Identification of unresolved problem
Formulation of aims and objectives.
TYPE-II: Cumulative Doctoral thesis: A modem but quite useful practice.
A book containing the pearls of a PhD work has standardized divisions and formats, where the number of pages should be weighted in terms of content rather than container. The book includes summary, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusions, references and acknowledgements.
Two exercises are mandatory before starting a PhD programme:
Now comes the most crucial and functional part of the doctoral work, the materials/subjects and methods section. This part can be considered as the motor of the PhD work. The reliability, sensitivity and specificity of the motor must be checked before embarking on a long journey. Controlling the controls is the best guide for a precise and authentic work. Usually materials and methods contain components such as a description of the species involved, their number, age, weight and anthropometric parameters, types of surgical procedures and anesthesia if applied, and a detailed description of methodology. Continuous or point measurements should be thoroughly described. However, a dynamic method should always be preferred to static one.
The experimental protocol should be designed after a small pilot study, which is especially advisable in research on human subjects. A detailed and well-thought experimental protocol forms the basis of conditions under which the results would be obtained. Any deviation from the experimental protocol will affect the outcome, and the interpretation of results. It may be noted that great discoveries are usually accidental and without a protocol, based merely on careful observation! However, for the sake of a publication, a protocol has to be designed after the discovery. After having described the different phases of the experimental protocol with the help of a schematic diagram e.g., showing variables, time period and interventions, the selection of a statistical method should be discussed. Negative results should not be disregarded because they represent the boundary conditions of positive results. Sometimes the negative results are the real results.
It is usual practice that most PhD candidates start writing the methodological components first. This is followed by writing the results. The pre-requisites for writing results are that all figures, tables, schematic diagrams of methods and a working model should be ready. They should be designed in such a way that the information content of each figure should, when projected as a frame be visually clear to audience viewing it from a distance of about fifty feet. It is often observed that the presenters themselves have difficulty in deciphering a frame of the Power-Point being projected in a conference.
The results of a doctoral thesis should be treated like a bride. The flow of writing results becomes easier if all figures and tables are well prepared. This promotes the train of thoughts required to analyze the data in a quantitative fashion. The golden rule of writing results of a thesis is to describe what the figure shows. No explanation is required. One should avoid writing anything which is not there in a figure. Before writing one should observe each diagram for some time and make a list of observations in the form of key words. The more one has understood the information content of a figure; the better will be the fluency of writing. The interruption of the flow in writing most often indicates that an author has not understood the results. Discussion with colleagues or reference to the literature is the only remedy, and it functions sometimes like a caesarean procedure.
Statistical methods are good devices to test the degree of authenticity and precision of results if appropriately applied. The application of statistical technique in human studies poses difficulties because of large standard deviations. Outliers must be discussed, if they are excluded for the sake of statistical significance. Large standard deviations can be minimized by increasing the number of observations. If a regression analysis is not weighted, it gives faulty information. The correlation coefficient value can change from 0.7 to 0.4 if the regression analysis is weighted using Fisher’s test. The dissection of effect from artifact should be analysed in such a way that the signal to noise ratio of a parameter should be considered. A competent statistician should always be consulted in order to avoid the danger of distortion of results.
The legend of a figure should be well written. It contains a title, a brief description of variables and interventions, the main effect and a concluding remark conveying the original message. The writing of PhD work is further eased by a well maintained collection of data in the form of log book, original recordings, analyzed references with summaries and compiling the virgin data of the study on master plan sheet to understand the original signals before submitting to the procedures of statistics. The original data belong to the laboratory of an institution where it came into being and should be preserved for 5-7 years in the archive for the sake of brevity.
This is the liveliest part of a thesis. Its main goal is to defend the work by staging a constructive debate with the literature. The golden rule of this written debate should be that a rigid explanation looks backward and a design looks forward. The object is to derive a model out of a jig-saw puzzle of information. It should be designed in such a way that the results of the present study and those of authors from the literature can be better discussed and interpreted. Agreement and disagreement can be better resolved if one considers under what experimental conditions the results were obtained by the various authors. It means that the boundary conditions for each result should be carefully analyzed and compared.
The discussion can be divided into the following parts:
Another way of writing a doctoral work is a cumulative type of thesis. 11 It consists of a few original publications in refereed journals of repute. It is supplemented by a concise summary about the research work. This type of thesis is usually practiced in Sweden, Germany and other countries. It has the advantage of being doubly refereed by the journals and the faculty of health sciences. Additionally, papers are published during a doctoral work. A declaration has to be given to the faculty of science about the sharing of research work in publications, provided there are co-authors. The weightage should be in favour of the PhD candidate, so that the thesis can ethically be better defended before the team of august research faculty.
A critical review of this manuscript by Dr. Roger Sutton, Dr. Khalid Khan, Dr. Bukhtiar Shah and Dr. Satwat Hashmi is gratefully acknowledged.
Dedicated to the memory of Mr. Azim Kidwai for his exemplary academic commitment and devotion to the science journalism in Pakistan.
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.
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.
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.
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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Published on 26 March 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 5 May 2022.
A dissertation is a large research project undertaken at the end of a degree. It involves in-depth consideration of a problem or question chosen by the student. It is usually the largest (and final) piece of written work produced during a degree.
The length and structure of a dissertation vary widely depending on the level and field of study. However, there are some key questions that can help you understand the requirements and get started on your dissertation project.
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When and why do you have to write a dissertation, who will supervise your dissertation, what type of research will you do, how should your dissertation be structured, what formatting and referencing rules do you have to follow, frequently asked questions about dissertations.
A dissertation, sometimes called a thesis, comes at the end of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. It is a larger project than the other essays you’ve written, requiring a higher word count and a greater depth of research.
You’ll generally work on your dissertation during the final year of your degree, over a longer period than you would take for a standard essay . For example, the dissertation might be your main focus for the last six months of your degree.
The dissertation is a test of your capacity for independent research. You are given a lot of autonomy in writing your dissertation: you come up with your own ideas, conduct your own research, and write and structure the text by yourself.
This means that it is an important preparation for your future, whether you continue in academia or not: it teaches you to manage your own time, generate original ideas, and work independently.
During the planning and writing of your dissertation, you’ll work with a supervisor from your department. The supervisor’s job is to give you feedback and advice throughout the process.
The dissertation supervisor is often assigned by the department, but you might be allowed to indicate preferences or approach potential supervisors. If so, try to pick someone who is familiar with your chosen topic, whom you get along with on a personal level, and whose feedback you’ve found useful in the past.
Your supervisor is there to guide you through the dissertation project, but you’re still working independently. They can give feedback on your ideas, but not come up with ideas for you.
You may need to take the initiative to request an initial meeting with your supervisor. Then you can plan out your future meetings and set reasonable deadlines for things like completion of data collection, a structure outline, a first chapter, a first draft, and so on.
Make sure to prepare in advance for your meetings. Formulate your ideas as fully as you can, and determine where exactly you’re having difficulties so you can ask your supervisor for specific advice.
Your approach to your dissertation will vary depending on your field of study. The first thing to consider is whether you will do empirical research , which involves collecting original data, or non-empirical research , which involves analysing sources.
An empirical dissertation focuses on collecting and analysing original data. You’ll usually write this type of dissertation if you are studying a subject in the sciences or social sciences.
There are many different empirical research methods you can use to answer these questions – for example, experiments , observations, surveys , and interviews.
When doing empirical research, you need to consider things like the variables you will investigate, the reliability and validity of your measurements, and your sampling method . The aim is to produce robust, reproducible scientific knowledge.
