophisticated use of reporting verbs is important for this process. Download our Reporting Verbs Worksheet to help you with this.

Reporting Verbs Worksheet

Find out more about literature reviews elsewhere on this topic page.

Find out more about critical thinking.

Methodology : provides a succinct and accurate record of the methodology used and justifies your choice of methods.

In this section, you describe the qualitative and/or quantitative methods* used to carry out your research/experiment. You must justify your chosen research methodology and explain how it helps you answer your research question. Where appropriate, explain the rationale behind choices such as procedures, equipment, participants and sample size. You may need to reference specific guidelines that you have used, especially in subjects such as healthcare. If your research involves people, you may also need to demonstrate how it fulfils ethical guidelines.

Top tips! Your account should be sufficiently detailed so that someone else could replicate your research. Write in the passive voice. Remember, at this point you are not reporting any findings.

*Qualitative research is based on opinions and ideas, while quantitative research is based on numerical data.

Find out more about the research process.

Findings/Results : presents the data collected from your research in a suitable format.

Provide a summary of the results of your research/experiment. Consider the most effective methods for presenting your data, such as charts, graphs or tables. Present all your findings honestly. Do not change any data, even if it is not what you expected to find.

Top tips! Whilst you might acknowledge trends or themes in the data, at this stage, you won’t be analysing it closely. If you are conducting qualitative research, this section may be combined with the discussion section. Important additional documents, such as transcriptions or questionnaires, can be added to your appendices.

Discussion : addresses your research aims by analysing your findings.

In this chapter, you interpret and discuss your results and draw conclusions. Identify trends, themes or issues that arise from the findings and discuss their significance in detail. These themes can also provide the basis for the structure of this section. You can draw upon information and concepts from your literature review to help interpret your findings. For example, you can show how your findings build upon or contradict earlier research.

Top tips! Ensure that the points you make are backed up with evidence from your findings. Refer back to relevant information from your literature review to discuss and interpret your findings.

Conclusion : summarises your main points.

Provide an overview of your main findings and demonstrate how you have met your research objectives. Set your research into a wider context by showing how it contributes to current academic debates. Discuss the implications of your research and put forward any recommendations.

Top tips! Do not introduce any new information in this section. Your conclusion should mirror the content of your introduction but offer more conclusive answers.

Reference List / Bibliography : a complete list of all sources used.

List all the sources that you have consulted in the process of your research. Your Reference List or Bibliography must follow specific guidelines for your discipline (e.g. Harvard or OSCOLA). Look through your module handbook or speak to your supervisor for more information.

Find out more about referencing and academic integrity .

Appendix (single) or Appendices (plural): presents raw data and/or transcripts that aren’t in the main body of your dissertation.

You may have to be selective in the data you present in your findings section. If this is the case, you may choose to present the raw data/extended version in an appendix. If you conduct qualitative research, such as interviews, you will include the transcripts in your appendix. Appendices are not usually included in the word count.

Top tips! Discuss with your supervisor whether you will need an appendix and what to include.

Theoretical (argument based)

Contents page
Introduction
Literature Review
Main body (divided into chapters)
Reference list / Bibliography

Provides a brief summary of your whole dissertation.

The abstract outlines the purpose of your research and your methodology (where necessary). You should summarise your main findings and conclusion.

Top tip! Give the reader a sense of why your project is interesting and valuable. Write in the past tense. Aim for about half a page.

Contents page : lists all the sections of your dissertation with the page numbers. Using the automatic table of contents feature in Microsoft Word can help you format this.

The Dissertation IT kit provides guidance on how to use these tools.

Introduces the reader to your research project.

Provide context to the topic and define key terms. Ensure that the scope of your investigation is clear. Outline your aims and objectives, and provide a brief description of your research methods. Introduce your argument and explain why your research topic is important. Finally, give an indication of your conclusion/findings.

Top tip! Start broad (background information) and get more specific (your research aims and findings). Try writing the introduction after the literature review and methodology chapters. This way, you will have a better idea of your research aims.

Summarises prior research on the topic, such as journal articles, books, and other information sources. You should introduce key themes, concepts, theories or methods that provide context for your own research. You should also analyse and evaluate the literature by drawing comparisons and highlighting strengths and weaknesses.

Many (although not all) theoretical dissertations will include a separate literature review. You may decide to include this as a separate chapter. Otherwise, you can integrate it into your introduction or first themed chapter.

Find out more about literature reviews on the Literature Reviews page.

Divide the main body of your research into chapters organised by chronology or themes. Each chapter should be like a mini-essay that helps you answer your research questions. Like an essay, each chapter should have an introduction, main body and conclusion. Develop your argument and demonstrate critical thinking by drawing on relevant sources. Compare and contrast ideas, and make suggestions or recommendations where relevant. Explain how each chapter helps answer your main research question.

Top tip! Divide each chapter into chunks and use subheadings where necessary to structure your work.

Find out more on the Critical Thinking pages.

Top tip! Do not introduce any new information in this section. Your conclusion should mirror the content of your introduction but offer more conclusive answers.

List all the sources that you have consulted in the process of your research. Your Reference List or Bibliography must follow specific guidelines for your discipline (Harvard, APA or OSCOLA). Look through your module handbook or speak to your supervisor for more information.

Find out more about referencing and academic integrity .

