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Know How to Structure Your PhD Thesis

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Table of Contents

In your academic career, few projects are more important than your PhD thesis. Unfortunately, many university professors and advisors assume that their students know how to structure a PhD. Books have literally been written on the subject, but there’s no need to read a book in order to know about PhD thesis paper format and structure. With that said, however, it’s important to understand that your PhD thesis format requirement may not be the same as another student’s. The bottom line is that how to structure a PhD thesis often depends on your university and department guidelines.

But, let’s take a look at a general PhD thesis format. We’ll look at the main sections, and how to connect them to each other. We’ll also examine different hints and tips for each of the sections. As you read through this toolkit, compare it to published PhD theses in your area of study to see how a real-life example looks.

Main Sections of a PhD Thesis

In almost every PhD thesis or dissertation, there are standard sections. Of course, some of these may differ, depending on your university or department requirements, as well as your topic of study, but this will give you a good idea of the basic components of a PhD thesis format.

Abstract : The abstract is a brief summary that quickly outlines your research, touches on each of the main sections of your thesis, and clearly outlines your contribution to the field by way of your PhD thesis. Even though the abstract is very short, similar to what you’ve seen in published research articles, its impact shouldn’t be underestimated. The abstract is there to answer the most important question to the reviewer. “Why is this important?”
Introduction : In this section, you help the reviewer understand your entire dissertation, including what your paper is about, why it’s important to the field, a brief description of your methodology, and how your research and the thesis are laid out. Think of your introduction as an expansion of your abstract.
Literature Review : Within the literature review, you are making a case for your new research by telling the story of the work that’s already been done. You’ll cover a bit about the history of the topic at hand, and how your study fits into the present and future.
Theory Framework : Here, you explain assumptions related to your study. Here you’re explaining to the review what theoretical concepts you might have used in your research, how it relates to existing knowledge and ideas.
Methods : This section of a PhD thesis is typically the most detailed and descriptive, depending of course on your research design. Here you’ll discuss the specific techniques you used to get the information you were looking for, in addition to how those methods are relevant and appropriate, as well as how you specifically used each method described.
Results : Here you present your empirical findings. This section is sometimes also called the “empiracles” chapter. This section is usually pretty straightforward and technical, and full of details. Don’t shortcut this chapter.
Discussion : This can be a tricky chapter, because it’s where you want to show the reviewer that you know what you’re talking about. You need to speak as a PhD versus a student. The discussion chapter is similar to the empirical/results chapter, but you’re building on those results to push the new information that you learned, prior to making your conclusion.
Conclusion : Here, you take a step back and reflect on what your original goals and intentions for the research were. You’ll outline them in context of your new findings and expertise.

Tips for your PhD Thesis Format

As you put together your PhD thesis, it’s easy to get a little overwhelmed. Here are some tips that might keep you on track.

Don’t try to write your PhD as a first-draft. Every great masterwork has typically been edited, and edited, and…edited.
Work with your thesis supervisor to plan the structure and format of your PhD thesis. Be prepared to rewrite each section, as you work out rough drafts. Don’t get discouraged by this process. It’s typical.
Make your writing interesting. Academic writing has a reputation of being very dry.
You don’t have to necessarily work on the chapters and sections outlined above in chronological order. Work on each section as things come up, and while your work on that section is relevant to what you’re doing.
Don’t rush things. Write a first draft, and leave it for a few days, so you can come back to it with a more critical take. Look at it objectively and carefully grammatical errors, clarity, logic and flow.
Know what style your references need to be in, and utilize tools out there to organize them in the required format.
It’s easier to accidentally plagiarize than you think. Make sure you’re referencing appropriately, and check your document for inadvertent plagiarism throughout your writing process.

PhD Thesis Editing Plus

Want some support during your PhD writing process? Our PhD Thesis Editing Plus service includes extensive and detailed editing of your thesis to improve the flow and quality of your writing. Unlimited editing support for guaranteed results. Learn more here , and get started today!

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Thesis and Dissertation Guide

« Thesis & Dissertation Resources
The Graduate School Home

Introduction

Copyright Page

Dedication, acknowledgements, preface (optional), table of contents.

List of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

List of Abbreviations

List of symbols.

Non-Traditional Formats
Font Type and Size
Spacing and Indentation
Tables, Figures, and Illustrations
Formatting Previously Published Work
Internet Distribution
Open Access
Registering Copyright
Using Copyrighted Materials
Use of Your Own Previously Published Materials
Submission Steps
Submission Checklist
Sample Pages

I. Order and Components

Please see the sample thesis or dissertation pages throughout and at the end of this document for illustrations. The following order is required for components of your thesis or dissertation:

Dedication, Acknowledgements, and Preface (each optional)
Table of Contents, with page numbers
List of Tables, List of Figures, or List of Illustrations, with titles and page numbers (if applicable)
List of Abbreviations (if applicable)
List of Symbols (if applicable)
Introduction, if any
Main body, with consistent subheadings as appropriate
Appendices (if applicable)
Endnotes (if applicable)
References (see section on References for options)

Many of the components following the title and copyright pages have required headings and formatting guidelines, which are described in the following sections.

Please consult the Sample Pages to compare your document to the requirements. A Checklist is provided to assist you in ensuring your thesis or dissertation meets all formatting guidelines.

The title page of a thesis or dissertation must include the following information:

Title Page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

The title of the thesis or dissertation in all capital letters and centered 2″ below the top of the page.
Your name, centered 1″ below the title. Do not include titles, degrees, or identifiers. The name you use here does not need to exactly match the name on your university records, but we recommend considering how you will want your name to appear in professional publications in the future.

Notes on this statement:

When indicating your degree in the second bracketed space, use the full degree name (i.e., Doctor of Philosophy, not Ph.D. or PHD; Master of Public Health, not M.P.H. or MPH; Master of Social Work, not M.S.W. or MSW).
List your department, school, or curriculum rather than your subject area or specialty discipline in the third bracketed space. You may include your subject area or specialty discipline in parentheses (i.e., Department of Romance Languages (French); School of Pharmacy (Molecular Pharmaceutics); School of Education (School Psychology); or similar official area).
If you wish to include both your department and school names, list the school at the end of the statement (i.e., Department of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine).
A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Public Policy.
A thesis submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the School of Dentistry (Endodontics).
A thesis submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Nutrition in the Gillings School of Global Public Health.
A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Education (Cultural Studies and Literacies).
The words “Chapel Hill” must be centered 1″ below the statement.
One single-spaced line below that, center the year in which your committee approves the completed thesis or dissertation. This need not be the year you graduate.
Approximately 2/3 of the way across the page on the right-hand side of the page, 1″ below the year, include the phrase “Approved by:” (with colon) followed by each faculty member's name on subsequent double-spaced lines. Do not include titles such as Professor, Doctor, Dr., PhD, or any identifiers such as “chair” or “advisor” before or after any names. Line up the first letter of each name on the left under the “A” in the “Approved by:” line. If a name is too long to fit on one line, move this entire section of text slightly to the left so that formatting can be maintained.
No signatures, signature lines, or page numbers should be included on the title page.

Include a copyright page with the following information single-spaced and centered 2″ above the bottom of the page:

Copyright Page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

This page immediately follows the title page. It should be numbered with the lower case Roman numeral ii centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Inclusion of this page offers you, as the author, additional protection against copyright infringement as it eliminates any question of authorship and copyright ownership. You do not need to file for copyright in order to include this statement in your thesis or dissertation. However, filing for copyright can offer other protections.

See Section IV for more information on copyrighting your thesis or dissertation.

Include an abstract page following these guidelines:

Abstract page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

Include the heading “ABSTRACT” in all capital letters, and center it 2″ below the top of the page.
One double-spaced line below “ABSTRACT”, center your name, followed by a colon and the title of the thesis or dissertation. Use as many lines as necessary. Be sure that your name and the title exactly match the name and title used on the Title page.
One single-spaced line below the title, center the phrase “(Under the direction of [advisor's name])”. Include the phrase in parentheses. Include the first and last name(s) of your advisor or formal co-advisors. Do not include the name of other committee members. Use the advisor's name only; do not include any professional titles such as PhD, Professor, or Dr. or any identifiers such as “chair” or “advisor”.
Skip one double-spaced line and begin the abstract. The text of your abstract must be double-spaced and aligned with the document's left margin with the exception of indenting new paragraphs. Do not center or right-justify the abstract.
Abstracts cannot exceed 150 words for a thesis or 350 words for a dissertation.
Number the abstract page with the lower case Roman numeral iii (and iv, if more than one page) centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Please write and proofread your abstract carefully. When possible, avoid including symbols or foreign words in your abstract, as they cannot be indexed or searched. Avoid mathematical formulas, diagrams, and other illustrative materials in the abstract. Offer a brief description of your thesis or dissertation and a concise summary of its conclusions. Be sure to describe the subject and focus of your work with clear details and avoid including lengthy explanations or opinions.

Your title and abstract will be used by search engines to help potential audiences locate your work, so clarity will help to draw the attention of your targeted readers.

You have an option to include a dedication, acknowledgements, or preface. If you choose to include any or all of these elements, give each its own page(s).

Dedication page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

A dedication is a message from the author prefixed to a work in tribute to a person, group, or cause. Most dedications are short statements of tribute beginning with “To…” such as “To my family”.

Acknowledgements are the author's statement of gratitude to and recognition of the people and institutions that helped the author's research and writing.

A preface is a statement of the author's reasons for undertaking the work and other personal comments that are not directly germane to the materials presented in other sections of the thesis or dissertation. These reasons tend to be of a personal nature.

Any of the pages must be prepared following these guidelines:

Do not place a heading on the dedication page.
The text of short dedications must be centered and begin 2″ from the top of the page.
Headings are required for the “ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS” and “PREFACE” pages. Headings must be in all capital letters and centered 2″ below the top of the page.
The text of the acknowledgements and preface pages must begin one double-spaced line below the heading, be double-spaced, and be aligned with the document's left margin with the exception of indenting new paragraphs.
Subsequent pages of text return to the 1″ top margin.
The page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals (starting with the page number after the abstract) centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Include a table of contents following these guidelines:

Table of Contents page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

Include the heading “TABLE OF CONTENTS” in all capital letters, and center it 2″ below the top of the page.
Include one double-spaced line between the heading and the first entry.
The table of contents should not contain listings for the pages that precede it, but it must list all parts of the thesis or dissertation that follow it.
If relevant, be sure to list all appendices and a references section in your table of contents. Include page numbers for these items but do not assign separate chapter numbers.
Entries must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
Major subheadings within chapters must be included in the table of contents. The subheading(s) should be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
If an entry takes up more than one line, break up the entry about three-fourths of the way across the page and place the rest of the text on a second line, single-spacing the two lines.
Include one double-spaced line between each entry.
Page numbers listed in the table of contents must be located just inside the right page margin with leaders (lines of periods) filling out the space between the end of the entry and the page number. The last digit of each number must line up on the right margin.
Information included in the table of contents must match the headings, major subheadings, and numbering used in the body of the thesis or dissertation.
The Table of Contents page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Lists of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

If applicable, include a list of tables, list of figures, and/or list of illustrations following these guidelines:

Lists of Figures page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

Include the heading(s) in all capital letters, centered 1″ below the top of the page.
Each entry must include a number, title, and page number.
Assign each table, figure, or illustration in your thesis or dissertation an Arabic numeral. You may number consecutively throughout the entire work (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.), or you may assign a two-part Arabic numeral with the first number designating the chapter in which it appears, separated by a period, followed by a second number to indicate its consecutive placement in the chapter (e.g., Table 3.2 is the second table in Chapter Three).
Numerals and titles must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
Page numbers must be located just inside the right page margin with leaders (lines of periods) filling out the space between the end of the entry and the page number. The last digit of each number must line up on the right margin.
Numbers, titles, and page numbers must each match the corresponding numbers, titles, and page numbers appearing in the thesis or dissertation.
All Lists of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

If you use abbreviations extensively in your thesis or dissertation, you must include a list of abbreviations and their corresponding definitions following these guidelines:

List of Abbreviations with mesaurements described in surrounding text

Include the heading “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS” in all capital letters, and center it 1″ below the top of the page.
Arrange your abbreviations alphabetically.
Abbreviations must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
If an entry takes up more than one line, single-space between the two lines.
The List of Abbreviations page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

If you use symbols in your thesis or dissertation, you may combine them with your abbreviations, titling the section “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS”, or you may set up a separate list of symbols and their definitions by following the formatting instructions above for abbreviations. The heading you choose must be in all capital letters and centered 1″ below the top of the page.

Previous: Introduction

Next: Format

A Guide to Writing a PhD Thesis

Written by Ben Taylor

A PhD thesis is a work of original research all students are requiured to submit in order to succesfully complete their PhD. The thesis details the research that you carried out during the course of your doctoral degree and highlights the outcomes and conclusions reached.

The PhD thesis is the most important part of a doctoral research degree: the culmination of three or four years of full-time work towards producing an original contribution to your academic field.

Your PhD dissertation can therefore seem like quite a daunting possibility, with a hefty word count, the pressure of writing something new and, of course, the prospect of defending it at a viva once you’ve finished.

This page will give you an introduction to what you need to know about the doctoral thesis, with advice on structure, feedback, submission and more.