A non-empirical dissertation works with existing research or other texts, presenting original analysis, critique and argumentation, but no original data. This approach is typical of arts and humanities subjects.
The first steps in this type of dissertation are to decide on your topic and begin collecting your primary and secondary sources .
Primary sources are the direct objects of your research. They give you first-hand evidence about your subject. Examples of primary sources include novels, artworks and historical documents.
Secondary sources provide information that informs your analysis. They describe, interpret, or evaluate information from primary sources. For example, you might consider previous analyses of the novel or author you are working on, or theoretical texts that you plan to apply to your primary sources.
Dissertations are divided into chapters and sections. Empirical dissertations usually follow a standard structure, while non-empirical dissertations are more flexible.
Empirical dissertations generally include these chapters:
Sometimes the order or naming of chapters might be slightly different, but all of the above information must be included in order to produce thorough, valid scientific research.
If your dissertation doesn’t involve data collection, your structure is more flexible. You can think of it like an extended essay – the text should be logically organised in a way that serves your argument:
The chapters of the main body can be organised around different themes, time periods, or texts. Below you can see some example structures for dissertations in different subjects.
This example, on the topic of the British press’s coverage of the French Revolution, shows how you might structure each chapter around a specific theme.
This example, on the topic of Plato’s and More’s influences on utopian socialist thought, shows a different approach to dividing the chapters by theme.
This example, a master’s dissertation on the topic of how writers respond to persecution, shows how you can also use section headings within each chapter. Each of the three chapters deals with a specific text, while the sections are organised thematically.
Like other academic texts, it’s important that your dissertation follows the formatting guidelines set out by your university. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.
Formatting guidelines concern things like:
If you’re unsure about the formatting requirements, check with your supervisor or department. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.
Referencing means properly listing the sources you cite and refer to in your dissertation, so that the reader can find them. This avoids plagiarism by acknowledging where you’ve used the work of others.
Keep track of everything you read as you prepare your dissertation. The key information to note down for a reference is:
Different referencing styles each have their own specific rules for how to reference. The most commonly used styles in UK universities are listed below.
& | An author–date citation in brackets in the text… | …corresponding to an entry in the alphabetised reference list at the end. |
---|---|---|
A superscript or bracketed reference number in the text… | …corresponding to an entry in the numbered reference list at the end. | |
A footnote in the text that gives full source information… | …and an alphabetised bibliography at the end listing all sources. |
You can use the free APA Reference Generator to automatically create and store your references.
APA Reference Generator
The words ‘ dissertation ’ and ‘thesis’ both refer to a large written research project undertaken to complete a degree, but they are used differently depending on the country:
The main difference is in terms of scale – a dissertation is usually much longer than the other essays you complete during your degree.
Another key difference is that you are given much more independence when working on a dissertation. You choose your own dissertation topic , and you have to conduct the research and write the dissertation yourself (with some assistance from your supervisor).
Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education:
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 should be.
At the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the dissertation is usually the main focus of your final year. You might work on it (alongside other classes) for the entirety of the final year, or for the last six months. This includes formulating an idea, doing the research, and writing up.
A PhD thesis takes a longer time, as the thesis is the main focus of the degree. A PhD thesis might be being formulated and worked on for the whole four years of the degree program. The writing process alone can take around 18 months.
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
Caulfield, J. (2022, May 05). What Is a Dissertation? | 5 Essential Questions to Get Started. Scribbr. Retrieved 12 August 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/what-is-a-dissertation/
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Whether you are a graduate student just starting out in academia or a professor advising a student, making the distinction between a dissertation and a thesis is critically important to writing a strong dissertation and becoming a stronger writer. Unfortunately, the difference remains unclear since the terms are used interchangeably by graduate students, doctoral researchers, academic publishers & universities.
If you’re not sure whether you’re writing a thesis or a dissertation, this article will help you understand the differences between the two whether you’re a PhD or master’s degree student.
While theses and dissertations share many similarities (they are both advanced graduate research papers), they actually refer to two different types of academic writing, and their differences include important concepts such as scope, purpose, length, and research requirements.
Most importantly, the difference between a thesis and a dissertation depends on the level of education. Far beyond being a simple essay, a thesis is for graduate students pursuing a master’s degree while a dissertation is written by doctoral students, also referred to as PhD candidates.
There are a few key differences between a thesis versus a dissertation.
The biggest difference between a thesis and a dissertation is that a thesis makes arguments based on existing research. Meanwhile, a dissertation often requires the PhD candidate to conduct research and then perform an analysis.
More specifically, a thesis often takes the form of a literature review , which is a compilation of research knowledge in a particular field of study that proves one is competent in that subject. On the other hand, a dissertation is a more specific type of research paper written by those working toward a specific doctorate degree that contributes knowledge, theory, or methods to a field of study.
A master’s thesis is an academic research paper that requires a greater degree of research than an undergraduate thesis or term paper. It is marked by a higher standard of writing, and students are expected to demonstrate competence, literacy, and mastery of a subject. It usually takes two or three years to complete. Finally, a master’s degree thesis is usually written in order to obtain a research degree and is not intended to be published separately.
A PhD dissertation is a substantial piece of independent research that is required of all students who are pursuing a doctorate degree. It is a piece of original work that has not been published elsewhere and, most importantly, makes a new contribution to the field. This contribution may be a new way of thinking about an existing topic or even a novel theory. The research performed for a dissertation is usually conducted over a period of several years to half a decade.
-Original and novel testing of ideas and a hypothesis -An independent work or experimentation -Demonstrated competence and understanding of industry techniques as well as their limitations -Thorough knowledge of the literature -Ability to use synthesize and criticize the literature for the research topic -Ability to present the work in an academic capacity (conference, seminar, recitation, defense, etc.) | |
-All of the above characteristics -A novel contribution to the scientific literature not published previously -Original research produced directly by the author (graduate student) -A clear research question/hypothesis clearly answered (or falsified) -Advances in methods, observations, interpretation, etc. |
So how is dissertation writing different from thesis writing?
Now that you know the definitions of a dissertation and thesis, let’s dive into some clear ways in which they differ in structure and other main characteristics.
Length is the most obvious factor in differentiating between writing a thesis or dissertation.
Generally, a doctoral dissertation has greater breadth, depth, and intention than a master’s thesis since it is based on original research. While the standard length of a master’s thesis is around 100 pages , a doctoral dissertation can be upwards of 400-500 pages.
While most students can finish their PhD dissertation or thesis in as little as 1-2 years, it can take as long as 7 years depending on the school, program, and dissertation topic. As doctoral programs have their own formatting requirements, check with your school or university to find out what you need for your own dissertation or thesis. Most dissertations are organized into chapters, but the number of chapters varies as well.
A thesis and dissertation are both graduate-level research reports. This means they require students to investigate and report on a specific topic. But what is the difference in the scale of research between a master’s versus doctoral degree? The answer comes down to how much and what type of data you collect .
A master’s thesis is limited to secondary or reported knowledge . This knowledge has already been published, analyzed, and scrutinized in the literature. A thesis does not typically offer anything new in that regard. Your purpose is usually to write a comprehensive literature review on a novel or underreported topic using already-reported data.
-Academic journal articles -Scholarly books and publications -Academic periodicals and magazines -Survey reportsIndustry and corporate reports -Government data (census, environmental, etc.) -Published statistics -Prior studies |
On the other hand, a doctoral dissertation reports on novel data and is published so it can be scrutinized by others. It culminates in your dissertation defense.
