dissertation year at uni

Center for Digital Scholarship

University-Wide Requirements for the Ph.D. Dissertation

Dissertations must comply with the specifications set by the Library, by the author's department, and by the University. Departments, divisions, and schools may have requirements in addition to those described in this booklet. Students are responsible for informing themselves of these additional requirements.

The Dissertation Office provides information on the University’s dissertation policies. We help doctoral students understand dissertation formatting and submission requirements, and we assist with the submission process. Students are welcome to contact us with questions.

Contact the Dissertation Office

Web: phd.lib.uchicago.edu Email: [email protected] Phone: 773-702-7404 Visit: Suite 104D, Center for Digital Scholarship, Regenstein Library

Routine Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Actual hours vary to accommodate meetings, workshops, and training. The office is often closed during the interim between quarters.

Dissertation Requirements

Doctoral dissertations are original contributions to scholarship. As a condition for receipt of the doctorate, all students are required to submit their dissertations to Knowledge@UChicago, the University’s open access repository. If a dissertation includes copyrighted material beyond fair use, the author must obtain permission from the holder of the copyright.

The public sharing of original dissertation research is a principle to which the University is deeply committed, and dissertations should be made available to the scholarly community at the University of Chicago and elsewhere in a timely manner. If dissertation authors are concerned that making their research publicly available might endanger research subjects or themselves, jeopardize a pending patent, complicate publication of a revised dissertation, or otherwise be unadvisable, they may, in consultation with faculty in their field (and as appropriate, research collaborators), restrict access to their dissertation for a limited period of time according to the guidelines outlined by the Dissertation Office. If a dissertation author needs to renew an embargo at the end of its term or initiate an embargo after graduation, the author must contact the Dissertation Office with the embargo request. Embargo renewals may be approved only in rare instances, and in general no more than one renewal will be allowed.

All dissertations must follow the formatting and submission requirements stated in the University-Wide Requirements for the Ph.D. Dissertation , available from the Dissertation Office on the first floor of the Joseph Regenstein Library in the Center for Digital Scholarship.

University-Wide Requirements

Academic Policies

Home > Graduate College > Student Work > Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

All UNI graduate programs require a culmination work, such as a dissertation, thesis, or graduate research paper , before awarding a graduate degree. This collection includes theses and dissertations submitted electronically. To view the Award Winners , click here . To view a collection of Dissertations Only , click here . To view a collection of Specialist in Education works, click here . From this page, you can browse our theses and dissertations by academic department or by the year of completion . Some theses and dissertations are not eligible for open access.

Browse Electronic Theses and Dissertations by academic department :

College of Education

• Curriculum and Instruction
• Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies
• Health, Recreation, and Community Services
• Kinesiology
• Special Education

College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences

• Applied Engineering & Technical Management
• Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Communication and Media
• Computer Science
• Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Languages and Literatures
• Mathematics
• Philosophy and World Religions
• School of Music

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

• Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology
• Environmental Science Program
• Science Education Program
• Women's and Gender Studies Program

Browse Electronic Theses and Dissertations by year of completion :

Theses/Dissertations from 2024 2024

A 30-Year Time Series Analysis of the Impact of Climate Change on Corn Yield in Iowa Using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model – 1992 to 2022 , Tesleem Ajisafe Open Access Thesis

The Effect of High-Emotion Simulator Training on Students’ Reaction Time in Response to Infant Stress Cues During a Simulated Bottle Feeding , Claire Michelle Biermann Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

How Rural Identity, Self-Reliance, and Stoicism Relate to Attitudes Toward Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Iowans , Taylor Brown Open Access Thesis

Modeling Phosphorus Loading Dynamics in Milford Creek Watershed: With Comparison to a Consent Decree TMDL , Olivia Calvin Open Access Thesis

Boxes With Curves: The Necessity for School Leaders to Empower and Engage Through Culturally Competent Lenses , Priscilla Culp Open Access Dissertation

Regulating Women’s Bodies is a Joke: Culture Jamming, Perspective by Incongruity, and their Effect on Abortion Rhetoric , Meghan Bailey Cutcher Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The Flute Music of Claude Arrieu: Jean-Pierre Rampal, Radio, and the French Flute School , Breanna Daley Open Access Thesis

An Exploration of the Relationship Between Burnout, Resilience, and Psychological Safety Within the Workplace , Riley Elenz Open Access Thesis

Teacher Use Of Rubrics To Assess Claim, Evidence And Reasonings In The High School Science Classroom , Brianna Finnegan Open Access Thesis

Traumatic Brain Injury and Public Stigma: The Effect of Perceived Responsibility , MacKenzie Grenko Open Access Thesis

Dog-Training Programs for Incarcerated Women , Susan Grover Open Access Thesis

A Process Evaluation of a Program Designed to Expand Access to the Iowa Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) , Justine R. Hoover Open Access Dissertation

Social Media News Consumption by College Students Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model , Colin Horning Open Access Thesis

The Spatial and Temporal Impacts of Land Use and Climate on Avian Abundance in Iowa From 2001 to 2019 , Lucas Kaufmann Open Access Thesis

Haunting Euramerican Memories: Rhetorical Haunting and the Diffuse Memory of the Dakota 38+2 , Noel Keil Open Access Thesis

Retrospective Analysis on the Impact of Increased Set Volume on Back Squat and Bench Press One Repetition Maximums in Freshman NCAA DI FCS American Football Players , Colin T. Klatt Open Access Thesis

Perceived Parental Acceptance and Minority Stress as Predictors of Mental Health Outcomes Among Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Emerging Adults , Kieran R. Luedke Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Urugendo Rwo Kwibuka: A Journey to Remember , Gélase Magnificat Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The Cancellation Station Podcast: The Controversies of Canceling , Quinn Rauchenecker Open Access Thesis

Suspected vs. Diagnosed Mental Illness, Race, and the NGRI Plea , Alexa Roudabush Open Access Thesis

Effects of Q-Collar on Cognitive and Physical Performance During Cycling Time Trial , Zacary Simon Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Predictors of Attitudes Towards Transgender People in India , Rishika Sheetal Singh Open Access Thesis

Indigenous Economic Institutions Building: A Case Study of the Yerv Reindeer Herding Cooperative , Polina Syadeyskaya Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Positioning Paperback Books as Americana: Cultural and Historical Impacts of the Wadle Pocket Book Collection , Jake Volk Open Access Thesis

Leadership Experiences from the Perspective of High Achieving Elementary Educators , Danielle Woods Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Boundary Lines Crossed? Seeking Honor After the Vietnam War Took Their Sons , Hannah Ackerman Open Access Thesis

Othermothering: An Autoethnographic Exploration of the Subconscious and Conscious Ways Black Female Student Affairs Professionals Care for and Support Minority Students at Predominantly White Institutions , Janel Alleyne Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Do We Want Them to Understand Each Other? Perceptions of Political Perspective-Takers , Ian Beatty Open Access Thesis

Characterizing Genetic Diversity and Testing for Fisheries Induced Evolution in Southeastern Kansas Populations of Bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ) , Morganne C. Borsh Open Access Thesis

Anchored to a Community: Middle School Students’ Experience of Belonging in the Classroom: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study , Angela Thera Butler Open Access Dissertation

Stakeholder Impact on Individual Development Within a Transition Worksite Program: A Case Study , Kong Chen Open Access Dissertation

“I Can’t Do This Anymore, But I Have 1000 More Kids to Serve”: A Qualitative Study of Full-Time Residential Summer Camp Staff Burnout , Sarah Cohen Open Access Dissertation

A Graduate Recital in Piano , Christine Compton Open Access Thesis

Monitoring and Modeling Urban Heat Patterns in the State of Iowa, USA Utilizing Mobile Sensors and Geospatial Data , Clemir Abbeg Coproski Open Access Thesis 2024 Award

No Need to Set the Alarm, I’ve Been Up Since 2:30am! Why My Teaching Job Keeps Me Up at Night: A Phenomenological Research Study on Empathic Strain of Iowa Educators , Lindsey Cornwell Open Access Dissertation

Culture of learning: A qualitative case study of teacher leader perceptions on the power of a district's schemata in a distributive leadership model , Sharon Dentlinger Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Mapping for Cultural Resurgence: Reclaiming Geocultural Knowledge of Kamchatka’s Indigenous Peoples from Early Scientific Expeditions , Semyon Drozdetckii Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The Effect of a 5-Week Concurrent Training Program on ACFT Scores, Ruck March Times, and Aerobic Capacity in Army ROTC Cadets , Cody Durbin Open Access Thesis

No Contaban Con Mi Resiliencia: Mental Health of Undocumented/DACAmented Undergraduate Latino Men in the 45 Era , Jesús Lizárraga Estrada Dissertation (UNI Access Only) 2024 Award

Intimate Partner Violence Stigma: The Intersection of Race and Socioeconomic Status , Antoinette Fleming Open Access Thesis

A Graduate Recital in Piano , Heather Gillis Open Access Thesis

Assessing Transfer Student Acclimation and Help-seeking , Dylan Haase Open Access Thesis

Mapping for Impact: Actionable Spatial Literacy through Counter-Mapping , Rachel Hansen Open Access Thesis

Unlocking Possibility: The Influence of the Oulipo Movement on Language, Semantics, and Politics in Modern Literature , Sidney M. Haren Thesis (UNI Access Only)

An Evaluation of Reading Teachers: The Interaction Between Teacher Instructional Practices, Beliefs, Actions, and K-2 Student Reading Achievement , Amy Harger Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Preparing students for life after college: A mixed-methods analysis , Nichole Zumbach Harken Open Access Dissertation

“Fitting in and Doing Well”: Assessing First-Generation College Students’ Motives, Belongingness, and Academic Behaviors , Lacie K. Hines Thesis (UNI Access Only)

An Exploration of Commitment in Walk-on Athletes , Clint Huemann Open Access Thesis

The Development of Sustainable Health and Wellness Habits in Emerging Adults through Courses in Postsecondary Institutions , Allison Lee Hugo Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Disordered Eating, Anxiety, and Perfectionism Among Emerging Adult Men and Women , Karissa Jensen Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Non-Traditional Learning in STEM: How Students Autonomy and the Impact of Teacher Delivery Develops Deeper Conceptual Understanding at the Middle School Level , Sarah Kelly Open Access Dissertation

The Pandemic-Uncanny: Self-Estrangement and Environment in Out There and Bliss Montage , Kersten Khaley Open Access Thesis

Graduate Recital: Lauren Leman, Mezzo-soprano , Lauren Leman Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Can White Nationalist Rhetoric Increase Prejudice Toward Mexican Immigrants? , Nathan Lewey Open Access Thesis

Principals’ Knowledge of Trauma-Informed School Practices , Elsa Leyhe Open Access Thesis

The Relationship Between Mindful Eating, Physical Health, and General Well-Being in the U.S. , Yuan Ling Looi Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A Study of Jacob Druckman’s Reflections on the Nature of Water , Paul Lansky’s Three Moves for Marimba , Emmanuel Séjourné, Concerto pour vibraphone solo et orchestre à cordes , Joseph Tompkins, March , and Kevin Volans, She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket , Ethan Martin Open Access Thesis

From Art to Propaganda: The Shift in the Concept of the “Most Dead” in True Crime Literature , Hannah McConkey Open Access Thesis

The Impact of Imagined Interactions and Mindfulness on Anxiety in Romantic Relationships , Alyssa R. McCoy Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Understanding Student Perceptions of Supplemental Instruction: Student Perceptions of Supplemental Instruction Implemented in Order to Overcome Perceived Skill Deficits , Andrew Miehe Open Access Dissertation

Enhancing Soil Carbon Sequestration through Grassland Restoration of Former Row Crop Fields at Irvine Prairie , Joshua Joel Mixdorf Open Access Thesis

Application of Lortie’s Apprenticeship of Observation Model: Evidence of Iowa Teaching Standards with Amish School Teachers , Jacquelyn R. Burr Moorman Open Access Thesis

Assessment of Conservation Reserve Program Enhancements at Contract Renewal: Impact on Monarch Butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ) Habitat , Tristan L. Murphy Open Access Thesis

The Relationship between Spirituality and Resilience: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion , Tenzin Nyima Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Main Concept Analysis of Picture Description and Procedural Tasks in Patients with Huntington's Disease , Bailey Rustad Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Masters in Tuba Performance Recital Abstract , Daniel Sanchez Open Access Thesis

A Master’s Recital in Wind Band Conducting , Stephen Seaberg Open Access Thesis

Graduate Recital Yuxiao Sun, Piano , Yuxiao Sun Open Access Thesis

Strengths-Based Leadership Traits in Intercollegiate Student-Athletes , Caitlin Thilges Open Access Thesis

Dual identity, self-esteem, and well-being in Tibetan refugees , Tenzin Urgyen Open Access Thesis

Intervening for a Depressed Peer: The Effects of Resilience Empathy, and History of Depression , Brendan Weed Open Access Thesis 2024 Award

The critical role of happiness in education: Resilience, retention, and what happy teachers do differently , Jill Marie Hayes White Open Access Dissertation

OUT in Education: A Qualitative Study Examining the Intersectionality and the Lived OUT Experiences of PreK–12 LGBTQ+ Educators , Landon Wood Open Access Dissertation 2024 Award

The Flow Experience of Adults Age 50 and Older in Recreational Doubles Pickleball , Glynis Worthington Open Access Dissertation

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Quantifying genomic diversity and growth in Iowa bluegill , Jeremy Raymond Abels Open Access Thesis

Feminist qualitative study of victim blaming of sexually assaulted women in India , Alia Afzal Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Media framing of marriage practices in Afghanistan , Hakima Afzaly Open Access Thesis

Changes in the barley stem proteome in response to drought during grain filling , Mohammed Al Slamh Open Access Thesis

Wind conducting recital: A journey through 100 years of wind band repertoire , Foteini Angeli Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The impacts of adolescents' leisure activity types on psychological well-being, academic self-efficacy, self esteem, and stress , Dongyub Back Open Access Dissertation

Psychopathy and emotion regulation: The mediating role of motives and goals , Morning S. Baker Open Access Thesis

You can't live off pride: Welfare and farm aid in the Reagan era , Jeremiah David Brockman Open Access Thesis

Association between habitat and the genetic diversity of the brown-belted bumblebee ( Bombus griseocollis ) in the agricultural landscape across northeast Iowa , Clarissa Elizabeth Bruns Open Access Thesis

Using Internet reciprocal teaching to develop second graders' online text evaluation skills , Annika Buell Open Access Thesis

Mental illness stigma toward Black and White elite male athletes , Nicholas William Clark Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2023 Award

The association between parent and adult child severe mental illness stigma: The effects of gender, relationship quality, and contact , Taylor Joyce Courier Open Access Thesis

Master's flute recital , Breanna Daley Open Access Thesis

MM percussion recital , Tyler Darnall Open Access Thesis

Leading early childhood education in Iowa schools , Alaina T. Daters Open Access Dissertation

Tell me, which realm do I remember? , Danielle Dunagan Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate voice recital: Jovon Eborn, baritone , Jovon Eborn Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital: Colin Evers, piano , Colin Evers Open Access Thesis

Teacher hiring and selection processes in Iowa schools , Michael C. Fisher Open Access Dissertation 2023 Award

"Land of the Silver Birch": Environmental attitudes and place-making in a Northern Minnesota Boy Scout camp, 1960-1975 , John Mark Fretham Open Access Thesis

Not our problem: Ingroup glorification facilitates moral disengagement and exclusion , Matthew Gunderson Open Access Thesis

Use of technology and its impact on higher order thinking in the science classroom , Mauree Angelina Haage Open Access Thesis

The path from paramilitary to politics: Gerry Adams, Sinn Féin, and the Good Friday Agreement: 1986-1998 , Brenann Hamilton Open Access Thesis

Training for challenging behaviors in the school setting , Kenzie Heusinkvelt Open Access Thesis 2023 Award

Educational experiences of first generation Black African students with and without dis/abilities , Shehreen Iqtadar Open Access Dissertation

The medieval ideal: Utopian medievalism in the life, thought, and works of William Morris , Benjamin Michael Kimball Open Access Thesis

Late Romantic art song from various national styles , Aricson Jakob Knoblock Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Preliminary investigation into the effects of hard and soft water on silica green sand properties , Matthew P. Krueger Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Changes in reproductive behavior and birth patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sakartvelo (The Republic Georgia) [რეპროდუქციული ქცევასა და შობადობის ცვლილებები კოვიდ-19 პანდემიის დროს საქართველოში] , Nino Mateshvili Open Access Thesis

Engaging a "coalition of the willing": Instructional coaches' social networking strategies to facilitate teachers' research use , Kimberly S. McCoy-Parker Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

The trouble with floating , Alyssa Minch Thesis (UNI Access Only)

How do we use creative and personal memories for creative communication? , Tyler Robert Montgomery Open Access Thesis

Crisis communication in the wake of the storm: Derecho 2020 , Annette M. Moudry Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

The writing identity of a Hip Hop lyricist and educator: An autoethnography , Lamont Muhammad Open Access Dissertation

Gender performance and political identity at the January 6 Capitol insurrection , Emma Elise Newton Open Access Thesis

Investigating the environment needed to shift instructional practice towards a learner-centered classroom in rural Iowa , Kelli Olson Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Frank Capra's America: The fall of political ambiguity, 1930-1950 , Lydia Lennice Pakala Open Access Thesis

Unstacking the matryoshka nesting doll: A self-study of playful language instruction for adult second language learners , Marine Pepanyan Open Access Dissertation

Master's recital: Kyle Punt , Kyle Punt Open Access Thesis

Doing corpus pragmatics: Variations in speech acts performed in conversations occurring naturally in academic contexts , Jacob Philip Rigal Open Access Thesis

Women Provos: Women in the Provisional IRA and their impact on Irish republicanism and Northern Irish society during the 1970s , Sean Alexander Riley Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Master's recital: Luke Sanders , Matthew Lucas Sanders Open Access Thesis

Sounds of the trumpet , Cody Alan Schnebel Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Lexile levels and their value to public school teachers , Kristin Schumacher Open Access Thesis

Effects of perceived reach on ratings of media bias, quality, and agreement , Matthew Sedlacek Open Access Thesis

The new independents: A historical analysis of webcomics and webtoon , Leonal A. Sepúlveda S. Open Access Thesis

Understanding morphological responses of Typha (cattail) species to nutrient pollution , Anna Marie Shapiro Open Access Thesis

A study of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata in E minor, BWV 914; Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op. 10, No. 3 in D major; Claude Debussy’s Pour le piano L. 95 ; and Frederic Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 , Hanna Stolper Open Access Thesis

3-D printing task scheduling for idle time minimization: An optimization algorithm using Knapsack problem and artificial intelligence , Hamid Tahery Dissertation (Electronic Copy Not Available)

