An organised dissertation is key to academic success. You always need to check for any departmental standards or guidelines from your supervisor for a final dissertation layout.
Typically a dissertation structure includes:
- The title page that outlines essential details such as the dissertation title, author, institution, and submission date, often formatted according to university guidelines.
- The acknowledgment and declaration is a short paragraph acknowledging your supervisor and giving credit to contributors, if you had any, and includes a sentence confirming the originality of the work.
- The abstract provides a summary of the study’s objectives, methods, and outcomes.
- A table of contents that helps readers navigate the document.
- The introduction that sets the context, stating the research objectives and scope.
- The literature review that examines existing studies to justify the research focus and highlight gaps.
- The methodology that explains the chosen research design, tools, and processes for data collection and analysis.
- The results section that presents key findings, and
- The discussion that interprets those findings in relation to the research question and existing literature.
- The conclusion that ties the work back to the original aim and may suggest directions for future research.
- The references that list all cited sources in a consistent academic format.
- The appendices include supplementary materials such as raw data, surveys, or transcripts that support the main text without disrupting its flow.