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The literature review is a chance for you to display your knowledge and understanding of what’s already been written about your research area – this could consist of papers, articles, books, data and more
Rather than simply summarising what other scholars have said about your subject, you should aim to assess and analyse their arguments
The literature review is usually the first task of your PhD – and typically forms the first part or chapter of your dissertation

After finishing your literature review, you’ll move onto the bulk of your doctoral thesis. Of course, you’ll eventually return to the lit review to make sure it’s up-to-date and contains any additional material you may have come across during the course of your research.

PhD thesis research

What sets your PhD thesis apart from previous university work you’ve done is the fact that it should represent an original contribution to academic knowledge . The form that this original contribution takes will largely depend on your discipline.

Arts and Humanities dissertations usually involve investigating different texts, sources and theoretical frameworks
Social Sciences are more likely to focus on qualitive or quantitative surveys and case studies
STEM subjects involve designing, recording and analysing experiments, using their data to prove or disprove a set theory

Depending on the nature of your research, you may ‘write up’ your findings as you go, or leave it until the dedicated ‘writing-up’ period, usually in the third year of your PhD. Whatever your approach, it’s vital to keep detailed notes of your sources and methods – it’ll make your life a lot easier when it comes to using references in your dissertation further down the line.

PhD thesis vs dissertation

It’s common to use the terms ‘thesis’ and ‘dissertation’ interchangeably, but strictly speaking there is a difference in meaning between them:

Your thesis is your argument. It’s the conclusions you’ve arrived at through surveying existing scholarship in your literature review and combining this with the results of your own original research.
Your dissertation is the written statement of your thesis. This is where you lay out your findings in a way that systematically demonstrates and proves your conclusion.

Put simply, you submit a dissertation, but it’s the thesis it attempts to prove that will form the basis of your PhD.

What this also means is that the writing up of your dissertation generally follows the formulation of your doctoral thesis (it’s fairly difficult to write up a PhD before you know what you want to say!).

However, it’s normal for universities and academics to use either (or both) terms when describing PhD research – indeed, we use both ‘thesis’ and ‘dissertation’ across our website.

Can I use my Masters research in my PhD thesis?

If you’re studying an MPhil, it’s normal to ‘ upgrade ’ it into a PhD. Find mroe information on our guide.

PhD thesis structure

Having completed your initial literature review and conducted your original research, you’ll move onto the next phase of your doctoral dissertation, beginning to sketch out a plan that your thesis will follow.

The exact structure and make-up of your doctoral thesis will vary between fields, but this is the general template that many dissertations follow:

Introduction – This sets out the key objectives of your project, why the work is significant and what its original contribution to knowledge is. At this point you may also summarise the remaining chapters, offering an abstract of the argument you will go on to develop.
Literature review – The introduction will generally lead into a write-up of your literature review. Here you’ll outline the scholarly context for your project. You’ll acknowledge where existing research has shaped your PhD, but emphasise the unique nature of your work.
Chapters – After you’ve finished introducing your research, you’ll begin the bulk of the dissertation. This will summarise your results and begin explaining the argument you have based on them. Some PhDs will also include specific chapters on methodology and / or a recreation of the data you have developed. Others will develop your argument over a series of stages, drawing on sources and results as relevant.
Conclusion – The dissertation will end with a final chapter that pulls together the different elements of your argument and the evidence you have provided for it. You’ll restate the significance of your project (and its all-important original contribution to knowledge). You may also take the opportunity to acknowledge the potential for further work or opportunities to apply your findings outside academia.
Bibliography and appendices – At the end of your thesis, you’ll need to include a full list of the books, articles and data you’ve referenced in a bibliography. You may also need to provide additional information in the form of an appendix.

How long is a PhD thesis?

The length of a PhD thesis varies from subject to subject, but all are far longer than those for undergraduate or Masters degrees. Your university will usually set an upper limit – typically between 70,000 and 100,000 words, with most dissertations coming in at around 80,000 words.

Generally speaking, STEM-based theses will be a little shorter than those in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Different universities (and departments) will have different policies regarding what counts towards the PhD thesis word count, so make sure you’re aware what is expected of you. Check with your supervisor whether references, the bibliography or appendices are included in the word count for your dissertation.

How many chapters should a PhD thesis have?

There’s no hard and fast rule for the numbers of chapters in a PhD thesis, but most will have four or five chapters (in addition to the introduction and conclusion). This is the sort of thing you’ll discuss with your supervisor when planning out your research.

Writing up your PhD thesis

Once you’ve conducted your research and settled upon your thesis, there’s only one thing left to do: get it down on paper. Appropriately enough, this final part of a PhD is often referred to as the ‘ writing up period ’.

This is when you produce the final dissertation, which will be submitted as the basis for your viva voce exam. The nature of this task can vary from PhD to PhD.

In some cases you may already have a large amount of chapter drafts and other material. ‘Writing up’ therefore becomes a process of re-drafting and assembling this work into a final dissertation. This approach is common in Arts and Humanities subjects where PhD students tend to work through stages of a project, writing as they go.

Alternatively, you may have spent most of your PhD collecting and analysing data. If so, you’ll now ‘write up’ your findings and conclusions in order to produce your final dissertation. This approach is more common in STEM subjects, where experiment design and data collection are much more resource intensive.

Whatever process you adopt, you’ll now produce a persuasive and coherent statement of your argument, ready to submit for examination.

PhD thesis feedback

Your supervisor will usually give you feedback on each chapter draft, and then feedback on the overall completed dissertation draft before you submit it for examination. When the thesis is a work-in-progress, their comments will be a chance for them to make sure your research is going in the right direction and for you to ask their advice on anything you’re concerned about. This feedback will normally be given in the form of a supervisory meeting.

Although your PhD supervisor will be happy to give you advice on your work, you shouldn’t expect them to be an editor – it’s not their responsibility to correct grammatical or spelling mistakes, and you should make sure any drafts you submit to them are as error-free as possible. Similarly, they won’t be willing to edit your work down to fit a particular word count.

Finishing your PhD thesis

When you’ve finished the final draft of your doctoral thesis and it’s been approved by your supervisor, you’ll submit it for examination. This is when it’s sent to the examiners who will conduct your viva.

Submitting your thesis involves printing enough copies for your examiners and the university’s repository. Don’t leave this until the last minute – printing multiple copies of a 300-page document is a substantial undertaking and you should always allow enough time to account for any possible glitches or issues with the printing process.

Your viva will usually take place within three months of submitting your thesis. You can find out more in our dedicated guide to the PhD viva . After your viva, your examiners will give you a report that confirms whether or not you need to make any changes to your thesis, with several different potential outcomes:

Pass – You’ve received your doctoral qualification!
Minor corrections – These are usually fairly small edits, tweaks and improvements to your thesis, which you’ll be given three months to implement
Major corrections – For these substantial changes, you may have to rewrite part of your dissertation or complete extra research, with a six-month deadline

Most PhD students will need to fix some corrections with their thesis (hopefully not major ones). It’s very rare for a dissertation to be failed.

Once you’ve made any necessary changes to your thesis, you’ll submit it one last time (usually electronically).

If you have plans to publish all or part of your work, you may want to request an embargo so that it won’t be visible to the public for a certain time. 12 months is a fairly standard time period for this, although you may want to ask for a longer embargo if you know that you want to turn your thesis into a book or monograph.

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Dissertation
Dissertation Table of Contents in Word | Instructions & Examples

Dissertation Table of Contents in Word | Instructions & Examples

Published on 15 May 2022 by Tegan George .

The table of contents is where you list the chapters and major sections of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper, alongside their page numbers. A clear and well-formatted table of contents is essential, as it demonstrates to your reader that a quality paper will follow.

The table of contents (TOC) should be placed between the abstract and the introduction. The maximum length should be two pages. Depending on the nature of your thesis, dissertation, or paper, there are a few formatting options you can choose from.

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What to include in your table of contents, what not to include in your table of contents, creating a table of contents in microsoft word, table of contents examples, updating a table of contents in microsoft word, other lists in your thesis, dissertation, or research paper, frequently asked questions about the table of contents.

Depending on the length of your document, you can choose between a single-level, subdivided, or multi-level table of contents.

A single-level table of contents only includes ‘level 1’ headings, or chapters. This is the simplest option, but it may be too broad for a long document like a dissertation.
A subdivided table of contents includes chapters as well as ‘level 2’ headings, or sections. These show your reader what each chapter contains.
A multi-level table of contents also further divides sections into ‘level 3’ headings. This option can get messy quickly, so proceed with caution. Remember your table of contents should not be longer than 2 pages. A multi-level table is often a good choice for a shorter document like a research paper.

Examples of level 1 headings are Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, and Bibliography. Subsections of each of these would be level 2 headings, further describing the contents of each chapter or large section. Any further subsections would be level 3.

In these introductory sections, less is often more. As you decide which sections to include, narrow it down to only the most essential.

Including appendices and tables

You should include all appendices in your table of contents. Whether or not you include tables and figures depends largely on how many there are in your document.

If there are more than three figures and tables, you might consider listing them on a separate page. Otherwise, you can include each one in the table of contents.

Theses and dissertations often have a separate list of figures and tables.
Research papers generally don’t have a separate list of figures and tables.

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All level 1 and level 2 headings should be included in your table of contents, with level 3 headings used very sparingly.

The following things should never be included in a table of contents:

Your acknowledgements page
Your abstract
The table of contents itself

The acknowledgements and abstract always precede the table of contents, so there’s no need to include them. This goes for any sections that precede the table of contents.

To automatically insert a table of contents in Microsoft Word, be sure to first apply the correct heading styles throughout the document, as shown below.

Choose which headings are heading 1 and which are heading 2 (or 3!
For example, if all level 1 headings should be Times New Roman, 12-point font, and bold, add this formatting to the first level 1 heading.
Highlight the level 1 heading.
Right-click the style that says ‘Heading 1’.
Select ‘Update Heading 1 to Match Selection’.
Allocate the formatting for each heading throughout your document by highlighting the heading in question and clicking the style you wish to apply.

Once that’s all set, follow these steps:

Add a title to your table of contents. Be sure to check if your citation style or university has guidelines for this.
Place your cursor where you would like your table of contents to go.
In the ‘References’ section at the top, locate the Table of Contents group.
Here, you can select which levels of headings you would like to include. You can also make manual adjustments to each level by clicking the Modify button.
When you are ready to insert the table of contents, click ‘OK’ and it will be automatically generated, as shown below.

The key features of a table of contents are:

Clear headings and subheadings
Corresponding page numbers

Check with your educational institution to see if they have any specific formatting or design requirements.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

Write yourself a reminder to update your table of contents as one of your final tasks before submitting your dissertation or paper. It’s normal for your text to shift a bit as you input your final edits, and it’s crucial that your page numbers correspond correctly.

It’s easy to update your page numbers automatically in Microsoft Word. Simply right-click the table of contents and select ‘Update Field’. You can choose either to update page numbers only or to update all information in your table of contents.

In addition to a table of contents, you might also want to include a list of figures and tables, a list of abbreviations and a glossary in your thesis or dissertation. You can use the following guides to do so:

List of figures and tables
List of abbreviations

It is less common to include these lists in a research paper.

All level 1 and 2 headings should be included in your table of contents . That means the titles of your chapters and the main sections within them.

The contents should also include all appendices and the lists of tables and figures, if applicable, as well as your reference list .

Do not include the acknowledgements or abstract in the table of contents.

To automatically insert a table of contents in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:

Apply heading styles throughout the document.
In the references section in the ribbon, locate the Table of Contents group.
Click the arrow next to the Table of Contents icon and select Custom Table of Contents.
Select which levels of headings you would like to include in the table of contents.

Make sure to update your table of contents if you move text or change headings. To update, simply right click and select Update Field.

The table of contents in a thesis or dissertation always goes between your abstract and your introduction.

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Thesis / dissertation formatting manual (2024).

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The Table of Contents should follow these guidelines:

All sections of the manuscript are listed in the Table of Contents except the Title Page, the Copyright Page, the Dedication Page, and the Table of Contents.
You may list subsections within chapters
Creative works are not exempt from the requirement to include a Table of Contents

Table of contents example

Here is an example of a Table of Contents page from the Template. Please note that your table of contents may be longer than one page.

Screenshot of Table of Contents page from Dissertation template

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Doctoral handbook

A doctoral dissertation makes an original contribution to knowledge, as defined in a discipline or an interdisciplinary domain and addresses a significant researchable problem. Not all problems are researchable and not all are significant. Problems that can be solved by a mere descriptive exercise are not appropriate for the PhD dissertation. Acceptable problems are those that:

pose a puzzle to the field at a theoretical, methodological, or policy level;
make analytical demands for solution, rather than mere cataloging or descriptive demands; and
can yield to a reasonable research methodology.

The doctoral dissertation advisor, reading committee, and oral exam committee provide further guidance and details with regard to dissertation content and format. General formatting and submission guidelines are published by the University Registrar. The American Psychological Association (APA) publication guidelines normally apply to GSE doctoral dissertations, but is not required if the advisor and relevant committees determine that an alternative, and academically acceptable, protocol is more appropriate.

Published Papers and Multiple Authorship

The inclusion of published papers in a dissertation is the prerogative of the major department. Where published papers or ready-for-publication papers are included, the following criteria must be met:

1. There must be an introductory chapter that integrates the general theme of the research and the relationship between the chapters. The introduction may also include a review of the literature relevant to the dissertation topic that does not appear in the chapters.