A graduate recital in piano , Molly Thomas Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Grit, sense of belonging, and student involvement: keys to mental health for LGBTQ students in higher education , Emma Welch Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital: Brandon Whitish, baritone , Brandon Mark James Whitish Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Prophet loss , Brooke Marie Wiese Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Ecocriticism in young adult dystopian literature: Revealing a generation's desire to reconnect with nature , Alexus Williams Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Students vs. suspects: A qualitative examination of stereotype threat and the impact on behavior of Black males , Ryan J. Williamson Open Access Dissertation

Fashioning the new arctic: A perspective on indigenous cultural economy in the Russian north , Varvara Korkina Williams Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

A familiarization protocol: Repetitions in reserve , Elvert A. Wise Open Access Thesis

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

How have you experienced being on testosterone? Narrative inquiry into the T-body experience , Noah Andrew Open Access Thesis

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation of the motor cortex on cycling time trial performance and prefrontal cortex activation , Abigail Hope Auten Open Access Thesis

Public perception of adults with ADHD in the United States: Stigma vs. strengths , Peyton S. Barton Open Access Thesis

Jacob Brandenburg master of music recital abstract , Jacob Brandenburg Open Access Thesis

Pasting our past: Cultural memory, family photographs, and ephemeral street art , Isaac Wilson Campbell Open Access Thesis 2023 Award

Quantifying carbon sequestration for riparian-zone restoration in Ecuador , Paula Carvalho de Castro Open Access Thesis

Halo Sport ergonomic effects on older adults' cognitive, balance, and motor performance , Kristina Cavey Open Access Thesis

Master's recital in conducting , Jack Thomas Frank Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Seed mix design, planting time, and first-year mowing management to improve multifunctionality and cost-effectiveness of tallgrass prairie reconstructions , Alec James Glidden Open Access Thesis

Geospatially-intelligent three-dimensional multivariate methods for multiscale dasymetric mapping of urban population: Application and performance in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area , Nikolay Golosov Open Access Thesis

Translation into Spanish, cultural adaption and content validity of the Bristol COPD Knowledge Questionnaire , Vilma Gómez Open Access Thesis

Arthropod fauna of Plains pocket gopher ( Geomys bursarius ) burrow systems , Brett Lyle Gourley Open Access Thesis

The socio-economic health and well-being of immigrants living in the state of Iowa during the COVID-19 pandemic , Samantha Jaquelyn Habinck Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Job satisfaction and burnout among hospice nurses working on interdisciplinary teams: A multimethod study , Hillary Hamilton Open Access Thesis

Hedonic and eudaimonic happiness: Their associations with well-being and the influence of age and culture , Hiroki Hirano Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate voice recital: Alyssa Holley, soprano , Alyssa Holley Open Access Thesis

Recommender systems in higher education: The effectiveness of meta-data analysis in predicting academic success , Michael J. Holmes Open Access Dissertation

Viability of a proposed transparent fluid model for analog metal casting filling process , Andres Segura Irazoqui Open Access Thesis

A comprehensive analysis of injection strategies for improving diesel engine combustion under cold start development , Balkrishna A. Kamble Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Hybridity, border-crossings and the homeland in contemporary literature by women , Rand Omar Khalil Khalil Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Examining individual differences in attitudes toward the insanity defense , Dominique M. Kornely Open Access Thesis

Agrochemicals and rural women's health in the Volta Region of Ghana , Sedomda Kpikpitse Open Access Thesis

Community diversity influences selection on nutrient resorption in Panicum virgatum , Michael J. Lashbrook Open Access Thesis

Activity recognition based on thermopile imaging array sensors , Qingshan Liang Open Access Dissertation

Gio's story , Sermantha Louisy Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Influence of landscape on the population genetics of the rainbow darter ( Etheostoma caeruleum ) in glaciated and unglaciated environments , Jonathan Michael Luiken Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The influences driving decisions by Latinx students to enroll in upper-level high school STEM courses , Erica Malloy Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Musical composition graduate portfolio , Juan Marulanda Open Access Thesis

Master's recital: Max McBride , Max Niles McBride Open Access Thesis

24andmore: Using genome-wide SNPS to investigate the genetic diversity of Iowa walleye ( Sander vitreous ) broodstock , Rachel Ann McDonnell Open Access Thesis

Analyzing perceptions of citizen science as part of an international learning experience , Katelyn Marie Miner Open Access Thesis

Deities and dumbasses , Isaac Nielson Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Identifying ways to support preservice teachers to engage in inquiry work through Project Approach: A self-study , Allison K. Pattee Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital in violin , Maria del Pilar Serrano Pineda Open Access Thesis

The internalization of the model minority myth and its effect on Asian American students' academic stress , Anne E. Raecker Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Understanding the use of crisis communication in Clery Act compliance , Allyson L. Rafanello Open Access Dissertation

Mid-level manager's perspectives of competencies for entry-level campus housing professionals , Nicholas F. Rafanello Dissertation (UNI Access Only) 2022 Award

The systematics of Physaria sensu stricto from Wyoming and surrounding areas , Jason Ratcliff Open Access Thesis

Virus induced gene silencing of Fusarium verticillioides pathogenicity genes in maize , Jennifer M. Redfern Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Quality and quantity of social support in college students with ADHD symptomatology , Chloe J. Reeble Open Access Thesis 2022 Award

Redefining what's manly: Using masculine attributes to describe counseling services for men , Riley Nicholas Rodemaker Open Access Thesis

Associations between insecure attachment style and borderline personality disorder: The role of sleep disruptions , Elijah Schaefer Thesis (UNI Access Only)

How HPA stress response relates to anxiety: Sex differences and estradiol , Carrie Shea Open Access Thesis

Exploring the rhetorical constitution of a safe space for women in Begum Rokeya and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's works , Rifat Rezowana Siddiqui Open Access Thesis

The beef debate: Religion, history, and harmony in India , Shreya Singh Open Access Thesis

Financial literacy on college campuses and its relationship to student retention, completion, and debt , Jaclyn K. Smith Open Access Thesis

Digital conditions of self & social construction: A critical synthesis of our digital ecosystem & the implications for identity, knowledge, & ideology , Alexander Sojka Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Effects of exposure to video games on sexual harassment , Chelsea Renee Washburn Open Access Thesis

Exploring the experiences of one team of teachers: Well-being and navigating the demands of the education profession , Abby Weiland Open Access Dissertation 2023 Award

Graduate voice recital: Athena-Sadé Whiteside, mezzo-soprano , Athena-Sadé Whiteside Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The zones of regulation in schools , Kyle Andrew-Kelly Wiebers Open Access Thesis

Model evidence links (MELs) and the impact of critical thinking on open ended responses , James Gregory Zabel Open Access Dissertation

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Negative halo effects in parent ratings of ADHD and conduct problems , Helena Frances Alacha Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Western media coverage of international news: A content analysis of Associated Press coverage of Africa , Adukwu Samuel Atadoga Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in trombone , Obediah Bauer Open Access Thesis

Trend in male engagement in maternal and newborn health services in Ethiopia , Wubite Bekele Bogale Open Access Thesis

Investigating the production of cores by using reclaimed foundry green sand , Kristopher Lee Boss Open Access Thesis

3D printing technology on spare parts business supply chain management: A case study in appliance industry , Salih Boysan Open Access Dissertation

Impact of positive psychology in PK-12 settings , Daniel Paul Butler Open Access Dissertation 2022 Award

Labor's unsettled vagrancy: The rise and fall of the hobo labor movement, 1865-1929 , Laura Kathryn Carpenter Open Access Thesis

Advertising patriotism: Gender and sacrifice in Ladies' Home Journal , 1942-1945 , Travis John Carrier Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The overground railroad of the Jim Crow era: A rhetorical analysis of the Negro Motorist Green Books , Cecilia Louise Cerja Thesis (UNI Access Only)

On the zeta Kirchhoff index of several graph transformations , Danny Cheuk Open Access Thesis

An elephant is in the lake: How a nice girl navigated growing up amidst murder and madness in suburban Chicago , Mary Chipman Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Through their eyes: Exploring the relationship between college females' body perceptions and recreation center messaging , Sydney Leigh Ann Cindrich Open Access Thesis 2020 Award

Recoverability of large vs small muscle groups , Jacob Alan Clark Open Access Thesis

Efficiency of low-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) access methods , Brittany Davis Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital: Taylor Dengler, soprano , Taylor Anne Dengler Open Access Thesis

Prediction of heat treatment distortion and optimization of manufacturing tolerances for machined components , Akaff Diam Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

The effect of cutting condition selection on tool life in sand milling , Craig Ertl Open Access Thesis

Clinical education learning environments: Difference between actual and preferred clinical experiences of athletic training students , Matthew Edward Frericks Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Grading and equity: Inflation/deflation based on race, gender, socio-economic and disability statuses when homework and employability scores are included , Robert Thomas Griffin Open Access Dissertation 2020 Award

Utilization of machine learning algorithms to support retail chain store location decisions , Petr Grin Open Access Thesis

Richard Walther Darré, National Socialism, and Bauernpolitik , Andrew P. Harnois Open Access Thesis

Self-stigma and disclosure of depression in the workplace , Bailey Rose Holm Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Physiological performance characteristics of Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) , Savanna Storm Hunt Open Access Thesis

Young athletes' perceptions of playing through pain , Aubri Keesee Open Access Thesis

Step twin cities? : Exploring uneven spaces in Waterloo-Cedar Falls business landscapes , Natalia Khortseva Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Prompted reflective thinking and implications for mathematics teacher efficacy in an elementary mathematics methods course , Brooke Krejci Open Access Dissertation

Bleeding cuts, magical spells, sealed hymens: A study of the rite of Tasfih in Algeria , Ahlam Laouar Open Access Thesis

Implementation of a joint power delivering and communication technology for smartphones over the 3.5 mm audio jack , Ziyuan Li Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Indices of metabolic stress following resistance exercise , Steven Alexander Long Open Access Thesis

Productivity and community composition change in prairie biomass feedstocks , Kathleen Loretta Madsen Open Access Thesis

Carbon sequestration and weedy invasion in CRP fields , Destiny Danielle Magee Open Access Thesis

Guardian, a novel , John Ross Mason Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Alaska national parks and indigenous peoples: Collaboration for a protected future , Siobhan McTiernan Open Access Thesis

Hi God: An autoethnography of loneliness in graduate school , Grace Elisabeth Mertz Open Access Thesis

Festivals as a sustainable development tool: Case study of Teriberka, Russia , Maria Monakhova Open Access Thesis

Doctoral psychology students' attitudes toward evidenced-based practice , Jordan Ashley Newburg Open Access Thesis

Levels of cyclin B in THP-1 cells incubated in hibernating and non-hibernating bullfrog plasma, Lithobates catesbeianus , Tharuka D. Pathmaperuma Open Access Thesis

Challenging social systems under the threat of pollution: Replication and extension of Eadeh and Chang (2019) , Dylan J. Pieper Open Access Thesis

"I was a trailblazer": A phenomenological study of the baseball playing experience of girls , AJ Richard Open Access Thesis

Examining African American male mentors relationships with African American boys: Benefits, barriers, recruitment, and retention , Quenton Angelo Richardson Open Access Dissertation

"This is how we play destroy": Deconstruction and the construction of a cyborg future in Poppy's Am I a Girl? , Stevie Eve Sanchez Open Access Thesis

A ground based investigation of snow metamorphism using an energy flux model and hyperspectral imaging across cropland, grassland and barren surface in northeast Iowa , Ayan Sasmal Open Access Thesis

Master's recital: Isaac Schwartz , Isaac Schwartz Open Access Thesis

How quality management has been impacted in the face of COVID-19 , Eldina Siljkovic Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Jenna Skarphol, mezzo-soprano and Dr. Andrea Johnson, piano , Jenna Skarphol Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Evercross , Randi Ann Smith Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Pluralistic ignorance of campus norms , Evan Stilgenbauer Open Access Thesis

Evaluation of the csr1-2 allele from Arabidopsis thaliana CS3102 as an imazapyr herbicide resistance marker for biolistic transformation of the shoot apical meristem , Amanda J. Stump Open Access Thesis

Technology based grammar instruction , Erin Mary Summerhays Open Access Thesis

Stained glass, synthetic web: The simultaneous rise and fall of something person , Seth Thill Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available) 2020 Award

A master's recital in conducting , Meredith Kay Tipping Open Access Thesis

The impact of severe mental health on peers in supporting roles: A look at secondary trauma and college students , Courtney Tripp-Stuck Open Access Thesis

Vietnam: A soldier's story , Ryan Charles Villarreal Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in violin , Bethany Washington Open Access Thesis

An exploration in Ramsey theory , Jake Weber Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Elizabeth Wiley, soprano, and Dr. Korey Barrett, pianist , Elizabeth Wiley Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Effects of a sport nutrition education intervention on nutritional knowledge, dietary behaviors, and self-efficacy in NCAA Division I softball players , Kylie Wilson Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Anna Zetterlund, contralto , Anna Zetterlund Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

A master's recital in flute , Kimberly Ann Abeyta Open Access Thesis

Perception of preservice teachers on the implementation of multicultural education , Winnie Esther Akinyi Open Access Thesis

A study of non-profit leaders' risk-taking propensity and managerial leadership styles , Younis Q. Al Hassan Open Access Dissertation

Impact of social support on Saudi women with type II diabetes living in Saudi Arabia , Fatimah Al-Khidhr Open Access Thesis

Exploring the knowledge and behavior needed to prevent osteoporosis among Saudi women , Zahra Al Khidhr Open Access Thesis

Women's occupational health and safety in the informal economy: Maternal market traders in Accra, Ghana , Joyceline Amoako Open Access Thesis

Early childhood professional learning facilitators: A self-study within a new delivery model , Allison Jane Barness Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

An investigation of pre-service teacher and faculty knowledge on RTI , Nichole M. Beckman Open Access Thesis

Increasing student perceptions of success and inclusion through strategic programming of underrepresented composers , Joyce J. Beyer Open Access Thesis

Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of physical education teachers in Saudi Arabia about drug prevention education: Potential for health education , Fahad Bin Radhyan Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Pre-service teacher knowledge and attitudes about the trans body in the classroom: Implications for teacher education , Kyrie Dora Borsay Dissertation (Electronic Copy Not Available)

An investigation into the prediction of double-skin penetration within chromite molds and cores in heavy section steel casting using process simulation software , Nathaniel Bryant Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in composition , Adam Walter Carlsen Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Seeing the forest for the trees: Elementary STEM environments that nurture creativity and innovation , Lisa Jo Chizek Open Access Dissertation

Constraints to African American college women's leisure-time physical activity and use of campus recreation services and facilities: A retrospective ethnographic exploration of experiences , Domino Ebony Chumrley-Birch Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

A study to explore linkages between reports of institutional racial oppression, internalized racial oppression, and self-efficacy in African American youth in predominately white colleges and universities (PWIS) , Belinda Creighton-Smith Dissertation (UNI Access Only) 2020 Award

The effect of cold stratification and perigynia removal on the germination of three prairie carex species , Christina M. Boeck Crew Open Access Thesis

Post-trip blues: Full time college students' emotional and motivational post-trip transition from adventure break trips , Nichole Crockford Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in flute , Tamara Kathleen Drury Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The relationship of walkability, social capital and the built environment in a Blue Zones® demonstration site community , Thomas Manford Flack Open Access Dissertation

Are the deaf stigmatized? , Christina M. Fortuna Thesis (UNI Access Only)

ADHD symptoms and non-suicidal self-injury in the college transition , Anna Marie Garner Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Analysis of a paleoglacier reconstruction model for valley glaciers of the Wind River Range, Wyoming , Taylor Rae Garton Open Access Thesis

Morphological and morphometric analysis of Nekemias arborea and Ampelopsis aconitifolia (Vitaceae) , Sally Rose Gray Open Access Thesis

"Half-breeds," squatters, land speculators, and settler colonialism in the Des Moines-Mississippi confluence , Matthew Hill Open Access Thesis

Understanding ESL undergraduate students' beliefs about learner-centered instruction , Mahjabeen Hussain Open Access Dissertation 2020 Award

An investigation of machine learning for classification of vehicle engine issue reports , Almir Ibragimov Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Cultural practices and the transmission of Ebola in Sierra Leone: Lessons learned from a medical anthropology perspective , Abubakarr Jalloh Open Access Dissertation

Outcomes of an intensive exercise-based swallowing program for persons with Parkinson's disease: A single-case experiment , Jocelyn Jenks Open Access Thesis 2019 Award

Student-teacher relationships: How to find a common ground in relationship building , Jason Knittel Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Writing workshop and creativity despite standardization: An exploration of elementary teachers' practices , Darcie Kay Kress Open Access Dissertation

"Something beyond ordinary love": (Re)covering the extraordinary in Compton Mackenzie's Extraordinary Women , Hannah Lane Thesis (UNI Access Only)

An investigation of solar panel thermal images collected from an unmanned aerial vehicle , Ginger Ivy Jo L'Heureux Open Access Thesis

Master's recital in jazz pedagogy: A performance-demonstration of rhythm section instruments, trumpet, electric wind instrument, synthesizer, compositions, and arrangements by DeMetrio Lyle , DeMetrio Lyle Open Access Thesis

Empowering children's social ecology: Reenvisioning postconflict reconstruction and education in rural Liberia , Kristen N. McNutt Open Access Thesis

Therapist self-doubt when facing severe psychopathology in adolescent males , Zachary Mark Meehan Open Access Thesis 2019 Award

Beyond "Born This Way": Reconsidering trans narratives , Ashley Elizabeth Meyers Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in clarinet , Sayyod Mirzomurodov Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in trombone , Thomas Mortenson Open Access Thesis

The price of progress: American agricultural innovations in relation to economic and social change, 1920-1989 , Zachary Cass Moye Open Access Thesis

Separability of maize varieties using an unmanned aircraft and hyperspectral sensor in Iowa , Daniel Murphy Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Analysis of a boat alignment device and method , Troy Allen Myers Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Tangled twilight. Destiny, horror, and transformation in nature: American culture of progress during the Vietnam War 1965-1975 , Alexander Newkirk Open Access Thesis

Impact of parent mentoring and participation in FIRST robotics on middle and high school age female perceptions of engineering careers , Kirsten Olson Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in flute , Shiqun Ou Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Trainers' perspectives of teacher professional development , Harun Parpucu Open Access Dissertation

Analysis of a fragmented mitochondrial genome in a chewing louse, Geomydoecus aurei , Alexandra Cleone Place Open Access Thesis

Investigation of the changes of preservice teachers' efficacy beliefs in teaching students with special needs , Pujaningsih Pujaningsih Open Access Dissertation

From meme to memegraph: The curious case of Pepe the Frog and white nationalism , Fernando Ismael Quinones Valdivia Open Access Thesis

