Dissertation

Research Writing

What are the characteristics of a good and strong dissertation / PhD thesis research?

The average length of dissertations seems to run around 200 pages, usually ranging between 125 and 225 pages. However, there are differences in the fields of a student. PhD thesis in the natural sciences tends to be shorter than those in the social sciences. Further, ethnographic investigations, in general, will be longer than those reporting experimental studies.

Secondly, thesis / dissertation are replete with citations of previous research, and as a research scholar, you are expected to know the previous literature and be able to cite it appropriately. Nevertheless, you cannot simply make assertions but document them.

For example

The author writes, “Consumers feel more confident these days”. You cannot simply copy the same rather the scholar has to rewrite “According to several recent studies, consumers surveyed report feelings of greater confidence about the economy (see for example, Whitney, 1998; Smithers, 1999)

Third, PhD thesis / dissertation should sound scholarly, formal rather than an informal essay, or colloquial, or an editorial and is objective not subjective.

Example: An essay reads “We’ve had a lot of rain these past few weeks”. The scholar writes, “Rainfall for the period June 1-30, 1999, was measured at 10.2 inches, 3.6 inches above the seasonal average”.

Style of Dissertation

In general thesis or dissertation follows very specific rules with reference to their style, particularly requirements such as tables, headings and documenting source. Hence, it’s always better to check with your dissertation faculty member / mentor / guide for university preferred guidelines. Or Check out your previous colleagues PhD thesis / dissertation university guidelines