2. Multiple authorship of a published paper should be addressed by clearly designating, in an introduction, the role that the dissertation author had in the research and production of the published paper. The student must have a major contribution to the research and writing of papers included in the dissertation.

3. There must be adequate referencing of where individual papers have been published.

4. Written permission must be obtained for all copyrighted materials; letters of permission must be uploaded electronically in PDF form when submitting the dissertation. Please see the following website for more information on the use of copyrighted materials: http://library.stanford.edu/using/copyright-reminder .

5. The submitted material must be in a form that is legible and reproducible as required by these specifications. The Office of the University Registrar will approve a dissertation if there are no deviations from the normal specifications that would prevent proper dissemination and utilization of the dissertation. If the published material does not correspond to these standards, it will be necessary for the student to reformat that portion of the dissertation.

6. Multiple authorship has implications with respect to copyright and public release of the material. Be sure to discuss copyright clearance and embargo options with your co-authors and your advisor well in advance of preparing your thesis for submission.

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Trapped in dissertation revisions?

How to create a table of contents for a dissertation (apa), published by steve tippins on june 20, 2022 june 20, 2022.

Last Updated on: 7th June 2024, 05:08 am

APA Dissertation Table of Contents Format Guidelines

The table of contents should be double spaced with one-inch margins on all sides.
It should be written in the same font and size as the rest of your dissertation.
At the top of the page, write Table of Contents , centered and in bold.
Although in the body of the paper you can use up to five levels of headings, up to three levels are usually provided in the Table of Contents. Including lower-level headings is optional.
Indent each subheading five spaces.
Write all text in title case. In title case, the first letter of major words is capitalized.
Provide the page number where the main headings and subheadings begin, and provide dotted lines between the heading and the page number.
Page numbers for the Dedication, Acknowledgements, and Preface should be in lower case Roman Numbers (i, v, x, l, c, d and m.). The page numbers for the rest of the text should be in Arabic numerals (1,2, 3, 4, etc.).

How to Write a Dissertation Table of Contents in APA Using Microsoft Word

Step 1. Instead of manually trying to write and format the table of contents, you can create a generated one using Microsoft Word. To do this, first go to the Home tab. This is where you will choose the styles for the table of contents.

Step 2. The top-level headings will be your chapter titles, so on the right side of the tab, apply the Heading 1 style.

Step 3. The second-level headings will be your subheadings, so apply the Heading 2 style. This will place your subheadings underneath your main headings.

screenshot of formatting a heading in Microsoft word

Step 4. You will now produce page links to your document. In the top ribbon, click on the References tab and select Table of Contents .

Step 5. If the style does not indicate APA, such as the one below, use the drop down arrow to select APA.

Step 6. Next, choose the number of levels that you want. In this case, you want to be able to have up to three levels, so choose Automatic Table 2 , which has the appropriate heading for a dissertation.

Step 7. Click ok , and you are all set. Microsoft word will automatically generate your dissertation’s table of contents as you write it.

screenshot of table of content formatting in microsoft word

List of Tables and Figures

Your list of tables and figures will be written at the end of the list of information in the body of your paper. You will create these lists the same way that you created the main table of contents.

However, the headings will be different.

Instead of the heading “Table of Contents,” the headings will be “List of Tables” and “List of Figures.” (An example is provided in the table of contents example below.)

Sample of a Dissertation Table of Contents

In the example below, there are three level headings. The list of tables and figures are provided at the bottom of the other contents. The sections in your table of contents may be different depending on your college’s requirements.

screenshot of APA Dissertation Table of Contents formatting

Updating the Dissertation Table of Contents

As you continue working on your dissertation, you will need to update the page numbers because they may change.

To update the page numbers, right-click on the table of contents in your document and select the Update field . Then, the Update Table of Contents box will appear.

You can choose to Update page numbers only or all the information in the table of contents by clicking on Update entire table .

screenshot of updating page numbers in microsoft word

Note: For more information, refer to the APA Manual 7 th edition , sections 2.2-2.27.

Steve Tippins

Steve Tippins, PhD, has thrived in academia for over thirty years. He continues to love teaching in addition to coaching recent PhD graduates as well as students writing their dissertations. Learn more about his dissertation coaching and career coaching services. Book a Free Consultation with Steve Tippins

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Dissertation

Dissertation memes.

Sometimes you can’t dissertate anymore and you just need to meme. Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Here are some of my favorite dissertation memes that I’ve seen lately. My Favorite Dissertation Memes For when you Read more…

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Surviving Post Dissertation Stress Disorder

The process of earning a doctorate can be long and stressful – and for some people, it can even be traumatic. This may be hard for those who haven’t been through a doctoral program to Read more…

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PhD by Publication

PhD by publication, also known as “PhD by portfolio” or “PhD by published works,” is a relatively new route to completing your dissertation requirements for your doctoral degree. In the traditional dissertation route, you have Read more…

How To Structure A PhD Thesis

Nov 21, 2019

Introduction

Universities and supervisors often assume that PhD students know how to structure their PhD theses. But often this assumption is false, which can cause considerable headache and uncertainty. It can also waste a lot of time and money as you engage in a process of trial and error working out what goes where.

If you go to your university’s library, you’ll find whole shelves of books on how to structure or write your PhD . Many of these are great, and I highly recommend you check them out, but here I want to present to you a thesis structure 101 lesson.

I’ve read those books, proofread hundreds of PhDs and coached dozens of students and want to take what I know and run you through a basic introduction to structuring your PhD thesis .

In what follows, I’ll talk you through the basic outline of a typical thesis. This mirrors and expands upon the PhD Writing Template I’ve created. If you haven’t already downloaded it, you can find it here .

Now, I want to make an important observation: what I present below is an outline of the typical thesis. Yours may differ, whether considerably or just a little. That’s fine. The purpose is to give you an overarching summary so that when you do approach the books and guides that exist, you’ve already got a basic understanding of what goes where and why.

So, in what follows, I’ll walk you through each of the main sections and talk about what the purpose of each is, offer some tips for planning and writing them, and show you how they relate to one another.

At the end, I’ll tell you about an email based course I’ve put together that will teach you how to plan, structure and write your thesis. It goes into a lot more detail than I’ve presented here, so check it out if you’d like to learn more.

How to Structure an Abstract

Your abstract should be a short summary at the beginning of the thesis that sums up the research, summarises the separate sections of the thesis and outlines the contribution.

Above all, your PhD abstract should answer the question: ‘So what?’ In other words, what is the contribution of your thesis to the field?

What is the reason for writing the thesis?
What are the current approaches and gaps in the literature?
What are your research question(s) and aims?
Which methodology have you used?
What are the main findings?
What are the main conclusions and implications?

One thing that should be obvious is that you can’t write your abstract until the study itself has been written. It’ll typically be the last thing you write (alongside the acknowledgements).

The tricky thing about writing a great PhD abstract is that you haven’t got much space to answer the six questions above. There are a few things to consider though that will help to elevate your writing and make your abstract as efficient as possible:

Give a good first impression by writing in short clear sentences.
Don’t repeat the title in the abstract.
Don’t cite references.
Use keywords from the document.
Respect the word limit.
Don’t be vague – the abstract should be a self-contained summary of the research, so don’t introduce ambiguous words or complex terms.
Focus on just four or five essential points, concepts, or findings. Don’t, for example, try to explain your entire theoretical framework.
Edit it carefully. Make sure every word is relevant (you haven’t got room for wasted words) and that each sentence has maximum impact.
Avoid lengthy background information.
Don’t mention anything that isn’t discussed in the thesis.
Avoid overstatements.
Don’t spin your findings, contribution or significance to make your research sound grander or more influential that it actually is.

How to Structure an Introduction

The introduction serves three purposes:

Establish your territory.
Establish and justify your niche.
Explain the significance of your research.

The reader should be able to understand the whole thesis just by reading the introduction. It should tell them all they need to know about:

What your thesis is about
Why it is important
How it was conducted
How it is laid out

How to Structure a Literature Review

Imagine you’re making a new model of mobile phone. You’d need to look at old models to see how other people are designing them (and so you know how yours will differ) and to see how they are made. You’ll need to look for their flaws, and get an idea of where they can be improved.

That’s because you can’t make something new if you don’t know what the old one looks like.

The literature review is the same. You use it to make the case for your research by surveying the work that’s already been done in your discipline (and sometimes beyond). It’s a bit like a family tree. You use it to trace the lineage of your study. Putting it in its place.

A literature review has three objectives:

Summarise what has already been discussed in your field, both to demonstrate that you understand your field and to show how your study relates to it.
Highlight gaps, problems or shortcomings in existing research to show the original contribution that your thesis makes.
Identify important studies, theories, methods or theoretical frameworks that can be applied in your research.
Pick a broad topic
Find the way in
Who’s saying what and when
Narrow down the field
Narrow does the sources
Think about questions that haven’t been asked
Write early, write quickly and write relevantly

Your PhD Thesis. On one page.

Use our free PhD Structure Template to quickly visualise every element of your thesis.

How to Structure a Theory Framework Chapter

The theory framework is the scaffolding upon which your thesis is built. When you’re done writing your theory framework chapter or section, your reader should be able to answer these questions:

What theoretical concepts are used in the research? What hypotheses, if any, are you using?
Why have you chosen this theory?
What are the implications of using this theory?
How does the theory relate to the existing literature, your problem statement and your epistemological and ontological positions? How has this theory has been applied by others in similar contexts? What can you learn from them and how do you differ?
How do you apply the theory and measure the concepts (with reference to the literature review/problem statement)?
What is the relationship between the various elements and concepts within the model? Can you depict this visually?

That means that a theory framework can take different forms:

It can state the theoretical assumptions underpinning the study.

It can connect the empirical data to existing knowledge.
It can allow you to come up with propositions, concepts or hypotheses that you can use to answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions.

Broadly speaking, a theory framework can be used to either derive certain testable assumptions or as a way of making sense of your data. In both cases, it structures your data collection by focusing your attention on a small subset of concepts.

You can, therefore, think of it as a toolbox. In your literature review, you outlined the problem that needs ‘fixing’. The theory framework is a toolbox stuffed full of concepts, variables, or hypotheses (your tools) that you’ll then use to address the problem and do the fixing.

You can find an extended guide on creating your theory framework . Check it out if you’re still struggling.

When you discuss theory, you are seeking to provide a background examination of what other researchers think about a phenomenon and how they have conceptualised it. You should discuss the relevance of particular theoretical approaches for your study, and you should take care to consider the dominant theoretical schools in your field. This shows the examiner you have understood the state of the art.

But, you should do so critically, and question the suitability of any theories that exist or that you are creating to your particular study. That means that you should discuss previous applications of theory in order to discuss what implications they have for your own research.

The reason you do this is that your discipline likely has accepted and ’tried and tested’ ways of doing things. In many cases, this is an advantage, because it can serve as inspiration for your choice of concepts, hypotheses or variables, and can influence your choice of methods.

In other cases, it may be that the existing theory is ill-equipped to account for your particular phenomenon. In either case, you need to demonstrate a good understanding of what that theory is discussing, both to demonstrate your skills as a researcher and scholar, but also to justify your own theoretical and methodological position.

How to Structure a Methods Chapter

The job of a methods chapter is:

To summarise, explain and recount how you answered your research questions and to explain how this relates to the methods used by other scholars in similar contexts and similar studies
To discuss – in detail – the techniques you used to collect the data used to answer your research questions
To discuss why the techniques are relevant to the study’s aims and objectives
To explain how you used them

Your reader should be able to answer the following questions when they’re done reading it:

What did you did do to achieve the research aims?
Why did you choose this particular approach over others?
How does it relate to your epistemological and ontological positions?
What tools did you use to collect data and why? What are the implications?
When did you collect data, and from whom?
What tools have you used to analyze the data and why? What are the implications? Are there ethical considerations to take into account?

How to Structure an Empirical Chapter

What are the results of your investigations?
How do the findings relate to previous studies?
Was there anything surprising or that didn’t work out as planned?
Are there any themes or categories that emerge from the data?
Have you explained to the reader why you have reached particular conclusions?
Have you explained the results?

Having your PhD proofread will save you time and money

Our top-rated PhD proofreaders check your writing, formatting, references and readability. The goal? To make sure your research is written and presented in the most compelling manner possible.

That way, you’ll have complete peace of mind prior to submission and save yourself months of costly revisions.

How to Structure a Discussion Chapter

The discussion chapter is the place in which you discuss your empirics. Many people find it the hardest chapter, primarily because it’s the stage at which you start to flex your academic muscles and speak like a doctor. It is here that you start to push the boundaries of knowledge.

That’s a hard thing to do, largely because you’ve probably never had to do it before. All through your masters and undergraduate work you’ve learnt what other people have found. Now you’re finding out things that no-one else knows.

The difference between a discussion and an empirical chapter is subtle, but I’ve written a detailed guide that will clear up any confusion you’ve got.

How to Structure a Conclusion

The job of the conclusion is to:

Fully and clearly articulate the answer to your research questions
Discuss how the research is related to your aims and objectives
Explain the significance of the work
Outline its shortcomings
Suggest avenues for future research

It is not the place to introduce new ideas and concepts, or to present new findings.

Your job is to reflect back on your original aims and intentions and discuss them in terms of your findings and new expertise.

