Structuring a PhD dissertation: 5 useful tips

Writing a PhD dissertation can be trivial for people who haven't gotten acclimated with its structure. No matter who you are, or what level of familiarity you have in dealing with the subject matter, there exist helpful tips on how to structure a dissertation.

The Different Sections of Your Dissertation

Your PhD dissertation should include at best an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction reveals what the paper is about before you get into the paper, letting the reader instantly decide if they want to read on. In a dissertation the introduction will include such things like the title, abstract, and contents.

• The body is the lengthiest part of the dissertation. During the body you will be allowed to talk about main points that are relevant to backing up your thesis. Note that main discussion points should be accompanied by theory and research. In a dissertation the body of your paper will include background, literature reviews, methodology, and analysis.
• The conclusion is the best part of your Dissertation, because it signifies the end of the paper. This section allows the author a chance to remind the about what the paper is about, key points related to your argument, and other relevant information.

Important Notes on Formatting your Paper

A dissertation is a different kind of paper. Done at the PhD level it is a lengthier paper, with strict guidelines surrounding it. While an introduction, body, and conclusion are important there are other elements in a dissertations structure. Elements in order of how they should appear are as follow:

Title Page- Should have a catchy title relevant to your thesis.
• Abstract- Summarization of the work that includes background information, methodology used and findings
• Contents- A table of contents
• Background- This is to be the first chapter of your work. It will describe the rationale behind your project, experiment
• Literature review- This is chapter two. This just list the research you used as supporting documentation for your dissertation.
• Methodology Chapter- This chapter tells the reader what methodology used in your research
• Analysis- Chapter on what tools you used, and how you analyzed your research data
• Discussion- A conclusion of the information presented
• The Bibliography and appendices are last to go.

It is important to use this format when working on your dissertation. We know the process for writing the dissertation can seem trivial, but with this guide on how to format your paper, your dissertation can be conquered