High-resolution satellite imagery analysis of coastal tundra vegetation disturbances caused by all-terrain vehicles (ATVs): A case study in Teriberka, Russia , Md Atiqur Rahman Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A master of music recital in clarinet , Lucas Randall Open Access Thesis

The impact of sexual assault on sexual risk-taking , Melanie Alison Reyes Open Access Thesis

The erosion of democracy: Gerrymandering in the United States , Matthew P. Ruiz Open Access Thesis

Aut is love , Nathan Selove Open Access Thesis

Identifying and overcoming barriers to college student success , Crystal Sivia Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Preschool teachers' beliefs and actions concerning creativity in the classroom , Latisha Lynn Smith Open Access Dissertation

Graduate recital in oboe , David Thompson Open Access Thesis

The legality of aerial bombing during World War II in Europe , Robert I. Umsted Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital in viola , Gabriel Mateo Forero Villamizar Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in composition , Denzel Washington Open Access Thesis

Influence of external and internal factors on financial advisors' guidance of clients in the area of charitable giving , Angela J. Gorsuch Widner Open Access Dissertation 2019 Award

Evaluating livelihood vulnerability of farming communities to winter storms in Iowa , Yiyi Zhang Open Access Thesis 2020 Award

Motivation to call police: The exploration of racial and risk averse motivation , Alivia Lauren Zubrod Open Access Thesis

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Graduate recital in piano , Mariya Akhadjanova Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The girl who lost her shadow: A collection of short fiction , Paola Alfano Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Voltage regulation of unbalanced distribution network with distributed generators through genetic algorithm , Islam Ali Open Access Dissertation

Instructors' attitudes and perceptions toward critical thinking: A case study of interior design instructors in Saudi Arabia , Afnan Al Ramis Open Access Thesis

The effectiveness of a "patient discharge information" booklet in patient education programs in Saudi Arabia , Amani Mohammed Al Rebeh Open Access Dissertation

Exploring the academic, social, and cultural experiences of English language learners from Saudi Arabia at a Midwest university in the U.S. , Sukainah A. Al Subia Open Access Dissertation

Affective risk perception in automotive environments , Dane Atkins Open Access Thesis

The effects of mycorrhizal inoculant and micronutrients on early plant establshment during a tallgrass prairie reconstruction , Christopher L. Barber Open Access Thesis

Analyzing how we think about gender: Reevaluating the categories of transgender and cisgender in society , Anna M. Blaho Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Effects of a neuromuscular facilitation intervention on an excessive q-angle , Steven Blair Thesis (UNI Access Only)

STEAM Programming (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Applications for Camp Adventure Child and Youth Services , Shannon Boseneiler Open Access Thesis

Does performance on an attention test predict executive function test scores in young and older adults? , Aaron Joseph Brummel Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Graduate recital in violin , Naima Burrs Open Access Thesis

The effects of teacher-focused science content courses on preservice elementary teachers' outcome expectancy , Mark Robert Busch Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Blood coagulation properties in hibernating and non-hibernating American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) , Stephen Cain Open Access Thesis

Longitudinal monitoring of various indicators of performance throughout a season for a NCAA Division I women's volleyball team , Mathieu Castello Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Faculty to faculty incivility in Iowa nursing education programs , Candace Chihak Open Access Dissertation

Barriers to seeking psychological help among Iowa's registered sex offenders , Sage Comstock Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A study of high school dropout rates in a Midwestern community , Shinita Irene Crawley Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

"Among the unspeakable foundations": Melville's use of the book of Job in Moby-Dick , Andrew S. De Luca Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

3D printed relief valve analysis and validation , John Anthony Dutcher III Open Access Thesis

Student engagement in higher education: Measuring the differences in community engagement , Stanley S. Ebede Open Access Dissertation 2019 Award

Serious leisure as a catalyst to community development as defined by community engagement , Marie Elomba Adebiyi Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Mindset theory among education professors in a Midwestern private college , David D. Fox Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Graduate voice recital: Megan Grey, mezzo soprano & Dr. Korey Barrett, piano , Megan Grey Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The moral motivations of negative attitudes toward transgender people , Hailey Annette Hatch Open Access Thesis 2019 Award

Resilience in undergraduate students: The relation between personality, social support, and cortisol levels , Elisheva Joy Havlik Open Access Thesis

Pedagogical contraband: A phenomenological approach to understanding student engagement during simulations , Stephen Austin Henderson Open Access Dissertation

Banging spinning hallelujahs , Moriah Henkelman Thesis (UNI Access Only)

It starts with "F": A collection of short stories , Arielle Irvine Open Access Thesis

Spatial disparities and socio-economic conditions : A food desert analysis of greater Des Moines, Iowa , David Jensen Open Access Thesis

Perceptions of wellbeing and happiness: Exploring and examining perspectives of college youth , Theodora Jn-Baptiste Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Women in STEM: does role congruence affect major choice and retention? , Alba Karuni Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Waiting for the mail: A collection of short stories , James Matthew Keane Open Access Thesis

The effects of book club participation on reading comprehension in children with disabilities , Elizabeth Ann Kosmicki Open Access Thesis

Student variables and teacher perceptions: Examining the decline of reading proficiency at sixth grade , Jo Ellen Latham Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

They that go down to the sea in ships: Richard Henry Dana, Jr.'s Two Years Before the Mast and the Sublime , Laurie Anne Lee Open Access Thesis

Leia Lensing, graduate voice recital , Leia Mae Lensing Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Master's recital in jazz pedagogy: A performance-demonstration of rhythm section instruments, compositions and arrangements by Nicholas Leo , Nicholas Leo Open Access Thesis

The moth-eaters & other stories , Adrianne Lea Lloyd Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2019 Award

From Bosnia to Waterloo, Iowa: Bosnian refugee and immigrant experiences, 1996-2017 , Zijad Mahmutovic Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Adult- and peer-created motivational climates in sport and injury rehabilitation , Rachel Majewski Open Access Dissertation

Perceived causes and methods of examination malpractice in the Malawian education system: A case study of secondary schools in South East Education Division (SEED) , Fiddelis Blessings Makaula Open Access Dissertation

In the hollow of a tree , Lisa A. McClurg Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Turnaround leadership: A case study of principal leadership practices in a persistently low-achieving school during the turnaround process , Stephanie N. Mohorne Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Examining the relationship between social ties and perceived effect of stress on health among employees , Demi Marie Monaghan Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The effects of massage therapy on delayed onset muscle soreness , Carli Mueller Open Access Thesis

Exploring the experiences of adolescent students attending a virtual school , Allan G. Nelson Open Access Dissertation 2019 Award

Live thy neighbor , Milica Njezic Open Access Thesis

Landscape and climate drivers of harmful algal blooms in Iowa , Aaron Padilla Open Access Thesis

Master's recital: Chase Pebworth, tuba , Chase Pebworth Open Access Thesis

Christopher Phalen, graduate conducting recital abstract , Christopher Richard Phalen Open Access Thesis

Integration of refugees from Burma in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in Iowa , Christopher J. Pierce Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Gender differences in perceived stigma among sexual minorities and their related health practices , Sara Kay Richardson Open Access Thesis

Affects and absences: Public memory at the Oklahoma City National Memorial , Jeremy Roberts Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Teachers' pedagogical practices, shift, and professional growth in online courses , Maryam Rod Szabo Open Access Dissertation

The effects of nutrient resorption, photosynthetic rate, and leaf longevity on the success of Typha × glauca , Clarissa Marie Ruiz Open Access Thesis 2019 Award

An exploration of teacher dispositions: Expectation of potential , Kathleen Louise Saleh Open Access Dissertation

Mental health literacy: The knowledge of mental health literacy and help-seeking attitudes among NCAA Division I student-athletes and non-athletes , Danielle E. Schuck Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in voice , Emily Secor Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The Food Babe fearmonger: transcending spheres of argument through the dual use of personal and pseudo-technical expertise , Abigail Shew Open Access Thesis

Study of low dose nitrite stress on human mononuclear cells: An in-vitro case-control study on osteoarthritis , Junu Shrestha Open Access Dissertation 2019 Award

An investigation of early childhood outdoor play areas and social and emotional play , Brandy A. Smith Open Access Dissertation

Reconstructing the phylogeny and characterizing the patterns of molecular evolution of the tetraploid freshwater suckers (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) , Zachary Evan Sperstad Open Access Thesis 2019 Award

Factors affecting performance on a screening tool in persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , Jordan Deanna Stierwalt Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Analysis of the relationship between religion and forgiveness , Desislava S. Stoycheva Open Access Dissertation

Spatiotemporal assessment of condition, seasonal trends, and determinants of agriculturally derived nutrients in the upper Cedar River watershed, Iowa , Sushil Tuladhar Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A master's recital in conducting , Logan Scott Vander Wiel Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in voice , Lara Elizabeth Wasserman Open Access Thesis

Post-swallow residue in relation to lingual pressure generation in persons with Parkinson's disease , Ross Westemeyer Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)

Conservation genetics and habitat associations of Rhinichthys cataractae , a fish of conservation need in Iowa , Anna Constance Wieman Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Analysis of ambient particulate concentration near a coal storage pile , Jennifer Wittenburg Open Access Thesis

Sand distribution effect on three dimensional printed sand properties , Kip Woods Open Access Thesis

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Examining early childhood special education teachers' practices for supporting children's social emotional competence , Suad Mohammed Abuzaid Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Ecocritical post-colonial studies on humans, land, and animals , Alia Afzal Open Access Thesis

Intergroup contact theory and global perspective in students who study abroad , Salomi Aladia Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Examining the supportive employment practices used by Project SEARCH: A descriptive study , Saeed A. Almalki Open Access Dissertation

Current practices of co-teaching in an elementary inclusive school: Moving toward effective co-teaching relationship , Mona Nassir Al Nassir Open Access Dissertation

Examining the quality of special education pre-service teachers' co-planning and co-teaching , Ohoud M. Arrushaid Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Analyzing Rana Plaza crisis discourse from a postcolonial perspective: Implications for identity and crisis communication studies , Mir Ashfaquzzaman Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital , Kelly Behling Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Valproic acid: A neural outgrowth model for the autism spectrum disorder , Hannah M. Bergan Open Access Thesis

A "Little House on the Prairie" education: Creating a Wilder identity , Victoria Anez Bertelsen Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Viride: An Iowa gothic , Rachel Iolene Bing Thesis (UNI Access Only)

An experimental study of non-metallic inclusions precipitation and its effect on impact toughness variations in low alloy steel subjected to complex deoxidation , Pavel Bizyukov Open Access Dissertation

Saving local communities using scrip money to fight the Great Depression in north central Iowa , Bryan Carl Bjorklund Open Access Thesis

The impact of peer coaching on peer relationships and the distribution of knowledge in pre-service teachers , Kelsey J. Bowers Open Access Thesis

Differential gene expression analysis of metolachlor treated human liver cells by microarray , Navinder Paul Kaur Brar Open Access Thesis

An instrumental case study of understanding familial communication in families with hearing parents and deaf children , Polly Brekke Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

For two or two hundred: A workbook for making a difference , C. A. Brimmer Open Access Thesis

Aquatic managers of northeast Iowa : a description of current practices of staff training and implementation detailing competencies, frequency, and evaluation , Tracy N. Carey Open Access Thesis

Food insecurity and the elder male: exploring the gap from needing food to the utilization of assistance programs , Gale Carlson Open Access Dissertation

A master's recital in horn , Casey M. Chlapek Open Access Thesis

Living and teaching for social justice: teacher educators' stories and experiences , Courtney Kay Clausen Open Access Dissertation

Wearable and other stories , Jennifer Corrigan Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Intergenerational conversation: Authentic learning through critical reflection of a community engagement learning experience , Amy Davison Open Access Dissertation

Students' perceptions of the impacts of dual enrollment programs on later college experiences , Caralee K. Doak Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Protests, pageants, and publications: Narratives of labor agitators, 1913-1914 , Jayme Edmund Open Access Thesis

The power of team in IEP meetings , Caroline Elser Open Access Dissertation

The civic and political engagement of Latinos in Omaha, Nebraska , Christian Israel Espinosa Torres Open Access Thesis

Association of various concentrations of cat's claw herb (Uncaria tomentosa) on lymphocyte proliferation and nitric oxide expression: An in-vitro study of osteoarthritis , Noha Fadlalddin Open Access Dissertation

Lead content of lip balms: A cross sectional convenience sample with exposure assessment estimating an average daily intake for young children , Julie Grunklee Open Access Thesis

Spatial competition in airport markets: An application of the Huff model , Joel Heilman Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in violin , Hannah Rae Howland Open Access Thesis

Head above water weighing: A valid method to measure body fat storage? , Molly Lin Hussey Open Access Thesis

Improving learning center usage verification processes using Six Sigma , Latricia C. Hylton Open Access Dissertation

A graduate recital in piano , Elisabed Imerlishvili Open Access Thesis

A multiscale assessment of wind energy resources and suitability in the Russian Arctic , Narmina Iusubova Open Access Thesis

The programmatic manipulation of planar diagram codes to find an upper bound on the bridge index of prime knots , Genevieve R. Johnson Open Access Thesis

Breaking out the monster in Lara Croft , Ashley Patricia Jones Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Smartphone based ubiquitous sensing platform leveraging audio jack for power and communication , Ranjana Joshi Open Access Dissertation

An analysis of youth participation in athletics , Jonathan Wayne Klein Open Access Thesis

Using blended learning to improve undergraduate introduction to literature courses: A mixed methods approach , Julie Leigh Klein Open Access Dissertation

Multiplex relationships and the impact on rural science education , Peter Nicholas Knutson Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Certified nonprofit professionals early career decisions and college student loan debt , Kristina Elizabeth-Ann Kofoot Open Access Thesis

Master's recital in jazz pedagogy: A demonstration of proficiency on rhythm section instruments and saxophone performance by Sean Koga , Sean Koga Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Comparison of forward lean during Bulgarian split squat at high and low box heights , Craig Konrardy Open Access Thesis

Exploring relational self-efficacy: The influences of shyness and attachment , Jake Daniel Kuklinski Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A graduate recital in piano , Jennifer Regina LeGarde Open Access Thesis

Leishmania infantum infection at the cellular and organismal levels : foamy macrophages and sex-dependent responses , Ryan David Lockard Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2018 Award

Iowa schoolmarms: The significance of rural schools and the feminization movement, 1865-1920 , Ashley Nicole Loper Open Access Thesis

A graduate recital in piano , Yizhou Luo Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Identifying meaningful patient health outcomes among the athletic population , Tricia Lyn Majewski-Schrage Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Afro culture and performance within the bar space , Jessany Maldonado Open Access Thesis

Gender differences in cognitive dissonance reduction strategies for partner's physical attractiveness , Lijing Ma Open Access Thesis

Obsessive-compulsive disorder stigma: Accurate and inaccurate portrayals in electronic media , Camille Mirabelle Marie Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2018 Award

Graduate voice recital abstract , MaKayla McDonald Open Access Thesis

The influence of child safety warning signs on vehicle speeds , Luke Alan Miller Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A master of music recital in bassoon , Annalea Milligan Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Estimating energy fluxes and evapotranspiration of corn and soybean with an unmanned aircraft system in Ames, Iowa , Áthila Gevaerd Montibeller Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Kelly Noltner, soprano & James Jenkins, piano , Kelly Noltner Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Seth Nordin in recital , Matthew Seth Nordin Open Access Thesis

Perceptions of transgender populations: An educational module to increase knowledge and reduce negative attitudes , Dacia Kay Oberhelman Open Access Thesis

Factors influencing wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) home range size in Iowa: A comparison between suburban and rural populations , Joshua Gregory Otten Open Access Thesis

The effects of metolachlor exposure on the THP-1 alveolar monocyte and macrophage function , Jared S. Parmater Open Access Thesis

Gender differences associated with combat-related and military sexual assault-related post-traumatic stress disorder , Marjorie Perkins Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A master's recital in conducting , Lucas Harry Petersen Open Access Thesis

Sick of deviants: How the behavioral immune system may impact responses to violated norms , Neal G. Pollock Open Access Thesis

Effects of lumbopelvic stabilization program in young, non-elite, community-based gymnasts , Miranda Katherine Pomije Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Blair Remmers, Tenor & James Jenkins, Piano , Blair Remmers Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Anti-proliferative effect of hibernating American bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus, blood plasma on the THP-1 cells , Sean L. Robbins Open Access Thesis

A survey of butterfly diagrams for knots and links , Mark Ronnenberg Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in viola , Andrea Carolina Del Pilar Sánchez Ruiz Thesis (UNI Access Only)

The impact of content knowledge, specialized content knowledge, peer analysis and self-analysis on pre-service physical education teachers' error detection abilities , Debra S. Sazama Open Access Dissertation

Properties of left-separated spaces and their unions , Eric Scheidecker Open Access Thesis

Impact of teacher scientist partnerships on high school students' perceptions of science , Kevin John Schneider Open Access Thesis

Is Iowa making the grade?: An assessment of K-12 health education programs in public schools , Jamie L. R. Sebring Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Inside Queen Victoria's household: The ladies of the royal nursery and schoolroom, 1839-1889 , Kayla Jo Seppelt Thesis (UNI Access Only)

JFK: A body of evidence - 1955-1965 , Vicki J. Simpson Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital in voice , Noelle Smith Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Proof of concept and feasibility assessment of manufacturing a portable bio-char reactor , Saeed Zaher Soleimani Thesis (UNI Access Only)

A case study analyzing the traits, programs, actions, and beliefs necessary to overcome the correlative relationship between high free and reduced lunch rates and low standardized test scores , John Speer Open Access Dissertation

Student affairs approaches to religion and spirituality in U.S. public higher education , Kayla J. Stafford Open Access Thesis

Anthropocentrism, the other face of patriarchy: an investigation into patriarchal attitudes and perceptions of non-human nature , Alexis St. Claire Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in voice , Haley L. Steele Open Access Thesis

Career development and trajectories: Women in senior-level management positions in nonprofit organizations and government agencies , Jennifer Diane Stevens Open Access Thesis

Graduate voice recital: Rachel Storlie, soprano & Robin Guy, piano , Rachel Storlie Open Access Thesis

Master's recital in jazz pedagogy: A demonstration of proficiency on rhythm section instruments, compositions, and arrangements by Sam Stranz , Sam Stranz Open Access Thesis

Psychoeducational module to promote knowledge and reduce stigma towards recreational marijuana users , Stephanie J. Strong Open Access Thesis 2018 Award

Graduate recital in viola , Isaak Walter Sund Open Access Thesis

An investigation of the assessment practices of elementary general music teachers in Iowa , Michelle Linn Hyde Swanson Open Access Thesis

The effects of Adlerian play therapy on adopted children's externalizing behaviors: A single case design , Sunnycho S. Teeling Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Outcomes, perceptions, and experiences in one CPED-aligned educational doctorate (EdD) program , Jolene Kay Farley Teske Open Access Dissertation