Three things to do in a conclusion:

Own your research by speaking with authority! You’ve earned the right to do that by the time you reach your conclusion
See the thesis and not the detail. Drive home the contribution that the thesis has made. Whatever it is, you need to shout about it. Loudly. Like an expert.
Each chapter is a piece of the puzzle and only when they are all slotted together do you have an entire thesis. That means that a great conclusion is one that shows that the thesis is bigger than the sum of its individual chapters.
By the time the reader has finished reading the conclusion, they should be able to answer the following questions:
Have you briefly recapped the research questions and objectives?
Have you provided a brief recount of the answer to those questions?
Have you clearly discussed the significance and implications of those findings?
Have you discussed the contribution that the study has made?
Do the claims you are making align with the content of the results and discussion chapters?

Wrapping Up

There’s clearly a lot more that can be said about how to structure each of these sections. Go to your university library and you’ll find dozens of books on how to write a PhD. Google it and you’ll find thousands of posts. It’s hard to know where to start.

That’s why I’ve put together an email based course on How To Write Your Thesis . Over twelve emails you’ll get detailed chapter guides that expand on the above, a ton of templates, checklist and worksheets, and lots of curated videos and external resources to really cement your learning. By the end, you’ll understand what goes where and why and would have saved yourself a bunch of time and energy sifting through all those books and posts.

That way, you can write more, worry less and graduate sooner.

To sign up, click here .

Hello, Doctor…

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Be able to call yourself Doctor sooner with our five-star rated How to Write A PhD email-course. Learn everything your supervisor should have taught you about planning and completing a PhD.

Now half price. Join hundreds of other students and become a better thesis writer, or your money back.

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Writing Your Doctoral Thesis with Style

First Online: 29 November 2022

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Tips for writing a PhD dissertation: FAQs answered

From how to choose a topic to writing the abstract and managing work-life balance through the years it takes to complete a doctorate, here we collect expert advice to get you through the PhD writing process

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Embarking on a PhD is “probably the most challenging task that a young scholar attempts to do”, write Mark Stephan Felix and Ian Smith in their practical guide to dissertation and thesis writing. After years of reading and research to answer a specific question or proposition, the candidate will submit about 80,000 words that explain their methods and results and demonstrate their unique contribution to knowledge. Here are the answers to frequently asked questions about writing a doctoral thesis or dissertation.

What’s the difference between a dissertation and a thesis?

Whatever the genre of the doctorate, a PhD must offer an original contribution to knowledge. The terms “dissertation” and “thesis” both refer to the long-form piece of work produced at the end of a research project and are often used interchangeably. Which one is used might depend on the country, discipline or university. In the UK, “thesis” is generally used for the work done for a PhD, while a “dissertation” is written for a master’s degree. The US did the same until the 1960s, says Oxbridge Essays, when the convention switched, and references appeared to a “master’s thesis” and “doctoral dissertation”. To complicate matters further, undergraduate long essays are also sometimes referred to as a thesis or dissertation.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “thesis” as “a dissertation, especially by a candidate for a degree” and “dissertation” as “a detailed discourse on a subject, especially one submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of a degree or diploma”.

Ten platinum rules for PhD supervisors
Fostering freedom in PhD students: how supervisors can shape accessible paths for doctoral research
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The title “doctor of philosophy”, incidentally, comes from the degree’s origins, write Dr Felix, an associate professor at Mahidol University in Thailand, and Dr Smith, retired associate professor of education at the University of Sydney , whose co-authored guide focuses on the social sciences. The PhD was first awarded in the 19th century by the philosophy departments of German universities, which at that time taught science, social science and liberal arts.

How long should a PhD thesis be?

A PhD thesis (or dissertation) is typically 60,000 to 120,000 words ( 100 to 300 pages in length ) organised into chapters, divisions and subdivisions (with roughly 10,000 words per chapter) – from introduction (with clear aims and objectives) to conclusion.

The structure of a dissertation will vary depending on discipline (humanities, social sciences and STEM all have their own conventions), location and institution. Examples and guides to structure proliferate online. The University of Salford , for example, lists: title page, declaration, acknowledgements, abstract, table of contents, lists of figures, tables and abbreviations (where needed), chapters, appendices and references.

A scientific-style thesis will likely need: introduction, literature review, materials and methods, results, discussion, bibliography and references.

As well as checking the overall criteria and expectations of your institution for your research, consult your school handbook for the required length and format (font, layout conventions and so on) for your dissertation.

A PhD takes three to four years to complete; this might extend to six to eight years for a part-time doctorate.

What are the steps for completing a PhD?

Before you get started in earnest , you’ll likely have found a potential supervisor, who will guide your PhD journey, and done a research proposal (which outlines what you plan to research and how) as part of your application, as well as a literature review of existing scholarship in the field, which may form part of your final submission.

In the UK, PhD candidates undertake original research and write the results in a thesis or dissertation, says author and vlogger Simon Clark , who posted videos to YouTube throughout his own PhD journey . Then they submit the thesis in hard copy and attend the viva voce (which is Latin for “living voice” and is also called an oral defence or doctoral defence) to convince the examiners that their work is original, understood and all their own. Afterwards, if necessary, they make changes and resubmit. If the changes are approved, the degree is awarded.

The steps are similar in Australia , although candidates are mostly assessed on their thesis only; some universities may include taught courses, and some use a viva voce. A PhD in Australia usually takes three years full time.

In the US, the PhD process begins with taught classes (similar to a taught master’s) and a comprehensive exam (called a “field exam” or “dissertation qualifying exam”) before the candidate embarks on their original research. The whole journey takes four to six years.

A PhD candidate will need three skills and attitudes to get through their doctoral studies, says Tara Brabazon , professor of cultural studies at Flinders University in Australia who has written extensively about the PhD journey :

master the academic foundational skills (research, writing, ability to navigate different modalities)
time-management skills and the ability to focus on reading and writing
determined motivation to do a PhD.

Socrates' methods can still help university student in the battle with misinformation

How do I choose the topic for my PhD dissertation or thesis?

It’s important to find a topic that will sustain your interest for the years it will take to complete a PhD. “Finding a sustainable topic is the most important thing you [as a PhD student] would do,” says Dr Brabazon in a video for Times Higher Education . “Write down on a big piece of paper all the topics, all the ideas, all the questions that really interest you, and start to cross out all the ones that might just be a passing interest.” Also, she says, impose the “Who cares? Who gives a damn?” question to decide if the topic will be useful in a future academic career.

The availability of funding and scholarships is also often an important factor in this decision, says veteran PhD supervisor Richard Godwin, from Harper Adams University .

Define a gap in knowledge – and one that can be questioned, explored, researched and written about in the time available to you, says Gina Wisker, head of the Centre for Learning and Teaching at the University of Brighton. “Set some boundaries,” she advises. “Don’t try to ask everything related to your topic in every way.”

James Hartley, research professor in psychology at Keele University, says it can also be useful to think about topics that spark general interest. If you do pick something that taps into the zeitgeist, your findings are more likely to be noticed.

You also need to find someone else who is interested in it, too. For STEM candidates , this will probably be a case of joining a team of people working in a similar area where, ideally, scholarship funding is available. A centre for doctoral training (CDT) or doctoral training partnership (DTP) will advertise research projects. For those in the liberal arts and social sciences, it will be a matter of identifying a suitable supervisor .

Avoid topics that are too broad (hunger across a whole country, for example) or too narrow (hunger in a single street) to yield useful solutions of academic significance, write Mark Stephan Felix and Ian Smith. And ensure that you’re not repeating previous research or trying to solve a problem that has already been answered. A PhD thesis must be original.

What is a thesis proposal?

After you have read widely to refine your topic and ensure that it and your research methods are original, and discussed your project with a (potential) supervisor, you’re ready to write a thesis proposal , a document of 1,500 to 3,000 words that sets out the proposed direction of your research. In the UK, a research proposal is usually part of the application process for admission to a research degree. As with the final dissertation itself, format varies among disciplines, institutions and countries but will usually contain title page, aims, literature review, methodology, timetable and bibliography. Examples of research proposals are available online.

How to write an abstract for a dissertation or thesis

The abstract presents your thesis to the wider world – and as such may be its most important element , says the NUI Galway writing guide. It outlines the why, how, what and so what of the thesis . Unlike the introduction, which provides background but not research findings, the abstract summarises all sections of the dissertation in a concise, thorough, focused way and demonstrates how well the writer understands their material. Check word-length limits with your university – and stick to them. About 300 to 500 words is a rough guide – but it can be up to 1,000 words.

The abstract is also important for selection and indexing of your thesis, according to the University of Melbourne guide , so be sure to include searchable keywords.

It is the first thing to be read but the last element you should write. However, Pat Thomson , professor of education at the University of Nottingham , advises that it is not something to be tackled at the last minute.

How to write a stellar conclusion

As well as chapter conclusions, a thesis often has an overall conclusion to draw together the key points covered and to reflect on the unique contribution to knowledge. It can comment on future implications of the research and open up new ideas emanating from the work. It is shorter and more general than the discussion chapter , says online editing site Scribbr, and reiterates how the work answers the main question posed at the beginning of the thesis. The conclusion chapter also often discusses the limitations of the research (time, scope, word limit, access) in a constructive manner.

It can be useful to keep a collection of ideas as you go – in the online forum DoctoralWriting SIG , academic developer Claire Aitchison, of the University of South Australia , suggests using a “conclusions bank” for themes and inspirations, and using free-writing to keep this final section fresh. (Just when you feel you’ve run out of steam.) Avoid aggrandising or exaggerating the impact of your work. It should remind the reader what has been done, and why it matters.

How to format a bibliography (or where to find a reliable model)

Most universities use a preferred style of references , writes THE associate editor Ingrid Curl. Make sure you know what this is and follow it. “One of the most common errors in academic writing is to cite papers in the text that do not then appear in the bibliography. All references in your thesis need to be cross-checked with the bibliography before submission. Using a database during your research can save a great deal of time in the writing-up process.”

A bibliography contains not only works cited explicitly but also those that have informed or contributed to the research – and as such illustrates its scope; works are not limited to written publications but include sources such as film or visual art.

Examiners can start marking from the back of the script, writes Dr Brabazon. “Just as cooks are judged by their ingredients and implements, we judge doctoral students by the calibre of their sources,” she advises. She also says that candidates should be prepared to speak in an oral examination of the PhD about any texts included in their bibliography, especially if there is a disconnect between the thesis and the texts listed.

Can I use informal language in my PhD?

Don’t write like a stereotypical academic , say Kevin Haggerty, professor of sociology at the University of Alberta , and Aaron Doyle, associate professor in sociology at Carleton University , in their tongue-in-cheek guide to the PhD journey. “If you cannot write clearly and persuasively, everything about PhD study becomes harder.” Avoid jargon, exotic words, passive voice and long, convoluted sentences – and work on it consistently. “Writing is like playing guitar; it can improve only through consistent, concerted effort.”

Be deliberate and take care with your writing . “Write your first draft, leave it and then come back to it with a critical eye. Look objectively at the writing and read it closely for style and sense,” advises THE ’s Ms Curl. “Look out for common errors such as dangling modifiers, subject-verb disagreement and inconsistency. If you are too involved with the text to be able to take a step back and do this, then ask a friend or colleague to read it with a critical eye. Remember Hemingway’s advice: ‘Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.’ Clarity is key.”

How often should a PhD candidate meet with their supervisor?

Since the PhD supervisor provides a range of support and advice – including on research techniques, planning and submission – regular formal supervisions are essential, as is establishing a line of contact such as email if the candidate needs help or advice outside arranged times. The frequency varies according to university, discipline and individual scholars.

Once a week is ideal, says Dr Brabazon. She also advocates a two-hour initial meeting to establish the foundations of the candidate-supervisor relationship .

The University of Edinburgh guide to writing a thesis suggests that creating a timetable of supervisor meetings right at the beginning of the research process will allow candidates to ensure that their work stays on track throughout. The meetings are also the place to get regular feedback on draft chapters.

“A clear structure and a solid framework are vital for research,” writes Dr Godwin on THE Campus . Use your supervisor to establish this and provide a realistic view of what can be achieved. “It is vital to help students identify the true scientific merit, the practical significance of their work and its value to society.”

How to proofread your dissertation (what to look for)

Proofreading is the final step before printing and submission. Give yourself time to ensure that your work is the best it can be . Don’t leave proofreading to the last minute; ideally, break it up into a few close-reading sessions. Find a quiet place without distractions. A checklist can help ensure that all aspects are covered.

Proofing is often helped by a change of format – so it can be easier to read a printout rather than working off the screen – or by reading sections out of order. Fresh eyes are better at spotting typographical errors and inconsistencies, so leave time between writing and proofreading. Check with your university’s policies before asking another person to proofread your thesis for you.

As well as close details such as spelling and grammar, check that all sections are complete, all required elements are included , and nothing is repeated or redundant. Don’t forget to check headings and subheadings. Does the text flow from one section to another? Is the structure clear? Is the work a coherent whole with a clear line throughout?

Ensure consistency in, for example, UK v US spellings, capitalisation, format, numbers (digits or words, commas, units of measurement), contractions, italics and hyphenation. Spellchecks and online plagiarism checkers are also your friend.

Image of students being support to cross a gap in their learning

How do you manage your time to complete a PhD dissertation?

