Every master's degree program requires students to complete a substantial independent study. It is common for taught courses to culminate in a sizable research assignment, known as the Masters Dissertation or thesis. At the same time, research-focused programs like Mares may include multiple autonomous research components.
While this piece is written specifically for students working on their dissertations for their taught degrees, its guidance applies to similar projects undertaken as part of a research degree.
In What Ways are Masters Dissertation and College Theses Dissimilar?
Masters Dissertation is a stepping stone between college studies
and the rigorous research required for advanced postgraduate degrees like the
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). That said, depending on the field, a
graduate-level dissertation might appear similar to its undergraduate
counterpart. You'll be expected to create a much longer piece of work, but if
you've done a research project for your Bachelor's degree, you'll be familiar
with the essential nature of the job.
After all, you can thank your undergraduate thesis or capstone
project for helping you prepare for your graduate study. Still, there are a few
key distinctions between the two tiers.
An undergraduate thesis is typically around 10,000 words long,
while a master's dissertation is between 15,000 and 20,000 (though this can
significantly across courses, institutions, and countries). You will need to
zero in on specifics within your subject to provide a thorough response to your
research question. This can resemble the production of a succession of
individual module-length assignments. However, they must also back a more
comprehensive range of conclusions as a group.
To elaborate, this UK Masters Dissertation outline will:
- Allow you to delve deeper into your topic of
study than you would be able to as a student.
- I dare you to effectively organize your work
so that its parts serve as building blocks for a logical and convincing whole.
- Give you a chance to create and refine an appropriate approach to conducting research.
Plan for a Masters Dissertation
Given the wide variety of Master's degree programmers available at
different institutions and across countries, it should as no surprise that no
two papers have the same format. However, an average Masters dissertation
contains the following sections and subsections:
Abstract
The introduction should be a short synopsis of your dissertation, 300
words or less. Outline the question(s) you intend to address, your main point
of argument, and your final thought.
Introduction
The introduction should set the stage for the remainder of the
dissertation by explaining the rationale behind your study and the scope of
your objectives. Typically, the opening to a dissertation is between 500 and
1,000 words introducing the reader to the various sections that make up more
extensive work.
Study of the Books
This section of the dissertation should critically existing
literature in your area, laying out the main arguments and counterarguments and
putting your study into context.
Examining and critiquing prior works in your field is essential,
as is detailing the unique contribution that your dissertation will make. The
literary review may precede or coincide with the introduction. Literature
reviews typically range in length from one hundred to one thousand lines.
Methods for Conducting Studies
For example, dissertations in the Arts and Humanities typically
won't conduct the kind of study that necessitates a predetermined methodology,
so they need not include such a section. However, if you're going to use a
specific approach to data collection for your dissertation, you'll need to
justify your decision. This section of the dissertation typically runs between
1,500 and 2,500 words.
Rather than needing a thorough explanation of their methodology,
those in the Arts and Humanities typically outline their theoretical
perspectives and approaches as part of the introduction.
Findings | Results
Here is where you'll detail the outcomes of any surveys or
experiments you conducted as part of your study. Depending on the study, this
could be in the form of visual aids like diagrams, tables, and charts, or it
could simply be a written summary of the procedures followed and the results
obtained.
Discussion
The meat of your dissertation goes here, so be sure to organize
the chapters meticulously into a logical progression (and sub-chapters). Each
succeeding volume should logically expand upon the points made in the one
before it.
If you're worried about the sheer length of your Masters
Dissertation, it can help to think of it as a collection of smaller, related
pieces. This section's length is proportional to the dissertation as a whole.
If you want a ballpark figure, the discussion section of a 15,000-word
dissertation will be around 12,000 words lengthy.
Conclusion
In the dissertation’s conclusion, you tie up any loose ends from
the preceding discussion chapters and make closing statements based on the
evidence and arguments you presented throughout the work. Justify your
research's importance and suggest possible avenues for further study. In the Masters Dissertation Help UK , this will make up about 15%, or 1,500 lines.
Bibliography, or List of Sources
You should maintain a detailed, well-organized bibliography of all
the articles, references, and books you use in your dissertation (or referred
to). Instead of waiting until the conclusion and scrambling to figure out the
source of an obscure quote, you can keep track of where you found it in this
handy table.
Appendices
Many dissertations won't need appendices, but you might need to
include extra information to support your claims. Possible examples include
survey results and audio recordings of interviews. You should talk to your
advisor about including such information in an appendix if including it in the
main body of the dissertation won't be possible due to lack of room or
disruption to the flow of your writing.
Keep in mind that not every dissertation will have clearly labeled subsections. For instance, the first chapter may encompass everything up until the word "discussion" (rather than as distinct sections). Your boss can help you plan out the organization of your Masters Dissertation if you're having trouble doing so.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a Masters Dissertation is a significant research
assignment that students must complete to pursue their postgraduate degrees.
While it is similar to an undergraduate thesis, a master’s Dissertation
requires a more in-depth exploration of a topic, a thorough review of existing
literature, and an original contribution to the field. The format of a Master’s
Dissertation may vary depending on the program, institution, and country.
Still, it generally includes an abstract, introduction, literature review,
methods, findings/results, discussion, conclusion, bibliography, and
appendices. The guidance provided in this article can help students effectively
organize and complete their Master’s Dissertation.
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