-All of the above sources -Laboratory experiments and investigations (e.g. basic sciences) -First-hand surveys, interviews, and focus groups (e.g. psychology, social sciences) -Unpublished data (i.e. verified data from experiments but too narrow to publish) -Abstracts, reviews, and conference presentations by other researchers |
The above lists clearly show that a PhD researcher and dissertation writer must have specific hands-on experience about not only the result of others’ research but also how the researchers obtained the data. A dissertation must venture into criticism of how other studies performed their experiments, whereas a master’s student will only report on and evaluate the results.
As mentioned above, a thesis is more of a literature review written to demonstrate competence and mastery of a field of study. In short, you are a reliable “reporter” of information related to that subject. A thesis shows that you know the technical jargon, understand the subject, are familiar with industry tools, and can translate that information to a general audience. This is why a master’s degree is sufficient and often preferred for industry jobs.
In contrast, a doctoral dissertation goes beyond simply using the building blocks of your subject and actually creates new tools, knowledge, and theories to advance the subject as a whole. If a master’s degree holder is like a seasoned Rolling Stone journalist, then a doctorate is the band/musician who actually makes the music.
The benefits of earning a graduate degree are huge. According to the US Census Bureau , those with an advanced degree earn 3.7 times as much as a high school dropout, and 13.1% hold a master’s, professional, or doctorate degree. If you’re a curious undergraduate student thinking of applying to graduate school, which is the right choice?
In short, a dissertation is more focused and in-depth than a thesis. While a doctoral dissertation is based on original research, a thesis is often an extension or review of others’ research in order to demonstrate literacy. Further, a dissertation can be used as the basis or subject of a thesis, but not vice versa.
So far, we’ve focused a lot on differences such as research and purpose, but in the end, a thesis or dissertation is a written document that requires skill, focus, discipline, subject knowledge, organization, and scheduling.
For non-native English speakers, the challenge is especially difficult since English is the lingua franca of academia and research.
From body spacing and pagination, to font size and citation formatting, the dissertation guidelines are exhaustive. Even worse, they vary by school. So besides the actual English writing and grammar, graduate students must worry about consistency, formatting, nomenclature, and terminology. That’s quite the burden!
This is why it’s very common for graduate students, especially ESL and foreign ones, to seek out dissertation editing services that specifically cater to the academic needs of researchers and students.
Here are just a few reasons why dissertation proofreading is so helpful and what these editors do:
Lastly, most PhD advisors recommend that students seek out professional editing services , specifically thesis editing or dissertation editing , since professors prefer to assess the actual research content of a dissertation, not mundane writing errors. Any graduate student reading this knows professors don’t like their time to be wasted!
Be sure to check out other academic resources on how to improve your academic manuscript and the benefits of proofreading and editing.
And try the Wordvice FREE Citation Generator, which provides citations for four academic formatting styles: APA Citation Generator , MLA Citation Generator , Chicago Citation Generator , and Vancouver Citation Generator .
Sometimes, just knowing how long a PhD takes can be enough to sway your decision on whether a research degree is for you. So with that in mind, exactly how long does a PhD take?
In the UK, a full-time PhD takes 3 to 4 years to finish whilst a part-time PhD takes twice as long at 6 to 7 years. Alongside these average durations, there are time limits on how long you can be enrolled on to a PhD programme. To discover these limits, the factors which most influence doctoral degree durations and how the UK durations compare to international PhDs, continue reading on.
In the UK, a full-time PhD will typically take you 3 to 4 years. You will usually spend the first three years on the technical aspects of your doctorate. This includes undertaking independent research, designing your research methodology and collecting and analysing data. You will then spend an additional academic year on writing up your PhD thesis and sitting your viva.
In the UK, a part-time PhD will typically take you 6 to 7 years; twice as long as doing a full-time PhD. The reason for this is that as a part-time PhD student, you would dedicate around 20 hours per week to your PhD as opposed to the typical 40 hours full-time students would put into their subject.
Similarly, distance learning PhD’s take an average of 6 to 7 years to complete. This is because the vast majority of students who undertake a distance learning PhD do so because they can’t relocate closer to the university. Although these commitments will differ, they often mean the student isn’t able to dedicate 40 hours per week to their studies.
Students in STEM disciplines will often take longer to finish a distance learning doctorate degree than those in non-STEM disciplines. This because the progress of a STEM PhD student will be limited by how often they can access a laboratory for experiment work.
In reality, the actual time it will take you to complete your PhD degree will depend on your funding situation.
If you’re receiving funding , it will usually only cover you for 3.5 years if you’re studying full-time or for 7 years at half the stipend if you’re studying part-time. Although this could vary slightly, most PhD funding providers, e.g. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), follow this timescale as indicated on their ‘ length of PhD studentships’ page. Because of this, most students who obtain scholarships try to complete their PhD within the timeframe of their funding so they don’t incur additional fees which they need to cover themselves.
It’s also worth noting that some funded PhD positions have additional conditions attached to them as part of their eligibility requirements. For example, they may require teaching undergraduate students, hosting laboratory sessions or attend presentations and conferences. This will be especially true if you’re on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA). Although these shouldn’t add considerable time to the length of a PhD programme, they have the potential to do so if they aren’t managed properly.
As self-funded students cover their own annual tuition fees and other associated costs, how long they’ll spend to complete their PhD project will largely depend on their own personal financial situation. Because of this, most self-funded PhD students find it best to complete their PhD study in the shortest time-frame they can manage.
Yes – unfortunately, all good things must come to an end! Within the UK, the deadline for your PhD is defined as the last date which you must submit your final thesis by. This date is set by your university’s overall regulations and varies depending on the arrangements of your PhD, e.g. whether it’s full or part time. In the vast majority of cases, the adopted deadlines are four years for full-time PhDs and seven years for part-time PhDs from the date you were officially registered onto your programme, as shown below from the University of Leicester’s registration guidance page .
This time-frame may vary from university to university. For example, the University of Sheffield adopts an additional year for part-time PhDs as shown below.
Although it’s possible to complete a full-time PhD in under 3 years, it’s a significant feat that’s rarely heard of. When these feats occur, they’re usually where the doctoral student already has extensive knowledge and experience in their field before undertaking their PhD.
Whilst it’s possible to complete a part-time PhD in under 6 years, it largely depends on your commitments outside your studies. For example, if you have a part-time career alongside your PhD, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to commit the additional hours required to complete your doctorate a year faster.
However, if instead of a steady part-time job you take on occasional work as a freelancer, you’ll be able to set aside many more hours towards your doctoral degree.
Not at all. While there are benefits to having a Master’s degree such as an additional year of learning and greater research experience due to your fourth-year dissertation project, this doesn’t mean not having one would limit you. A PhD is very different to both Bachelor and Master degrees due to being heavily research-based, therefore, both types of students will have just as much to learn on their way to completing their doctorate.
Similarly, whether you’re an international student will bear no influence on the duration of your PhD.
Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.
PhD hosted by universities within the EU, such as those in France, Norway and Spain, have the same programme structure as those within the UK. As a result, there are no noticeable differences in the time to complete a doctorate between UK and EU institutions.
However, this is not the case in the US. Compared to PhDs conducted within the UK or EU, PhDs conducted within the US take considerably longer to obtain. According to a 2017 study conducted by the National Science Foundation, a US government agency which supports research and higher education, the average time to get a PhD within the US is 5.8 years. Besides this, the average completion time can further increase depending on the disciplines. For example, they found doctorates within the humanities and arts to take an average of 7.1 years to achieve.