A qualitative comparison of general chemistry and advanced placement chemistry students' misconceptions regarding solution chemistry , Megan J. Vandersee Open Access Thesis

A master's recital in flute , Azeem Zakiyy Ward Open Access Thesis

Local health departments in Iowa: Are they keeping up with the shift from communicable to chronic disease? , Jeremy M. Whitaker Open Access Dissertation

Code of conduct , Kathryn Keene Wohlpart Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Constructing identities in the West Branch landscape: Herbert Hoover's life and legacy as a common man, 1935-1992 , Ryan Lucas Wurtz Open Access Thesis

The new North: Patents and knowledge economy analysis in Alaska , Salma Zbeed Open Access Thesis

Graduate recital in saxophone , Cehuai Zhang Open Access Thesis

A graduate's recital in piano , Huajun Zhang Open Access Thesis

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Preservice special education teachers' perceptions of their knowledge and skills of augmentative and alternative communication , Rashed A. Aldabas Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Using Contents and Containers to investigate problem solving strategies among toddlers , Zaid Alkouri Open Access Dissertation

Saudi Arabian mothers of children with sickle cell disease as givers of social support , Fatimah Sameer Alrubh Open Access Thesis

Repetitive saliva and water swallowing frequency counts in healthy young adults , Joanna Baranska Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Using one-to-one computing for differentiated instruction in Iowa: An investigation of the impact of teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning , Jodi A. Bermel Open Access Dissertation

Jordan Boehm in recital , Jordan Boehm Open Access Thesis

The effects of blended learning on critical thinking in a high school Earth Science class , Renee Nicole Borglum Open Access Thesis

Comparison of three base stealing techniques in Division I collegiate baseball players , Sean Boss Open Access Thesis

Differences in landing impulses between the traditional and swing blocking style in volleyball , Jana Geertruida Braakhuis Open Access Thesis

Evaluating the ability of a synthetic model knee to mimic varying degrees of anterior cruciate ligament integrity , Megan P. Brady Dissertation (UNI Access Only)

Visualizing belonging : Deliberation and identification in the Vestavia Hills mascot controversy , Scott Neil Bredman Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2017 Award

Graduate recital in voice , Melissa Kay Brown Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Momentum: Stories , Cody Michael Chesmore Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Graduate recital in conducting , John Chiles Open Access Thesis

The effect of participating on service trips on community engagement and student development , Kristofer M. Czerwiec Open Access Thesis

The cultural and rhetorical elements of American picaresque , Cory James Dahlstrom Open Access Thesis

Female athletes' perceptions towards alcohol and performance: a psychological approach , Stephanie Dalmacio Open Access Thesis

Dying to live forever Sophia Harris journal 1860 to 1861 , Shirley Ilene Davis Open Access Thesis

Music as a means of connecting, understanding, and being understood , Michael Chase Dickerson Open Access Thesis

The effect of ice bag application on musculoskeletal pain during application , Daniel John Drees Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Three men in the wilderness: Ideas and concepts of nature during the Progressive Era with Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot and John Muir , Jeffrey A. Duke Open Access Thesis

Adolescents' self-disclosure and risk-taking online , Rachel Ellingson Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Examining aided input intervention in a classroom setting for children labeled with significant disabilities , Jennifer L. Flores Open Access Dissertation

A master's recital in clarinet , Stacia Kay Fortune Open Access Thesis

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Collections
• Disciplines

Author Corner

• Graduate College
• Research and Sponsored Programs
• Rod Library
• University Archives
• Offensive Materials Statement
• UNI ScholarWorks ISSN 2578-3637

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement | Contact Us

Privacy Copyright

University of Northern Iowa Rod Library 1227 W. 27th Street Cedar Falls, IA 50614-3675 www.library.uni.edu

• Subject Guides

Academic writing: a practical guide

Dissertations.

• Academic writing
• The writing process
• Academic writing style
• Structure & cohesion
• Criticality in academic writing
• Working with evidence
• Referencing
• Assessment & feedback
• Reflective writing
• Examination writing
• Academic posters
• Feedback on Structure and Organisation
• Feedback on Argument, Analysis, and Critical Thinking
• Feedback on Writing Style and Clarity
• Feedback on Referencing and Research
• Feedback on Presentation and Proofreading

Dissertations are a part of many degree programmes, completed in the final year of undergraduate studies or the final months of a taught masters-level degree. 

Introduction to dissertations

What is a dissertation.

A dissertation is usually a long-term project to produce a long-form piece of writing; think of it a little like an extended, structured assignment. In some subjects (typically the sciences), it might be called a project instead.

Work on an undergraduate dissertation is often spread out over the final year. For a masters dissertation, you'll start thinking about it early in your course and work on it throughout the year.

You might carry out your own original research, or base your dissertation on existing research literature or data sources - there are many possibilities.

What's different about a dissertation?

The main thing that sets a dissertation apart from your previous work is that it's an almost entirely independent project. You'll have some support from a supervisor, but you will spend a lot more time working on your own.

You'll also be working on your own topic that's different to your coursemate; you'll all produce a dissertation, but on different topics and, potentially, in very different ways.

Dissertations are also longer than a regular assignment, both in word count and the time that they take to complete. You'll usually have  most of an academic year to work on one, and be required to produce thousands of words; that might seem like a lot, but both time and word count will disappear very quickly once you get started! 

Find out more:

Key dissertation tools

Digital tools.

There are lots of tools, software and apps that can help you get through the dissertation process. Before you start, make sure you collect the key tools ready to:

• use your time efficiently
• organise yourself and your materials
• manage your writing
• be less stressed

Here's an overview of some useful tools:

Digital tools for your dissertation [Google Slides]

Setting up your document

Formatting and how you set up your document is also very important for a long piece of work like a dissertation, research project or thesis. Find tips and advice on our text processing guide:

University of York past Undergraduate and Masters dissertations

If you are a University of York student, you can access a selection of digitised undergraduate dissertations for certain subjects:

• History  
• History of Art  
• Social Policy and Social Work  

The Library also has digitised Masters dissertations for the following subjects:

• Archaeology
• Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies  
• Centre for Medieval Studies  
• Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies  
• Centre for Women's Studies  
• English and Related Literature
• Health Sciences
• History of Art
• Hull York Medical School
• Language and Linguistic Science
• School for Business and Society
• School of Social and Political Sciences ​​​​​​​

Dissertation top tips

Many dissertations are structured into four key sections:

• introduction & literature review

There are many different types of dissertation, which don't all use this structure, so make sure you check your dissertation guidance. However, elements of these sections are common in all dissertation types.

Dissertations that are an extended literature review do not involve data collection, thus do not have a methods or result section. Instead they have chapters that explore concepts/theories and result in a conclusion section. Check your dissertation module handbook and all information given to see what your dissertation involves. 

Introduction & literature review

The Introduction and Literature Review give the context for your dissertation:

• What topic did you investigate?
• What do we already know about this topic?
• What are your research questions and hypotheses?

Sometimes these are two separate sections, and sometimes the Literature Review is integrated into the Introduction. Check your guidelines to find out what you need to do.

Literature Review Top Tips [YouTube]  |  Literature Review Top Tips transcript [Google Doc]

The Method section tells the reader what you did  and why.

• Include enough detail so that someone else could replicate your study.
• Visual elements can help present your method clearly. For example, summarise participant demographic data in a table or visualise the procedure in a diagram. 
• Show critical analysis by justifying your choices. For example, why is your test/questionnaire/equipment appropriate for this study?
• If your study requires ethical approval, include these details in this section.

Methodology Top Tips [YouTube]  |  Methodology Top Tips transcript [Google Doc]

More resources to help you plan and write the methodology:

The Results tells us what you found out . 

It's an objective presentation of your research findings. Don’t explain the results in detail here - you’ll do that in the discussion section.

Results Top Tips [YouTube]  |  Results Top Tips transcript [Google Doc]

The Discussion is where you explain and interpret your results - what do your findings mean?

This section involves a lot of critical analysis. You're not just presenting your findings, but putting them together with findings from other research to build your argument about what the findings mean.

Discussion Top Tips [YouTube]  |  Discussion Top Tips transcript [Google Doc]

Conclusions are a part of many dissertations and/or research projects. Check your module information to see if you are required to write one. Some dissertations/projects have concluding remarks in their discussion section. See the slides below for more information on writing conclusions in dissertations.

Conclusions in dissertations [Google Slides]

The abstract is a short summary of the whole dissertation that goes at the start of the document. It gives an overview of your research and helps readers decide if it’s relevant to their needs.

Even though it appears at the start of the document, write the abstract last. It summarises the whole dissertation, so you need to finish the main body before you can summarise it in the abstract.

Usually the abstract follows a very similar structure to the dissertation, with one or two sentences each to show the aims, methods, key results and conclusions drawn. Some subjects use headings within the abstract. Even if you don’t use these in your final abstract, headings can help you to plan a clear structure.

Abstract Top Tips [YouTube]  |  Abstract Top Tips transcript [Google Doc]

Watch all of our Dissertation Top Tips videos in one handy playlist:

Research reports, that are often found in science subjects, follow the same structure, so the tips in this tutorial also apply to dissertations:

Other support for dissertation writing

Online resources.

The general writing pages of this site offer guidance that can be applied to all types of writing, including dissertations. Also check your department guidance and VLE sites for tailored resources.

Other useful resources for dissertation writing:

Appointments and workshops 

There is a lot of support available in departments for dissertation production, which includes your dissertation supervisor, academic supervisor and, when appropriate, staff teaching in the research methods modules.

You can also access central writing and skills support:

• << Previous: Reports
• Next: Reflective writing >>
• Last Updated: Aug 7, 2024 2:21 PM
• URL: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/academic-writing

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation

What Is a Dissertation? | Guide, Examples, & Template

A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program.

Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you’ve ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating to know where to begin.

Your department likely has guidelines related to how your dissertation should be structured. When in doubt, consult with your supervisor.

You can also download our full dissertation template in the format of your choice below. The template includes a ready-made table of contents with notes on what to include in each chapter, easily adaptable to your department’s requirements.

Download Word template Download Google Docs template

• In the US, a dissertation generally refers to the collection of research you conducted to obtain a PhD.
• In other countries (such as the UK), a dissertation often refers to the research you conduct to obtain your bachelor’s or master’s degree.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Dissertation committee and prospectus process, how to write and structure a dissertation, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your dissertation, free checklist and lecture slides.

When you’ve finished your coursework, as well as any comprehensive exams or other requirements, you advance to “ABD” (All But Dissertation) status. This means you’ve completed everything except your dissertation.

Prior to starting to write, you must form your committee and write your prospectus or proposal . Your committee comprises your adviser and a few other faculty members. They can be from your own department, or, if your work is more interdisciplinary, from other departments. Your committee will guide you through the dissertation process, and ultimately decide whether you pass your dissertation defense and receive your PhD.

Your prospectus is a formal document presented to your committee, usually orally in a defense, outlining your research aims and objectives and showing why your topic is relevant . After passing your prospectus defense, you’re ready to start your research and writing.

Don't submit your assignments before you do this

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students. Free citation check included.

Try for free

The structure of your dissertation depends on a variety of factors, such as your discipline, topic, and approach. Dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay , building an overall argument to support a central thesis , with chapters organized around different themes or case studies.

However, hard science and social science dissertations typically include a review of existing works, a methodology section, an analysis of your original research, and a presentation of your results , presented in different chapters.

Dissertation examples

We’ve compiled a list of dissertation examples to help you get started.

• Example dissertation #1: Heat, Wildfire and Energy Demand: An Examination of Residential Buildings and Community Equity (a dissertation by C. A. Antonopoulos about the impact of extreme heat and wildfire on residential buildings and occupant exposure risks).
• Example dissertation #2: Exploring Income Volatility and Financial Health Among Middle-Income Households (a dissertation by M. Addo about income volatility and declining economic security among middle-income households).
• Example dissertation #3: The Use of Mindfulness Meditation to Increase the Efficacy of Mirror Visual Feedback for Reducing Phantom Limb Pain in Amputees (a dissertation by N. S. Mills about the effect of mindfulness-based interventions on the relationship between mirror visual feedback and the pain level in amputees with phantom limb pain).

The very first page of your document contains your dissertation title, your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date. Sometimes it also includes your student number, your supervisor’s name, and the university’s logo.

Read more about title pages

The acknowledgements section is usually optional and gives space for you to thank everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation. This might include your supervisors, participants in your research, and friends or family who supported you. In some cases, your acknowledgements are part of a preface.

Read more about acknowledgements Read more about prefaces

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
• Vague sentences
• Style consistency

See an example

The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation, usually about 150 to 300 words long. Though this may seem very short, it’s one of the most important parts of your dissertation, because it introduces your work to your audience.

Your abstract should:

• State your main topic and the aims of your research
• Describe your methods
• Summarize your main results
• State your conclusions

Read more about abstracts

The table of contents lists all of your chapters, along with corresponding subheadings and page numbers. This gives your reader an overview of your structure and helps them easily navigate your document.

Remember to include all main parts of your dissertation in your table of contents, even the appendices. It’s easy to generate a table automatically in Word if you used heading styles. Generally speaking, you only include level 2 and level 3 headings, not every subheading you included in your finished work.

Read more about tables of contents

While not usually mandatory, it’s nice to include a list of figures and tables to help guide your reader if you have used a lot of these in your dissertation. It’s easy to generate one of these in Word using the Insert Caption feature.

Read more about lists of figures and tables

Similarly, if you have used a lot of abbreviations (especially industry-specific ones) in your dissertation, you can include them in an alphabetized list of abbreviations so that the reader can easily look up their meanings.

Read more about lists of abbreviations

In addition to the list of abbreviations, if you find yourself using a lot of highly specialized terms that you worry will not be familiar to your reader, consider including a glossary. Here, alphabetize the terms and include a brief description or definition.

Read more about glossaries

The introduction serves to set up your dissertation’s topic, purpose, and relevance. It tells the reader what to expect in the rest of your dissertation. The introduction should:

• Establish your research topic , giving the background information needed to contextualize your work
• Narrow down the focus and define the scope of your research
• Discuss the state of existing research on the topic, showing your work’s relevance to a broader problem or debate
• Clearly state your research questions and objectives
• Outline the flow of the rest of your work

Everything in the introduction should be clear, engaging, and relevant. By the end, the reader should understand the what, why, and how of your research.

Read more about introductions

A formative part of your research is your literature review . This helps you gain a thorough understanding of the academic work that already exists on your topic.

Literature reviews encompass:

• Finding relevant sources (e.g., books and journal articles)
• Assessing the credibility of your sources
• Critically analyzing and evaluating each source
• Drawing connections between them (e.g., themes, patterns, conflicts, or gaps) to strengthen your overall point

A literature review is not merely a summary of existing sources. Your literature review should have a coherent structure and argument that leads to a clear justification for your own research. It may aim to:

• Address a gap in the literature or build on existing knowledge
• Take a new theoretical or methodological approach to your topic
• Propose a solution to an unresolved problem or advance one side of a theoretical debate

Read more about literature reviews

Theoretical framework

Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework. Here, you define and analyze the key theories, concepts, and models that frame your research.

Read more about theoretical frameworks

Your methodology chapter describes how you conducted your research, allowing your reader to critically assess its credibility. Your methodology section should accurately report what you did, as well as convince your reader that this was the best way to answer your research question.

A methodology section should generally include:

• The overall research approach ( quantitative vs. qualitative ) and research methods (e.g., a longitudinal study )
• Your data collection methods (e.g., interviews or a controlled experiment )
• Details of where, when, and with whom the research took place
• Any tools and materials you used (e.g., computer programs, lab equipment)
• Your data analysis methods (e.g., statistical analysis , discourse analysis )
• An evaluation or justification of your methods

Read more about methodology sections

Your results section should highlight what your methodology discovered. You can structure this section around sub-questions, hypotheses , or themes, but avoid including any subjective or speculative interpretation here.

Your results section should:

• Concisely state each relevant result together with relevant descriptive statistics (e.g., mean , standard deviation ) and inferential statistics (e.g., test statistics , p values )
• Briefly state how the result relates to the question or whether the hypothesis was supported
• Report all results that are relevant to your research questions , including any that did not meet your expectations.

Additional data (including raw numbers, full questionnaires, or interview transcripts) can be included as an appendix. You can include tables and figures, but only if they help the reader better understand your results. Read more about results sections

Your discussion section is your opportunity to explore the meaning and implications of your results in relation to your research question. Here, interpret your results in detail, discussing whether they met your expectations and how well they fit with the framework that you built in earlier chapters. Refer back to relevant source material to show how your results fit within existing research in your field.

Some guiding questions include:

• What do your results mean?
• Why do your results matter?
• What limitations do the results have?

If any of the results were unexpected, offer explanations for why this might be. It’s a good idea to consider alternative interpretations of your data.

Read more about discussion sections

Your dissertation’s conclusion should concisely answer your main research question, leaving your reader with a clear understanding of your central argument and emphasizing what your research has contributed to the field.

In some disciplines, the conclusion is just a short section preceding the discussion section, but in other contexts, it is the final chapter of your work. Here, you wrap up your dissertation with a final reflection on what you found, with recommendations for future research and concluding remarks.

It’s important to leave the reader with a clear impression of why your research matters. What have you added to what was already known? Why is your research necessary for the future of your field?

Read more about conclusions

It is crucial to include a reference list or list of works cited with the full details of all the sources that you used, in order to avoid plagiarism. Be sure to choose one citation style and follow it consistently throughout your dissertation. Each style has strict and specific formatting requirements.

Common styles include MLA , Chicago , and APA , but which style you use is often set by your department or your field.

Create APA citations Create MLA citations

Your dissertation should contain only essential information that directly contributes to answering your research question. Documents such as interview transcripts or survey questions can be added as appendices, rather than adding them to the main body.

Read more about appendices

Making sure that all of your sections are in the right place is only the first step to a well-written dissertation. Don’t forget to leave plenty of time for editing and proofreading, as grammar mistakes and sloppy spelling errors can really negatively impact your work.

Dissertations can take up to five years to write, so you will definitely want to make sure that everything is perfect before submitting. You may want to consider using a professional dissertation editing service , AI proofreader or grammar checker to make sure your final project is perfect prior to submitting.

After your written dissertation is approved, your committee will schedule a defense. Similarly to defending your prospectus, dissertation defenses are oral presentations of your work. You’ll present your dissertation, and your committee will ask you questions. Many departments allow family members, friends, and other people who are interested to join as well.

After your defense, your committee will meet, and then inform you whether you have passed. Keep in mind that defenses are usually just a formality; most committees will have resolved any serious issues with your work with you far prior to your defense, giving you ample time to fix any problems.