Appendix (single) or Appendices (plural): presents any data, such as images or tables, that aren’t in the main body of your dissertation.

You may have to be selective about the information you include in the main body of your dissertation. If this is the case, you may place data such as images or tables in the appendix. Appendices are not usually included in the word count.

Top tip! Discuss with your supervisor whether you will need any appendices and what to include.

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If their use is permitted on your course, you must acknowledge any use of generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT or paraphrasing tools (e.g., Grammarly, Quillbot, etc.), even if you have only used them to generate ideas for your assignment or for proofreading.

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Topic Links

Academic Integrity Module
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Dissertation Process and Planning Video
Writing your Literature Review Video
Dissertations Methodology Chapter Video
Dissertations Results and Analysis Chapter Video
Dissertations Editing Video

Resources & Worksheets

Annotated Bibliographies Worksheet
CRAAP Test Worksheet
Literature Review Planning Worksheet
Paraphrasing and Summarising Information
Synthesising Sources in Writing Worksheet

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7 steps to writing a dissertation

While you may be experienced in revising and writing essays, your dissertation requires careful planning, extensive research, and time management to succeed

Your dissertation is a key part of your degree course and a testament to your ability to conduct research, analyse data, and write a clear argument. Dissertations can be challenging, but they are also rewarding experiences that allow you to explore a topic in-depth and make a significant contribution to your field of study.

To achieve your academic goals, it is important to act on feedback, use your supervision time to your advantage, and demonstrate a strong knowledge of your subject. Whether you're writing an undergraduate, Masters , or PhD dissertation, these seven steps can help you stay on track.

1. Choose your topic wisely

Selecting the right topic is the foundation of a successful dissertation. It is important to choose a topic that is:

Relevant to your academic discipline and interests. This will ensure that you are passionate about your topic and have the necessary background knowledge to conduct meaningful research.
Intriguing and thought-provoking . A well-chosen topic will inspire you to ask interesting questions and develop original insights.
Specific enough to allow for in-depth analysis, yet broad enough to provide enough research material. A topic that is too narrow may be difficult to research or produce meaningful findings, while a topic that is too broad may be difficult to cover in the allowed time and word count.

Consider your career goals and what topics are relevant to the field you hope to work in after graduation. It's also important to be open to change, as it's common for students to modify their dissertation topic as they explore the subject more.

Once you have identified a potential topic, seek guidance from your supervisor. They can help you to refine your choice, identify relevant sources, and develop a research plan.

2. Check what's required of you

Read your marking criteria carefully. It is also important to consult the module guidelines and follow the instructions on any additional parts to your main assignment, such as a project plan, literature review or a critical reflection.

Neal Bamford, associate lecturer at London Metropolitan University, reports that his marking process always begins by 'distilling criteria to what students need to provide and how many marks this is worth.'

'Several dissertations I mark don't include a project plan in their submission. This is worth 20% of the overall mark, so students lose out on a significant portion of their grade'.

Before you begin to plan, make sure you understand what's expected of you. Find out:

what academic writing looks like in your discipline
the word count
when and where you must submit your dissertation.

3. Conduct in-depth research

Research at this stage in the process is often referred to as a literature review. This is where you are expected to gather relevant sources, articles, and studies from libraries, and online academic resources to identify the existing research on your topic and to develop your own research questions.

'Form your own opinion and argue for it using research. A history of the topic is always helpful, as it shows that you understand how things got to this point in time,' says Neal.

Be sure to take careful notes on each source and organise them for easy reference. You need to critically evaluate and analyse the sources to ensure their credibility and relevance to your research. This will be helpful when citing your sources in the writing stage.

Don't forget to seek guidance from your advisor throughout the research process. They can provide you with valuable feedback, relevant sources, and support.

4. Develop a strong thesis statement

A well-defined thesis statement is a roadmap for your dissertation. It should concisely state your main argument or research question and provide a clear direction for your paper. Your thesis statement will guide your entire writing process, so take the time to fully understand it before you begin to write.

When writing a thesis statement:

Be specific and focused - avoid broad or vague statements.
Remember that your thesis needs to be arguable - it should be a statement that can be supported or proved false with evidence.
Make sure your thesis is realistic - you need to be able to research and write about it in the allotted time and space.

Once you have a draft of your thesis statement, share it with your supervisor and other trusted peers. They can provide you with feedback and help you to refine your statement.

If your research disproves your original statement, it can be a disappointing experience. However, it is important to remember that this is a normal part of the research process.

'Many of my students believe that if they don't find the answer they're expecting, then their work is worthless,' says Neal.

'This is not the case. You don't have to find the answer to produce valuable research. Documenting your process and conclusions, even if they are inconclusive, can help others to avoid repeating your work and may lead to new approaches.'

5. Proofread and edit

After working on your dissertation for such a long time, it can be tempting to end the process once you have finished writing, but proofreading is an essential step in ensuring that it is polished and error-free.

To help with the proofreading process:

Read your dissertation aloud . This can help you to catch errors that you might miss when reading silently.
Change your environment to see your work with fresh eyes.
Focus on one thing at a time such as grammar, spelling, or punctuation to avoid getting overwhelmed.

To edit your dissertation, begin by reviewing its overall structure and flow. Make sure that your arguments are well-organised and that your ideas are presented in a logical order.