The primary reason for this difference is the way PhD degrees are structured within the United States. As mentioned previously, PhDs conducted within UK and EU universities are essentially broken into two sections – one covering the analytical aspects and the other covering the writing up aspects. However, within the US, doctorate programmes comprise additional sections. PhD students are first required to undertake 2 to 3 years of courses, which cover a broad range of topics related to their schools’ discipline. This is then followed by coursework and several examinations, which only once passed can the PhD candidate then start working on their research project and dissertation.
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Study tips Published 1 Jul, 2021 · 3-minute read
You already know a Doctor of Philosophy is a significant time investment, but just how long does it take to get a PhD?
Here, we look at the possibilities and average timeframes to help you prepare for the exciting journey ahead. We’ve checked in with our Higher Degree by Research team to get the official answers to how long a PhD takes to complete.
You should plan for your PhD to take at least 3 years and 3 months to complete when studying full time if you follow an ideal schedule. However, on average, we find people take 3 years and 9 months to complete a full-time PhD at UQ – and 4 years isn’t uncommon, either.
Remember : The world doesn’t pause while you’re doing your PhD. Life happens, which is why many people interrupt or postpone their PhD for a period before returning to the program later. No two candidates have the same journey – and that’s okay.
Keep in mind that these averages are only indicative of how long a PhD takes in Australia. While the timeframe may be similar in some countries, including most of Europe, you may find yourself studying for longer if you take on your PhD elsewhere. For example, 5-7 years (depending on discipline) is common for candidates completing their PhD in the US.
Occasionally, a candidate and their supervisory team might request special permission to complete a PhD earlier, and these are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. But the volume of work required to create substantial new knowledge in your field means it’s quite impractical to complete your PhD in only 2 years. After all, you’re striving to become the true expert of your chosen topic – this takes time and dedication without any shortcuts.
If you’re looking to undertake a similar program in just 2 years, consider the Master of Philosophy instead. It’s possible to articulate from an MPhil to a PhD – and sometimes completing an MPhil is the ideal way to extend your research skills before committing to a PhD.
Time isn’t the only logistical consideration you need to make when starting a higher degree by research. You may also be wondering how long your PhD dissertation will need to be (in Australia, this is more commonly called your thesis ).
A standard PhD thesis at UQ is up to 80,000 words .
The extensive research and writing required to complete a PhD further demonstrates why 3 years is the minimum timeframe for a PhD.
We know 3-4 years is a long time to dedicate to a single topic, and up to 80,000 words of academic writing isn’t a small undertaking. While the rewards of completing your PhD are well worth the time and effort , knowing this may not always be enough to keep you feeling inspired.
So, we asked some of our PhD alumni and candidates for their tips on staying motivated and avoiding burnout. Here’s what they had to say:
“I maintained motivation by setting micro goals . I broke up my days into 500-word challenges – I committed to writing a minimum of 500 words every day, no matter what. I also made sure to have regular breaks scheduled every year. This makes sure that I am well rested and have all my planned work completed before I go.”
– Angie Knaggs, who completed a PhD about popular culture representations of masculinity in crisis
“Try to write something every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad, a big chunk or just something small, on topic or irrelevant. Just get into the habit of writing every day . Also, do some exercise, stay in contact with friends and family, and maintain a life outside of your PhD – don’t let it be all-consuming.”
– Ren Perkins, who is completing a PhD about keeping Indigenous teachers in the profession
“I remember working a lot of nights and weekends on my thesis! But, overall, I found the experience a fulfilling one. I had a great primary supervisor who was very good at keeping their students motivated.”
– Brigid Lynch, who completed a PhD in population health
Are you ready to start your PhD journey? Learn more about the Doctor of Philosophy or apply today .
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x == (s || z). You say it kwontized
PhD students sometimes get the same bad advice on writing their thesis. I call this advice the Rule of Three . Typically, they get told that their thesis:
These bits of advice have one thing in common: they are all wrong.
Disclaimer: what follows is some different advice. As with all “advice”, your mileage will vary. It is written for the people in my lab but likely applies to UK PhD students doing biomedical research.
Who will read your thesis? Two people. Your examiners. OK, some parts – such as the Methods section – will be useful to future lab members (although with electronic lab notebooks this function is becoming redundant). Maybe your thesis will be downloaded by someone from the repository, but essentially, it will only be read by your examiners.
How long does an examiner spend reading your thesis? A few hours. One day maximum. They simply have no more time. Do you really want to spend three months of your life writing something that will be read for just a few hours by two people?
It’s for these reasons that spending too much effort writing a perfect thesis is a waste of time. It just needs to be good enough.
As well as being just good enough, it only needs to be long enough . A big mistake students make is to produce a really long thesis because they think that that is what theses should be (rule of 3). What happens is the examiner will receive the thesis, look at how many pages there are, subtract the bibliography, and their heart will sink if it is too long.
You might now be wondering: is writing a thesis a waste of time?
No, because you have to do it to get your PhD.
No, because you learn important writing skills. You also learn how to assemble a large document (it’s often how students learn to use Word properly or up their LaTeX game). It’s good training for writing papers and other technical documents down the line. Employers know this when they hire you.
But that is about it. So you just need to write something that is good enough to pass.
Papers are the priority. They are more useful to you and to your PI. But this advice isn’t motivated by self-interest. If you go into the viva and the work in your thesis is already peer reviewed and published, it’s harder for the examiners to criticise it. At least, they will not approach your thesis with the question: is this work publishable? This is one criteria for passing your PhD, so demonstrating that it is publishable means you are (almost) there.
This was the one bit of advice I received when doing my PhD and it is still true today. OK, it is harder these days to get a first author paper published before you submit your thesis. However a preprint on bioRxiv before you begin writing will help you to prepare your thesis and will still tick the publishable box.
There is tension here because you are at your most useful in the lab as you near the end of your PhD. One week of labwork now is worth one month (or more) earlier in your PhD. You are most valuable to your lab/PI/science/career at this point and keeping working in the lab will yield more rewards. But it won’t get your thesis written.
The first bit of writing is busywork and can be done around lab work. “Deep writing” and reading does need time away for most students.
If you have only collected data in the lab and not analysed it, if you’ve not presented your work very often, if you are disorganised… yes, it will take you a full three months to write your thesis.
All the folks in my lab are encouraged to get figures ready, analyse as they go and they also give regular talks. It should not take anyone in this position three months away from the lab to write their thesis.
Agreeing a timeline with your PI for when you begin writing is really important. Regular deadlines and a commitment to timely feedback from your supervisor make thesis writing easier. The discussion needs to be based on facts though. Often students want to budget a lot of time to writing, because of the rule of 3 or because they believe they are “bad at writing”. It helps to see some evidence. Writing draft chapters earlier in the PhD – which is a requirement at some universities – can reveal difficulties and weaknesses.
If you hear the rule of 3 from everyone and your supervisor is giving you different advice. It might be time for a reality check. Have a look at past theses from the lab. How long were they? How many chapters? Information is good.
Year | Results Chapters | Pages excl. bibliography/appendices | Papers associated with thesis |
2011 | 3 | 208 | 1 published paper. Other work published later. |
2013 | 2 | 203 | 1 published paper. Appendix contains a further paper and methods paper. |
2016 | 3 | 133 | 1 published, 1 in preparation. |
2016 | 3 | 94 | 1 paper in revision. |
2017 | 2 | 138 | 1 paper submitted. Contributed to three other papers |
2018 | 3 | 121 | 2 papers (but not published or submitted at the time). Appendix with one paper they contributed to. |
You can see that all theses are fewer than 300 pages in length, many substantially so. Four have three chapters and two have two. Although looking closer, two of the theses with three chapters use a results chapter as an expanded methods chapter.
