Guidelines On Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation

Introduction

The thesis is an assessment of the students capability to conduct independent research by following the rules and guidelines of academic requirements. It is prerogative of the student to set a standard in his adopted methodology, its analysis, arguments and alignment of subject to relevant literature by following the ethos of citation. The student needs to develop the research with logically relevant structure along with supporting arguments, which displays his/ her understanding of the subject.

There are certain guidelines that a student needs to follow for writing a dissertation which are listed below:

  • Language

    • The thesis must be in English inclusive of footnotes and should consistently follow single style

  • Sequence of parts

    • The following sequence of parts of dissertation format must be followed:

    • Title page
    • Abstract/ executive summary
    • Acknowledgments
    • Table of contents
    • List of figures, tables etc
    • Use of abbreviation
    • Body
    • Appendices
    • Glossary
    • References
  • Formatting of page and layout:
    • It must be written in A4 paper with Times New Roman font size 12 and double spacing with margin of 1 inch or 2.5cm on all sides. It can be printed single sided or double sided as per instructions
    • Single spacing of tables
    • Quotations separate from text
    • Indenting of paragraph
    • Numbering of pages at the bottom
    • Chapters in new pages
  • Structure to be followed in thesis for the introductory parts:
    • Title page must have full title of thesis, student name, department and university name, statement, guide name, place of submission and year of academic pursuit.
    • Abstract part must be between 100-250 words length and must include
    • statement of problem
    • Methodology used
    • Major findings
    • Acknowledgements: List of people who supported you in acquiring details on the paper dissertation paper.
    • Table of content: Must be represented by chapter headings, section headings and al sub headings along with the appendices and references
    • List of figures, tables and illustrations in fresh page
  • Structure of final parts:
    • Appendices- maps, formulae, diagrams, interview methodology and related data’s m must be presented along with page numbers.
    • Glossary must list out the technical terms used in research
    • Bibliography must list out sources referred for the thesis submission like Books, jour journals and articles in proper referencing style
  • Structure of thesis
  • Introduction and conclusion as first and last chapters
  • Must contain 3-6 chapters
  • Introduction must provide information on the existing research and must state why research on chosen topic is significant along with summary of previous work done on the topic analysed earlier and how it contributes to solve research problem
  • Conclusion must provide solutions to research problem with findings, arguments, and implication/ limitation of research details.
  • Literature review : To refer previous work done on field of research and analysis
  • Coherent information on problem of research
  • Coherent use of linkages in sentences and proper use of transition devices
  • Academic style to be followed without grammatical errors or punctuation errors
  • Appropriate use of sources and intext citations
  • Appropriate paraphrasing and summary by explanation, analysis and purpose of study.
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