Writing a dissertation requires that you follow a strict formatting and a small deviation could lead to a rejection of the work and a delay in earning a degree. One of the most important rules to keep in mind as you work on this monstrous assignment is to keep is within the length suggested by your professor. So how long is a dissertation exactly?
The length of a dissertation varies between countries and study levels. On average, the paper is often 100 to 300 pages long. In terms of number of words, the dissertation is 10,000 to 12,000 for undergraduate level, 15,000 to 25,000 for master’s level, and up to 50,000 words for PhD level.
You have to divide the assignment into relevant sections, making sure there’s a proposal, abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and discussion in that consecutive order. You also have to include chapters, main divisions, and subdivisions if you’re working on a longer dissertation.
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How Long Should Each Part of Dissertation Be?
We’ve seen that the length of this paper varies quite significantly depending a number of factors, including level of education, country, and institution. Still, it’s important to know the approximate length of each section of the assignment so you can plan yourself accordingly.
So here we go:
How Long Should a Dissertation Proposal Be?
The proposal for of this paper should have an abstract, and introduction, statement of the problem, research question, literature review, methodology, implications, and timeline. The length is anywhere between 10 and 15 pages.
The proposal should explain why you chose a particular theme or at least what makes the issue you’ve decided to explore so significant.
How Long Should a Dissertation Abstract Be?
An abstract is an important part of a dissertation because it gives a full summary of the research that you’ve done. It informs the reader about your objectives as well as the outcomes of your research.
This section shouldn’t be less than 200 words or more than 300 words.
How Long Should the Introduction Be?
The length of the introduction should be 10% of whole assignment. That means you’ll end up with about 15 pages for this section, which is enough to give the background information about your project as well as the significance of your research.
How Long Should a Dissertation Literature Review Be?
You can learn to write a literature review here.
This is where you review previously existing research findings and it’s a crucial part of the paper because it sets the foundation for the project.
You have to explore extensively, but keep the length between 30 and 40 pages unless instructed otherwise.
How Long Should the Methodology, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion Be?
- Methodology should be between 10 to 15 pages
- The results section should not exceed 10 pages
- The discussion should be at most 40% of the word count
- Your conclusion should be at least 5% and at most 7% of the total word count
How Long Should I Make My Dissertation?
A dissertation can be 100 to 300 pages long depending on the topic, academic level, country, and even the institution. Check your institutional guidelines to understand how long they want you to make each section of the project.
For example, some guidelines may require you make the literature review of your dissertation at least 40 pages and more than 60.
There are at least two reasons why such guidelines are important in dissertation writing. First, a faculty doesn’t want to overburden itself reading many pages for a section that can be short yet comprehensive. Second, professors want to ensure there’s credibility and conciseness in your work.
Some learning institutions even issue dissertation templates with headings that students should in some sections of the assignment. The template format can be incredibly useful in helping you structure your dissertation well.
Committee preferences can also affect the length of a dissertation. The committee will look at your draft and guide you to determine whether you need more or less words for the sections of the dissertation.
The goal here isn’t to frustrate you but to help you demonstrate that you have explored the topic enough to demonstrate an understanding of the issue under investigation.
How Long Does It Take To Write A Dissertation?
How long it takes to write a dissertation varies from person to person, the level of education, and the timeline provided by your professor.
Depending on your availability, involvement, personal speed, and the level of commitment, it should take no more than 18 months to complete the project.
A dissertation project is often the focus of the final year for Bachelor’s, and Master’s level. You can choose to work on it throughout the year alongside other course materials or work on it for the last six months of the year.
For what it’s worth, six months is enough to formulate and brainstorm your idea, do in-depth research, and write the dissertation.
A dissertation for the PhD level will take a longer time to write because the thesis is often the primary focus.
Depending on the institution and the instructions from your professor, you’ll more than likely formulate and work on the dissertation throughout the four year of the program, with the writing phase alone taking up to 18 months to complete.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, the length of a dissertation varies depending on a number of factors, including the institutional guidelines and comments from the review committee.
Credibility, conciseness, and comprehensiveness are important elements to observe when writing each section of the dissertation.
By providing significant view of your topic exploration and broadening proofs based on your topic’s theme, while at the same time recognizing the limitations of your project, you’ll end up with a more comprehensive dissertation to submit for review.
The length of each section may change depending on the ideas that you have to examine. In such a case, it’s best to let your research direct you and help you decide how many paragraphs and the number of words to have.