Ultimately, the thesis is your work but you will get input from your supervisor. Regardless of what is written here or how many people tell you about the rule of 3, your supervisor will have their own ideas about how your thesis should be. Agreeing a sensible plan with them is the way to get started productively.
This is not a comprehensive guide but in order to write a good enough thesis, you first need a plan.
Now you have a plan. It’s time to get going.
Set some goals – but make them small. Having a goal of “I am going to complete my thesis” is too demoralising. You need to feel like you are making progress constantly to stay motivated. Break it down into smaller chunks. “I will finish this chapter by next Friday”. “I will write the cloning section this morning and then go for a walk”.
Write the materials and methods first . It’s the easiest bit to write because it is all technical writing with little wordcraft required. You can fit it around labwork. In fact, it is easier to write whilst in the lab because you can look up all the stuff you need. Importantly, it gets over the “blank page syndrome”.
Next get your figures together . This should already be done if you have been organised.
Then write the figure legends . You already have the title for each figure from your plan. All you need to do is describe each panel. Again, quite low energy writing required for this task.
Now write the results sections ! This is the same way that we put papers together. The results parts of the thesis are more extended but in principle you will guide the reader though the figures that you’ve made. Remember, you already have the legends written. So you are already partly on your way.
Time to regroup . At this point you can refine your plan for the introduction and check the rest of your plan still makes sense. Now is the time for some deep writing and reading.
The post title comes from “Rule of Three” by The Lemonheads.
How long is a thesis
As a graduate student, you may have heard that you must complete a certain comprehensive project, either a thesis or a dissertation. In this guide, we will explore how long a thesis should be, the best length for a dissertation, and the optimal length for each part of the two.
If you read on to the end, we will also explore their differences to understand how it informs each length.
Both terms have distinct meanings, although they are sometimes used interchangeably and frequently confused.
Structure-wise, both papers have an introduction, a literature review, a body, a conclusion, a bibliography, and an appendix. That aside, both papers have some differences, as we shall see later on in this article.
Before discussing how long a thesis is, it’s critical to understand what it is. A thesis is a paper that marks the end of a study program.
Mostly, there is the undergraduate thesis, a project that marks the end of a bachelor’s degree, and a master’s thesis that marks the end of a master’s program.
A thesis should be around 50 pages long for a bachelor’s degree and 60-100 pages for a Master’s degree. However, the optimal length of a thesis project depends on the faculty’s instructions and the supervising professor’s expectations . The length also depends on the topic’s technicalities and the extent of research done.
A master’s thesis project is longer because it is a compilation of all your knowledge obtained in your master’s degree.
It basically allows you to demonstrate your abilities in your chosen field.
Often, graduate schools require students pursuing research-oriented degrees to write a thesis.
This is to demonstrate their practical skills before completing their degrees.
In contrast to undergraduate thesis, which are shorter in length and coverage area, usually less than 60 pages. A master’s theses are lengthy scholarly work allowing you to research a topic deeply.
Then you are required to write, expand the topic, and demonstrate what you have learned throughout the program. This is part of why you must write a thesis for some undergrad in some of the courses.
A Master’s thesis necessitates a large amount of research, which may include conducting interviews, surveys, and gathering information ( both primary and secondary) depending on the subject and field of study.
For this reason, the master’s thesis has between 60 and 100 pages, without including the bibliography. Mostly, the topic and research approach determine the length of the paper.
This means that there is no definite number of pages required. However, your thesis should be long enough to clearly and concisely present all important information.
How long should a dissertation be.
A dissertation is a complex, in-depth research paper usually written by Ph.D. students. When writing the dissertation, Ph.D. Students are required to create their research, formulate a hypothesis, and conduct the study.
On average, a dissertation should be at least 90 pages at the minimum and 200 pages at the maximum , depending on the guidelines of the faculty and the professor. The optimal length for a dissertation also depends on the depth of the research done, the components of the file, and the level of study.
Most Ph.D. dissertations papers are between 120 to 200 pages on average.
However, as we said earlier, it all depends on factors like the field of study, and methods of data collection, among others.
Unlike a master’s thesis, which is about 100 pages, a dissertation is at least twice this length.
This is because you must develop a completely new concept, study it, research it, and defend it.
In your Ph.D. program, a dissertation allows you the opportunity to bring new knowledge, theories, or practices to your field of study.
Abstract | 500 words | 300 – 500 words |
Introduction | 10 – 15 pages | 5- 10 pages |
Literature review | 30 – 50 pages | 10 -20 pages |
Methodology | 10 – 15 pages | 5-10 pages |
Result section (surveys, tables, interviews) | 7 to 10 pages | 5 – 8 pages |
Discussion section (findings, their implications, and limitations) | 80 to 120 pages | 40 – 60 pages |
Conclusion | 15 to 30 pages | 7 – 15 pages |
As we have seen, there is no definite length of a thesis and dissertation. Most of these two important academic documents average 100 to 400 pages. However, several factors determine their length.
Universities- we all know universities are independent bodies. Also, it’s important to know that each university is different from the other. As a result, the thesis and dissertation length varies depending on the set rules in a certain college or school.
Field of study- some fields of study have rich information, while others have limited information.
For example, you may have much to write about or discover when it comes to science compared to history.
As such, if you are to write a thesis or a dissertation in both fields, one will definitely be longer than the other. Check the time it takes to write a thesis or a dissertation to get more points.
Other factors that affect the length of a thesis or a dissertation include your writing style and the instructor’s specifications. These factors also come into play when it comes to the time taken to defend a thesis or your dissertation.
Instead of writing for length, write for brevity. The goal is to write the smallest feasible document with all of the material needed to describe the study and back up the interpretation. Ensure to avoid irrelevant tangents and excessive repetitions at all costs.
The only repetition required is the main theme. The working hypothesis seeks to be elaborated and proved in your paper.
The theme is developed in the introduction, expanded in the body, and mentioned in the abstract and conclusion.
Here are some tips for writing the right length of thesis and dissertation:
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The most basic distinction between a thesis and a dissertation is when they are written.
While a thesis is a project completed after a master’s program, a dissertation is completed at the end of doctorate studies.
In a thesis, you present the results of your research to demonstrate that you have a thorough understanding of what you have studied during your master’s program.
On the other hand, a dissertation is your chance to add new knowledge, theories, or practices to your field while pursuing a doctorate. The goal here is to come up with a completely new concept, develop it, and defend it.
A master’s thesis is similar to the types of research papers you’re used to writing in your bachelor’s studies. It involves conducting research on a topic, analyzing it, and then commenting on your findings and how it applies to your research topic.
The thesis aims to demonstrate your capacity to think critically about and explain a topic in depth.
Furthermore, with a thesis, you typically use this time to elaborate on a topic that is most relevant to your professional area of specialization that you intend to pursue.
In a dissertation, on the other hand, you use other people’s research as an inspiration to help you come up with and prove your own hypothesis, idea, or concept. The majority of the data in a dissertation is credited to you.
Last but not least, these two major works differ greatly in length. The average length of a master’s thesis is at least 100 pages.
On the other hand, a doctoral dissertation should be substantially longer because it includes a lot of history and research information, as well as every element of your research, while explaining how you arrived at the information.
It is a complex piece of scholarly work, and it is likely to be twice or thrice the length of a thesis. To know the difference, check the best length for a thesis paper and see more about it.