As you write your dissertation, you can use this simple checklist to make sure you’ve included all the essentials.

Checklist: Dissertation

My title page includes all information required by my university.

I have included acknowledgements thanking those who helped me.

My abstract provides a concise summary of the dissertation, giving the reader a clear idea of my key results or arguments.

I have created a table of contents to help the reader navigate my dissertation. It includes all chapter titles, but excludes the title page, acknowledgements, and abstract.

My introduction leads into my topic in an engaging way and shows the relevance of my research.

My introduction clearly defines the focus of my research, stating my research questions and research objectives .

My introduction includes an overview of the dissertation’s structure (reading guide).

I have conducted a literature review in which I (1) critically engage with sources, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of existing research, (2) discuss patterns, themes, and debates in the literature, and (3) address a gap or show how my research contributes to existing research.

I have clearly outlined the theoretical framework of my research, explaining the theories and models that support my approach.

I have thoroughly described my methodology , explaining how I collected data and analyzed data.

I have concisely and objectively reported all relevant results .

I have (1) evaluated and interpreted the meaning of the results and (2) acknowledged any important limitations of the results in my discussion .

I have clearly stated the answer to my main research question in the conclusion .

I have clearly explained the implications of my conclusion, emphasizing what new insight my research has contributed.

I have provided relevant recommendations for further research or practice.

If relevant, I have included appendices with supplemental information.

I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source.

I have listed every source in a reference list at the end of my dissertation.

I have consistently followed the rules of my chosen citation style .

I have followed all formatting guidelines provided by my university.

Congratulations!

The end is in sight—your dissertation is nearly ready to submit! Make sure it's perfectly polished with the help of a Scribbr editor.

If you’re an educator, feel free to download and adapt these slides to teach your students about structuring a dissertation.

Open Google Slides Download PowerPoint

Is this article helpful?

Other students also liked.

• How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates
• Dissertation Table of Contents in Word | Instructions & Examples
• How to Choose a Dissertation Topic | 8 Steps to Follow

More interesting articles

• Checklist: Writing a dissertation
• Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates
• Dissertation Binding and Printing | Options, Tips, & Comparison
• Example of a dissertation abstract
• Figure and Table Lists | Word Instructions, Template & Examples
• How to Write a Discussion Section | Tips & Examples
• How to Write a Dissertation or Thesis Proposal
• How to Write a Results Section | Tips & Examples
• How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Conclusion
• How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction
• How to Write an Abstract | Steps & Examples
• How to Write Recommendations in Research | Examples & Tips
• List of Abbreviations | Example, Template & Best Practices
• Operationalization | A Guide with Examples, Pros & Cons
• Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples
• Purpose and structure of an advisory report
• Relevance of Your Dissertation Topic | Criteria & Tips
• Research Paper Appendix | Example & Templates
• Shorten your abstract or summary
• Theoretical Framework Example for a Thesis or Dissertation
• Thesis & Dissertation Acknowledgements | Tips & Examples
• Thesis & Dissertation Database Examples
• Thesis & Dissertation Title Page | Free Templates & Examples
• What is a Dissertation Preface? | Definition & Examples
• What is a Glossary? | Definition, Templates, & Examples
• What Is a Research Methodology? | Steps & Tips
• What Is a Theoretical Framework? | Guide to Organizing
• What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples

"I thought AI Proofreading was useless but.."

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

How to write an undergraduate university dissertation

Writing a dissertation is a daunting task, but these tips will help you prepare for all the common challenges students face before deadline day.

Grace McCabe

Writing a dissertation is one of the most challenging aspects of university. However, it is the chance for students to demonstrate what they have learned during their degree and to explore a topic in depth.

In this article, we look at 10 top tips for writing a successful dissertation and break down how to write each section of a dissertation in detail.

10 tips for writing an undergraduate dissertation

1. Select an engaging topic Choose a subject that aligns with your interests and allows you to showcase the skills and knowledge you have acquired through your degree.

2. Research your supervisor Undergraduate students will often be assigned a supervisor based on their research specialisms. Do some research on your supervisor and make sure that they align with your dissertation goals.

3. Understand the dissertation structure Familiarise yourself with the structure (introduction, review of existing research, methodology, findings, results and conclusion). This will vary based on your subject.

4. Write a schedule As soon as you have finalised your topic and looked over the deadline, create a rough plan of how much work you have to do and create mini-deadlines along the way to make sure don’t find yourself having to write your entire dissertation in the final few weeks.

5. Determine requirements Ensure that you know which format your dissertation should be presented in. Check the word count and the referencing style.

6. Organise references from the beginning Maintain an alphabetically arranged reference list or bibliography in the designated style as you do your reading. This will make it a lot easier to finalise your references at the end.

7. Create a detailed plan Once you have done your initial research and have an idea of the shape your dissertation will take, write a detailed essay plan outlining your research questions, SMART objectives and dissertation structure.

8. Keep a dissertation journal Track your progress, record your research and your reading, and document challenges. This will be helpful as you discuss your work with your supervisor and organise your notes.

9. Schedule regular check-ins with your supervisor Make sure you stay in touch with your supervisor throughout the process, scheduling regular meetings and keeping good notes so you can update them on your progress.

10. Employ effective proofreading techniques Ask friends and family to help you proofread your work or use different fonts to help make the text look different. This will help you check for missing sections, grammatical mistakes and typos.

What is a dissertation?

A dissertation is a long piece of academic writing or a research project that you have to write as part of your undergraduate university degree.

It’s usually a long essay in which you explore your chosen topic, present your ideas and show that you understand and can apply what you’ve learned during your studies. Informally, the terms “dissertation” and “thesis” are often used interchangeably.

How do I select a dissertation topic?

First, choose a topic that you find interesting. You will be working on your dissertation for several months, so finding a research topic that you are passionate about and that demonstrates your strength in your subject is best. You want your topic to show all the skills you have developed during your degree. It would be a bonus if you can link your work to your chosen career path, but it’s not necessary.

Second, begin by exploring relevant literature in your field, including academic journals, books and articles. This will help you identify gaps in existing knowledge and areas that may need further exploration. You may not be able to think of a truly original piece of research, but it’s always good to know what has already been written about your chosen topic.

Consider the practical aspects of your chosen topic, ensuring that it is possible within the time frame and available resources. Assess the availability of data, research materials and the overall practicality of conducting the research.

When picking a dissertation topic, you also want to try to choose something that adds new ideas or perspectives to what’s already known in your field. As you narrow your focus, remember that a more targeted approach usually leads to a dissertation that’s easier to manage and has a bigger impact. Be ready to change your plans based on feedback and new information you discover during your research.

How to work with your dissertation supervisor?

Your supervisor is there to provide guidance on your chosen topic, direct your research efforts, and offer assistance and suggestions when you have queries. It’s crucial to establish a comfortable and open line of communication with them throughout the process. Their knowledge can greatly benefit your work. Keep them informed about your progress, seek their advice, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.

1. Keep them updated Regularly tell your supervisor how your work is going and if you’re having any problems. You can do this through emails, meetings or progress reports.

2. Plan meetings Schedule regular meetings with your supervisor. These can be in person or online. These are your time to discuss your progress and ask for help.

3. Share your writing Give your supervisor parts of your writing or an outline. This helps them see what you’re thinking so they can advise you on how to develop it.

5. Ask specific questions When you need help, ask specific questions instead of general ones. This makes it easier for your supervisor to help you.

6. Listen to feedback Be open to what your supervisor says. If they suggest changes, try to make them. It makes your dissertation better and shows you can work together.

7. Talk about problems If something is hard or you’re worried, talk to your supervisor about it. They can give you advice or tell you where to find help.

8. Take charge Be responsible for your work. Let your supervisor know if your plans change, and don’t wait if you need help urgently.

Remember, talking openly with your supervisor helps you both understand each other better, improves your dissertation and ensures that you get the support you need.

How to write a successful research piece at university How to choose a topic for your dissertation Tips for writing a convincing thesis

How do I plan my dissertation?

It’s important to start with a detailed plan that will serve as your road map throughout the entire process of writing your dissertation. As Jumana Labib, a master’s student at the University of Manchester  studying digital media, culture and society, suggests: “Pace yourself – definitely don’t leave the entire thing for the last few days or weeks.”

Decide what your research question or questions will be for your chosen topic.

Break that down into smaller SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) objectives.

Speak to your supervisor about any overlooked areas.

Create a breakdown of chapters using the structure listed below (for example, a methodology chapter).

Define objectives, key points and evidence for each chapter.

Define your research approach (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods).

Outline your research methods and analysis techniques.

Develop a timeline with regular moments for review and feedback.

Allocate time for revision, editing and breaks.

Consider any ethical considerations related to your research.

Stay organised and add to your references and bibliography throughout the process.

Remain flexible to possible reviews or changes as you go along.

A well thought-out plan not only makes the writing process more manageable but also increases the likelihood of producing a high-quality piece of research.

How to structure a dissertation?

The structure can depend on your field of study, but this is a rough outline for science and social science dissertations:

Introduce your topic.

Complete a source or literature review.

Describe your research methodology (including the methods for gathering and filtering information, analysis techniques, materials, tools or resources used, limitations of your method, and any considerations of reliability).

Summarise your findings.

Discuss the results and what they mean.

Conclude your point and explain how your work contributes to your field.

On the other hand, humanities and arts dissertations often take the form of an extended essay. This involves constructing an argument or exploring a particular theory or analysis through the analysis of primary and secondary sources. Your essay will be structured through chapters arranged around themes or case studies.

All dissertations include a title page, an abstract and a reference list. Some may also need a table of contents at the beginning. Always check with your university department for its dissertation guidelines, and check with your supervisor as you begin to plan your structure to ensure that you have the right layout.

How long is an undergraduate dissertation?

The length of an undergraduate dissertation can vary depending on the specific guidelines provided by your university and your subject department. However, in many cases, undergraduate dissertations are typically about 8,000 to 12,000 words in length.

“Eat away at it; try to write for at least 30 minutes every day, even if it feels relatively unproductive to you in the moment,” Jumana advises.

How do I add references to my dissertation?

References are the section of your dissertation where you acknowledge the sources you have quoted or referred to in your writing. It’s a way of supporting your ideas, evidencing what research you have used and avoiding plagiarism (claiming someone else’s work as your own), and giving credit to the original authors.

Referencing typically includes in-text citations and a reference list or bibliography with full source details. Different referencing styles exist, such as Harvard, APA and MLA, each favoured in specific fields. Your university will tell you the preferred style.

Using tools and guides provided by universities can make the referencing process more manageable, but be sure they are approved by your university before using any.

How do I write a bibliography or list my references for my dissertation?

The requirement of a bibliography depends on the style of referencing you need to use. Styles such as OSCOLA or Chicago may not require a separate bibliography. In these styles, full source information is often incorporated into footnotes throughout the piece, doing away with the need for a separate bibliography section.

Typically, reference lists or bibliographies are organised alphabetically based on the author’s last name. They usually include essential details about each source, providing a quick overview for readers who want more information. Some styles ask that you include references that you didn’t use in your final piece as they were still a part of the overall research.

It is important to maintain this list as soon as you start your research. As you complete your research, you can add more sources to your bibliography to ensure that you have a comprehensive list throughout the dissertation process.

How to proofread an undergraduate dissertation?

Throughout your dissertation writing, attention to detail will be your greatest asset. The best way to avoid making mistakes is to continuously proofread and edit your work.

Proofreading is a great way to catch any missing sections, grammatical errors or typos. There are many tips to help you proofread:

Ask someone to read your piece and highlight any mistakes they find.

Change the font so you notice any mistakes.

Format your piece as you go, headings and sections will make it easier to spot any problems.

Separate editing and proofreading. Editing is your chance to rewrite sections, add more detail or change any points. Proofreading should be where you get into the final touches, really polish what you have and make sure it’s ready to be submitted.

Stick to your citation style and make sure every resource listed in your dissertation is cited in the reference list or bibliography.

How to write a conclusion for my dissertation?

Writing a dissertation conclusion is your chance to leave the reader impressed by your work.

Start by summarising your findings, highlighting your key points and the outcome of your research. Refer back to the original research question or hypotheses to provide context to your conclusion.

You can then delve into whether you achieved the goals you set at the beginning and reflect on whether your research addressed the topic as expected. Make sure you link your findings to existing literature or sources you have included throughout your work and how your own research could contribute to your field.

Be honest about any limitations or issues you faced during your research and consider any questions that went unanswered that you would consider in the future. Make sure that your conclusion is clear and concise, and sum up the overall impact and importance of your work.

Remember, keep the tone confident and authoritative, avoiding the introduction of new information. This should simply be a summary of everything you have already said throughout the dissertation.

You may also like

.css-185owts{overflow:hidden;max-height:54px;text-indent:0px;} How to use digital advisers to improve academic writing

How to deal with exam stress

Seeta Bhardwa

5 revision techniques to help you ace exam season (plus 7 more unusual approaches)

Register free and enjoy extra benefits

• Cambridge Libraries

Physical & Digital Collections

Theses & dissertations: home, access to theses and dissertations from other institutions and from the university of cambridge.

This guide provides information on searching for theses of Cambridge PhDs and for theses of UK universities and universities abroad. 

For information and guidance on depositing your thesis as a cambridge phd, visit the cambridge office of scholarly communication pages on theses here ., this guide gives essential information on how to obtain theses using the british library's ethos service. .

On the last weekend of October, the British Library became the victim of a major cyber-attack. Essential digital services including the BL catalogue, website and online learning resources went dark, with research services like the EThOS collection of more than 600,000 doctoral theses suddenly unavailable. The BL state that they anticipate restoring more services in the next few weeks, but disruption to certain services is now expected to persist for several months. For the latest news on the attack and information on the restoration of services, please follow the BL blog here:  Knowledge Matters blog  and access the LibGuide page here:  British Library Outage Update - Electronic Legal Deposit - LibGuides at University of Cambridge Subject Libraries

A full list of resources for searching theses online is provided by the Cambridge A-Z, available here .

University of Cambridge theses

Finding a cambridge phd thesis online via the institutional repository.

The University's institutional repository, Apollo , holds full-text digital versions of over 11,000 Cambridge PhD theses and is a rapidly growing collection deposited by Cambridge Ph.D. graduates. Theses in Apollo can be browsed via this link . More information on how to access theses by University of Cambridge students can be found on the access to Cambridge theses webpage.   The requirement for impending PhD graduates to deposit a digital version in order to graduate means the repository will be increasing at a rate of approximately 1,000 per year from this source.   About 200 theses are added annually through requests to make theses Open Access or via requests to digitize a thesis in printed format.

Locating and obtaining a copy of a Cambridge PhD thesis (not yet available via the repository)

Theses can be searched in iDiscover .  Guidance on searching for theses in iDiscover can be found here .   Requests for consultation of printed theses, not available online, should be made at the Manuscripts Reading Room (Email:  [email protected] Telephone: +44 (0)1223 333143).   Further information on the University Library's theses, dissertations and prize essays collections can be consulted at this link .

Researchers can order a copy of an unpublished thesis which was deposited in print form either through the Library’s  Digital Content Unit via the image request form , or, if the thesis has been digitised, it may be available in the Apollo repository. Copies of theses may be provided to researchers in accordance with the  law  and in a manner that is common across UK libraries.  The law allows us to provide whole copies of unpublished theses to individuals as long as they sign a declaration saying that it is for non-commercial research or private study.

How to make your thesis available online through Cambridge's institutional repository

Are you a Cambridge alumni and wish to make your Ph.D. thesis available online? You can do this by depositing it in Apollo the University's institutional repository. Click here for further information on how to proceed.    Current Ph.D students at the University of Cambridge can find further information about the requirements to deposit theses on the Office of Scholarly Communication theses webpages.

UK Theses and Dissertations

Electronic copies of Ph.D. theses submitted at over 100 UK universities are obtainable from EThOS , a service set up to provide access to all theses from participating institutions. It achieves this by harvesting e-theses from Institutional Repositories and by digitising print theses as they are ordered by researchers using the system. Over 250,000 theses are already available in this way. Please note that it does not supply theses submitted at the universities of Cambridge or Oxford although they are listed on EThOS.

Registration with EThOS is not required to search for a thesis but is necessary to download or order one unless it is stored in the university repository rather than the British Library (in which case a link to the repository will be displayed). Many theses are available without charge on an Open Access basis but in all other cases, if you are requesting a thesis that has not yet been digitised you will be asked to meet the cost. Once a thesis has been digitised it is available for free download thereafter.

When you order a thesis it will either be immediately available for download or writing to hard copy or it will need to be digitised. If you order a thesis for digitisation, the system will manage the process and you will be informed when the thesis is available for download/preparation to hard copy.

See the Search results section of the  help page for full information on interpreting search results in EThOS.

EThOS is managed by the British Library and can be found at http://ethos.bl.uk . For more information see About EThOS .

World-wide (incl. UK) theses and dissertations

Electronic versions of non-UK theses may be available from the institution at which they were submitted, sometimes on an open access basis from the institutional repository. A good starting point for discovering freely available electronic theses and dissertations beyond the UK is the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) , which facilitates searching across institutions. Information can also usually be found on the library web pages of the relevant institution.

The DART Europe etheses portal lists several thousand full-text theses from a group of European universities.

The University Library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses  (PQDT) database which from August 31 2023 is accessed on the Web of Science platform.  To search this index select it from the Web of Science "Search in" drop-down list of databases (available on the Documents tab on WoS home page)

PQDT includes 2.4 million dissertation and theses citations, representing 700 leading academic institutions worldwide from 1861 to the present day. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full text coverage for older graduate works. Each dissertation published since July 1980 includes a 350-word abstract written by the author. Master's theses published since 1988 include 150-word abstracts.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The University Library only subscribes to the abstracting & indexing version of the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database and NOT the full text version.  A fee is payable for ordering a dissertation from this source.   To obtain the full text of a dissertation as a downloadable PDF you can submit your request via the University Library Inter-Library Loans department (see contact details below). NB this service is only available to full and current members of the University of Cambridge.

Alternatively you can pay yourself for the dissertation PDF on the PQDT platform. Link from Web of Science record display of any thesis to PQDT by clicking on "View Details on ProQuest".  On the "Preview" page you will see an option "Order a copy" top right.  This will allow you to order your own copy from ProQuest directly.

Dissertations and theses submitted at non-UK universities may also be requested on Inter-Library Loan through the Inter-Library Loans department (01223 333039 or 333080, [email protected] )

• Last Updated: Dec 20, 2023 9:47 AM
• URL: https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/theses

© Cambridge University Libraries | Accessibility | Privacy policy | Log into LibApps

Dissertation Essentials

• Welcome to Dissertation Essentials

DSE Guides & Templates

Dissertation rubrics, preparing for your cmp course, academic success center services, library dissertation toolbox series, other resources, dissertation essentials webinars.