Next, check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation carefully. You can use a grammar checker, but it is important to proofread your work yourself to identify stylistic or subject-specific errors.

'Make sure you understand the reference style your university prefers. Formatting and labelling of images, tables etc. is vitally important and will be marked,' says Neal.

You should also ensure that your dissertation is formatted using the correct font, font size, margins, and line spacing.

6. Seek feedback and finalise

Once you have made your final revisions, seek feedback from your advisor or board members.

To get the most out of your feedback, be specific about what you are looking for. For example, you might ask for feedback on the overall structure and flow of your dissertation, the strength of your arguments, or the clarity of your writing.

Be open to feedback, even if it's negative. Remember that your advisor is there to help you improve your work, so it's important to take the time to understand and implement the feedback you receive.

Once you have addressed all the feedback, you can prepare your final submission. It's important to follow the guidelines carefully before submitting. Be sure to hand in your dissertation on time, as late submissions may be penalised or even rejected.

Online hand in is the most common method of dissertation submission, and you will typically need to upload a PDF file to an online portal. Follow the instructions carefully - you may need to provide additional information, such as your student ID number or the title of your dissertation.

Some institutions still require dissertations to be submitted in hard copy. If this is the case, you will need to submit a bound copy of your dissertation to your department office. You may also need to pay the binding fee.

Be sure to check with your advisor or department office for specific instructions on how to submit your dissertation in hard copy. You may have to submit multiple copies of your dissertation, and you be required to to include a title page, abstract, and table of contents.

Find out more

Read our 5 ways to manage student stress .
Discover how to write an essay .
Consider our 7 time management tips for students .

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English Literature: researching your dissertation: Finding journals/journal articles

Getting an overview of your topic
Finding primary sources
Finding relevant books
Finding journals/journal articles
Key subject-specific e-resources
Searching effectively
Citing references

Why use journal articles?

Journal articles are useful because they can provide:

up-to-date research in your subject
reviews of developments in your subject - these review articles include extensive lists of references

There are several methods for finding relevant journals and journal articles on your dissertation topic, these include

Searching Enterprise for journals
Searching Summon for journal articles
Searching across the Library's e-journal collections, e.g. Project Muse or JSTOR
Searching subject-specific bibliographic databases
Using the Library's online subscriptions to periodical archives, e.g. British Periodicals

Finding journal articles

Searching Summon

As a first step, search the Summon discovery service for relevant articles from e-resources subscribed to by the Library, which are available in full text for you to view online or download.

Information and help on Summon
Guide to searching databases

Using subject-specific bibliographic databases

Bear in mind that searching Summon will only provide you with results taken from e-resources that the University subscribes to.

For a wider overview of articles and theses on your chosen dissertation topic you should also make use of subject-specific bibliographic databases, like the MLA Bibliography , or the Arts & Humanities Citation Index . An online tutorial about using different search methods with the MLA is available on this page.

Why is using the MLA Bibliography better than searching Google?

Although the University may not subscribe to all the journals listed in these bibliographies, if there is a particular article you would like for your research which we don't have in stock, make use of our inter-library loans service to obtain a copy.

Useful tip: If you find an article which is particularly pertinent to your topic, use the references given within the article to find further material, the same as you would a bibliography at the end of a book.

Arts & Humanities journals

Finding relevant journals.

Book History

Finding journals by title Search the Enterprise catalogue to find journal titles held by the Library (in print or online).

Finding journals by topic You can either search by title or, if you are looking for journal covering a particular topic., e.g. 'postcolonial studies' or 'Shakespeare', you can search Enterprise using relevant keywords and then refine your results using the left hand menu to only show 'Journals' by clicking on the Journals link.

If your topic is very specific you may find that this method of searching is not as effective as searching for journal articles.

Just a few of the Libray's journal titles related to literature are listed below.

Children's Literature Association Quarterly
Critical Inquiry
ELH: English Literary History
Interventions: international journal of postcolonial studies
Renaissance Quarterly
Yearbook of English Studies

Getting items not held at Reading

For more information see our webpages:

Inter-library loans service Use this service to get publications not held at the University of Reading.
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Next: Key subject-specific e-resources >>
Last Updated: Apr 23, 2024 2:22 PM
URL: https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/english-literature-dissertation

Aberystwyth University
Finding and Managing Information for Your Dissertation
2. The dissertation process

Finding and Managing Information for Your Dissertation: 2. The dissertation process

1. Introduction
3. Information sources
4. Searching techniques
5. Where to search
6. Systematic Reviews
7. Methods and data analysis
8. Evaluate and fact check information
9. Managing information
10. Referencing This link opens in a new window
11. How the library can help

Getting started

You've reached the dissertation stage! You may now be starting to think about the following:

the format of the dissertation
picking a topic of special interest to you
creating your plan
searching effectively for material
primary research / secondary research / literature review

Take a look through the different tabs below to familiarise yourself with the steps involved in planning and developing your dissertation or research project.