A thesis or a dissertation is a difficult document to compile. However, you should not be worried since your school assigns you a dissertation advisor who is a faculty member.
These advisors or supervisors help you find resources and ensure that your proposal is on the right track when you get stuck.
Check out my guide on the differences between a research paper, proposal, and thesis to understand more about these issues.
Josh Jasen or JJ as we fondly call him, is a senior academic editor at Grade Bees in charge of the writing department. When not managing complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In his spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.
caught buying dissertations
Do Dissertation writing services work
Time needed to write your thesis
My short answer is 68 days, but please read the detail below…
Bold resolutions: “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham www.phdcomics.com
As a PhD supervisor I have often been asked ‘How long do you think it will take me to write up my thesis?’ My answer always begins ‘It depends…’ We then continue the conversation with an audit of material already drafted that may contribute (in edited format) to the final thesis. These include the initial literature review from the first year transfer report, and posters, conference papers and journal articles presented and/or published from the on-going work.
For example third year PhD student John Mowbray , who is currently based within the Centre for Social Informatics (CSI) at Edinburgh Napier University , has a strong basis for his literature review chapter in the form of a conference paper delivered at CoLIS 2016 , which is due to be published in full in Information Research later this year. Similarly John’s fellow student Frances Ryan has already published an account of research design for her study. This paper will underpin the writing of her methods chapter.
Then we consider less formal sources, such as any discussions or debates that the student has documented publicly elsewhere, for example in blog posts. See, for instance Lyndsey Jenkins ‘ recent thoughts about the importance of research domain at http://lyndseyjenkins.org. These may well contribute to a section of Lyndsey’s methods chapter when she comes to write up her work in 2018.
The students also have ‘non-public’ material about their work that will be adapted for their theses. These include interim reports for their supervisors and/or other stakeholders. For example, last semester CSI PhD student Iris Buunk wrote a report on some of the empirical work that she has conducted for the body that gave her access to survey respondents. Handwritten ideas and remarks kept in notebooks over the course of PhD registration are also very valuable ‘private’ resources.
Once we have completed this audit, the challenge of transforming all the work completed to date into an 80,000 word thesis appears not to be so great – but of course, it still all needs to be done!
Records from writing up my own PhD have also recently served as another source for answering questions about preparing the main output of the doctoral study. I undertook my PhD part-time over a period of just over four years while working full-time. Throughout this period there were weeks when I could not progress my work at all. This was largely due to other commitments in intensive periods related to teaching such as the marking season towards the end of each semester. There were other times when it was much easier to devote myself to my PhD. For example, I took annual leave in University vacation time for this purpose (rather than went away on holiday). To guard against losing track of my PhD at times when I was too busy to devote any time to it I kept detailed notes of my progress. As a result of this, I know exactly how much time I spent writing up each chapter for the final version of the thesis. Although all PhD theses are different, the proportion of time on each type of chapter may be helpful to those who have resolved to submit their theses in 2017.
In total it took me 68 days to write up my thesis (NB 68 to write up the work, not 68 days to complete the PhD!) This is the equivalent of approximately 14 working weeks, assuming a five day week. It needs to be borne in mind, however, that I was a part-time student. In practice the writing up was done over the last seven months of the four and half years in which I worked on the entire doctoral study.
The largest portion of the writing-up time – around three quarters – was spent on the two chapters that related the findings of my research, and about a fifth on the discussion chapter. My literature review took very little time to write up (just 5 days) because I had already presented much of it in published form. The methods and conclusions chapters did not take very long either (3.5 and 2.5 days respectively) largely because their content was straightforward. My introductory chapter was very short at a page and a half and was thus drafted in just a couple of hours.
As might be deduced from the time allocations given above, I found the results and discussion chapters most heavy-going. The former was due to the quantity of empirical data to convert into a fluent account of the findings, and the latter because of the intellectual challenge of expressing the meaning of the findings and how the outcomes of my study represented an original contribution to the domain. However, once these two elements were ‘cracked’ it was a relatively easy task to pull all the other chapters together.
If you are reading this blog post as a PhD student in the later stages of your work, I would advise you to be prepared for the long haul of writing up your results and the discussion chapters, and ensure that you allocate a high proportion of your write-up time to these accordingly. It is also worth noting that I found that the closer I came to the target of completing my write-up, the more important it was for me to avoid other distractions. You cannot control for all of them (for example, illness), but I would caution against getting actively involved in anything that will take you away from your PhD at this intensive stage, such as planning a big event (for example, a major holiday, a house move, or a family wedding) or starting a new job.
If you are still in the early stages of your doctoral study, my first piece of advice is to plan your conference participation and journal paper publishing activity with the final thesis in mind. Be selective and strategic so that you prioritise engagement in external events that are valuable to the completion of your thesis and/or your future career. Each piece of work that you present externally should progress your study by encouraging you to write-up as you go along (for example in the form of a poster, a set of slides, a full paper), defend your ideas in person within your academic community, seek feedback on work completed to date, and solicit advice on the later stages. You should also be documenting any thoughts or ideas that may be valuable to writing up in a format that make sense to you, whether this be in a set of handwritten notes or in a more public format such as a series of structured blog posts.
Good luck to all those who will submit their theses in 2017!
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I stumbled across this post:
Is it ethical/legal to publish Master thesis manuscript as a journal paper?
Let me quote the top poster.
However, an MSc thesis is typically 50-100 pages long. A paper is (in a dense journal format) typically 8-12 pages long. Let's make a generous estimate for 20 pages in the thesis layout. So either your thesis is very thin, or the journal is very generous, both of which seems unlikely.
I'm currently finishing my master thesis. My professor likes the empirical results and told me I should orient myself to some journal articles in the respective journal he wants me to publish.
Why does a master thesis have to be 50-100 pages long?
I have written some parts of the thesis before and now that I am writing with the publication in mind I cut out >50%. I've realized that almost all of it was unecessary, boring "fluff" about definitions that every informed reader already knows or if not could find out much more easily online than reading my thesis.
Henceforth, the quote above concerned me.
I thought there is no problem in writing for a journal at the same time while writing the thesis. I plan to hand in my master thesis with approx. 30 pages. Everything is concisely explained. All other supplementary stuff will be pushed to the appendix.
I always found it particularly upsetting to have a minimum page number requirement. If its good, its good, or am I wrong?
Actually, a masters thesis only needs to be as long as it needs to be. There may be some expectations by individual university departments or advisors on some minimum length, but not universally true.
In some fields theses might naturally be longer. My daughter's philosophy doctoral thesis was longer than my (quite long) math doctoral thesis as she needed a lot of supporting material and I only needed proofs.
If 30 pages is fine with your institution, then it is fine for all.
But note that a thesis of any kind normally needs more background material since, among other things, you are trying to convince professionals that you know what you are talking about. A paper, on the other hand, can dispense with saying a lot of what professionals can already be expected to know. So, a paper derived from a thesis is likely to be shorter; naturally so. Not universally so, of course.
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As Dr. Rachel Gunn, she's a 36-year-old lecturer at Macquarie University in Australia . She holds a PhD in cultural science. She researches and lectures on the cultural politics of breaking .
As Raygun, she's an Olympian breaker, competing for Australia.
Raygun lost all three of her matches, against B-Girls named Nicka, Syssy and Logistx. Yes, that sentence is accurate.
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But Raygun had some moves. And people had some thoughts.