• Student Experience Feedback Buttons
• Doctoral Record
• Working Ahead Guidelines
• Applied vs Theoretical Doctorates
• Technology Resources
• Published Dissertations
• School of Health Professions
• Scholarly Writing This link opens in a new window
• Qualitative & Quantitative Research Support with the ASC This link opens in a new window
• Library Basic Training for Doctoral Students This link opens in a new window
• Dissertation Toolkit Series with the Library This link opens in a new window
• Template Formatting Help This link opens in a new window
• APA 7th Edition Help This link opens in a new window

Jump to DSE Guide

Need help ask us.

The Dissertation Essentials area houses guides, manuals, and templates to assist you in your doctoral journey.  There is also a section specifically for rubrics for each of the chapters as well as the proposal and manuscript.  Along with these items, there are additional resources provided for the ASC, Library, technology, accessing published dissertations, and even some school specific resources.

• DSE Manual (Previously Handbook) Use this guide throughout the dissertation process to support you in understanding the courses, deliverables, and expectations of students and the dissertation committee.
• Dissertation Proposal/Manuscript Template You will use this templates to write all chapters of the dissertation.
• PhD-DS Dissertation Proposal/Manuscript Template Students in the PhD Data Science program will use this template to write all chapters of the dissertation.
• DSE Dissertation Revision Timeline Use this template to create a timeline for deliverable revisions in the dissertation.
• SOBE Best Practice Guide for Qualitative Research and Design Methods
• SOBE Best Practice Guide in Quantitative Research and Design Methods

If you are working on your CMP course, your course will provide information on how to format your prospectus/portfolio.

• DSE Chapter 1 Rubric Use this rubric to guide you when writing Chapter 1 of your dissertation.
• DSE Chapter 2 Rubric Use this rubric to guide you when writing Chapter 2 of your dissertation.
• DSE Chapter 3 Rubric Use this rubric to guide you when writing Chapter 3 of your dissertation.
• DSE Dissertation Proposal Rubric Use this rubric to guide you when combining Chapters 1-3 into the Dissertation Proposal.
• DSE Chapter 4 Rubric Use this rubric to guide you when writing Chapter 4 of your dissertation.
• DSE Chapter 5 Rubric Use this rubric to guide you when writing Chapter 5 of your dissertation.
• DSE Dissertation Manuscript Rubric Use this rubric to guide you when combing all five of your dissertation chapters to produce your Dissertation Manuscript.

Not yet at the Dissertation phase?  Getting ready for your CMP course?  Check out the CMP Course Frequently Asked Questions document below:

• CMP Course Frequently Asked Questions

Library Dissertation Toolbox Workshop Series

The  Library Dissertation Toolbox Workshop Series  consists of engaging, skill-building workshops designed specifically for doctoral students. Students will learn how to effectively locate, evaluate, and use information relating to their dissertation research topics. Each toolbox session features a new research focus- sign up for the entire series, or just those that most appeal to you:

• Research Process Guide by NU Library Outlines important steps in the research process and covers topics such as evaluating information.
• Managing and Writing the Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation Dr. Linda Bloomberg's newest edition Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation: A Road Map From Beginning to End is out now. This resource includes an interview between Methodspace and Dr. Bloomberg.

Was this resource helpful?

• Next: Doctoral Record >>
• Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 12:27 PM
• URL: https://resources.nu.edu/c.php?g=1005138

© Copyright 2024 National University. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy | Consumer Information

• Teesside University Student & Library Services
• Learning Hub Group

Dissertations - From Design to Deadline

Introduction, workshop materials & handouts, further reading and useful links, using material on this page, dissertations: from design to deadline.

The materials and resources will help  you identify  the key  aspects of planning your dissertation or project,  while also providing practical hints and tips for successful completion.

Face to Face Session (at Middlesbrough Campus)

Wednesday 16th October 2024, 12pm noon - 1pm (12:00 - 13:00), Room TBC (Middllesbrough Campus)

Online workshop

• Monday 11th November 2024, 1pm - 2pm (13:00 - 14:00). To join the online session, click on this link  https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZTM0NmY4ZTQtNzQ5My00MGFkLWFhZDctN2ZkNDRjODlmM2M1%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2243d2115b-a55e-46b6-9df7-b03388ecfc60%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%228290b2e1-05a9-419a-a7e8-17f6ce84eb95%22%7d

If you need further information or any adjustments to fully access our sessions, please contact  [email protected]  in advance.

• PDF version of PowerPoint titled "Dissertations – Design to Deadline" This presentation was used in the workshop on 3 July 2024

Previous workshop recording and resources appear below.

• Recording: Dissertations: Don't panic workshop (Recorded 18th March 2021)
• PDF version of PowerPoint titled "Dissertations Getting Started" used in the workshops
• Dissertation Planner Template to help you identify key events and milestones.
• Worksheet: Preparation and Planning
• Doing a Literature Search Handout
• Search record: blank You can use this to keep track of your searches.
• How to include appendices

Click on the image to see additional useful resources

If you thought this information was useful you may want to look at some of the other Learning Hub guides aimed at helping students with your writing and assessments. Click on the icon below.

If you have any comments about this skills guide, we would love to know them. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License .

• Last Updated: Aug 28, 2024 3:56 PM
• URL: https://libguides.tees.ac.uk/dissertation_getting_started

Dissertations and Theses guidance

Popular pages on the Skills website

You may need to complete a dissertation for your course, these guides take you through how to approach this large piece of written work, how to complete your literature review, structure your writing and format your work.

The Library has created a reading list featuring various online resources to help you complete your dissertation.

Approaching your dissertation

What is covered:

• the importance of choosing the right topic
• how to narrow the scope of your research
• how to write your research proposal
• an introduction to research methods.

Estimated duration is 15 minutes.

• Writing your dissertation
• how to get started
• how to work with your supervisor
• how to structure your dissertation.

Estimated duration is 30 minutes.

Approaching your literature review

• planning your search
• finding literature
• evaluating and organising your material
• writing your review.

Estimated duration is 60 minutes.

• Writing a research proposal
• Formatting your dissertation
• Depositing your thesis in USIR
• Copyright for theses

Formatting your work

Styles: Using the 'Normal' style

Styles are the foundation of a Word document. And it begins with the 'Normal' style. Change its attributes to suit the requirements of dissertation/thesis.

Watch the video: Word's Styles: Using the 'Normal' style

Styles: Using 'Heading' styles

Apply 'Heading' styles to the headings and sub-headings in your document, and save yourself lots of effort. Use them to control the appearance of your headings (the font type, size and colour), to create an automatic Table of Contents, and introduce multilevel numbering to your headings.

Watch the video: Word's Styles: Using 'Heading' styles

Using Multilevel numbering for headings

Want to introduce a numbered hierarchical structure to your document? Then add Multilevel numbering to the 'Heading' styles that you have applied to the headings in your document. For example, 1. 1.1, 1.2, 2., 2.1, 2.1.1

Watch the video: Word's Multilevel lists: Numbering your Heading styles

Working smarter

Table of Contents

Let Word do the hard work for you. Once you have applied 'Heading' styles to your document, you can create an automatic Table of Contents with a few mouse clicks. Update the listing at any time as you continue to edit your work.

Watch the video: Word's Table of Contents

Achieve consistent looking numbered labels for your figures and tables by using the Caption tool. You can save huge amounts of time and effort by then creating an automatic listing for them.

Watch the video: Word's 'Caption' tool

Page Breaks

Why use them? Well, do you use the Enter key to make a heading appear at the top of a new page, only to find that as you continue to edit your document the heading moves up or down the page? Not with Page Breaks!

Watch the video: Word's Page Breaks

Structuring your work

Section Breaks: Changing page numbering

A dissertation/thesis typically has different types of page numbering in its footers. To feature a title page with no page numbering, then a series of pages with small Roman numerals, followed by your main document displaying standard Arabic page numbering – you need Section Breaks.

Watch the video: Word's Section Breaks - Changing page numbering

Section Breaks: Changing page orientation

You can change the page orientation within your document by using Section Breaks. You can then switch from portrait to landscape to accommodate e.g. a large image, and then switch back to portrait orientation for the remainder of the document.

Watch the video: Word's Section Breaks - Changing page orientation

Endnote Reference Management Software

Finding information, writing at university, find dissertations and theses.

You can access past Salford theses and previous dissertations and theses from other institutions. Looking at past dissertations can help give you an idea of what other research has been done in your subject area and can also help give you an idea of what a dissertation looks like. Find out how to search for dissertations and theses

UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collection https://hdl.handle.net/2152/11

This collection contains University of Texas at Austin electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). The collection includes ETDs primarily from 2001 to the present. Some pre-2001 theses and dissertations have been digitized and added to this collection, but those are uncommon. The library catalog is the most comprehensive list of UT Austin theses and dissertations.

Since 2010, the Office of Graduate Studies at UT Austin has required all theses and dissertations to be made publicly available in Texas ScholarWorks; however, authors are able to request an embargo of up to seven years. Embargoed ETDs will not show up in this collection. Most of the ETDs in this collection are freely accessible to all users, but some pre-2010 works require a current UT EID at point of use. Please see the FAQs for more information. If you have a question about the availability of a specific ETD, please contact [email protected].

Some items in this collection may contain offensive images or text. The University of Texas Libraries is committed to maintaining an accurate and authentic scholarly and historic record. An authentic record is essential for understanding our past and informing the present. In order to preserve the authenticity of the historical record we will not honor requests to redact content, correct errors, or otherwise remove content, except in cases where there are legal concerns (e.g. potential copyright infringement, inclusion of HIPAA/FERPA protected information or Social Security Numbers) or evidence of a clear and imminent threat to personal safety or well-being.

This policy is in keeping with the  American Library Association code of ethics  to resist efforts to censor library resources, and the  Society of American Archivists code of ethics  that states "archivists may not willfully alter, manipulate, or destroy data or records to conceal facts or distort evidence."

Recent Submissions

• 1 (current)

Ohio State nav bar

The Ohio State University

• BuckeyeLink
• Find People
• Search Ohio State

Dissertations and Theses

The dissertation is the hallmark of the research expertise demonstrated by a doctoral student. It is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student’s area of specialization. By researching and writing a dissertation, the student is expected to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and the capability to function as an independent scholar. 

A thesis is a hallmark of some master’s programs. It is a piece of original research, generally less comprehensive than a dissertation, and is meant to show the student’s knowledge of an area of specialization.  

Document Preparation

PhD and master’s students are responsible for meeting all requirements for preparing theses and dissertations. They are expected to confer with their advisors about disciplinary and program expectations and to follow Graduate School procedure requirements.

The Graduate School’s format review is in place to help the document submission process go smoothly for the student. Format reviews for PhD dissertations and master’s theses can be done remotely or in-person. The format review is required at or before the two-week notice of the final defense. 

Access and Distribution

Ohio State has agreements with two organizations— OhioLINK   and   ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing —that store and provide access to Ohio State theses and dissertations.  

Examinations

Graduate degree examinations are a major milestone in all graduate students’ pursuit of their graduate degree. Much hinges on the successful completion of these examinations, including the ability to continue in a graduate program. 

The rules and processes set by the Graduate School ensure the integrity of these examinations for graduate students, the graduate faculty, and for Ohio State. 

Final Semester

During your final semester as a graduate student there are many activities that lead up to commencement and receiving your degree. Complete the final semester checklist and learn more about commencement activities.

Graduation Calendar

Select your expected graduation term below to see specific dates concerning when to apply for graduation, complete your examinations and reports, submit approved thesis and dissertation, commencement, and the end-of semester deadline.

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : September 6, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : November 22, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : November 27, 2024

Commencement 4  : December 15, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5  : January 3, 2025

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : January 24, 2025

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : April 11, 2025

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : April 18, 2025

Commencement 4  : May 4, 2025

End of Semester Deadline 5  : May 5, 2025

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : May 23, 2025

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : July 11, 2025

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : July 18, 2025

Commencement 4  : August 3, 2025

End of Semester Deadline 5  : August 25, 2025

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : September 12, 2025

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : November 26, 2025

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : December 5, 2025

Commencement 4  : December 21, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5  : January 9, 2025

1  Applications to graduate include current semester or End-of-Semester deadline. Applications must be received by close of business.

2 Format reviews may occur electronically or in person at the Graduate School during announced business hours.  Both options require submitting a digital version of the dissertation or DMA document draft in a PDF format to  [email protected] .  

3  Approved documents must be submitted via OhioLINK and accepted by the Graduate School by the close of business before the Report on Final Document will be processed.

4  Students not attending commencement must complete the commencement section on the Application to Graduate to indicate how their diploma should be disbursed.

5  A degree applicant who does not meet published graduation deadlines but who does complete all degree requirements by the last business day prior to the first day of classes for the following semester or summer term will graduate the following semester or summer term without registering or paying fees

Still Have Questions?

Dissertations & Theses 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Doctoral Exams, Master's Examination, Graduation Requirements 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Our websites may use cookies to personalize and enhance your experience. By continuing without changing your cookie settings, you agree to this collection. For more information, please see our University Websites Privacy Notice .

Division of Student Life and Enrollment

Office of the Registrar

Fall 2024 thesis and dissertation deadlines.

The deadline to submit your final approved thesis/dissertation and final paperwork for Fall 2024 is November 29. There is an all-in-one webform for the approval page and report on the final exam. Additional information, instructions, and links to the forms can be found at: https://registrar.uconn.edu/graduation/ .

• Current Students
• News & Press
• Exam Technique for In-Person Exams
• Revising for 24 Hour Take Home Exams
• Introduction to 24 Hour Take Home Exams
• Before the 24 Hour Take Home Exam
• Exam Technique for 24 Hour Take Home Exams
• Structuring a Literature Review
• Writing Coursework under Time Constraints
• Reflective Writing
• Writing a Synopsis
• Structuring a Science Report
• Presentations
• How the University works out your degree award
• Accessing your assignment feedback via Canvas
• Inspera Digital Exams
• Writing Introductions and Conclusions
• Paragraphing
• Reporting Verbs
• Signposting
• Proofreading
• Working with a Proofreader
• Writing Concisely
• The 1-Hour Writing Challenge
• Editing strategies
• Apostrophes
• Semi-colons
• Run-on sentences
• How to Improve your Grammar (native English)
• How to Improve your Grammar (non-native English)
• Independent Learning for Online Study
• Reflective Practice
• Academic Reading
• Strategic Reading Framework
• Note-taking Strategies
• Note-taking in Lectures
• Making Notes from Reading
• Using Evidence to Support your Argument
• Integrating Scholarship
• Managing Time and Motivation
• Dealing with Procrastination
• How to Paraphrase
• Quote or Paraphrase?
• How to Quote
• Referencing
• Responsible and Ethical use of AI
• Acknowledging use of AI
• Numeracy, Maths & Statistics
• Library Search
• Search Techniques

Keeping up to date

Evaluating information, managing information.

• Understanding Artificial Intelligence
• Getting started with prompts
• Thinking Critically about AI
• Using Information generated by AI
• SensusAccess
• Develop Your Digital Skills
• Digital Tools to Help You Study

Dissertations & Theses

Explore tools and support to help you complete your dissertation or thesis.

• Dissertations & Theses
• Newcastle University
• Academic Skills Kit

What is a dissertation or thesis?

A dissertation is an extended piece of academic writing on a question or problem related to particular subject. Usually done at the end of an undergraduate or master’s degree, this type of research project can take several months to complete.

A thesis is usually completed as part of a PhD. While similar in nature to a dissertation, a thesis is a longer project that tackles a question or problem in-depth and will take a number of years to write and research.

Whether you’re beginning a dissertation, or embarking on your PhD thesis, you’ll find it can be a different challenge to other assignments you’ve completed. These projects require you to bring together all the skills that you will have developed in your studies including: finding and evaluating literature, critical analysis, developing an argument, academic writing and referencing.

Your dissertation or thesis might also include things that you have not done before, for example developing a research question, analysing data or writing an abstract.

Process of writing a dissertation or thesis

Dissertations and theses are long and complicated projects. The processes you need to go through are likely to be iterative, non-linear and dynamic. However, it can be helpful to start by breaking the project down into the different stages, and approach each section of the planning, researching and writing process in turn. You then need to bring the stages together into a single piece of research.

A dissertation or thesis is an excellent opportunity for you to immerse yourself in your subject and a topic that you are passionate about. On the other hand, if you’re allocated a project, you’ll need to make the research your own and learn to understand why it’s worthwhile.

Your project proposal allows you to explore these initial research ideas, identify your aims, think around the context of your potential research and get ahead of any pitfalls by thinking about the feasibility and limitations involved.

Thinking about what you want to achieve with your research at this stage, will help inform how you approach your project.

Research Proposal Planning Tool

Literature review.

The nature of the research you do will likely depend on your subject area and research question. This may involve conducting interviews, gathering statistics, carrying out experiments or exploring texts and documents.

Most dissertations and theses will, however, involve a literature review as part of the research process.

What is a literature review?

A literature review sets the scene for your work. It places your research in context, and shows how it relates to and builds upon the work of others. It’s also your chance to tell people why your work matters, why it’s relevant, and how it contributes original research to your field.

In your literature review, you’ll discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the information you’ve found, and describe why you think it’s important. You might also want to discuss gaps in the literature that your own research will attempt to fill.

Literature Searching and Reading

Compiling a literature review involves rigorous literature searching, critical reading of information and combining ideas and research from different sources. You’ll need to develop an effective search strategy to ensure you find all the key information relevant to your topic. 

New research is published every day, and your work is likely to take you down paths you hadn’t thought about initially so you’ll need to frequently return to and adapt your search, and then update your literature review as you go. As part of your search strategy, it's important that you consider how you'll keep your research up to date, and how you'll manage all the information you'll find.

There are different types of literature review too, so check with your supervisor to make sure you know what is expected. If you’ve been asked to take a systematic approach, our systematic review guide can help you understand the systematic process.

Search strategy planning tool

Build your search strategy with our Search Planner tool. **Online planner**

Finding Information

Discover tips and advice for starting your search, selecting information types and using advanced search techniques.

Systematic Review guide

Find out about the systematic process and types of systematic review.

Mapping the literature

Downloadable resource to help you get an overview of your literature review reading. **PDF Download**

Three domains of critical reading study guide

A downloadable resource to guide your literature review reading. **PDF download**

An audio-visual guide to in-depth critical reading, for literature reviews. **Guide with audio**

Discover ways to critically evaluate the information you find.

Explore methods for effectively managing your documents and references.

Discover simple ways to keep up to date with information in your field.

Structuring a literature review

Explore different methods on how to structure your literature review.