The process

What will my dissertation look like
Choosing your topic
Tips on focussing your topic
Literature Review
Search Strategy
Research Methods
Free writing and communication training
Title page, declarations and statements, acknowledgements (see your departmental handbook for details)
T his is a brief summary of your dissertation which describes and gives an overview of the content.
This includes the aims and objectives; an overview of literature; Why are you researching this topic?
key points, background and context to the work
what methods you have used to collect the data? Why did you choose to use a particular method instead of another?
This section will involve analysis and critical appraisal of the data collected
H ere you should interpret your findings. What is your evidence? Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
What did you learn from your research? Did you find out something new? Discuss future recommendations.
This is your reference list, and will include all of the books, articles and other sources that you have cited and read for your dissertation.
This section will include the supporting evidence used for your research. For example, questionnaires, graphs, surveys, interview transcripts.

Before moving forward, you need to decide what you want to find out. This is known as your research topic , and should be something that you can answer through the research you've performed and then presented in your dissertation.

If you're unsure what you want to concentrate on, do some exploratory and background reading and find out what has already been written on your area of interest.

When deciding on a topic, choosing what not to include is just as important! Consider how you will limit your research.

Once you have a topic in mind, you are now ready to move forward to formulate and develop potential research questions . This concentrates on exactly what you want to find out and should be something that you can answer through your dissertation.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself at this point to formulate the exact question. Remember nothing, and not even your question is set in stone at this stage – it can be amended and modified over the course of your research to suit what you end up investigating.

You can use techniques such as:

writing key points on post-it notes/whiteboard
brain-storming
mind-mapping

to think of different ways to describe the most important words involved in your research, also known as key concepts or keywords.

The Effective Study Collection in the Hugh Owen Library contains lots of material to help you begin preparing your dissertation ( Where can I find it? )
Find out more about subject specific resources ( Where can I find them? )

Using a framework can help to refine your exact research question with tools such as PICO, SPIDER and SPICE. The style of your study will help to determine which is the most relevant.

You might find that your topic does not always fall into one of the models listed below. You can always modify a model to make it work for your topic, and either remove or adjust additional elements.

PICO is a popular model or framework which is used most commonly for quantitative clinical and healthcare related questions.

P - Population - who is my question focused on? This could be the general population, or a specific group defined (e.g. infants, elderly)
I - Intervention - what intervention is being considered? This refers to the test to be investigated
C - Comparison (optional element) -what intervention is being considered? This is a measure you will use to compare results against.
O - Outcome - what are you trying to achieve/accomplish/improve?

PICO has been adapted to include additional variations:

PICOT where T = Timeframe - how long after the intervention will the outcomes be assessed? You can use this framework if your outcomes need to be measured in a certain amount of time.
PICOS where S = Study Design - which specific design, e.g. randomised controlled trial, is included?
Population - who is affected?
Interest or Environment - which circumstances or settings apply?
Outcome - what are you trying to achieve?

This framework is an alternative tool compatible with both qualitative subjective and quantitative objective style studies.

S - Sample - a sample or people involved / the group you are focusing on
PI - Phenomenon of Interest - the behaviour or experience your research is examining
D - Design - how the research will be carried out/ the form of research used
E - Evaluation - What are the outcomes you are measuring
R - Research - What is the research style undertaken / used

This is a tool for qualitative questions and is often preferred for social science research. This is another variant of PICO but this time including the setting - the where the context of the study

S - Setting - this is the where/location or context of the study
P - Population or Perspective - which population or perspective will the research be conducted for (the users, potential users or stakeholders)
I - Intervention - or the action taken
C - Comparison - is there a comparison/alternative
E - Evaluation - did the intervention work and if so, how well? What were the results?

A literature review is a piece of writing that collates, links and evaluates key sources related to a chosen topic or research question. These key sources could be scholarly articles, books, dissertations, conference proceedings and other resources which are relevant to a particular issue, theme, theory or area of research.

The guiding ethical principles governing all research within Aberystwyth University are the following:

• Respect for the rights, safety and well-being of all human participants and animals

• Respect for other cultures, values, traditions and the environment around us

• Honesty, integrity and professionalism at all times

We encourage all researchers to refer to the Research Ethics Framework as a starting point. The framework contains operational guidance in relation to research ethics and its associated processes. Please familiarise yourself with the relevant sections of this guidance in the first instance. If you require any advice or support, please contact us.

Research Ethics Framework

However, if you still have unanswered questions, please contact the Research Ethics team ( [email protected]) who will be pleased to help. We can also able to provide advice on the correct approvals process for you to follow, advice on the drafting of applications and to discuss any potential research topics or ideas that you may have.

A sequence of steps which you can follow for selecting terms/phrases and building them into your search strategy is given below:

Break down your dissertation topic into a small number of related concepts.
Identify terms and phrases related to each individual concept which you think may be useful search terms.
Start with broad terms and then move towards more specific terms for each of the concept groups.
Run an initial search in a general database, combining the terms and phrases you have chosen for each concept. It is usually best to enter each group of terms in a separate search box if possible.
Add more key terms to each of your groups, such as alternative terminology, synonyms, varied spellings, as you come across them in your initial search results.
Introduce truncation symbols (often *) to cover different endings for your terms in your search (e.g. to cover singular and plural forms)
Enclose any phrases in your search term groups in quotes (e.g. “climate change”).
Use filters offered by your database to cut down the number of results by date, language, method, geography etc.
Filtering out the review papers can be very useful for getting a broad view of recent developments in your topic and also for finding more search terms.
Output the references which you wish to save from this initial search either as an e-mail to yourself, as a saved file or download to a reference management package such as EndNote.