What my nephew does after telling all of us to “watch this” pic.twitter.com/366LjIRl4j — Liz Charboneau (@lizchar) August 9, 2024
There has not been an Olympic performance this dominant since Usain Bolt’s 100m sprint at Beijing in 2008. Honestly, the moment Raygun broke out her Kangaroo move this competition was over! Give her the #breakdancing gold 🥇 pic.twitter.com/6q8qAft1BX — Trapper Haskins (@TrapperHaskins) August 9, 2024
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All I can think about when I see this is the hip hop dance teacher from Bob’s Burgers but if instead she was from Australia and was a 36 year old woman named Raygun https://t.co/nUwYVLnrms pic.twitter.com/Wl5FResHw7 — Shereef Sakr (@ShereefKeef) August 9, 2024
Watch all the action from the Paris Olympics live on NBC
when Raygun hit the kangaroo jawn I couldn't see the screen I was crying so hard pic.twitter.com/jcICfTu11d — Bradford Pearson (@BradfordPearson) August 9, 2024
I think I found the source of inspiration for the Raygun breakdance at the Olympics. https://t.co/t94Iyu1dPZ pic.twitter.com/a7DL9etwRz — Noodson (@noodson) August 9, 2024
Raygun was like pic.twitter.com/KvXVPVGScx — Charles J. Moore (@charles270) August 9, 2024
Raygun did THE SPRINKLER at this breakdance thing, this is the worst thing Australia has ever done. — Luis Paez-Pumar (@lppny) August 9, 2024
Enjoy a completely custom, expertly-written dissertation. Choose from hundreds of writers, all of whom are career specialists in your subject.
How long is a dissertation? This is a question that you’re likely to ask if you’ve just enrolled for a doctoral program. But, this question is not new because other students have asked it too. Perhaps, the simplest answer to this question is that a dissertation should be sufficiently long to answer the stated question satisfactorily.
There is no single answer to the question of a doctoral dissertation length. But most dissertations are on average 100-200 pages long. Somebody can say it should be 146 pages while somebody else can say 90 pages. Another person can say it should be 200 pages. Essentially, the length of this important academic document should depend on the topic, writing style, and goals of the writer.
Universities require students to write dissertations when pursuing masters and PhD degree programs. This paper forms an invaluable part of these academic programs in reputable learning institutions. As such, most undergraduate students are worried about the length of this document because it forms an important aspect of their academic life.
There are generally practical suggestions about how long should a dissertation be. For instance, the areas that your dissertation project focuses on should influence its length. For instance, a dissertation on a history topic will most likely be longer than an average dissertation on a chemistry topic. That means your academic discipline will influence the length of your dissertation.
Most academicians say that a PhD dissertation length should not exceed 80, 000 words . Thus, your text should be near this length. This word count includes the appendices while excluding references, footnotes, and bibliography. The footnotes of a dissertation shouldn’t exceed 20% of the text.
Students are discouraged from including discursive footnotes. What’s more, they should not use footnotes to include materials that should be in their main text. Doing so would circumvent the average length of the dissertation.
The statistical tables of a dissertation are counted as around 150 words each . But, the Degree Committee can allow learners to exceed the limits after application and under exceptional situations. Therefore, students should apply for this exception early before the date they propose to submit their thesis. The Graduate Committee evaluates the application and decides whether to allow the student to alter the average dissertation length.
The committee considers the dissertation proposal, as well as, a signed statement attesting to their proposed dissertation length. If they don’t and their dissertation exceeds the average length, it will be referred back for revision before it is forwarded to the institution’s examiners.
Many factors should generally be considered when answering the question of how long is a PhD dissertation. However, students should limit their writing between 80,000 and 100,000 words . On average, this document should have around 204 pages. But, the average length of a PhD thesis also depends on the university and the specific subject.
Essentially, a university can set the requirements of a dissertation, including the length. Nevertheless, most institutions opt for around 100,000 words. Research has shown that STEM dissertations have a medium length of 159 pages. Non-STEM dissertations, on the other hand, have a medium length of about 223 pages. Thus, there is a significant difference in length between STEM and non-STEM dissertations.
Another question that might be lingering in your mind is how long is a dissertation chapter? Well, this varies because each chapter is a separate section that should address something specific. If you include the right information succinctly and adequately, your final write-up should have the right length. So, how long is a doctoral dissertation in every section? Here is a rough estimate.
This section of a dissertation should tell readers why the topic is important. It should also mention relevant facts about the topic. Essentially, the introduction should tell readers why you have chosen the topic or issue and what makes it relevant. On average, the introduction should be between 10 and 15 pages . This is a perfect size because it allows you to mention everything concisely. Focus on intriguing the audience without disclosing or revealing anything in detail. Thus, your dissertation introduction should be more of a teaser.
This is the section where you analyze relevant sources that you have chosen for your paper. It should include only sources that can be used to write the dissertation. In this section, you analyze and point out the strengths and weaknesses of your chosen sources. The literature review should be between 20 and 25 pages long.
The length of this part of a dissertation ranges from 10 to 15 pages . It focuses on the methods used to conduct the research. Here, you discuss the specific method and data-selection processes used. This section also includes ways of contacting the sample population, as well as, the gathered data. What’s more, the encountered challenges can be included.
This section of a dissertation should not exceed 10 pages . It features the list and clarification of the obtained findings. Research findings are mentioned alongside the hypotheses explicitly. For instance, you should state whether they were refuted or confirmed. This section should also include a conclusion for everything done as far as your investigation is concerned.
This is also called the discussion section. Its length should range between 15 and 20 pages . This is the section where you explain the implications of your research. Provide a current and bigger perspective regarding your research. What’s more, diversify the current evidence base regarding the topic. Also, provide recommendations while acknowledging limitations in this section.
So, how long is a dissertation chapter? Well, it boils down to factors of the topic, learning institution, and goals of the study. Each section varies in length based on the nature of the research conducted and gathered data.
But, exactly how long does a dissertation have to be? There is no clear answer to this question. However, psychology, history, communication, nursing, and management dissertation can be up to 300 pages long. Education, Environmental Health, and Political Science dissertations can be around 100 pages. Overall, this length is influenced by the nature of the conducted research and the data that must be included in the document.
You’re no longer asking how long is a dissertation word count because this question has been answered. But, you probably want to know the length of its proposal. Well, there is no specific length for this document. However, it should be considered as a long, formal treatise.
Well, most faculties recommend between 15 and 20 pages . However, the length of a proposal should depend on factors like the problem to be pursued, reasons to address the problem, where the answers will come from, and why you will go for certain sources.
This document proposes the work to be done. The focus of this text should be on convincing the thesis committee of your faculty that you have a research question that’s worth pursuing. Thus, you must present a convincing document for your faculty to allow you to proceed with the dissertation writing project. So, how long should it be?
Lastly, you may want to know how long the abstract section of your dissertation should be. This is a separate page of the entire document. It is a summary of the dissertation. It reports the outcomes and aims of the research. Essentially, readers should know what your document is all about by reading the abstract. As such, this section should be written at the end. It should state the research objectives, problem, methods, key results, and the conclusion.
The dissertation abstract length ranges between 150 and 300 words . But just like with the main sections of a dissertation, there is a strict limit on the number of words that can be included. Therefore, check with the journal or university for which you are writing the dissertation.
When it comes to the length of your dissertation, our dissertation consulting service is here to provide expert guidance. Wondering about the ideal length for your dissertation? Look no further! Our experienced team offers personalized assistance to help you navigate this aspect of your research. With our dissertation consulting services, you can ensure that your dissertation meets the required length while maintaining its academic rigor. Contact us today for valuable insights and support throughout your dissertation journey.
