dissertation structure university of leeds

Dissertations and major projects

• Planning your dissertation
• Researching your dissertation
• Managing your data
• Introduction

Managing your time

Structuring your dissertation, keeping going, finishing off and checking through, useful links for dissertations and major projects.

• Study Advice Helping students to achieve study success with guides, video tutorials, seminars and one-to-one advice sessions.
• Maths Support A guide to Maths Support resources which may help if you're finding any mathematical or statistical topic difficult during the transition to University study.
• Academic writing LibGuide Expert guidance on punctuation, grammar, writing style and proof-reading.
• Guide to citing references Includes guidance on why, when and how to use references correctly in your academic writing.
• The Final Chapter An excellent guide from the University of Leeds on all aspects of research projects
• Royal Literary Fund: Writing a Literature Review A guide to writing literature reviews from the Royal Literary Fund
• Academic Phrasebank Use this site for examples of linking phrases and ways to refer to sources.

Writing up your dissertation makes it sound like this is the last big step that you do, but it is a good idea to start writing as you go along, as the writing process will help clarify your thinking. It is also reassuring to have some words down on the page. You may have other coursework due so it is important to protect your dissertation writing time.

The guidance on this page takes you through the whole writing process from managing your time to those crucial mark-gaining final checks.

Plan an overall work schedule

Break down your dissertation into stages and  plan backwards from your deadline  to fit them all in.

• Start with your literature review
• Think about your methodology
• Identify primary sources
• Identify secondary sources, if appropriate
• Write as you go along
• Organise and analyse your material
• Redraft / check / proofread

Do a little bit on a regular basis

• Decide in advance when you're going to work on your dissertation – set aside time each week or have a particular day to work on it
• Give yourself a specific task to do in that time
• Do difficult tasks at the times of day you work best
• Do easy tasks when you're tired / less motivated
• Managing time for your dissertation (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Managing time for your dissertation (transcript) Read along while watching the video tutorial.

It's a good idea to  write an overall plan  outlining what you need to cover in each chapter.

Think of a dissertation like a series of linked essays; each chapter is self-contained and has its own purpose, but they all connect together to contribute to the argument of your dissertation.

The chapters don't have to all be the same length – some can be longer because they are more detailed (like the literature review) and others can be shorter because they are summarising and finalising information (like the conclusion).

• Structuring your dissertation (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Structuring your dissertation (transcript) Read along while watching the video tutorial.

Write up as you go along . It is much easier to keep track of how your ideas develop and writing helps clarify your thinking. It also saves having to churn out 1000s of words at the end.

You don't have to start with the introduction  – start at the chapter that seems the easiest to write – this could be the literature review or methodology, for example. Alternatively you may prefer to write the introduction first, so you can get your ideas straight. Decide what will suit your ways of working best - then do it.

Think of each chapter as an essay in itself  – it should have a clear introduction and conclusion. Use the conclusion to link back to the overall research question.

Think of the main argument of your dissertation as a river , and each chapter is a tributary feeding into this. The individual chapters will contain their own arguments, and go their own way, but they all contribute to the main flow.

Write a chapter, read it and do a redraft - then move on. This stops you from getting bogged down in one chapter.

Write your references properly  and in full from the beginning. Consider using a reference management tool such as EndNote or Mendeley to store the details of the materials you will want to use and to add them to your text.

Keep your word count in mind  – be ruthless and don't write anything that isn't relevant. It's often easier to add information, than have to cut down a long chapter that you've slaved over for hours.

Save your work!  Remember to save your work frequently to somewhere you can access it easily. It's a good idea to at least save a copy to a cloud-based service like Google Docs or Dropbox so that you can access it from any computer - if you only save to your own PC, laptop or tablet, you could lose everything if you lose or break your device.

• Writing up your dissertation (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Writing up your dissertation (transcript) Read along while watching the video tutorial.
• Literature reviews LibGuide Expert guidance on researching and writing your literature review.
• Doing your literature review (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Doing your literature review (transcript) Read along while watching the video tutorial.
• Managing references An overview of different systems for managing your references.

After the initial enthusiasm wears off, it can be hard to keep motivated – it's also natural to feel confused and overwhelmed at points throughout your dissertation; this is all part of sustaining a longer project. Here are some suggestions to keep you going:

Break down large, unappealing tasks  into smaller bearable ones. Molehills are always easier to climb than mountains!

Give yourself rewards  when you've completed tasks - these might range from a cup of coffee, to an exercise session, or a night out.

If you're not in a good thinking mood,  do more straightforward tasks  like compiling the bibliography or doing the title page.

If you're feeling confused about what you're doing,  try writing a short paragraph  summarising what your research is about. This can help you find a focus again.

If you're feeling overwhelmed,  try identifying the one thing that you need to do next ; often this will logically lead to further steps, and you'll be able to get started again.

Talk to friends or your supervisor about what you're doing ; explaining where you are in your project and how it's going can help clarify your thinking.

General principles are:

• Double-space your writing, do not have narrow margins, and print on one side of the page only.
• Use a font that is legible and looks professional (Comic Sans is not appropriate!).
• Check what should be included in cover pages and headers and footers (e.g. page numbers).
• Have a clear Table of Contents to help your reader, and a separate List of Illustrations or tables if appropriate.
• Consider what information should be put in Appendices and check that you have referred to the appropriate appendix in your text.

If you're trying to track down that missing reference for your bibliography, you can always ask your Academic Liaison Librarian  for help finding it.

Undergraduate dissertations are usually 'soft bound'. This means having a soft card cover, with the pages joined together with comb, spiral, or thermal binding. You can get this done at many print shops, often while you wait.

If you choose to get your work hard bound, it can take a few days (more at busy times), so check with the printers / stationers beforehand.

• Finishing your dissertation (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Finishing your dissertation (transcript) Read along while watching the video tutorial.
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• Last Updated: Dec 12, 2023 11:46 AM
• URL: https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/dissertations

The Library : Dissertations

What is a dissertation.

Final year students are required to complete a large piece of work for their degree or professional qualification. For undergraduates this is known as a dissertation, final year project or major independent study. Postgraduates will normally complete a thesis.

These pages will tell you how the Library can support you in writing your dissertation, as well as finding past dissertations.

Support for dissertations and projects

Independent study.

• The Skills for Learning  Dissertations and Literature Reviews webpage explains their structure and content as well as providing guidance on dissertation proposals. There are worksheets and interactive tasks available.
• The Research Skills pages look at the research process, including research design , research ethics and analysing and presenting data .
• The Finding Information and Reading page explains search strategies and techniques and provides worksheets on evaluating search results.
• The Library's Subject Guides have information on finding high quality information in each subject area for use in literature reviews and dissertations.
• The Academic Integrity Tutorial in MyBeckett is a complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism for LBU students: this FAQ explains how to enrol.

 Additional support

•  Skills for Learning support English as an Additional Language for students. One-to-one support with this and other skills like finding information, academic writing, referencing and IT can be booked through our Get Help form .
• The Skills for Learning website has a topic page for each key study skills area. Online workshops are open to all and bookable through MyHub . You can request recordings of previous workshops from [email protected] .
• Study Cafes run regularly for focused, supported study time and drop-ins are also available for quick study skills queries: see MyHub .

Ask us about dissertations - try searching our frequently asked questions

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Leeds Beckett's Quote, Unquote guide provides information on the Harvard referencing system, including how to reference a variety of different formats and media.

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