Repeat this procedure from steps 3-10 in a more specialist database, again adding any further useful terms which you find to the relevant group of concepts, until you are contented with the search. Use the same output method as used with the general database to output your results.

The research process for a dissertation or project is substantial and takes time. Research methods are the tools used to help you find, collect, analyse and interpret information in order to answer your research question.

You will need to think about what you have to find out in order to answer your research question, and where and when you can find this information. As you gather your research, keep returning to your research question to ensure you are keeping in line with what you aim to find out and what you are doing is relevant.

When starting your search procedure, it is often useful to pick out a few review articles on your topic to read in detail as these will cite a large number of primary papers which may also be relevant to your specific study. Many databases have a specific filter to pick out the review papers from the references which your search has initially retrieved.

The choice of method used depends on your research question.

Experiments
Observations
Questionnaries and surveys
Focus Groups
Case studies

You’ve done your research, you've analysed the data – now you have to present it!

Make sure you read your module handbook - this will give you the rules to follow and how to structure the work correctly. Your lecturer can also give you guidance on what is expected.

Before you submit your work:

plan your time before submission date arrives - set out your 'to-do's'
make sure you proof read it and remove any typos. You may find it helpful to print it out and highlight any necessary amendments/corrections
make use of the Read & Write software that will enable the computer to read anything on your computer screen aloud. You may find this useful in proof-reading your own dissertation. It is available via the Software Centre and on Library computers.
check your references - ensure they match and contain all the information
follow your department's advice on how to format your citations and bibliography
check the referencing style and that it is done correctly and consistently throughout your dissertation
ask a friend to read through your work - a fresh pair of eyes may notice things you may have missed

This service is available to Aberystwyth University Staff and Students in support of the academic aims of the University.

Further information on binding options is available at https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/is/library-services/binding/

If you're an undergraduate, you can attend optional free writing, communication and information skills classes. More information available at: Free Undergraduate Courses : Student Learning Support, Aberystwyth University

If you're a postgraduate, you can attend optional free classes in writing and advanced information skills. More informationavailable at: Free Postgraduate Courses : Student Learning Support, Aberystwyth University

Examples of dissertations

It's a good idea to take a look at example of dissertations to familiarise yourself with the layout and format.

Currently AU libraries, the National Library of Wales and the Aberystwyth Research Portal, receive from AU academic departments:

All successful research theses

and also stock pre 2013 Taught Master’s:

theses on a Welsh subject
theses achieving a distinction

Further information is available by visiting: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/is/library-services/collections/theses/

The Aberystwyth Research Portal makes the very best of Aberystwyth University's staff and postgraduate research openly available online, free of charge.

Content in the portal includes published outputs, postgraduate theses, project details, as well as records for other esteem activities.

You can search the Aberystwyth Research Portal for theses either in the general search box or by browsing the postgraduate publications community.

Other theses from Welsh universities are deposited at the National Library of Wales, National Library of Wales

Other Electronic Theses

Online availability of theses via the British Library.

Search over 500,000 doctoral theses using EThOS , the online theses service via the British Library. Download instantly for your research, or order a scanned copy quickly and easily.

Books to help

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Next: 3. Information sources >>
Diweddarwyd / Last Updated: Apr 23, 2024 11:49 AM
URL: https://libguides.aber.ac.uk/dissertation
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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

A dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research, reflecting the standard four step academic research process.

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!

A dissertation is not an opinion piece, nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position.

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 .

The introduction chapter is where you set the scene for your research, detailing exactly what you’ll be researching and why it’s important.

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.

The research philosophy is at the core of the methodology chapter

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 .

Your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions. It needs to answer the key questions you asked in your introduction.

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.

In the final chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and the implications thereof.

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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The UK Data Service holds over 9,000 data collections, including both qualitative and quantitative data. Students can access most of this data. If you are a student at a UK institution of higher or further education, you can simply use your university or college login to register with the UK Data Service .

What data are available?

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Data from social surveys

Our high-quality survey data covers topics from health and finance to employment and crime. These surveys use representative samples, and many are repeated regularly. Our survey data can be used to make estimates at a national level, identify trends and examine patterns within a population such as how people’s circumstances, attitudes and behaviours relate to age, gender, and social class.

Qualitative data

Archived qualitative data comes in many forms including transcripts from interviews and focus groups, online sources, and images. It often gives you an in-depth description of people’s everyday lives, including their behaviour, beliefs, and emotions. This data can be coded, then analysed using techniques like thematic analysis or discourse analysis.

UK census data

The UK census is conducted every 10 years. It is a vital resource for social research, providing a snapshot of demographic and social life in the UK. Through the UK Data Service, you can access:

census data for areas such as local authorities
samples of individual records from the census
data on flows between places because of migration or commuting.

International data

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How to find and access data?

To find and access data, you can:

Search the data catalogue using keywords and topics.
Visit the find data section to explore data collections by data type or theme.

If you are looking for data for your project, visit our dissertation resources, which include information about finding and accessing data for your project from the UK Data Service.

Do I need to register?

You can search our data catalogue and download open data collections without needing to register. To access many data collections, you need to register before downloading the data. If you are a student or member of staff at a UK institution of higher or further education (UK HE/FE), you register using your institutional username and password.