There is no specific number of words or pages that determine the length of any dissertation. Therefore, check with your university, faculty, or journal to know the specific requirements for your dissertation in terms of length.
after completing the dissertation. However, you should have a rough draft or use the proposal’s introduction as a template because it has most of the elements that you need.
How long is a dissertation should be.
The dissertation length, on average, is between 100 to 200 pages long. Nevertheless, a dissertation can be 146 pages or 96 pages long. The length depends on the goals of the writer, topic, and writing style.
The length of the dissertations is from 100 to 200 pages. On average the dissertation should be at least 80 000 words . However, this depends on the scope, expertise, and knowledge in the field of study. Longer dissertation papers have more words with a relatively higher number of pages.
Writing a dissertation will depend on several considerations. The subject of study, such as chemistry, may take longer because of the logistics involved. On the other hand, a simple sociology dissertation may take one month.
Ph.D. dissertation length does not exceed more than 80 000 words . Therefore, your paper should be within these limits. Note that these words do not include references, footnotes, and bibliography.
Richard Ginger is a dissertation writer and freelance columnist with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the writing industry. He handles every project he works on with precision while keeping attention to details and ensuring that every work he does is unique.
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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.”
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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Rachael Gunn, known as B-girl Raygun, displayed some … unique moves as she competed in a field with breakers half her age. The judges and the internet were underwhelmed.
By Dodai Stewart and Talya Minsberg
Reporting from Paris
Breaking made its debut as an Olympic sport Friday, and among the competitors was Dr. Rachael Gunn, also known as B-girl Raygun, a 36-year-old professor from Sydney, Australia, who stood out in just about every way.
By day, her research interests include “dance, gender politics, and the dynamics between theoretical and practical methodologies.” But on the world’s stage in Paris, wearing green track pants and a green polo shirt instead of the street-style outfits of her much younger fellow breakers, she competed against the 21-year-old Logan Edra of the United States, known as Logistx.
During the round robin, as Raygun and Logistx faced off, Raygun laid on her side, reached for her toes, spun around, and threw in a kangaroo hop — a nod to her homeland. She performed a move that looked something like swimming and another that could best be described as duckwalking. The high-speed back and head spins that other breakers would demonstrate were mostly absent.
The crowd cheered Raygun politely. The judges weren’t as kind. All nine voted for Logistx in both rounds of the competition; Logistx won, 18-0.
Online, Raygun’s performance quickly became a sensation, not necessarily in a flattering way.
“The more I watch the videos of Raygun, the Aussie breaker, the more I get annoyed,” one viewer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “There’s 27.7 million Australians in the world and that’s who they send to the Olympics for this inaugural event??? C’mon now!”
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COMMENTS
Unfortunately, there's no one size fits all answer to this question. However, from the analysis of over 100 PhD theses, the average thesis length is between 80,000 and 100,000 words. A further analysis of 1000 PhD thesis shows the average number of pages to be 204. In reality, the actual word count for each PhD thesis will depend on the ...
A dissertation is a lengthy research paper written as a requirement to earn an academic degree. Typically, students must write a dissertation toward the end of their program to both prove their knowledge and contribute new research to their field. The term dissertation is sometimes used interchangeably with thesis paper.
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.
The typical PhD thesis structure will contain four chapters of original work sandwiched between a literature review chapter and a concluding chapter. There is no universal rule for the length of a thesis, but general guidelines set the word count between 70,000 to 100,000 words .
In 2020, doctoral degree holders had median weekly earnings of $1,885 and an unemployment rate of 2.5%—lower than any other group. And yet, the dissertation is often a major barrier to completing a doctorate and realizing its many financial and personal benefits. So what is a dissertation, and what role does it play in your educational ...
A PhD can be anywhere from 50 pages to over 450 pages long. This equates to between about 20,000 words to 100,000 words. Most PhD theses are between 60,000 and 80,000 words long excluding contents, citations and references. A PhD thesis contains different sections including an introduction, methods, results and discussion, conclusions, further ...
An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000-15,000 words. 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 ...
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.
An undergraduate thesis is likely to be about 20 to 50 pages long. A Master's thesis is likely to be between 30 and 100 pages in length and a PhD dissertation is likely to be between 50 and 450 pages long. In the table below I highlight the typical length of an undergraduate, master's, and PhD. Level of study.
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 ...
The Dissertation Guidebook is one of the essential navigation tools Walden provides to its doctoral candidates. A vital portion of the document details the 15 required steps that take a dissertation from start to finish. Read along with Walden students to learn more about that process: Premise. The dissertation premise is a short document that ...
Education in how to write a doctoral thesis or dissertation should be a part of the postgraduate curriculum, parallel to the laboratory work and Journal Club activities during the PhD studies and/or residency levels.9,10 The overall structure of a doctoral thesis is internationally standardized. However, it varies in style and quality ...
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.
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 ...
While the standard length of a master's thesis is around 100 pages, a doctoral dissertation can be upwards of 400-500 pages. While most students can finish their PhD dissertation or thesis in as little as 1-2 years, it can take as long as 7 years depending on the school, program, and dissertation topic. As doctoral programs have their own ...
In the UK, a full-time PhD will typically take you 3 to 4 years. You will usually spend the first three years on the technical aspects of your doctorate. This includes undertaking independent research, designing your research methodology and collecting and analysing data. You will then spend an additional academic year on writing up your PhD ...
You should plan for your PhD to take at least 3 years and 3 months to complete when studying full time if you follow an ideal schedule. However, on average, we find people take 3 years and 9 months to complete a full-time PhD at UQ - and 4 years isn't uncommon, either. Remember: The world doesn't pause while you're doing your PhD.
I call this advice the Rule of Three. Typically, they get told that their thesis: Will take 3 months to write. Should have 3 results chapters. Should be 300 pages. These bits of advice have one thing in common: they are all wrong. If you have been organised (see below), it should not take 3 months to write a PhD thesis.
A thesis should be around 50 pages long for a bachelor's degree and 60-100 pages for a Master's degree. However, the optimal length of a thesis project depends on the faculty's instructions and the supervising professor's expectations. The length also depends on the topic's technicalities and the extent of research done.
Although all PhD theses are different, the proportion of time on each type of chapter may be helpful to those who have resolved to submit their theses in 2017. In total it took me 68 days to write up my thesis (NB 68 to write up the work, not 68 days to complete the PhD!) This is the equivalent of approximately 14 working weeks, assuming a five ...
Doctoral students tend to be older. Graduate students pursuing a PhD in science or engineering were an average of 31.6 years old by the time they earned their degree in 2016, according to the National Science Foundation . In effect, some PhD students may have competing obligations, such as family.
However, an MSc thesis is typically 50-100 pages long. A paper is (in a dense journal format) typically 8-12 pages long. Let's make a generous estimate for 20 pages in the thesis layout. So either your thesis is very thin, or the journal is very generous, both of which seems unlikely. I'm currently finishing my master thesis.
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]
As Dr. Rachel Gunn, she's a 36-year-old lecturer at Macquarie University in Australia. She holds a PhD in cultural science. She researches and lectures on the cultural politics of breaking. As ...
Many factors should generally be considered when answering the question of how long is a PhD dissertation. However, students should limit their writing between 80,000 and 100,000 words. On average, this document should have around 204 pages. But, the average length of a PhD thesis also depends on the university and the specific subject.
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.
Breaking made its debut as an Olympic sport Friday, and among the competitors was Dr. Rachael Gunn, also known as B-girl Raygun, a 36-year-old professor from Sydney, Australia, who stood out in ...