Dissertation Structure

As this will be one of the longest academic documents you'll create, it can be helpful to start thinking about the overall shape of your dissertation early on, considering how many chapters there will be and how they'll relate to each other. This will be a provisional guide at first but having an idea of the structure can give you a way forward, help you to stay focused, and help manage your word count.

Sorry, you need JavaScript to view this video

Where to go for support

You will be given a supervisor for your dissertation or thesis by your academic school or institute. Your supervisor is there to give you advice and guidance about all aspects of your research project.

There is also support and advice available to you at each stage of your project from the services below:

University Library

For advice on planning your search strategy, finding and evaluating information, and managing your references.

Academic Skills Team

For help with managing your project, academic writing strategies, critiquing and reviewing literature, and developing a clear authorial voice.

Support for undergraduates and postgraduates with SPSS and data analysis.

Recommended books and e-books

For further reading related to dissertations and projects, browse our specially curated list of resources.

Harvard University Theses, Dissertations, and Prize Papers

The Harvard University Archives ’ collection of theses, dissertations, and prize papers document the wide range of academic research undertaken by Harvard students over the course of the University’s history.

Beyond their value as pieces of original research, these collections document the history of American higher education, chronicling both the growth of Harvard as a major research institution as well as the development of numerous academic fields. They are also an important source of biographical information, offering insight into the academic careers of the authors.

Spanning from the ‘theses and quaestiones’ of the 17th and 18th centuries to the current yearly output of student research, they include both the first Harvard Ph.D. dissertation (by William Byerly, Ph.D . 1873) and the dissertation of the first woman to earn a doctorate from Harvard ( Lorna Myrtle Hodgkinson , Ed.D. 1922).

Other highlights include:

• The collection of Mathematical theses, 1782-1839
• The 1895 Ph.D. dissertation of W.E.B. Du Bois, The suppression of the African slave trade in the United States, 1638-1871
• Ph.D. dissertations of astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (Ph.D. 1925) and physicist John Hasbrouck Van Vleck (Ph.D. 1922)
• Undergraduate honors theses of novelist John Updike (A.B. 1954), filmmaker Terrence Malick (A.B. 1966),  and U.S. poet laureate Tracy Smith (A.B. 1994)
• Undergraduate prize papers and dissertations of philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson (A.B. 1821), George Santayana (Ph.D. 1889), and W.V. Quine (Ph.D. 1932)
• Undergraduate honors theses of U.S. President John F. Kennedy (A.B. 1940) and Chief Justice John Roberts (A.B. 1976)

What does a prize-winning thesis look like?

If you're a Harvard undergraduate writing your own thesis, it can be helpful to review recent prize-winning theses. The Harvard University Archives has made available for digital lending all of the Thomas Hoopes Prize winners from the 2019-2021 academic years.

Accessing These Materials

How to access materials at the Harvard University Archives

How to find and request dissertations, in person or virtually

How to find and request undergraduate honors theses

How to find and request Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize papers

How to find and request Bowdoin Prize papers

• email: Email
• Phone number 617-495-2461

Related Collections

Harvard faculty personal and professional archives, harvard student life collections: arts, sports, politics and social life, access materials at the harvard university archives.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, automatically generate references for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation

What Is a Dissertation? | 5 Essential Questions to Get Started

Published on 26 March 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 5 May 2022.

A dissertation is a large research project undertaken at the end of a degree. It involves in-depth consideration of a problem or question chosen by the student. It is usually the largest (and final) piece of written work produced during a degree.

The length and structure of a dissertation vary widely depending on the level and field of study. However, there are some key questions that can help you understand the requirements and get started on your dissertation project.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Be assured that you'll submit flawless writing. Upload your document to correct all your mistakes.

Table of contents

When and why do you have to write a dissertation, who will supervise your dissertation, what type of research will you do, how should your dissertation be structured, what formatting and referencing rules do you have to follow, frequently asked questions about dissertations.

A dissertation, sometimes called a thesis, comes at the end of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. It is a larger project than the other essays you’ve written, requiring a higher word count and a greater depth of research.

You’ll generally work on your dissertation during the final year of your degree, over a longer period than you would take for a standard essay . For example, the dissertation might be your main focus for the last six months of your degree.

Why is the dissertation important?

The dissertation is a test of your capacity for independent research. You are given a lot of autonomy in writing your dissertation: you come up with your own ideas, conduct your own research, and write and structure the text by yourself.

This means that it is an important preparation for your future, whether you continue in academia or not: it teaches you to manage your own time, generate original ideas, and work independently.

The only proofreading tool specialized in correcting academic writing

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts and by native English editors. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students.

Correct my document today

During the planning and writing of your dissertation, you’ll work with a supervisor from your department. The supervisor’s job is to give you feedback and advice throughout the process.

The dissertation supervisor is often assigned by the department, but you might be allowed to indicate preferences or approach potential supervisors. If so, try to pick someone who is familiar with your chosen topic, whom you get along with on a personal level, and whose feedback you’ve found useful in the past.

How will your supervisor help you?

Your supervisor is there to guide you through the dissertation project, but you’re still working independently. They can give feedback on your ideas, but not come up with ideas for you.

You may need to take the initiative to request an initial meeting with your supervisor. Then you can plan out your future meetings and set reasonable deadlines for things like completion of data collection, a structure outline, a first chapter, a first draft, and so on.

Make sure to prepare in advance for your meetings. Formulate your ideas as fully as you can, and determine where exactly you’re having difficulties so you can ask your supervisor for specific advice.

Your approach to your dissertation will vary depending on your field of study. The first thing to consider is whether you will do empirical research , which involves collecting original data, or non-empirical research , which involves analysing sources.

Empirical dissertations (sciences)

An empirical dissertation focuses on collecting and analysing original data. You’ll usually write this type of dissertation if you are studying a subject in the sciences or social sciences.

• What are airline workers’ attitudes towards the challenges posed for their industry by climate change?
• How effective is cognitive behavioural therapy in treating depression in young adults?
• What are the short-term health effects of switching from smoking cigarettes to e-cigarettes?

There are many different empirical research methods you can use to answer these questions – for example, experiments , observations, surveys , and interviews.

When doing empirical research, you need to consider things like the variables you will investigate, the reliability and validity of your measurements, and your sampling method . The aim is to produce robust, reproducible scientific knowledge.

Non-empirical dissertations (arts and humanities)

A non-empirical dissertation works with existing research or other texts, presenting original analysis, critique and argumentation, but no original data. This approach is typical of arts and humanities subjects.

• What attitudes did commentators in the British press take towards the French Revolution in 1789–1792?
• How do the themes of gender and inheritance intersect in Shakespeare’s Macbeth ?
• How did Plato’s Republic and Thomas More’s Utopia influence nineteenth century utopian socialist thought?

The first steps in this type of dissertation are to decide on your topic and begin collecting your primary and secondary sources .

Primary sources are the direct objects of your research. They give you first-hand evidence about your subject. Examples of primary sources include novels, artworks and historical documents.

Secondary sources provide information that informs your analysis. They describe, interpret, or evaluate information from primary sources. For example, you might consider previous analyses of the novel or author you are working on, or theoretical texts that you plan to apply to your primary sources.

Dissertations are divided into chapters and sections. Empirical dissertations usually follow a standard structure, while non-empirical dissertations are more flexible.

Structure of an empirical dissertation

Empirical dissertations generally include these chapters:

• Introduction : An explanation of your topic and the research question(s) you want to answer.
• Literature review : A survey and evaluation of previous research on your topic.
• Methodology : An explanation of how you collected and analysed your data.
• Results : A brief description of what you found.
• Discussion : Interpretation of what these results reveal.
• Conclusion : Answers to your research question(s) and summary of what your findings contribute to knowledge in your field.

Sometimes the order or naming of chapters might be slightly different, but all of the above information must be included in order to produce thorough, valid scientific research.

Other dissertation structures

If your dissertation doesn’t involve data collection, your structure is more flexible. You can think of it like an extended essay – the text should be logically organised in a way that serves your argument:

• Introduction: An explanation of your topic and the question(s) you want to answer.
• Main body: The development of your analysis, usually divided into 2–4 chapters.
• Conclusion: Answers to your research question(s) and summary of what your analysis contributes to knowledge in your field.

The chapters of the main body can be organised around different themes, time periods, or texts. Below you can see some example structures for dissertations in different subjects.

• Political philosophy

This example, on the topic of the British press’s coverage of the French Revolution, shows how you might structure each chapter around a specific theme.

This example, on the topic of Plato’s and More’s influences on utopian socialist thought, shows a different approach to dividing the chapters by theme.

This example, a master’s dissertation on the topic of how writers respond to persecution, shows how you can also use section headings within each chapter. Each of the three chapters deals with a specific text, while the sections are organised thematically.

Like other academic texts, it’s important that your dissertation follows the formatting guidelines set out by your university. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.

Formatting guidelines concern things like:

• line spacing
• page numbers
• punctuation
• title pages
• presentation of tables and figures

If you’re unsure about the formatting requirements, check with your supervisor or department. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.

How will you reference your sources?

Referencing means properly listing the sources you cite and refer to in your dissertation, so that the reader can find them. This avoids plagiarism by acknowledging where you’ve used the work of others.

Keep track of everything you read as you prepare your dissertation. The key information to note down for a reference is:

• The publication date
• Page numbers for the parts you refer to (especially when using direct quotes)

Different referencing styles each have their own specific rules for how to reference. The most commonly used styles in UK universities are listed below.

You can use the free APA Reference Generator to automatically create and store your references.

APA Reference Generator

The words ‘ dissertation ’ and ‘thesis’ both refer to a large written research project undertaken to complete a degree, but they are used differently depending on the country:

• In the UK, you write a dissertation at the end of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and you write a thesis to complete a PhD.
• In the US, it’s the other way around: you may write a thesis at the end of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and you write a dissertation to complete a PhD.

The main difference is in terms of scale – a dissertation is usually much longer than the other essays you complete during your degree.

Another key difference is that you are given much more independence when working on a dissertation. You choose your own dissertation topic , and you have to conduct the research and write the dissertation yourself (with some assistance from your supervisor).

Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education:

• An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000–15,000 words
• A master’s dissertation is typically 12,000–50,000 words
• A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000–100,000 words

However, none of these are strict guidelines – your word count may be lower or higher than the numbers stated here. Always check the guidelines provided by your university to determine how long your own dissertation should be.

At the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the dissertation is usually the main focus of your final year. You might work on it (alongside other classes) for the entirety of the final year, or for the last six months. This includes formulating an idea, doing the research, and writing up.

A PhD thesis takes a longer time, as the thesis is the main focus of the degree. A PhD thesis might be being formulated and worked on for the whole four years of the degree program. The writing process alone can take around 18 months.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, May 05). What Is a Dissertation? | 5 Essential Questions to Get Started. Scribbr. Retrieved 29 August 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/what-is-a-dissertation/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, how to choose a dissertation topic | 8 steps to follow, how to write a dissertation proposal | a step-by-step guide, what is a literature review | guide, template, & examples.

• 301 Academic Skills Centre
• Study skills online

Dissertation planning

Information on how to plan and manage your dissertation project.

What is research?

A dissertation project is an opportunity to pursue your own ideas in an environment of relative intellectual freedom.

It also present a number of new challenges relating to the scale, scope and structure of a piece of work that is likely to be more substantial than any you have undertaken before.

These resources will help you to break the process down and explore ways to plan and structure your research and organise your written work.

A research-led university

Sheffield prides itself on being a  research-led university . Crucially, this means that teaching is informed by cutting-edge research in the academic field.

It also means that you are learning in an environment where you develop and use research skills as you progress. The most successful students tend to develop research skills early and use them consistently.

Research in higher education

Research sometimes just means finding out information about a topic. However, in the HE setting, specific understandings of 'research' carry a lot of weight.

The classic definition is that research leads to an original ' contribution to knowledge ' in a particular field of inquiry by defining an important question or problem and then answering or solving it in a systematic way.

You will build this contribution on the foundation of a robust structure of primary and secondary sources and evidence.

Differences across disciplines

Depending on the discipline you work in, there will be different ways of designing and articulating a research problem and different methods for answering these problems.

Not everything about research is 'original'. Sometimes the majority (or even all) of a research project will involve documenting or summarising information or ideas that are already available.

Not all research leads to answers. Sometimes research produces unusable results, or the inquiry leads to only more questions. Sometimes the originality of a research project is that it straddles more than one field of inquiry.

Some examples of approaches to research and what that contribution to knowledge might look like include:

• Explore an under-researched area
• Develop or test out a new methodology or technique
• Extend or develop a previous study
• Review the knowledge thus far in a specific field
• Makes connections between disciplines
• Replicate an existing study/approach in a different setting
• Apply a theoretical idea to a real world problem

This all adds up to the fact that research is a complicated topic that seems to mean a lot to academic experts but is very difficult to understand intimately when you are a novice.

As someone new to research, you will need to do some work to find out how research is conceived of and done in your discipline.

301 Recommends:

Our Dissertation Planning Essentials workshop will look at the initial stages and challenges of preparing for a large-scale dissertation project.

Our Dissertation Writing workshop will break down the process of writing a dissertation and explore approaches to voice and style to help develop a way of writing academically.

Our Creativity and Research interactive workshop looks at how to identify, develop and apply your creativity and innovation skills to the research process, whatever stage you're at. In our Creativity and Problem Solving interactive workshop you'll learn how to identify and develop your creativity and innovation skills, address problems and challenges, explore creative models and strategies, and look at how you can apply this to your academic work.

Our Part 1 workshop on Setting Research Priorities will help to break down the research process by identifying the key information that you need to have in place to develop your project. It will help you to prioritise key tasks and create a project workflow to set targets, track progress and reach key milestones. Part 2 will revisit that workflow to assess progress. It will encourage you to reflect on your project so far, identify opportunities for feedback and review your intermediate targets to ensure that you stay on track towards your deadline.

Explore this Illustrated Guide to a PhD  by Matt Might as a visualisation of research to help you identify how you can develop your research ideas.  

Our Video Dissemination workshop will give you an insight into the best practices for using video to disseminate research and communicate your ideas. It will look at styles, common communication techniques and the pedagogy of visual mediums, as well as top production tips for making your content engaging, informative and professional.

Research proposals

A research proposal often needs to encompass many things: it is part description, part analysis, part review, part guesswork, part advert, part CV.

Writing a research proposal that can achieve all these things is an important first step towards realising your project idea. Your research proposal will allow you to receive some early feedback on your ideas and will act as a guide as you plan and develop your project more fully.

But how can you explain what you hope to discover in the project before you’ve done the research?

There are a number of things that you can do to make sure that your research proposal is professional, realistic and relevant:

• Read around your topic of interest as much as possible. Getting a feel for what other kinds of research have been done will give you a much clearer idea of where your project might fit in. 
• Create a mind map of relevant topics to explore the links and connections between themes. Which branches of your mind map seem most promising as an area for enquiry?
• Be realistic. You may dream of making the next big breakthrough in the field, but this is probably unlikely! Set your self aims and objectives that are realistic within the timescales of your project. 
• Finally, make sure you follow your department guidelines and include everything that you need to in your proposal. 

301 Recommends: Research Project Design Template

Make a copy of this Research project design template (google doc) to capture the key information you need to complete your research proposal.

Research ethics

Whenever you undertake research, no matter what level you are working at, it is always important to consider the immediate and continued impact of your project.

All research should be designed to ensure that individuals involved in the project as subjects or participants are treated with respect and consideration. In practice, this means that:

• Participants have a right to full knowledge about the project and what its results will be used for.
• You should also be mindful of an individual's rights to privacy and confidentiality.
• You should consider the issue of data protection, how you will store project data safely and how long you will need to retain the data
• The physical, emotional and psychological well-being of participants and researchers should be prioritised in your research design.
• Environmental impacts of the research should be considered and mitigated where possible.
• Longer-term impacts, for example, if you are planning to publish findings from the project, should also be considered. 

It is perhaps easy to think that working directly with living participants raises the most pressing ethical questions.

However, you equally need to give very important consideration to the ethics of working in text-based subjects, especially when considering unpublished material (see also copyright).

Your department will have its own guidelines on the area of research ethics and you should certainly consult your tutor or supervisor as s/he will be able to give you detailed topic-specific guidance. More more guidance on ethics in research, visit Research Services Ethics and Integrity pages here . 

Project management

The key to completing a research project successfully is to invest time in planning and organising your project.

A student research project, whether a dissertation or a research placement, will usually involve tight timescales and deadlines. Given the wealth of tasks involved in a typical dissertation project, this can seriously limit the time available for actual data collection or research. 

Setting yourself clear and achievable aims and objectives will help to ensure that the project is manageable within the timeframe available.

As an early stage of the planning process, have a go at breaking your project down into its constituent parts: i.e. all of the tasks that you will need to complete between now and the deadline. How long will each of them take? For example:

Every project will have its own specific tasks, but breaking them down in this way will allow you to start planning ahead, adding milestones to your calendar and chipping away at the project task by task. 

301 Recommends: Trello

Trello is an online planning tool that allows you to create a project workflow. It is a simple and accessible tool that allows you to set yourself deadlines, colour code tasks and share your project plan with collaborators. View our example Dissertation Planning Trello board here and some guidance for students on using Trello (Linked In Learning) .

Working with your supervisor

Your supervisor will be your first point of contact for advice on your project and to help you to resolve issues arising. 

Remember, your supervisor will have a busy schedule and may be supervising several students at once. Although they will do their best to support you, they may not be able to get back to you right away and may be limited in their availability to meet you. 

There are a number of things that you can do to make the most out of the relationship. Some strategies to consider include:

• Share plans/ideas/work-in-progress with your supervisor early 
• Plan for meetings, sketch out an informal agenda 
• Write down your main questions before the meeting. Don’t leave without answers!
• Be receptive to feedback and criticism
• Take notes/record the meeting on a smartphone with your supervisor’s permission!)

301 recommends: Supervisor and supervisee relationships interactive digital workshop

This interactive resource will help you to develop a positive and productive working relationship with your supervisor. 

Top Tips and resources

• Read other dissertations from students in your department/discipline to get an idea of how similar projects are organised and presented. 
• Break your project down into its constituent parts and treat each chapter as an essay in its own right.
• Choose a topic that interests you and will sustain your interest, not just for a few days, but for a few months!
• Write up as you go along - writing can and should be part of all stages of the diissertation planning and developing process. 
• Keep good records – don’t throw anything out!
• If in doubt, talk to your supervisor.