If using data as part of a class, you may need to register with the UK Data Service before you can access the data. Alternatively, your lecturer or instructor may collate and pass on information about who has access to the data.

Once registered you can easily access our data collections (except the more highly sensitive and confidential data that only Approved Researchers can access through our SecureLab).

Doing a dissertation or project?

Doing a dissertation or independent project can be a challenging and rewarding experience. Finding, collecting, and analysing data can be crucial to a project’s success and we have a range of resources than can help.

Secondary analysis

Have you considered using some of the interesting and good quality datasets already available for you to use? Find out more about why you might use existing data sources in your research project in our video Secondary analysis What and why?

Dissertation case studies

Find inspiration for using data from the UK Data Service in our dissertation case studies:

urban space and public wellbeing
class and environmental behaviours
effect of family attachments in youth violence .

Dissertation Award

Undergraduate students who use our data in a dissertation on a social science topic can enter the UK Data Service Dissertation Award.

Dissertations and their data

The Dissertations and their data: promoting research integrity in undergraduate projects (PDF) resource provides guidance about data management and research integrity in undergraduate dissertations. It includes:

practical examples of good practice
templates for consent, transcription, anonymisation and documentation.

Using survey data in a dissertation

Survey data can be a great option for a dissertation project. From the UK Data Service, you can access data from representative samples of the population on a wide range of topics.

Find out more about using survey data in a dissertation.

You can also see our quick start guides to top surveys for dissertation projects.

Quick start guide: British Social Attitudes (BSA)

Quick start guide: health survey for england (hse), quick start guide: community life survey (cls).

Quick start guide: Understanding Society COVID-19 Teaching Dataset .

Finding the right data for your project

How do you find the right data for your project? Our resources on how to find data for your project cover ways to search and evaluate data as well as all you need to know about registration and access conditions.

Finding and accessing data for your project .

Other useful resources

Recordings of webinars for dissertation students:

Dissertation projects: Introduction to secondary analysis for qualitative and quantitative data
Webinar: Data for dissertations .

Try our data skills modules to learn more about data and how it can be used. These online interactive resources are for users who want to get to grips with key aspects of survey, longitudinal and aggregate data.

Need help with software? We have guides to major software used to manage and analyse data on our software and tools section including introductory guides to SPSS, Stata and R.

Working with survey, census, qualitative or aggregate data? Explore our learning hub to find resources to help with each of these data types.

Our YouTube channel includes tutorials and recordings of webinars and workshops (for example our using SPSS playlist and workshop on mapping crime data in R ).

Using survey data

Finding and accessing data for your project, quick start guide: understanding society covid-19 teaching dataset.

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Ten things I wish I'd known before starting my dissertation

The sun is shining but many students won't see the daylight. Because it's that time of year again – dissertation time.

Luckily for me, my D-Day (dissertation hand-in day) has already been and gone. But I remember it well.

The 10,000-word spiral-bound paper squatted on my desk in various forms of completion was my Allied forces; the history department in-tray was my Normandy. And when Eisenhower talked about a "great crusade toward which we have striven these many months", he was bang on.

I remember first encountering the Undergraduate Dissertation Handbook, feeling my heart sink at how long the massive file took to download, and began to think about possible (but in hindsight, wildly over-ambitious) topics. Here's what I've learned since, and wish I'd known back then…

1 ) If your dissertation supervisor isn't right, change. Mine was brilliant. If you don't feel like they're giving you the right advice, request to swap to someone else – providing it's early on and your reason is valid, your department shouldn't have a problem with it. In my experience, it doesn't matter too much whether they're an expert on your topic. What counts is whether they're approachable, reliable, reassuring, give detailed feedback and don't mind the odd panicked email. They are your lifeline and your best chance of success.

2 ) If you mention working on your dissertation to family, friends or near-strangers, they will ask you what it's about, and they will be expecting a more impressive answer than you can give. So prepare for looks of confusion and disappointment. People anticipate grandeur in history dissertation topics – war, genocide, the formation of modern society. They don't think much of researching an obscure piece of 1970s disability legislation. But they're not the ones marking it.

3 ) If they ask follow-up questions, they're probably just being polite.

4 ) Do not ask friends how much work they've done. You'll end up paranoid – or they will. Either way, you don't have time for it.

5 ) There will be one day during the process when you will freak out, doubt your entire thesis and decide to start again from scratch. You might even come up with a new question and start working on it, depending on how long the breakdown lasts. You will at some point run out of steam and collapse in an exhausted, tear-stained heap. But unless there are serious flaws in your work (unlikely) and your supervisor recommends starting again (highly unlikely), don't do it. It's just panic, it'll pass.

6 ) A lot of the work you do will not make it into your dissertation. The first few days in archives, I felt like everything I was unearthing was a gem, and when I sat down to write, it seemed as if it was all gold. But a brutal editing down to the word count has left much of that early material at the wayside.

7 ) You will print like you have never printed before. If you're using a university or library printer, it will start to affect your weekly budget in a big way. If you're printing from your room, "paper jam" will come to be the most dreaded two words in the English language.

8 ) Your dissertation will interfere with whatever else you have going on – a social life, sporting commitments, societies, other essay demands. Don't even try and give up biscuits for Lent, they'll basically become their own food group when you're too busy to cook and desperate for sugar.

