How long introduction dissertation

Let us consider the main dissertation components and their approximate length. Again, there are no certain limits here, just approximations, to give you a general overview.

Dissertation writing starts with a preliminary task of narrowing down the topic and choosing a specific research question. As you understand, it requires thorough research of the topic to identify the gaps. The first part of the dissertation itself is an abstract , which is recommended to write last. It is a brief summary of the research undertaken to inform the reader about the objectives and outcomes.

As a rule, there is a strict word limit, which is about words. The main task here is to identify problems and gaps, formulate research questions. The literature review seeks to present the previous research findings. It serves as the foundation for your further work. It is crucial to investigate all the details. On average, the length of this chapter turns out to be 30 — 40 pages.

Check out some more information about a literature review. The next step is to explain the approach and all the methods used in the research. You will need to describe them all and justify their usage. The expected length is about 10 pages. Afterward, you should present the research findings like surveys, tables, interviews, etc.

They all have to be relevant. Next, you should interpret the findings, their implications and limitations. It is the most important part of the work. Finally, you should summarize the whole research in the conclusion. More detailed information about writing a conclusion and discussion is presented here. It varies from person to person. The amount of time needed depends on your speed and manner of work, some external factors e. On average, the whole process takes about 18 months.

I do not want to discourage anyone, but this task seems to be impossible. No thorough research can be done so fast unless you have covered the ground in advance, and all that is left is to put it down to paper. Keep in mind that it will be a huge challenge! However, there is always an alternative available for you. If you are pressed by time, seek some writing assistance from a professional. Generally speaking, the more advanced the research, the longer the thesis or dissertation written to report it, so an undergraduate dissertation will be a lot shorter than a doctoral thesis researched in the same department and even one exploring the same research topic.

This does not mean, however, that undergraduate dissertations will always be of the same or a similar length, or that all doctoral theses will resemble each other in length. A doctoral thesis in the humanities might consist of a good many more words and paragraphs than a PhD thesis in the sciences does, but that scientific thesis might in turn make up the difference in tables, charts and other presentations of data.

As you are designing and drafting the introduction for your thesis or dissertation, the guidelines, advice and models available to you will help you aim for an appropriate length, and as you finish and polish your work, they will help you edit for that perfect length. Even more important, however, will be the content you are required to include in your introduction. Here, too, those guidelines, mentors and successful theses and dissertations will prove invaluable.

Department and university guidelines may list or describe the basic contents expected in the introduction; your mentors may have very specific ideas about what must be communicated to clarify your research; and those successful theses and dissertations will reveal what other students chose to write about in their introductions. In fact, the introductions to scholarly theses and dissertations of all kinds tend to have very similar primary functions, so I have listed a number of these below.

Do be aware, however, that these points are particularly relevant to a thesis or dissertation that makes an original contribution to knowledge. Some of them may not be necessary or useful for your thesis or dissertation, they might be presented in a variety of different orders, and disciplines and departments will vary in the terminology used to describe them, so it is essential while using this list to prioritise any instructions you obtain from your own educational institution and mentors.

This can be done at any point in the introduction, but mentioning it in a brief and engaging manner near the beginning and then developing it into a more comprehensive statement often works well. This can take many forms including a survey of the history of the occurrence of the problem or phenomenon and a summary or brief review of previous research on the topic.

Significance can be demonstrated by describing the impact of a problem, its complexity or mysterious nature, its occurrence and persistence, and the number of people or regions affected.

Your methodology need not be new, but it should be the most effective possible, and for postgraduate research it is usually best if its application to the problem is in some way innovative, so do emphasise those aspects. The intellectual and theoretical context of your research might be covered in your discussion of the background or scholarship, but it can be described separately. The physical context of the research should also be clarified by explaining where your research takes place, who is involved and why the location you have chosen is appropriate.

A conceptual framework is very much like an accurate textual map of the territory investigated in your research, so it should allow you to include in meaningful ways everything you wish to report, discuss, interpret and argue. This is especially true for a dissertation or thesis — which typically has a very low or zero budget, tight time constraints and limited researcher experience. Simply put, your research will invariably have limitations. In fact, the more critical you can be of your study, the better.

The markers want to see that you are aware of the limitations as this demonstrates your understanding of research design — so be brutal. The purpose of this section is simply to provide your reader with a roadmap of what to expect in terms of the structure of your dissertation or thesis.

In Chapter One, the context of the study has been introduced. The research objectives and questions have been identified, and the value of such research argued. The limitations of the study have also been discussed. In Chapter Two, the existing literature will be reviewed to identify key skills development approaches and strategies within the context of fast-moving industries, especially technology-intensive industries.

In Chapter Three, the theoretical framework will be presented. The adoption of a qualitative, inductive research approach will be justified, and the broader research design will be discussed, including the limitations thereof. So, as you can see from the example, this section is simply an outline of the chapter structure, allocating a short paragraph to each chapter.

Hopefully you feel a bit more prepared for this challenge of crafting your dissertation or thesis introduction chapter now. This post is part of our research writing mini-course, which covers everything you need to get started with your dissertation, thesis or research project.

Thanks very much for such an insight. I feel confident enough in undertaking my thesis on the survey;The future of facial recognition and learning non verbal interaction. I feel confident now undertaking my thesis; The future of facial recognition and learning non verbal interaction. Thanks so much for this article. I found myself struggling and wasting a lot of time in my thesis writing but after reading this article and watching some of your youtube videos, I now have a clear understanding of what is required for a thesis.

Thank you so much Derek ,for shedding the light and making it easier for me to handle the daunting task of academic writing. This is a well written, easily comprehensible, simple introduction to the basics of a Research Dissertation.. The instruction given are perfect and clear. I was supposed to take the course , unfortunately in Nepal the service is not avaialble. However, I am much more hopeful that you will provide require documents whatever you have produced so far.

Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Overview: How To Write An Introduction Chapter Understand the purpose and function of the intro chapter Craft an enticing and engaging opening section Provide a background and context to the study Clearly define the research problem State your research aims, objectives and questions Explain the significance of your study Identify the limitations of your research Outline the structure of your dissertation or thesis.

Start with why. These questions are: What will you be researching? Simple enough, right? So, what goes into this opening section? So, what is the background section all about? But, what exactly is a research problem, you ask? So, what do you need to do here? RO1 — To identify common skills development strategies and approaches utilised by web development companies in the UK. RO2 — To evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies and approaches.

RO3 — To compare and contrast these strategies and approaches in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. RQ1 — What skills development strategies and approaches are currently being used by web development companies in the UK? RQ2 — How effective are each of these strategies and approaches? RQ3 — What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of these strategies and approaches? Need a helping hand?