Treat your PhD like a full-time job, that is, with an eight-hour working day. Within that, you’ll need to plan your time in a way that gives a sense of progress . Setbacks and periods where it feels as if you are treading water are all but inevitable, so keeping track of small wins is important, writes A Happy PhD blogger Luis P. Prieto.

Be specific with your goals – use the SMART acronym (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely).

And it’s never too soon to start writing – even if early drafts are overwritten and discarded.

“ Write little and write often . Many of us make the mistake of taking to writing as one would take to a sprint, in other words, with relatively short bursts of intense activity. Whilst this can prove productive, generally speaking it is not sustainable…In addition to sustaining your activity, writing little bits on a frequent basis ensures that you progress with your thinking. The comfort of remaining in abstract thought is common; writing forces us to concretise our thinking,” says Christian Gilliam, AHSS researcher developer at the University of Cambridge ’s Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Make time to write. “If you are more alert early in the day, find times that suit you in the morning; if you are a ‘night person’, block out some writing sessions in the evenings,” advises NUI Galway’s Dermot Burns, a lecturer in English and creative arts. Set targets, keep daily notes of experiment details that you will need in your thesis, don’t confuse writing with editing or revising – and always back up your work.

What work-life balance tips should I follow to complete my dissertation?

During your PhD programme, you may have opportunities to take part in professional development activities, such as teaching, attending academic conferences and publishing your work. Your research may include residencies, field trips or archive visits. This will require time-management skills as well as prioritising where you devote your energy and factoring in rest and relaxation. Organise your routine to suit your needs , and plan for steady and regular progress.

How to deal with setbacks while writing a thesis or dissertation

Have a contingency plan for delays or roadblocks such as unexpected results.

Accept that writing is messy, first drafts are imperfect, and writer’s block is inevitable, says Dr Burns. His tips for breaking it include relaxation to free your mind from clutter, writing a plan and drawing a mind map of key points for clarity. He also advises feedback, reflection and revision: “Progressing from a rough version of your thoughts to a superior and workable text takes time, effort, different perspectives and some expertise.”

“Academia can be a relentlessly brutal merry-go-round of rejection, rebuttal and failure,” writes Lorraine Hope , professor of applied cognitive psychology at the University of Portsmouth, on THE Campus. Resilience is important. Ensure that you and your supervisor have a relationship that supports open, frank, judgement-free communication.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter .

Authoring a PhD Thesis: How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Dissertation (2003), by Patrick Dunleavy

Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis (1998), by Joan Balker

Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping with the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Spiritual Struggles (2015), by Noelle Sterne

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Dissertation/Thesis Template

The fastest (and smartest) way to craft a winning dissertation that showcases your study and earns you marks.

Available in Google Doc, Word & PDF format 4.9 star rating, 5000 + downloads

Step-by-step instructions

Tried & tested academic format

Fill-in-the-blanks simplicity

Pro tips, tricks and resources

What’s Covered In The Template?

This dissertation template is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your document has a smooth, logical flow. Here’s how it’s structured:

The title page/cover page
Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
Table of contents
List of figures /list of tables
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature review
Chapter 3: Methodology
Chapter 4: Research findings /results
Chapter 5: Discussion /analysis of findings
Chapter 6: Conclusion
Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included practical examples to help you understand exactly what’s required in each section.

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FAQs: Dissertation & Thesis Template

Faqs: dissertation template, what format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The dissertation template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of dissertations/theses can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research projects such as dissertations or theses, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Will this work for a research paper?

A research paper follows a similar format, but there are a few differences. You can find our research paper template here .

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a dissertation, thesis or research project at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my dissertation/thesis be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, Masters-level projects are usually 15,000 – 20,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects are often in excess of 60,000 words.

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this dissertation template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our dissertation and thesis coaching services .

Additional Resources

If you’re working on a dissertation or thesis, be sure to also check these resources out…

1-On-1 Private Coaching

The Grad Coach Resource Center

The Grad Coach YouTube Channel

The Grad Coach Podcast

Princeton University Library

Master's thesis and phd dissertation submission guidelines.

The Princeton University Archives at the Mudd Manuscript Library is the repository for Ph.D. dissertations and Master’s theses. The Princeton University Archives partners with ProQuest to publish and distribute Princeton University dissertations beyond the campus community.

Below you will find instructions on the submission process and the formatting requirements for your Ph.D. dissertation or Master's thesis. If you have questions about this process, please use our Ask Us form or visit the Mudd Manuscript Library during our open hours.

Ph.D Dissertation Submission Process

The first step is for the student to prepare their dissertation according to the Dissertation Formatting Requirements . Near the time of the final public oral examination (FPO) (shortly before or immediately after) the student must complete the online submission of their dissertation via the ProQuest UMI ETD Administrator website . Students are required to upload a PDF of their dissertation, choose publishing options, enter subject categories and keywords, and make payment to ProQuest (if fees apply). This step will take roughly 20-25 minutes.

After the FPO the student should log on to TigerHub and complete the checkout process. When this step is complete, Mudd Library will be notified for processing. This step will occur M-F during business hours. The Mudd Library staff member will review, apply the embargo (when applicable), and approve the dissertation submission in ProQuest. You will receive an email notification of the approval from ProQuest when it has been approved or needs revisions.

The vast majority of students will not be required to submit a bound copy of their dissertation to the library. Only students who have removed content from the PDF to avoid copyright infringement are required to submit a bound copy to the library. This unredacted, bound version of the dissertation must be formatted according to the Dissertation Formatting Requirements , and delivered by hand, mail, or delivery service to the Mudd Manuscript Library by the degree date deadline in order to be placed on the degree list. Address the bound copy to: Attn: Dissertations, Mudd Manuscript Library, 65 Olden Street, Princeton, NJ 08540.

ProQuest Publishing Options

When you submit your dissertation to the ProQuest ETD Administrator site, you will be given two options: Traditional Publishing or Open Access Publishing Plus. ProQuest compares the two options in their Open Access Overview document . Full details will be presented in the ProQuest ETD Administrator site.

Traditional Publishing

No fee is paid to ProQuest; your dissertation will be available in full text to subscribing institutions only through the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global ; If you have an embargo, your dissertation will be unavailable for viewing or purchase through the subscription database during the embargo period.

Open Access Publishing Plus

$95 fee to ProQuest; your dissertation will be available in full text through the Internet to anyone via the ProQuest Database ; if you have an embargo, your dissertation will be unavailable for viewing through the open access database during the embargo period.

Optional Service: Copyright Registration

$75 fee to ProQuest; ProQuest offers the optional service of registering your copyright on your behalf. The dissertation author owns the copyright to their dissertation regardless of copyright registration. Registering your copyright makes a public record of your copyright claim and may entitle you to additional compensation should your copyright be infringed upon. For a full discussion of your dissertation and copyright, see ProQuest’s Copyright and Your Dissertation .

If you have questions regarding the ProQuest publishing options, contact their Author and School Relations team at 1-800-521-0600 ext. 77020 or via email at [email protected] .

Princeton’s Institutional Repository, DataSpace

Each Princeton University dissertation is deposited in Princeton’s Institutional Repository, DataSpace . Dissertations will be freely available on the Internet except during an embargo period. If your dissertation is embargoed, the PDF will be completely restricted during the embargo period. The bound copy, however, will be available for viewing in the Mudd Manuscript Library reading room during the embargo.

According to the Graduate School’s embargo policy , students can request up to a two-year embargo on their dissertation, with the potential for renewal by petition. If approved, the embargo would apply to the dissertation in ProQuest, as well as in Princeton’s digital repository, DataSpace . Students in the sciences and engineering seeking patents or pursuing journal articles may be approved for a shorter embargo period. Students must apply for the embargo during the Advanced Degree Application process . More information can be found on the Graduate School's Ph.D. Publication, Access and Embargoing webpage .

Those who have been approved for the embargo can choose "Traditional Publishing" or "Open Access Plus" publishing when they complete their online submission to ProQuest. Mudd Manuscript Library staff will apply the embargo in the ProQuest ETD system at the time of submission of materials to the Library. In the case of Open Access Plus, the dissertation would become freely available on the ProQuest open access site when the embargo expires. The embargo in ProQuest will also apply to the embargo in Princeton’s digital repository, DataSpace

Those who wish to request a renewal of an existing embargo must email Assistant Dean Geoffrey Hill and provide the reason for the extension. An embargo renewal must be requested in writing at least one month before the original embargo has expired, but may not be requested more than three months prior to the embargo expiration date. Embargoes cannot be reinstituted after having expired. Embargoes are set to expire two years from the date on which the Ph.D. was awarded (degrees are awarded five times per year at Board of Trustee meetings); this date will coincide with the degree date (month and year) on the title page of your dissertation. Please note: You, the student, are responsible for keeping track of the embargo period--notifications will not be sent.

To find the exact date of an embargo expiration, individuals can find their dissertation in DataSpace , and view the box at the bottom of the record, which will indicate the embargo expiration date.
The Graduate School will inform the Mudd Library of all renewals and Mudd Library staff will institute the extensions in ProQuest and DataSpace .
Princeton University Archives' Dissertation Formatting Requirements (PDF download) document provides detailed information on how to prepare the dissertation PDF and bound volume (if you are required to submit a bound volume). Please take special note of how to format the title page (a title page example is downloadable from the upper-right-hand side of this webpage). The title page must list your adviser’s name.
ProQuest's Preparing Your Manuscript guide offers additional information on formatting the PDF. Where there are discrepancies with the Princeton University Archives Dissertation Formatting Requirements document, the Princeton University Archives requirements should be followed. Special consideration should be paid to embedding fonts in the PDF.
ProQuest ETD Administrator Resources and Guidelines web page offers several guides to assist you in preparing your PDF, choosing publishing options, learning about copyright considerations, and more.
ProQuest's Support and Training Department can assist with issues related to creating and uploading PDFs and any questions regarding technical issues with the online submission site.

Whether a student pays fees to ProQuest in the ETD Administrator Site depends on the publishing option they choose, and if they opt to register their copyright (if a student selects Traditional Publishing, and does not register their copyright, no charges are incurred). Fees are to be submitted via the UMI ETD Administrator Site. Publishing and copyright registration fees are payable by Visa, MasterCard, or American Express and a small service tax may be added to the total. The options listed below will be fully explained in the ETD Administrator site.

Traditional without copyright registration: $0 to ProQuest (online)
Traditional with copyright registration: $75 to ProQuest (online)
Open Access without copyright registration: $95 to ProQuest (online)
Open Access ($95) with copyright registration ($55): $150 to ProQuest (online)

Degrees are granted five times per year at Board of Trustee meetings. Deadlines for materials to be submitted to the Mudd Manuscript Library are set by the Office of the Graduate School . The title page of your dissertation must state the month and year of the board meeting at which you will be granted your degree, for example “April 2023.”

Academic Year 2024-2025

Friday, August 30, 2024, degree date "September 2024"
Thursday, October 31, 2024, degree date "November 2024"
Tuesday, December 31, 2024, degree date "January 2025"
Friday, February 28, 2025, degree date "March 2025"
Thursday, May 8, 2025, degree date "May 2025"

Please note: If a student is granted an extension for submission of their materials after a deadline has passed, the Mudd Manuscript Library must have written confirmation of the extension from the Office of the Graduate School in the form of an email to [email protected] .

One non-circulating , bound copy of each dissertation produced until and including the January 2022 degree list is held in the collection of the University Archives. For dissertations submitted prior to September 2011, a circulating , bound copy of each dissertation may also be available. Information about these dissertations can be found in Princeton University Library's catalog .

Electronic Copy (PDF) in ProQuest

ProQuest Dissertation Publishing distributes Princeton University dissertations. Members of the Princeton University community can access most dissertations through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses subscription database, which is made available through the Princeton University Library. For students that choose "Open Access Plus publishing," their dissertations are available freely on the internet via ProQuest Dissertations and Theses . Dissertations are available for purchase through ProQuest Dissertation Express . Once the dissertation has been accepted by the Mudd Library it will be released to ProQuest following the Board of Trustee meeting on which your degree is conferred. Bound copies ordered from ProQuest will be printed following release. Please note, dissertations under embargo are not available in full text through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses subscription database or for sale via ProQuest Dissertation Express during the embargo period.

Electronic Copy (PDF) in Princeton's Institutional Repository, DataSpace

Beginning in the fall of 2011, dissertations will be available through the internet in full-text via Princeton's digital repository, DataSpace . (Embargoed dissertations become available to the world once the embargo expires.)

Interlibrary Loan

Dissertations that have bound copies and are not under embargo are available through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to libraries in the United States and Canada, either through hard copy or PDF. If PDFs are available, they can be sent internationally.

Master's Thesis Submission Process

Students who are enrolled in a thesis-based Master’s degree program must upload a PDF of their thesis to Princeton's ETD Administrator site (ProQuest) just prior to completing the final paperwork for the Graduate School. These programs currently include:

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (M.S.E.)
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (M.S.E.)
The Department of Computer Science (M.S.E.)
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (M.S.E.)
The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (M.S.E.)
The Department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering (M.S.E.)
The Department of Near Eastern Studies (M.A.)

The PDF should be formatted according to our Dissertation Formatting Requirements (PDF download). The Mudd Library will review and approve the submission upon notification from the Graduate School that your final paperwork is ready for this step. Bound copies are no longer required or accepted for Master's theses.