9 ) Your time is not your own. Even if you're super-organised, plan your time down to the last hour and don't have a single moment of deadline panic, you'll still find that thoughts of your dissertation will creep up on you when you least expect it. You'll fall asleep thinking about it, dream about it and wake up thinking about. You'll feel guilty when you're not working on it, and mired in self-doubt when you are.

10 ) Finishing it will be one of the best things you've ever done. It's worth the hard work to know you've completed what's likely to be your biggest, most important, single piece of work. Be proud of it.

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How to tackle the PhD dissertation

Finding time to write can be a challenge for graduate students who often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. Mabel Ho provides some tips to make the process less daunting

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Is it time to turn off turnitin, use ai to get your students thinking critically, taming anxiety around public speaking, emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn.

Writing helps you share your work with the wider community. Your scholarship is important and you are making a valuable contribution to the field. While it might be intimidating to face a blank screen, remember, your first draft is not your final draft! The difficult part is getting something on the page to begin with.

As the adage goes, a good dissertation is a done dissertation, and the goal is for you to find balance in your writing and establish the steps you can take to make the process smoother. Here are some practical strategies for tackling the PhD dissertation.

Write daily

This is a time to have honest conversations with yourself about your writing and work habits. Do you tackle the most challenging work in the morning? Or do you usually start with emails? Knowing your work routine will help you set parameters for the writing process, which includes various elements, from brainstorming ideas to setting outlines and editing. Once you are aware of your energy and focus levels, you’ll be ready to dedicate those times to writing.

While it might be tempting to block a substantial chunk of time to write and assume anything shorter is not useful, that is not the case. Writing daily, whether it’s a paragraph or several pages, keeps you in conversation with your writing practice. If you schedule two hours to write, remember to take a break during that time and reset. You can try:

The Pomodoro Technique: a time management technique that breaks down your work into intervals
Taking breaks: go outside for a walk or have a snack so you can come back to your writing rejuvenated
Focus apps: it is easy to get distracted by devices and lose direction. Here are some app suggestions: Focus Bear (no free version); Forest (free version available); Cold Turkey website blocker (free version available) and Serene (no free version).

This is a valuable opportunity to hone your time management and task prioritisation skills. Find out what works for you and put systems in place to support your practice.

Resources on academic writing for higher education professionals
Stretch your work further by ‘triple writing’
What is your academic writing temperament?

Create a community

While writing can be an isolating endeavour, there are ways to start forming a community (in-person or virtual) to help you set goals and stay accountable. There might be someone in your cohort who is also at the writing stage with whom you can set up a weekly check-in. Alternatively, explore your university’s resources and centres because there may be units and departments on campus that offer helpful opportunities, such as a writing week or retreat. Taking advantage of these opportunities helps combat isolation, foster accountability and grow networks. They can even lead to collaborations further down the line.

Check in with your advisers and mentors. Reach out to your networks to find out about other people’s writing processes and additional resources.
Don’t be afraid to share your work. Writing requires constant revisions and edits and finding people who you trust with feedback will help you grow as a writer. Plus, you can also read their work and help them with their editing process.
Your community does not have to be just about writing! If you enjoy going on hikes or trying new coffee shops, make that part of your weekly habit. Sharing your work in different environments will help clarify your thoughts and ideas.

Address the why

The PhD dissertation writing process is often lengthy and it is sometimes easy to forget why you started. In these moments, it can be helpful to think back to what got you excited about your research and scholarship in the first place. Remember it is not just the work but also the people who propelled you forward. One idea is to start writing your “acknowledgements” section. Here are questions to get you started:

Do you want to dedicate your work to someone?
What ideas sparked your interest in this journey?
Who cheered you on?

This practice can help build momentum, as well as serve as a good reminder to carve out time to spend with your community.

You got this!

Writing is a process. Give yourself grace, as you might not feel motivated all the time. Be consistent in your approach and reward yourself along the way. There is no single strategy when it comes to writing or maintaining motivation, so experiment and find out what works for you.

Analytical testing is the key to industry collaborations

A framework to teach library research skills, contextual learning: linking learning to the real world, how hard can it be testing ai detection tools, chatgpt’s impact on nursing education and assessments.

