Home

The Structure of Masters Dissertations

In order to write a compelling Masters dissertation, it is important to build the right structure. Generally, most dissertations will follow the structure outlined below.

Chapter One

Introduction

A strong introduction chapter is key to building the base of the topic. The introduction chapter helps the readers to understand the context in which the research is being conducted. The introduction chapter should include background information about the topic, the research question that needs to be answered by the study, the motivation and justification behind the study, as well as a brief outline of the chapters that follow. The introduction chapter should be engaging and students should ensure that it clearly sets the scene for the rest of the dissertation.

Chapter 2

Literature Review

The next chapter is one of the most important ones. Chapter 2 focuses on writing a literature review on the research topic. Students should take great care when writing this chapter. Existing studies should be chosen carefully, to ensure that they are the most relevant. In addition, students should review a good mix of theoretical studies along with analysing empirical results obtained by others. Masters students must also focus on the time period during which the existing research studies were published. Unless the topic is an historical one, it is always a good strategy to review recent studies. The beginning of the literature review chapter should be linked to the introduction, and at the same time, the ending should prepare the reader for the next chapter.

Chapter 3

Methodology

Students need to take great care with the third chapter, the methodology. This chapter should provide intricate details about the research design, discuss the data collection techniques, and review the sample size that they are using. The kind of analysis that they will be conducting on the collected data should also be discussed. Further, students must also state the potential limitations and ethical issues related to the research methodology that has been adopted. This helps the reader in understanding whether the results are applicable in the real world or not. The research methodology also helps in providing clarity about the relevance of the dissertation. Finally, the chapter must link to the next one, which is the results section.

Chapter 4

Results

The results chapter needs to focus on conducting the data analysis and presenting the key findings of the dissertation. Since this chapter showcases your findings, it must be well-written and convincing to the readers. This chapter also needs to include the various tables and charts that you have created on the basis of your analysis.

Chapter 5

Discussion

The penultimate chapter focuses on discussion and analysis. This chapter compares your results with the findings of other researchers and reviews the validity of your results. It also includes information related to the applicability of your results and whether other researchers can extend your work further.

Chapter 6

Conclusion

The final chapter of your dissertation needs to focus on the conclusion and recommendations. This chapter includes a summary of your key findings and states the future course of action related to the topic.

Masters Dissertation Help