Students who are not in a thesis-based Master's degree program do not need to make a submission to the library upon graduation. If you have questions, please complete the form on the Ask Special Collections page.

Dissertation Formatting Requirements

PhD Dissertations

2024
Title	Author	Supervisor
Estimation and Inference of Optimal Policies		,
Statistical Learning and Modeling with Graphs and Networks		,

2023
Title	Author	Supervisor
Statistical Methods for the Analysis and Prediction of Hierarchical Time Series Data with Applications to Demography
Exponential Family Models for Rich Preference Ranking Data
Bayesian methods for variable selection		,
Statistical methods for genomic sequencing data
Inference and Estimation for Network Data
Mixture models to fit heavy-tailed, heterogeneous or sparse data		,
Addressing double dipping through selective inference and data thinning
Methods for the Statistical Analysis of Preferences, with Applications to Social Science Data
Estimating subnational health and demographic indicators using complex survey data
Interpretation and Validation for unsupervised learning

2022
Title	Author	Supervisor
Likelihood-based haplotype frequency modeling using variable-order Markov chains
Statistical Divergences for Learning and Inference: Limit Laws and Non-Asymptotic Bounds		,
Causal Structure Learning in High Dimensions		,
Missing Data Methods for Observational Health Dataset
Methods, Models, and Interpretations for Spatial-Temporal Public Health Applications
Statistical Methods for Clustering and High Dimensional Time Series Analysis
Geometric algorithms for interpretable manifold learning

2021
Title	Author	Supervisor
Improving Uncertainty Quantification and Visualization for Spatiotemporal Earthquake Rate Models for the Pacific Northwest		,
Statistical modeling of long memory and uncontrolled effects in neural recordings
Distribution-free consistent tests of independence via marginal and multivariate ranks
Causality, Fairness, and Information in Peer Review		,
Subnational Estimation of Period Child Mortality in a Low and Middle Income Countries Context
Progress in nonparametric minimax estimation and high dimensional hypothesis testing		,
Likelihood Analysis of Causal Models
Bayesian Models in Population Projections and Climate Change Forecast

2020
Title	Author	Supervisor
Statistical Methods for Adaptive Immune Receptor Repertoire Analysis and Comparison
Statistical Methods for Geospatial Modeling with Stratified Cluster Survey Data
Representation Learning for Partitioning Problems
Estimation and Inference in Changepoint Models
Space-Time Contour Models for Sea Ice Forecasting		,
Non-Gaussian Graphical Models: Estimation with Score Matching and Causal Discovery under Zero-Inflation		,
Scalable Learning in Latent State Sequence Models

2019
Title	Author	Supervisor
Latent Variable Models for Prediction & Inference with Proxy Network Measures
Bayesian Hierarchical Models and Moment Bounds for High-Dimensional Time Series		,
Estimation and testing under shape constraints		,
Inferring network structure from partially observed graphs
Fitting Stochastics Epidemic Models to Multiple Data Types
Realized genome sharing in random effects models for quantitative genetic traits
Large-Scale B Cell Receptor Sequence Analysis Using Phylogenetics and Machine Learning
Statistical Methods for Manifold Recovery and C^ (1, 1) Regression on Manifolds

2018
Title	Author	Supervisor
Topics in Statistics and Convex Geometry: Rounding, Sampling, and Interpolation
Estimation and Testing Following Model Selection
Topics on Least Squares Estimation
Discovering Interaction in Multivariate Time Series
Nonparametric inference on monotone functions, with applications to observational studies
Bayesian Methods for Graphical Models with Limited Data
Model-Based Penalized Regression
Parameter Identification and Assessment of Independence in Multivariate Statistical Modeling
Preferential sampling and model checking in phylodynamic inference
Linear Structural Equation Models with Non-Gaussian Errors: Estimation and Discovery
Coevolution Regression and Composite Likelihood Estimation for Social Networks

2017
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Scalable Methods for the Inference of Identity by Descent"
"Applications of Robust Statistical Methods in Quantitative Finance"
"Scalable Manifold Learning and Related Topics"
"Topics in Graph Clustering"
"Methods for Estimation and Inference for High-Dimensional Models"		,

2016
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Statistical Hurdle Models for Single Cell Gene Expression: Differential Expression and Graphical Modeling"
"Space-Time Smoothing Models for Surveillance and Complex Survey Data"
"Testing Independence in High Dimensions & Identifiability of Graphical Models"
"Likelihood-Based Inference for Partially Observed Multi-Type Markov Branching Processes"
"Bayesian Methods for Inferring Gene Regulatory Networks"		,
"Finite Sampling Exponential Bounds"
"Finite Population Inference for Causal Parameters"
"Projection and Estimation of International Migration"

2015
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Theory and Methods for Tensor Data"
"Discrete-Time Threshold Regression for Survival Data with Time-Dependent Covariates"
"Degeneracy, Duration, and Co-Evolution: Extending Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM) for Social Network Analysis"
"The Likelihood Pivot: Performing Inference with Confidence"
"Lord's Paradox and Targeted Interventions: The Case of Special Education"		,
"Bayesian Modeling of a High Resolution Housing Price Index"
"Phylogenetic Stochastic Mapping"

2014
Title	Author	Supervisor
"R-Squared Inference Under Non-Normal Error"
"Monte Carlo Estimation of Identity by Descent in Populations"
"Bayesian Spatial and Temporal Methods for Public Health Data"		,
"Functional Quantitative Genetics and the Missing Heritability Problem"
"Predictive Modeling of Cholera Outbreaks in Bangladesh"		,
"Gravimetric Anomaly Detection Using Compressed Sensing"

2013
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Statistical Inference Using Kronecker Structured Covariance"
"Learning and Manifolds: Leveraging the Intrinsic Geometry"
"An Algorithmic Framework for High Dimensional Regression with Dependent Variables"
"Bayesian Population Reconstruction: A Method for Estimating Age- and Sex-Specific Vital Rates and Population Counts with Uncertainty from Fragmentary Data"
"Bayesian Nonparametric Inference of Effective Population Size Trajectories from Genomic Data"
"Modeling Heterogeneity Within and Between Matrices and Arrays"
"Shape-Constrained Inference for Concave-Transformed Densities and their Modes"

2012
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Bayesian Modeling For Multivariate Mixed Outcomes With Applications To Cognitive Testing Data"
"Tests for Differences between Least Squares and Robust Regression Parameter Estimates and Related To Pics"
"Bayesian Modeling of Health Data in Space and Time"
"Coordinate-Free Exponential Families on Contingency Tables"		,

2011
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Statistical Approaches to Analyze Mass Spectrometry Data Graduating Year"		,
"Seeing the trees through the forest; a competition model for growth and mortality"
"Bayesian Inference of Exponential-family Random Graph Models for Social Networks"
"Statistical Models for Estimating and Predicting HIV/AIDS Epidemics"
"Modeling the Game of Soccer Using Potential Functions"
"Parametrizations of Discrete Graphical Models"
"A Bayesian Surveillance System for Detecting Clusters of Non-Infectious Diseases"

2010
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Convex analysis methods in shape constrained estimation."
"Estimating social contact networks to improve epidemic simulation models"
"Multivariate Geostatistics and Geostatistical Model Averaging"
"Covariance estimation in the Presence of Diverse Types of Data"
"Portfolio Optimization with Tail Risk Measures and Non-Normal Returns"

2009
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Statistical Models for Social Network Data and Processes"
"Models for Heterogeneity in Heterosexual Partnership Networks"
"A comparison of alternative methodologies for estimation of HIV incidence"
"Bayesian Model Averaging and Multivariate Conditional Independence Structures"
"Conditional tests for localizing trait genes"
"Combining and Evaluating Probabilistic Forecasts"
"Probabilistic weather forecasting using Bayesian model averaging"
"Statistical Analysis of Portfolio Risk and Performance Measures: the Influence Function Approach"
"Factor Model Monte Carlo Methods for General Fund-of-Funds Portfolio Management"

2008
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Statistical methods for peptide and protein identification using mass spectrometry"
"Inference from partially-observed network data"
"Models and Inference of Transmission of DNA Methylation Patterns in Mammalian Somatic Cells"
"Estimates and projections of the total fertility rate"
"Nonparametric estimation of multivariate monotone densities"
"Learning transcriptional regulatory networks from the integration of heterogeneous high-throughout data"
"Extensions of Latent Class Transition Models with Application to Chronic Disability Survey Data"
"Statistical Solutions to Some Problems in Medical Imaging"		,

2007
Title	Author	Supervisor
""Up-and-Down" and the Percentile-Finding Problem"
"Statistical Methodology for Longitudinal Social Network Data"
"Probabilistic weather forecasting with spatial dependence"
"Wavelet variance analysis for time series and random fields"		,
"Bayesian hierarchical curve registration"

2006
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Goodness-of-fit statistics based on phi-divergences"
"An efficient and flexible model for patterns of population genetic variation"
"Learning in Spectral Clustering"
"Variable selection and other extensions of the mixture model clustering framework"
"Algorithms for Estimating the Cluster Tree of a Density"
"Likelihood inference for population structure, using the coalescent"
"Exploring rates and patterns of variability in gene conversion and crossover in the human genome"
"Alleviating ecological bias in generalized linear models and optimal design with subsample data"		,
"Nonparametric estimation for current status data with competing risks"		,

2005
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Bayesian robust analysis of gene expression microarray data"
"Alternative models for estimating genetic maps from pedigree data"
"Allele-sharing methods for linkage detection using extended pedigrees"
"Robust estimation of factor models in finance"
"Using the structure of d-connecting paths as a qualitative measure of the strength of dependence"		,
"Alternative estimators of wavelet variance"		, ,

2004
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Maximum likelihood estimation in Gaussian AMP chain graph models and Gaussian ancestral graph models"		,
"Nonparametric estimation of a k-monotone density: A new asymptotic distribution theory"

2003
Title	Author	Supervisor
"The genetic structure of related recombinant lines"
"Joint relationship inference from three or more individuals in the presence of genotyping error"
"Personal characteristics and covariate measurement error in disease risk estimation"		,
"Model based and hybrid clustering of large datasets"		,

2002
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Generalized linear mixed models: development and comparison of different estimation methods"
"Practical importance sampling methods for finite mixture models and multiple imputation"
"Applying graphical models to partially observed data-generating processes"		,

2001
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Bayesian inference for deterministic simulation models for environmental assessment"
"Modeling recessive lethals: An explanation for excess sharing in siblings"
"Estimation with bivariate interval censored data"
"Latent models for cross-covariance"		,

2000
Title	Author	Supervisor
"A model selection approach to partially linear regression"
"Wavelet-based estimation for trend contaminated long memory processes"		,
"Global covariance modeling: A deformation approach to anisotropy"
"Likelihood inference for parameteric models of dispersal"
"Bayesian inference in hidden stochastic population processes"
"Logic regression and statistical issues related to the protein folding problem"		,
"Likelihood ratio inference in regular and non-regular problems"
"Estimating the association between airborne particulate matter and elderly mortality in Seattle, Washington using Bayesian Model Averaging"		,
"Nonhomogeneous hidden Markov models for downscaling synoptic atmospheric patterns to precipitation amounts"		,
"Detecting and extracting complex patterns from images and realizations of spatial point processes"

1999
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Statistical approaches to distinct value estimation"		,
"Generalization of boosting algorithms and applications of Bayesian inference for massive datasets"		,
"Bayesian inference for noninvertible deterministic simulation models, with application to bowhead whale assessment"
"Monte Carlo likelihood calculation for identity by descent data"
"Fast automatic unsupervised image segmentation and curve detection in spatial point processes"
"Semiparametric inference based on estimating equations in regressions models for two phase outcome dependent sampling"		,
"Capture-recapture estimation of bowhead whale population size using photo-identification data"		,
"Lifetime and disease onset distributions from incomplete observations"

1998
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Additive mixture models for multichannel image data"
"Application of ridge regression for improved estimation of parameters in compartmental models"
"Bayesian modeling of highly structured systems using Markov chain Monte Carlo"
"Assessing nonstationary time series using wavelets"		,
"Lattice conditional independence models for incomplete multivariate data and for seemingly unrelated regressions"		,
"Estimation for counting processes with incomplete data"
"Regularization techniques for linear regression with a large set of carriers"
"Large sample theory for pseudo maximum likelihood estimates in semiparametric models"

1997
Title	Author	Supervisor
"A new learning procedure in acyclic directed graphs"
"Phylogenies via conditional independence modeling"
"Bayesian model averaging in censored survival models"
"Bayesian information retrieval"
"Statistical inference for partially observed markov population processes"
"Tools for the advancement of undergraduate statistics education"

1996
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Bootstrapping functional m-estimators"
"Variability estimation in linear inverse problems"
"Inference in a discrete parameter space"

1995
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Estimation of heterogeneous space-time covariance"
"Semiparametric estimation of major gene and random environmental effects for age of onset"
"Statistical analysis of biological monitoring data: State-space models for species compositions"

1994
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Estimation in regression models with interval censoring"
"Spatial applications of Markov chain Monte Carlo for bayesian inference"
"Accounting for model uncertainty in linear regression"
"Robust estimation in point processes"
"Multilevel modeling of discrete event history data using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods"

1993
Title	Author	Supervisor
"A Bayesian framework and importance sampling methods for synthesizing multiple sources of evidence and uncertainty linked by a complex mechanistic model"
"State-space modeling of salmon migration and Monte Carlo Alternatives to the Kalman filter"
"The Poisson clumping heuristic and the survival of genome in small pedigrees"
"Markov chain Monte Carlo estimates of probabilities on complex structures"
"A class of stochastic models for relating synoptic atmospheric patterns to local hydrologic phenomena"

1992
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Bayesian methods for the analysis of misclassified or incomplete multivariate discrete data"
"Auxiliary and missing covariate problems in failure time regression analysis"
"A high order hidden markov model"

1991
Title	Author	Supervisor
"General-weights bootstrap of the empirical process"
"The weighted likelihood bootstrap and an algorithm for prepivoting"

1990
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Modelling agricultural field trials in the presence of outliers and fertility jumps"
"Modeling and bootstrapping for non-gaussian time series"
"Genetic restoration on complex pedigrees"
"Incorporating covariates into a beta-binomial model with applications to medicare policy: A Bayes/empirical Bayes approach"
"Likelihood and exponential families"

1989
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Estimation of mixing and mixed distributions"
"Classical inference in spatial statistics"

1988
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Exploratory methods for censored data"
"Aspects of robust analysis in designed experiments"
"Diagnostics for time series models"
"Constrained cluster analysis and image understanding"

1987
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Kullback-Leibler estimation of probability measures with an application to clustering"
"Time series models for continuous proportions"
"The data viewer: A program for graphical data analysis"
"Additive principal components: A method for estimating additive constraints with small variance from multivariate data"

1986
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Estimation for infinite variance autoregressive processes"
"A computer system for Monte Carlo experimentation"

1985
Title	Author	Supervisor
"Robust estimation for the errors-in-variables model"
"Robust statistics on compact metric spaces"
"Weak convergence and a law of the iterated logarithm for processes indexed by points in a metric space"

1983
Title	Author	Supervisor
"The statistics of long memory processes"

Published Dissertation or Thesis References

This page contains reference examples for published dissertations or theses.