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Theses and dissertation: Finding a UK thesis
The Electronic Theses Online System. The Electronic Theses Online System is a service from the British Library that provides online access to the full-text of UK doctoral theses. It contains over 380,000+ records of doctoral theses from UK Higher Education Institutions. Many of these have already been digitised and are available for immediate ...
Theses & dissertations
UK theses and dissertations from EThOS. The Electronic Theses Online System (EThOS) offers free access to the full text of UK theses. EThOS offers a one stop online shop providing free access to UK theses. EThOS digitizes theses on request into PDF format, this may require payment. EThOS is managed by the British Library in partnership with a ...
Theses & Dissertations: Home
Requests for consultation of printed theses, not available online, should be made at the Manuscripts Reading Room (Email: [email protected] Telephone: +44 (0)1223 333143). Further information on the University Library's theses, dissertations and prize essays collections can be consulted at this link. Researchers can order a copy of an ...
UK theses
EThOS is the UK's national thesis service, managed by the British Library. It aims to provide a national aggregated record of all doctoral theses awarded by UK higher education institutions, with free access to the full text of many theses. It has around 500,000 records for theses awarded by over 120 institutions.
Find theses and dissertations
use the Advanced Search. scroll down and under the heading 'Item type' tick the box next to 'Thesis'. to narrow your search, complete other relevant fields (for example the school, date or date range, or a term in the title). Videos: Use KAR to find specific theses. Use KAR to find examples of theses for your school.
How to Write a Dissertation
The structure of a dissertation depends on your field, but it is usually divided into at least four or five chapters (including an introduction and conclusion chapter). The most common dissertation structure in the sciences and social sciences includes: An introduction to your topic. A literature review that surveys relevant sources.
Finding dissertations and theses
You can access them via the following options: Online: theses submitted since 1967 are available through the Research Portal - you can filter theses by department. Links to digitised theses can be found in the Library Catalogue. Print copies of theses are available for reading in the Library only. Search for a title using the Library Catalogue.
Dissertations
To quickly find dissertations and MPhils by title or course, start typing keywords in the appropriate field below. Any matches will be listed in a dropdown - the more you enter, the more precise the result. Click on any item on the list to select it. Or click 'Advanced Search' to find items by title & abstract, author, date, department or ...
Dissertations
A dissertation is usually a long-term project to produce a long-form piece of writing; think of it a little like an extended, structured assignment. In some subjects (typically the sciences), it might be called a project instead. Work on an undergraduate dissertation is often spread out over the final year. For a masters dissertation, you'll ...
Dissertations
Overview. Dissertations are extended projects in which you choose, research and write about a specific topic. They provide an opportunity to explore an aspect of your subject in detail. You are responsible for managing your dissertation, though you will be assigned a supervisor. Dissertations are typically empirical (based on your own research ...
Researching your dissertation
The research process for a dissertation or project is substantial and takes time. You will need to think about what you have to find out in order to answer your research question, and where and when you can find this information. As you gather your research, keep returning to your research question to check what you are doing is relevant.
The Best Dissertation Services In The UK
These services provide professional assistance to students in completing their dissertations. A dissertation company offer a wide range of services, including research, writing, editing, proofreading, and formatting. They employ highly qualified and experienced writers specialising in various subjects, ensuring students receive quality work.
7 steps to writing a dissertation
Whether you're writing an undergraduate, Masters, or PhD dissertation, these seven steps can help you stay on track. 1. Choose your topic wisely. Selecting the right topic is the foundation of a successful dissertation. It is important to choose a topic that is: Relevant to your academic discipline and interests.
PDF English Literature Dissertation Handbook 2021-22
Dissertations are marked by two members of the subject area. Your dissertation may also be read by an external examiner. 1.1 Extensions for the Dissertation. If you are seriously unwell or suffering serious personal difficulties and unable to meet the deadline set, you may apply for an extension in advance of that deadline.
English Literature: researching your dissertation: Finding journals
up-to-date research in your subject; reviews of developments in your subject - these review articles include extensive lists of references; There are several methods for finding relevant journals and journal articles on your dissertation topic, these include. Searching Enterprise for journals; Searching Summon for journal articles
OATD
You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses: Google Scholar; NDLTD, the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not. Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published ...
Finding and Managing Information for Your Dissertation: 2. The
Before moving forward, you need to decide what you want to find out.This is known as your research topic, and should be something that you can answer through the research you've performed and then presented in your dissertation.. If you're unsure what you want to concentrate on, do some exploratory and background reading and find out what has already been written on your area of interest.
PDF Planning an undergraduate dissertation
It should include: The background information to and context for your research. This often takes the form of a literature review. Explanation of the focus of your work. Explanation of the value of this work to scholarship on the topic. List of the aims and objectives of the work and also the issues which will not be covered because they are ...
How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis
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. Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications.
Writing a dissertation
One of the secrets to a successful dissertation is knowing how to limit the scope of the project so that you maintain control and keep your research focused. Consider, for example, a dissertation on cats. You may be very keen on cats and excited about every aspect of their lives. With this in mind you decide on a dissertation project entitled ...
Students
To find and access data, you can: Search the data catalogue using keywords and topics.; Visit the find data section to explore data collections by data type or theme.; If you are looking for data for your project, visit our dissertation resources, which include information about finding and accessing data for your project from the UK Data Service.
Ten things I wish I'd known before starting my dissertation
4) Do not ask friends how much work they've done. You'll end up paranoid - or they will. Either way, you don't have time for it. 5) There will be one day during the process when you will freak ...
How to tackle the PhD dissertation
Sharing your work in different environments will help clarify your thoughts and ideas. Address the why. The PhD dissertation writing process is often lengthy and it is sometimes easy to forget why you started. In these moments, it can be helpful to think back to what got you excited about your research and scholarship in the first place.

Theses and dissertation: Finding a UK thesis

The Electronic Theses Online System

Can I request UK theses from other universities from the Library?

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Are immediate downloads available?

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This guide provides information on searching for theses of Cambridge PhDs and for theses of UK universities and universities abroad.

University of Cambridge theses

Locating and obtaining a copy of a Cambridge PhD thesis (not yet available via the repository)

How to make your thesis available online through Cambridge's institutional repository

UK Theses and Dissertations

World-wide (incl. UK) theses and dissertations

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UTREES - University Theses in Russian, Soviet, and East European Studies 1907–

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