Parts of a Dissertation
-Front Matter
Title page
Dedication & Acknowledgements
Abstract
Table of Contents
List of Figures, Tables, Appendices
List of Abbreviations
-Parts of a Dissertation
–Main Part
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature review
Chapter 3: Methodology
Chapter 4: Results
Chapter 5: Discussion
Chapter 6: Implications & Limitations, Conclusions
References
Appendices
-Title Page (I WILL TAKE CARE OF THIS SECTION – JUST PLACE THESE IN THE DOCUMENT)
Institutional Logo
Title of the Dissertation
Student’s Name (in full)
Declaration
Date
Department/Division
-Dedication & Acknowledgements
Dedication (parents, spouse, family, etc.)
Acknowledgements
Your supervisor(s)
Research participants
Research assistant
Funding bodies
Family
-Abstract
About 300-500 words (Gives a synopsis of the research project, must be clear/complete/consice/cohesive)
Rationale
Methodology
Results
Implications
-Table of Contents
Clearly labeled
Error-free
Title of each chapter/subchapter and page number
Each chapter and subchapter need to be numbered appropriately
1.0 XXXXX
1.1 XXXXXX
1.2 XXXXXXX
-List of Figures, Tables, Appendices
Number of Table/Figure
Appendix Letter (A, B, C, D…)
Title
Page number
-List of Abbreviations
Abbreviation
Full name
Alphabetical order
-Chapter 1
Introduction to the topic of the dissertation
Rationale – Why is it important to research this topic?
Context – What is the context of the research project?
Outline of the Dissertation – What is in each chapter?
-Chapter 2
Literature Review /Review past projects on the same topic/Critique other studies/Establish your theoretical framework/Justify approach to research/Provide rationale for Research Questions and Methodology/ Bulk of references will be used in this chapter. This section has its own anatomy: INTRODUCTION- has a quick idea of the topic/BODY: contains discussion of sources and is organized chronologically, thematically or methodologically – could include historical background, current research studies, principal questions being asked and methodologies and methods in use, etc / CONCLUSION: a summary of major agreements and disagreements in the literature review, general conclusion, a summary of where the thesis sits in the literature) (use quotes sparingly, not too many direct quotes, the nature of the literature review does not allow for in-depth discussion or detailed quotes from the text). Needs to cover everything relevant written on a topic (-50+ titles for masters): book/journal/articles/newspaper articles/historical records/ government reports/theses and dissertations, etc. Literature review needs to cover prime references: BOOKS/JOURNALS (peer reviewed and non-journals) etc, and Secondary references: WEB/NEWSPAPER etc. In my case science/archeology can be relevant also others.
-Chapter 3
Methodology
Justify the research design
Setting & Participants
Data Collection Instruments
Procedures
Data Analysis
-Chapter 4
Results
Data Analysis & Results
Very detailed
All results are reported
If reporting stats, use APA styleguide in how to report the results of the statistical procedures
Use visuals (tables, graphs, figures)
-Chapter 5
Discussion
Discuss each research question
Refer to the results
Offer explanations for the results
Compare your results with other studies & explain similarities and differences
Bring in info from the lit review to justify your results
-Chapter 6
Implications (based on your results)
Limitations
Point out limitations in your research without discrediting what you did
Suggest ways to improve the research
Conclusion
-References
Use APA styleguide
Alphabetical order
Every work mentioned in your dissertation needs to be listed in the references
Balance (books, research papers, theses, websites)
About 100-150 references
-Appendices
Data collection instruments
Survey
Test
Interview questions
Observation schedule
Expanded tables from the results
Coding schemes
Modules produced for the research
-Task
Create the “shell” of your dissertation
Front matter
Chapters Numbered and Titled
_______
I will be graded on the below:
RESEARCH FOCUS: creation of an appropriate research question / the focus of the study is clearly stated / the scope, relevance and importance of the focus are clear
LITERATURE AND CONTEXT: the study has been contextualized in relation to relevant literature/ Literature is adequately reviewed and analyzed/ review supports the significance of this study
THEORY: Appropriate theories and concepts are chosen/ chosen theories are well understood and applied
METHOD: Appropriate methods are chosen/sound rationale for chosen method/research plan is clearly described
RESULTS: if testing or data collection was involved.. did the results of testing or collecting .. /Address each relevant part of the research purpose and question/ were the results are well summarized and presented/ were the results tested by objective criteria
DISCUSSION: All research material is interpreted well/patterns in are clearly identified/ meaning of results adequately described
CONCLUSION: Conclusions are related to the research question/ scope of the study thoroughly discussed/future questions discussed/ demonstrates synthesis among all components of the research.
WRITING AND STRUCTURE: APA referencing/ Academic writing skills demonstrated (language, grammar, spelling, etc).
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