Kabir, J. M. (2016). Factors influencing customer satisfaction at a fast food hamburger chain: The relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty (Publication No. 10169573) [Doctoral dissertation, Wilmington University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Miranda, C. (2019). Exploring the lived experiences of foster youth who obtained graduate level degrees: Self-efficacy, resilience, and the impact on identity development (Publication No. 27542827) [Doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University]. PQDT Open. https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/2309521814.html?FMT=AI

Zambrano-Vazquez, L. (2016). The interaction of state and trait worry on response monitoring in those with worry and obsessive-compulsive symptoms [Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona]. UA Campus Repository. https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/620615

Parenthetical citations : (Kabir, 2016; Miranda, 2019; Zambrano-Vazquez, 2016)
Narrative citations : Kabir (2016), Miranda (2019), and Zambrano-Vazquez (2016)
A dissertation or thesis is considered published when it is available from a database such as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global or PDQT Open, an institutional repository, or an archive.
If the database assigns publication numbers to dissertations and theses, include the publication number in parentheses after the title of the dissertation or thesis without italics.
Include the description “Doctoral dissertation” or “Master’s thesis” followed by a comma and the name of the institution that awarded the degree. Place this information in square brackets after the dissertation or thesis title and any publication number.
In the source element of the reference, provide the name of the database, repository, or archive.
The same format can be adapted for other published theses, including undergraduate theses, by changing the wording of the bracketed description as appropriate (e.g., “Undergraduate honors thesis”).
Include a URL for the dissertation or thesis if the URL will resolve for readers (as shown in the Miranda and Zambrano-Vazquez examples).
If the database or archive requires users to log in before they can view the dissertation or thesis, meaning the URL will not work for readers, end the reference with the database name (as in the Kabir example).

Published dissertation or thesis references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.6 and the Concise Guide Section 10.5

Permanent URI for this collection

The theses in UWSpace are publicly accessible unless restricted due to publication or patent pending.

This collection includes a subset of theses submitted by graduates of the University of Waterloo as a partial requirement of a degree program at the Master's or PhD level. It includes all electronically submitted theses. (Electronic submission was optional from 1996 through 2006. Electronic submission became the default submission format in October 2006.)

This collection also includes a subset of UW theses that were scanned through the Theses Canada program. (The subset includes UW PhD theses from 1998 - 2002.)

Recent Submissions

No Thumbnail Available Item Advancing Applications in Fluid Powered Artificial Muscle Technology Through Artificial Intelligence Modeling and The Development of a Posture Sensing System ( University of Waterloo , 2024-08-14 ) Savage, Jordan Show more This thesis aims to improve human posture by exploring the development and integration of Pneumatic Artificial Muscles (PAMs) and intelligent sensing systems. The objective is to not only develop an efficient posture corrector but also to make a meaningful contribution to the fields of PAM and wearable technology research in the format of delivering a tool to enable the design and optimization of PAMs for wearable applications. To achieve these objectives, three primary projects are designed that show a cohesive progression in the creation and application of these technologies. As compared to other actuators, PAMs can output larger forces which are influenced by many parameters such as their geometries and manufacturing methods. Developing a functional tool for designing and optimizing PAMs is not trivial. The first project involves the creation of ForceSight, by leveraging AI advancements, a tool enabling designers to accurately size PAMs based on specific force requirements. ForceSight predicts the force output of various actuator geometries, thereby simplifying the design process and enhancing the customizability of PAMs for diverse applications. Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) are sensors used in wearable systems to detect body motion using accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. In this thesis, IMUs are used to determine the sagittal slouch and shoulder rounding states of a human subject for posture correction. The focus of the second project is to use a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) is used to classify the IMU data. This system utilizes data from two 9-axis shoulder-mounted IMUs, emphasizing magnetometer data to assess shoulder rounding, and a lumbar IMU to monitor sagittal slouch posture. The final FIS reliably detects compound slouching motions, providing comprehensive posture assessment based on the sensor data. To validate the AI tool for the design and optimization of PAMs for wearable applications, the third project utilizes the ForceSight tool for determining suitable actuator geometries for a posture corrector and employs the FIS to evaluate shoulder rounding. This section also demonstrates the workflow and benefits of using ForceSight, highlighting its open-source nature and the potential for expanding its data pool to enhance prediction accuracy and applicability across various fields. The posture corrector is an example of evaluating the effectiveness of the developed AI tool, which has broad implications across many industries such as aerospace, industrial automation, and wearable devices. It is the hope of the researchers involved that the technologies demonstrated within this thesis can increase the implementation of PAMs in new areas and use cases across the world. Show more
No Thumbnail Available Item Interdisciplinary Pedagogy for Ethical Engineering and Responsible Innovation ( University of Waterloo , 2024-08-14 ) Orchard, Alexi Show more Since the early 2000s, North American engineering and technology regulatory associations have mandated that accredited engineering programs in higher education must fulfill teaching outcomes including ethics, equity, and the impact of engineering on society and the environment. Though this mandate propelled more research and pedagogical innovation in engineering ethics education (EEE) over the last two decades, some engineering programs have been slow to acknowledge and incorporate perspectives from outside of the engineering field, such as those situated in the humanities and social science (HSS) disciplines. There is an awareness that HSS knowledge and interdisciplinary expertise is well-positioned to enhance the teaching and research of engineering ethics and related topics, such as equity, diversity, inclusion, and social and environmental justice and, as this dissertation will show, there are multiple beneficial ways that this can happen. This dissertation examines and demonstrates multiple models for interdisciplinary ethics pedagogy that integrates HSS-based methods and approaches into the engineering curriculum, including workshops and cross-disciplinary curricular interventions. Specifically, this work focuses on how critical design – an arts- and humanities-based research-creation method that emphasizes critical thinking and reflection on the social, psychological, and ecological impacts of technology (Dunne & Raby, 2013) – can be a creative and effective approach to enhancing EEE. This work also incorporates methods and principles informed by the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), such as responsible innovation (Stilgoe et al., 2013), value sensitive design (Friedman & Hendry, 2019), design justice (Costanza-Chock, 2020), and data feminism (D’Ignazio & Klein, 2020), arguing that they are promising approaches for this purpose as well. A significant contribution of this research is the development of curricular materials using these approaches. Considering the negative and harmful impacts stemming from the tech industry over the last several years, it is crucial for engineering students to learn and participate in more rigorous ethical deliberation as part of the engineering design workflow. This dissertation argues that by engaging in more interdisciplinary ethics pedagogy, the EEE curriculum will be better prepared to support the ethical development of future engineers. Show more
No Thumbnail Available Item Exploring Power Fuzzing in Embedded Systems: Architecture, Challenges, and Enhancements ( University of Waterloo , 2024-08-14 ) Mehta, Kavish Show more Embedded Systems (ES) are becoming increasingly prevalent across various industries, playing an important role in everything from critical infrastructure to consumer electronics. However, their resource-constrained nature and complex interactions with the physical world make them susceptible to security vulnerabilities. Fuzzing, a technique that feeds random or mutated data to a program to uncover software bugs and vulnerabilities, has emerged as a powerful tool for improving embedded system security. This thesis explores the concept of power fuzzing, a specialized fuzzing approach that focuses on capturing variations in the power consumption of the Target System (TS) as feedback. We examine the power fuzzing structure, highlighting the different events triggered during fuzzing and the inherent variability associated with these events. The thesis also addresses challenges in data capture and the limitations of the Target System (TS). Furthermore, this thesis proposes two enhancements to improve the effectiveness of power fuzzing architectures: (1) Hardware Trigger and (2) Profile and Fine-Tune (PnFT) Approach. These enhancements aim to address the aforementioned challenges and contribute to a more robust security testing methodology for Embedded Systems (ES). Show more

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The Sydney Morning Herald

Rachael gunn has a phd in cultural moments. now she’s in the middle of one, by jordan baker, save articles for later.

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Rachael Gunn, who is competing at the Olympics under her dance name Raygun, is a university lecturer who specialises in the cultural politics of breaking.

She’ll have plenty to write about after Paris.

Breaking never wanted to be an Olympic sport . It’s a culture, an art, a movement. But fearing that it would be hijacked by the mainstream, as it was in the 1980s – when it became, in Gunn’s words, a “stale joke” – the breaking community complied only if it could participate on its own terms.

On Thursday night, Paris time, it appeared breaking might not be quite mainstream enough for the Olympics. The internet lit up with commentary about Gunn. Some of it focused on her moves, some on her age (she’s 36; another competitor is 40) and some of it on her Australian tracksuit.

Rapidly, she became a meme. One of her moves was likened to a kangaroo hop, another to the sprinkler, another to trying to get the quilt off the bed. The story was picked up around the world. “An Australian professor had some breaking moves, and people had thoughts,” wrote NBC New York .

“Everyone Is Obsessed With This 36-Year-Old Breakdancer Named ‘Raygun’,” wrote Buzzfeed . “‘Raygun’ the 36-year-old Australian breakdancing professor is our Olympic hero’,” wrote US site SBNation , who said the field was stacked with pioneers, champions and “an Australian professor who was just there to get funky”.

Last year, when Gunn published an academic paper critiquing the sportification of breaking by the Olympics, she would never have expected the Games would turn her into the face of a broader discussion about what defines a sport, and which ones are worthy of the Olympics.

Gunn, who competed in her green and gold uniform, has been part of the Australian breaking community for 20 years. It has consumed her personal life and her intellectual interest. She was among those who scrambled to create an Australian federation after breaking was thrust into the Olympic spotlight.

She was conscious of her underdog status before Thursday’s performance. Australia is thousands of kilometres away from the culture’s epicentres in Europe and Asia, and its breaking community has happily hummed along with little attention in the streets and youth centres of western Sydney.

Gunn said she knew she would not have the same power moves as her rivals, so her strategy was to focus on creativity. She had been a dancer before her then boyfriend, now coach and husband Samuel Free, introduced her to breaking, so style has always been her strength.

“I wanted to make an impression in a different way,” she said after she was eliminated from the round-robin stage without scoring a point against breakers from France, the United States and Lithuania, who claimed all the 18 points available.

“I wanted to do something artistic and creative. How many chances do you get in a lifetime to do something on the international stage? It was important to me, from that sense, to do the performance that I did.”

Other B-Girls eschewed their team uniform for baggy clothes with a nod to their national colours. Some ignored their countries’ colours completely. There were red bandanas and back-to-front baseball caps and baggy pants. But Gunn wanted to represent her country.

“I don’t know why some of the other girls didn’t want to wear their kit,” she said. “It was a real moment of pride for me to wear the Australian uniform. I was particularly excited for this shirt to have the Indigenous print on the arms.

“I guess maybe being a bit older, I know how rare this opportunity is and I wanted to take the chance to wear the green and gold.”

Raygun caught the attention of fans with her kangaroo-like pose. Credit: Getty Images

Gunn will be running a critical eye over the experience. “I haven’t had my academic hat on here, I’ve had my athlete hat on,” she said. “I can’t help thinking deeply about how things are represented, or how things work … what the broader consequences are for this decision or that decision.

“After I’ve recovered, I’ll probably be writing about it.”

A bizarre new world

From the first dance battle, it was clear breaking was about to drag the Olympics into a bizarre new world. The arena looked like a nightclub, with a light gantry above the stage. Spectators were crowded right up to the edge, as the B-Girls did battle.

Judges jammed on stage. To get the breaking community on board, the IOC had to win over the best in the world. They had to prove their wares before sitting in judgement of others. Unlike at other Olympic events, they were introduced one by one.

The B-Girls competed under their breaking names, such as Logistx and Syssy.

Two would do battle; one would stand to the side, hamming up faux enmity by wagging their fingers or crossing their arms, while their opponents writhed on the floor. Competition kits ranging from baggy pants to see-through jackets to one green-and-gold tracksuit.

Breaking will not be a sport in Los Angeles. Even though the movement was born in the Bronx of New York, a fusion of African and Latin American street dance with martial arts moves, LA organisers have gone for a more conventional diet of cricket, lacrosse and squash.

Brisbane organisers could bring it back, but breaking might not want another moment in the sun. Gunn knows she might be the only female Australian breaker ever to dance at the Olympics. “My chances were always very slim, but I still worked my butt off to try to represent the best that I could,” she said.

“And to try to bring something different. Sometimes these competitions favour a certain type of breaker. But I wanted to show the world there are different ways you can break and express yourself. Be yourself, be original, be creative. That’s the beauty of breaking.”

Gold in the women’s comeptition went to Japan’s Ami Yuasa, Lithuania’s Dominika Banevic won silver, and China’s Liu Qingyi claimed bronze. Australian B-Boy Jeff Dunne, 16, will compete tomorrow.

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Dissertation

How to Write a Dissertation or Thesis Proposal

Published on September 21, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on July 18, 2023.

When starting your thesis or dissertation process, one of the first requirements is a research proposal or a prospectus. It describes what or who you want to examine, delving into why, when, where, and how you will do so, stemming from your research question and a relevant topic .

The proposal or prospectus stage is crucial for the development of your research. It helps you choose a type of research to pursue, as well as whether to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.

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What should your proposal contain, dissertation question examples, what should your proposal look like, dissertation prospectus examples, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about proposals.

Prior to jumping into the research for your thesis or dissertation, you first need to develop your research proposal and have it approved by your supervisor. It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives .

Depending on your department’s requirements, there may be a defense component involved, where you present your research plan in prospectus format to your committee for their approval.

Your proposal should answer the following questions:

Why is your research necessary?
What is already known about your topic?
Where and when will your research be conducted?
Who should be studied?
How can the research best be done?

Ultimately, your proposal should persuade your supervisor or committee that your proposed project is worth pursuing.

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Strong research kicks off with a solid research question , and dissertations are no exception to this.

Dissertation research questions should be:

Focused on a single problem or issue
Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
Specific enough to answer thoroughly
Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly
What are the main factors enticing people under 30 in suburban areas to engage in the gig economy?
Which techniques prove most effective for 1st-grade teachers at local elementary schools in engaging students with special needs?
Which communication streams are the most effective for getting those aged 18-30 to the polls on Election Day?

An easy rule of thumb is that your proposal will usually resemble a (much) shorter version of your thesis or dissertation. While of course it won’t include the results section , discussion section , or conclusion , it serves as a “mini” version or roadmap for what you eventually seek to write.

Be sure to include:

A succinct introduction to your topic and problem statement
A brief literature review situating your topic within existing research
A basic outline of the research methods you think will best answer your research question
The perceived implications for future research
A reference list in the citation style of your choice

The length of your proposal varies quite a bit depending on your discipline and type of work you’re conducting. While a thesis proposal is often only 3-7 pages long, a prospectus for your dissertation is usually much longer, with more detailed analysis. Dissertation proposals can be up to 25-30 pages in length.

Writing a proposal or prospectus can be a challenge, but we’ve compiled some examples for you to get your started.

Example #1: “Geographic Representations of the Planet Mars, 1867-1907” by Maria Lane
Example #2: “Individuals and the State in Late Bronze Age Greece: Messenian Perspectives on Mycenaean Society” by Dimitri Nakassis
Example #3: “Manhood Up in the Air: A Study of Male Flight Attendants, Queerness, and Corporate Capitalism during the Cold War Era” by Phil Tiemeyer

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If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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The research methods you use depend on the type of data you need to answer your research question .

If you want to measure something or test a hypothesis , use quantitative methods . If you want to explore ideas, thoughts and meanings, use qualitative methods .
If you want to analyze a large amount of readily-available data, use secondary data. If you want data specific to your purposes with control over how it is generated, collect primary data.
If you want to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables , use experimental methods. If you want to understand the characteristics of a research subject, use descriptive methods.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:

Your anticipated title
Your abstract
Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review , research methods , avenues for future research, etc.)

A well-planned research design helps ensure that your methods match your research aims, that you collect high-quality data, and that you use the right kind of analysis to answer your questions, utilizing credible sources . This allows you to draw valid , trustworthy conclusions.

The priorities of a research design can vary depending on the field, but you usually have to specify:

Your research questions and/or hypotheses
Your overall approach (e.g., qualitative or quantitative )
The type of design you’re using (e.g., a survey , experiment , or case study )
Your sampling methods or criteria for selecting subjects
Your data collection methods (e.g., questionnaires , observations)
Your data collection procedures (e.g., operationalization , timing and data management)
Your data analysis methods (e.g., statistical tests or thematic analysis )

A dissertation prospectus or proposal describes what or who you plan to research for your dissertation. It delves into why, when, where, and how you will do your research, as well as helps you choose a type of research to pursue. You should also determine whether you plan to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.

It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives , ready to be approved by your supervisor or committee.

Note that some departments require a defense component, where you present your prospectus to your committee orally.

Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .

However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:

Researchability
Feasibility and specificity
Relevance and originality

Cite this Scribbr article

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Dissertation Table of Contents in Word
What to include in your table of contents. Depending on the length of your document, you can choose between a single-level, subdivided, or multi-level table of contents.. A single-level table of contents only includes "level 1" headings, or chapters.This is the simplest option, but it may be too broad for a long document like a dissertation.
PDF Guidelines for The PhD Dissertation
Most dissertations are 100 to 300 pages in length. All dissertations should be divided into appropriate sections, and long dissertations may need chapters, main divisions, and even subdivisions. Students should keep in mind that GSAS and many departments deplore overlong and wordy dissertations.
Know How to Structure Your PhD Thesis
The bottom line is that how to structure a PhD thesis often depends on your university and department guidelines. But, let's take a look at a general PhD thesis format. We'll look at the main sections, and how to connect them to each other. We'll also examine different hints and tips for each of the sections.
Order and Components
The title page of a thesis or dissertation must include the following information: The title of the thesis or dissertation in all capital letters and centered 2″ below the top of the page. Your name, centered 1″ below the title. Do not include titles, degrees, or identifiers. The name you use here does not need to exactly match the name on ...
What Is a Dissertation?
A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program. Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you've ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating ...
PhD Thesis
A Guide to Writing a PhD Thesis. A PhD thesis is a work of original research all students are requiured to submit in order to succesfully complete their PhD. The thesis details the research that you carried out during the course of your doctoral degree and highlights the outcomes and conclusions reached. The PhD thesis is the most important ...
Dissertation Table of Contents in Word
Dissertation Table of Contents in Word | Instructions & Examples. Published on 15 May 2022 by Tegan George. The table of contents is where you list the chapters and major sections of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper, alongside their page numbers. A clear and well-formatted table of contents is essential, as it demonstrates to your reader that a quality paper will follow.
Table of Contents
Here is an example of a Table of Contents page from the Template. Please note that your table of contents may be longer than one page. << Previous: Dedication Page
Dissertation Content
A doctoral dissertation makes an original contribution to knowledge, as defined in a discipline or an interdisciplinary domain and addresses a significant researchable problem. Not all problems are researchable and not all are significant. Problems that can be solved by a mere descriptive exercise are not appropriate for the PhD dissertation.
How to structure your PhD thesis
Abstract: this serves as a concise synopsis of the dissertation, covering the research context, purpose of the study or research questions, methodology, findings and conclusions. This section is usually one to two pages in length. Table of contents: this page lists the thesis content and respective page numbers. General introduction and ...
Dissertation Structure & Layout 101 (+ Examples)
Time to recap…. And there you have it - the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows: Title page. Acknowledgments page. Abstract (or executive summary) Table of contents, list of figures and tables.
Dissertation & Thesis Outline
Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Published on June 7, 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on November 21, 2023. A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process.It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding the specifics of your dissertation topic and showcasing its relevance to ...
How to Create a Table of Contents for a Dissertation (APA)
To do this, first go to the Home tab. This is where you will choose the styles for the table of contents. Step 2. The top-level headings will be your chapter titles, so on the right side of the tab, apply the Heading 1 style. Step 3. The second-level headings will be your subheadings, so apply the Heading 2 style.
How To Structure A PhD Thesis
Respect the word limit. Don't be vague - the abstract should be a self-contained summary of the research, so don't introduce ambiguous words or complex terms. Focus on just four or five essential points, concepts, or findings. Don't, for example, try to explain your entire theoretical framework. Edit it carefully.
PhD Thesis Structure and Content
A PhD made up on only critical assessment may be possible (for UCL) but is extremely difficult. Average, good, size for a thesis is 150 pages all in. Perhaps up to 50 extra pages for a big appendix and bibliography. Beware of the trend to write long and boring doctorates (papers, &c), improve your communications skills.
Writing Your Doctoral Thesis with Style
First Things First: Decide on the Table of Contents. If you didn't make a count-down plan as described in the previous chapter, there is at least one aspect of it that you need to address before you start writing: make sure you and your supervisor agree on the table of contents of your thesis.
Tips for writing a PhD dissertation: FAQs answered
A PhD thesis (or dissertation) is typically 60,000 to 120,000 words ( 100 to 300 pages in length) organised into chapters, divisions and subdivisions (with roughly 10,000 words per chapter) - from introduction (with clear aims and objectives) to conclusion. The structure of a dissertation will vary depending on discipline (humanities, social ...
PDF Writing up your PhD (Qualitative Research)
Contents 0 Opening: About the course i-iii . 1 Structure and Introduction 1-13 . 2 The Literature Review 14-28 . ... In writing this course I have used extracts from a number of qualitative studies, mainly PhD theses written by my ex-students and (former) colleagues at the Institute for Applied Language Studies, University of Edinburgh: Dr ...
What Is a Thesis?
Revised on April 16, 2024. A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master's program or a capstone to a bachelor's degree. Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation, it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete.
Free Dissertation & Thesis Template (Word Doc & PDF)
This dissertation template is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your document has a smooth, logical flow. Here's how it's structured: The title page/cover page. Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
Master's Thesis and PhD Dissertation Submission Guidelines
Bound Copy. One non-circulating, bound copy of each dissertation produced until and including the January 2022 degree list is held in the collection of the University Archives.For dissertations submitted prior to September 2011, a circulating, bound copy of each dissertation may also be available.Information about these dissertations can be found in Princeton University Library's catalog.
PhD Dissertations
2022 Title Author Supervisor; Likelihood-based haplotype frequency modeling using variable-order Markov chains : Aaron J. Baraff
Published Dissertation or Thesis References
The same format can be adapted for other published theses, including undergraduate theses, by changing the wording of the bracketed description as appropriate (e.g., "Undergraduate honors thesis"). Include a URL for the dissertation or thesis if the URL will resolve for readers (as shown in the Miranda and Zambrano-Vazquez examples).
How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction
How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction. Published on September 7, 2022 by Tegan George and Shona McCombes. Revised on November 21, 2023. The introduction is the first section of your thesis or dissertation, appearing right after the table of contents.Your introduction draws your reader in, setting the stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose, and direction on a relevant ...
Rachael Gunn
Rachael Louise Gunn [1] was born on 2 September 1987 [2] in Hornsby, New South Wales. [3] She danced as a child, and was trained in ballroom, tap, and jazz styles. [3] [4]Gunn attended Barker College [5] and then Macquarie University, completing a bachelor's degree in contemporary music, graduating in 2009, and a PhD in cultural studies, graduating in 2017. [6]
Theses
It includes all electronically submitted theses. (Electronic submission was optional from 1996 through 2006. Electronic submission became the default submission format in October 2006.) This collection also includes a subset of UW theses that were scanned through the Theses Canada program. (The subset includes UW PhD theses from 1998 - 2002.)
August 12, 2024: Jacob defends his PhD dissertation
Congratulations to Dr. Jacob Jansen for successfully defending his PhD dissertation "Heterobimetallic Lewis Acid Catalyst Development for Polyesterification and Depolymerization"! ... Site footer content. Contact Us. 1101 University Avenue Madison, Wisconsin 53706; Email: [email protected]; Phone: +1 608-262-4966; Website feedback ...
What should be included in a dissertation table of contents?
A master's dissertation is typically 12,000-50,000 words; A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000-100,000 words; However, none of these are strict guidelines - your word count may be lower or higher than the numbers stated here. Always check the guidelines provided by your university to determine how long your own dissertation ...
Rachael Gunn has a PhD in cultural moments. Now she's in the middle of one
Rachael Gunn, who is competing at the Olympics under her dance name Raygun, is a university lecturer who specialises in the cultural politics of breaking.
How to Write a Dissertation or Thesis Proposal
When starting your thesis or dissertation process, one of the first requirements is a research proposal or a prospectus. It describes what or who you want to examine, delving into why, when, where, and how you will do so, stemming from your research question and a relevant topic. The proposal or prospectus stage is crucial for the development ...

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