Internal resources

• Library -  Research and Critical Thinking Resources
• Library –  Digital Skills for Dissertations : Information, resources and training on developing your dissertation projects, including finding and referencing sources, your literature review and creating and using images and infographics.
• ELTC -  Writing Advisory Service
• 301 -  Dissertation Essentials lecture recording
• 301 -  Dissertation Writing lecture recording

External resources

• The Theis Whisperer -  Writing Blog
• Gradhacker -  When it comes to dissertations, done is best

Related information

Scientific writing and lab reports

Proofreading

Academic Skills Certificate

Summer support

Are you getting ready to start a new academic year? Or preparing for summer resits?

We have a whole host of support ready for you to access whenever you need it. Our online resources allow you to develop your academic skills at your own pace, building on your existing skills ready for whatever you are facing next.

Take advantage of our curated Level Up Your Skills packages and start working through resources for your upcoming level of study, or use study skills online to find specific topics you want to work on.

Sheffield is a research university with a global reputation for excellence. We're a member of the Russell Group: one of the 24 leading UK universities for research and teaching.

Library Guides

Dissertations 1: getting started: starting your dissertation.

• Starting Your Dissertation
• Choosing A Topic and Researching
• Devising An Approach/Method
• Thinking Of A Title
• Writing A Proposal

What is a Dissertation?

A dissertation is a research project completed as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. Typically, a dissertation will enable you to present your findings in response to a question that you propose yourself. It is probably the longest piece of academic work you will produce. At undergraduate level, word count requirements can range anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 words while a Masters level dissertation can be 10,000 to 15,000 words long! 

Why are you required to write a dissertation? 

A dissertation is a core requirement of most university degrees. 

The dissertation will enhance your employability. For instance, you will develop transferable skills in inter-personal communication, data collection and analysis, report writing and effective time-management.  

While it is demanding, writing a dissertation is your chance to explore, in depth, a topic that interests you. Therefore, ensuring you choose a topic you are passionate about will make your experience more rewarding and even enjoyable! 

Supervision Advice

A supervisor will be assigned to you to assist with guidance on how to prepare, produce and improve your dissertation.  

The supervisor’s role is to: 

Assist in the organisation of the project in the early stages of preparation 

Advise you on the feasibility of what you plan to do 

Advise on methods and ethics of your research  

The supervisor is not expected to: 

Proofread your work 

Provide you with a topic or research question 

Direct the research  

Ensure that a dissertation is of sufficient quality to pass: this is your responsibility 

To get the best out of your time with your supervisor, you should: 

Check formal requirements early 

Check arrangements for supervisions and how your supervisor likes to work 

Organise regular supervision meetings and prepare work for each one 

Let your supervisor know how you work best 

Using Dissertation Marking Criteria

Your dissertation, like your previous assessments, will be marked against a set of assessment criteria which is published in your module or course handbook and posted on Blackboard.  

Assessment criteria are intended to: 

Ensure you meet the learning outcomes. 

Help you understand how your work is assessed. 

Allow tutors to focus their feedback. They will let you know what you are doing well and what needs improvement. 

Dissertation assessment criteria usually specifies what the tutor expects in terms of: 

Clarity: have you expressed your ideas clearly? 

Relevance: does your work fit into/fill a gap in existing research/literature on similar topics? 

Originality: does it offer a fresh perspective on a topic? 

Meeting course requirements: does it meet the word count / deadlines, for example? 

Before starting your dissertation, it is essential that you check what is expected of you and how your work will be graded. It is also useful to regularly check what you have written every few weeks and after you have finished to see if you are on track to meet the assessment criteria.  

First Steps

Ready to get started but uncertain how to begin? These are normally the first steps of dissertation writing:  

Choose a topic 

Conduct a literature search 

Devise research question(s) / hypotheses 

Devise your approach (e.g. if undertaking primary research, you will need to devise your methodology, methods, etc.) 

Think of a title 

Plan your time 

Write a proposal (if requested)

These steps are addressed in the tabs of this guide.

• Next: Choosing A Topic and Researching >>
• Last Updated: Aug 1, 2023 2:36 PM
• URL: https://libguides.westminster.ac.uk/starting-your-dissertation

CONNECT WITH US

How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

8 straightforward steps to craft an a-grade dissertation.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020

Writing a dissertation or thesis is not a simple task. It takes time, energy and a lot of will power to get you across the finish line. It’s not easy – but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a painful process. If you understand the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis, your research journey will be a lot smoother.  

In this post, I’m going to outline the big-picture process of how to write a high-quality dissertation or thesis, without losing your mind along the way. If you’re just starting your research, this post is perfect for you. Alternatively, if you’ve already submitted your proposal, this article which covers how to structure a dissertation might be more helpful.

How To Write A Dissertation: 8 Steps

• Clearly understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is
• Find a unique and valuable research topic
• Craft a convincing research proposal
• Write up a strong introduction chapter
• Review the existing literature and compile a literature review
• Design a rigorous research strategy and undertake your own research
• Present the findings of your research
• Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Step 1: Understand exactly what a dissertation is

This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but all too often, students come to us for help with their research and the underlying issue is that they don’t fully understand what a dissertation (or thesis) actually is.

So, what is a dissertation?

At its simplest, a dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research , reflecting the standard research process . But what is the standard research process, you ask? The research process involves 4 key steps:

• Ask a very specific, well-articulated question (s) (your research topic)
• See what other researchers have said about it (if they’ve already answered it)
• If they haven’t answered it adequately, undertake your own data collection and analysis in a scientifically rigorous fashion
• Answer your original question(s), based on your analysis findings

In short, the research process is simply about asking and answering questions in a systematic fashion . This probably sounds pretty obvious, but people often think they’ve done “research”, when in fact what they have done is:

• Started with a vague, poorly articulated question
• Not taken the time to see what research has already been done regarding the question
• Collected data and opinions that support their gut and undertaken a flimsy analysis
• Drawn a shaky conclusion, based on that analysis

If you want to see the perfect example of this in action, look out for the next Facebook post where someone claims they’ve done “research”… All too often, people consider reading a few blog posts to constitute research. Its no surprise then that what they end up with is an opinion piece, not research. Okay, okay – I’ll climb off my soapbox now.

The key takeaway here is that a dissertation (or thesis) is a formal piece of research, reflecting the research process. It’s not an opinion piece , nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position. Writing a good dissertation involves asking a question and taking a systematic, rigorous approach to answering it.

If you understand this and are comfortable leaving your opinions or preconceived ideas at the door, you’re already off to a good start!

Step 2: Find a unique, valuable research topic

As we saw, the first step of the research process is to ask a specific, well-articulated question. In other words, you need to find a research topic that asks a specific question or set of questions (these are called research questions ). Sounds easy enough, right? All you’ve got to do is identify a question or two and you’ve got a winning research topic. Well, not quite…

A good dissertation or thesis topic has a few important attributes. Specifically, a solid research topic should be:

Let’s take a closer look at these:

Attribute #1: Clear

Your research topic needs to be crystal clear about what you’re planning to research, what you want to know, and within what context. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or vagueness about what you’ll research.

Here’s an example of a clearly articulated research topic:

An analysis of consumer-based factors influencing organisational trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms.

As you can see in the example, its crystal clear what will be analysed (factors impacting organisational trust), amongst who (consumers) and in what context (British low-cost equity brokerage firms, based online).

Need a helping hand?

Attribute #2:   Unique

Your research should be asking a question(s) that hasn’t been asked before, or that hasn’t been asked in a specific context (for example, in a specific country or industry).

For example, sticking organisational trust topic above, it’s quite likely that organisational trust factors in the UK have been investigated before, but the context (online low-cost equity brokerages) could make this research unique. Therefore, the context makes this research original.

One caveat when using context as the basis for originality – you need to have a good reason to suspect that your findings in this context might be different from the existing research – otherwise, there’s no reason to warrant researching it.

Attribute #3: Important

Simply asking a unique or original question is not enough – the question needs to create value. In other words, successfully answering your research questions should provide some value to the field of research or the industry. You can’t research something just to satisfy your curiosity. It needs to make some form of contribution either to research or industry.

For example, researching the factors influencing consumer trust would create value by enabling businesses to tailor their operations and marketing to leverage factors that promote trust. In other words, it would have a clear benefit to industry.

So, how do you go about finding a unique and valuable research topic? We explain that in detail in this video post – How To Find A Research Topic . Yeah, we’ve got you covered 😊

Step 3: Write a convincing research proposal

Once you’ve pinned down a high-quality research topic, the next step is to convince your university to let you research it. No matter how awesome you think your topic is, it still needs to get the rubber stamp before you can move forward with your research. The research proposal is the tool you’ll use for this job.

So, what’s in a research proposal?

The main “job” of a research proposal is to convince your university, advisor or committee that your research topic is worthy of approval. But convince them of what? Well, this varies from university to university, but generally, they want to see that:

• You have a clearly articulated, unique and important topic (this might sound familiar…)
• You’ve done some initial reading of the existing literature relevant to your topic (i.e. a literature review)
• You have a provisional plan in terms of how you will collect data and analyse it (i.e. a methodology)

At the proposal stage, it’s (generally) not expected that you’ve extensively reviewed the existing literature , but you will need to show that you’ve done enough reading to identify a clear gap for original (unique) research. Similarly, they generally don’t expect that you have a rock-solid research methodology mapped out, but you should have an idea of whether you’ll be undertaking qualitative or quantitative analysis , and how you’ll collect your data (we’ll discuss this in more detail later).

Long story short – don’t stress about having every detail of your research meticulously thought out at the proposal stage – this will develop as you progress through your research. However, you do need to show that you’ve “done your homework” and that your research is worthy of approval .

So, how do you go about crafting a high-quality, convincing proposal? We cover that in detail in this video post – How To Write A Top-Class Research Proposal . We’ve also got a video walkthrough of two proposal examples here .

Step 4: Craft a strong introduction chapter

Once your proposal’s been approved, its time to get writing your actual dissertation or thesis! The good news is that if you put the time into crafting a high-quality proposal, you’ve already got a head start on your first three chapters – introduction, literature review and methodology – as you can use your proposal as the basis for these.

Handy sidenote – our free dissertation & thesis template is a great way to speed up your dissertation writing journey.

What’s the introduction chapter all about?

The purpose of the introduction chapter is to set the scene for your research (dare I say, to introduce it…) so that the reader understands what you’ll be researching and why it’s important. In other words, it covers the same ground as the research proposal in that it justifies your research topic.

What goes into the introduction chapter?

This can vary slightly between universities and degrees, but generally, the introduction chapter will include the following:

• A brief background to the study, explaining the overall area of research
• A problem statement , explaining what the problem is with the current state of research (in other words, where the knowledge gap exists)
• Your research questions – in other words, the specific questions your study will seek to answer (based on the knowledge gap)
• The significance of your study – in other words, why it’s important and how its findings will be useful in the world

As you can see, this all about explaining the “what” and the “why” of your research (as opposed to the “how”). So, your introduction chapter is basically the salesman of your study, “selling” your research to the first-time reader and (hopefully) getting them interested to read more.

How do I write the introduction chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this post .

Step 5: Undertake an in-depth literature review

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to do some initial review of the literature in Steps 2 and 3 to find your research gap and craft a convincing research proposal – but that’s just scratching the surface. Once you reach the literature review stage of your dissertation or thesis, you need to dig a lot deeper into the existing research and write up a comprehensive literature review chapter.

What’s the literature review all about?

There are two main stages in the literature review process:

Literature Review Step 1: Reading up

The first stage is for you to deep dive into the existing literature (journal articles, textbook chapters, industry reports, etc) to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of research regarding your topic. While you don’t need to read every single article, you do need to ensure that you cover all literature that is related to your core research questions, and create a comprehensive catalogue of that literature , which you’ll use in the next step.

Reading and digesting all the relevant literature is a time consuming and intellectually demanding process. Many students underestimate just how much work goes into this step, so make sure that you allocate a good amount of time for this when planning out your research. Thankfully, there are ways to fast track the process – be sure to check out this article covering how to read journal articles quickly .

Literature Review Step 2: Writing up

Once you’ve worked through the literature and digested it all, you’ll need to write up your literature review chapter. Many students make the mistake of thinking that the literature review chapter is simply a summary of what other researchers have said. While this is partly true, a literature review is much more than just a summary. To pull off a good literature review chapter, you’ll need to achieve at least 3 things:

• You need to synthesise the existing research , not just summarise it. In other words, you need to show how different pieces of theory fit together, what’s agreed on by researchers, what’s not.
• You need to highlight a research gap that your research is going to fill. In other words, you’ve got to outline the problem so that your research topic can provide a solution.
• You need to use the existing research to inform your methodology and approach to your own research design. For example, you might use questions or Likert scales from previous studies in your your own survey design .

As you can see, a good literature review is more than just a summary of the published research. It’s the foundation on which your own research is built, so it deserves a lot of love and attention. Take the time to craft a comprehensive literature review with a suitable structure .

But, how do I actually write the literature review chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this video post .

Step 6: Carry out your own research

Once you’ve completed your literature review and have a sound understanding of the existing research, its time to develop your own research (finally!). You’ll design this research specifically so that you can find the answers to your unique research question.

There are two steps here – designing your research strategy and executing on it:

1 – Design your research strategy

The first step is to design your research strategy and craft a methodology chapter . I won’t get into the technicalities of the methodology chapter here, but in simple terms, this chapter is about explaining the “how” of your research. If you recall, the introduction and literature review chapters discussed the “what” and the “why”, so it makes sense that the next point to cover is the “how” –that’s what the methodology chapter is all about.

In this section, you’ll need to make firm decisions about your research design. This includes things like:

• Your research philosophy (e.g. positivism or interpretivism )
• Your overall methodology (e.g. qualitative , quantitative or mixed methods)
• Your data collection strategy (e.g. interviews , focus groups, surveys)
• Your data analysis strategy (e.g. content analysis , correlation analysis, regression)

If these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these in plain language in other posts. It’s not essential that you understand the intricacies of research design (yet!). The key takeaway here is that you’ll need to make decisions about how you’ll design your own research, and you’ll need to describe (and justify) your decisions in your methodology chapter.

2 – Execute: Collect and analyse your data

Once you’ve worked out your research design, you’ll put it into action and start collecting your data. This might mean undertaking interviews, hosting an online survey or any other data collection method. Data collection can take quite a bit of time (especially if you host in-person interviews), so be sure to factor sufficient time into your project plan for this. Oftentimes, things don’t go 100% to plan (for example, you don’t get as many survey responses as you hoped for), so bake a little extra time into your budget here.

Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to do some data preparation before you can sink your teeth into the analysis. For example:

• If you carry out interviews or focus groups, you’ll need to transcribe your audio data to text (i.e. a Word document).
• If you collect quantitative survey data, you’ll need to clean up your data and get it into the right format for whichever analysis software you use (for example, SPSS, R or STATA).

Once you’ve completed your data prep, you’ll undertake your analysis, using the techniques that you described in your methodology. Depending on what you find in your analysis, you might also do some additional forms of analysis that you hadn’t planned for. For example, you might see something in the data that raises new questions or that requires clarification with further analysis.

The type(s) of analysis that you’ll use depend entirely on the nature of your research and your research questions. For example:

• If your research if exploratory in nature, you’ll often use qualitative analysis techniques .
• If your research is confirmatory in nature, you’ll often use quantitative analysis techniques
• If your research involves a mix of both, you might use a mixed methods approach

Again, if these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these concepts and techniques in other posts. The key takeaway is simply that there’s no “one size fits all” for research design and methodology – it all depends on your topic, your research questions and your data. So, don’t be surprised if your study colleagues take a completely different approach to yours.

Step 7: Present your findings

Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to present your findings (finally!). In a dissertation or thesis, you’ll typically present your findings in two chapters – the results chapter and the discussion chapter .

What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?

While these two chapters are similar, the results chapter generally just presents the processed data neatly and clearly without interpretation, while the discussion chapter explains the story the data are telling  – in other words, it provides your interpretation of the results.

For example, if you were researching the factors that influence consumer trust, you might have used a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between potential factors (e.g. perceived integrity and competence of the organisation) and consumer trust. In this case:

• Your results chapter would just present the results of the statistical tests. For example, correlation results or differences between groups. In other words, the processed numbers.
• Your discussion chapter would explain what the numbers mean in relation to your research question(s). For example, Factor 1 has a weak relationship with consumer trust, while Factor 2 has a strong relationship.

Depending on the university and degree, these two chapters (results and discussion) are sometimes merged into one , so be sure to check with your institution what their preference is. Regardless of the chapter structure, this section is about presenting the findings of your research in a clear, easy to understand fashion.

Importantly, your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions (which you outlined in the introduction or literature review chapter). In other words, it needs to answer the key questions you asked (or at least attempt to answer them).

For example, if we look at the sample research topic:

In this case, the discussion section would clearly outline which factors seem to have a noteworthy influence on organisational trust. By doing so, they are answering the overarching question and fulfilling the purpose of the research .

For more information about the results chapter , check out this post for qualitative studies and this post for quantitative studies .

Step 8: The Final Step Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Last but not least, you’ll need to wrap up your research with the conclusion chapter . In this chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and explaining what the implications of these findings are.

What exactly are key findings? The key findings are those findings which directly relate to your original research questions and overall research objectives (which you discussed in your introduction chapter). The implications, on the other hand, explain what your findings mean for industry, or for research in your area.

Sticking with the consumer trust topic example, the conclusion might look something like this:

Key findings

This study set out to identify which factors influence consumer-based trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms. The results suggest that the following factors have a large impact on consumer trust:

While the following factors have a very limited impact on consumer trust:

Notably, within the 25-30 age groups, Factors E had a noticeably larger impact, which may be explained by…

Implications

The findings having noteworthy implications for British low-cost online equity brokers. Specifically:

The large impact of Factors X and Y implies that brokers need to consider….

The limited impact of Factor E implies that brokers need to…

As you can see, the conclusion chapter is basically explaining the “what” (what your study found) and the “so what?” (what the findings mean for the industry or research). This brings the study full circle and closes off the document.

Let’s recap – how to write a dissertation or thesis

You’re still with me? Impressive! I know that this post was a long one, but hopefully you’ve learnt a thing or two about how to write a dissertation or thesis, and are now better equipped to start your own research.

To recap, the 8 steps to writing a quality dissertation (or thesis) are as follows:

• Understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is – a research project that follows the research process.
• Find a unique (original) and important research topic
• Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal
• Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter
• Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review
• Undertake your own research
• Present and interpret your findings

Once you’ve wrapped up the core chapters, all that’s typically left is the abstract , reference list and appendices. As always, be sure to check with your university if they have any additional requirements in terms of structure or content.  

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

20 Comments

thankfull >>>this is very useful

Thank you, it was really helpful

unquestionably, this amazing simplified way of teaching. Really , I couldn’t find in the literature words that fully explicit my great thanks to you. However, I could only say thanks a-lot.

Great to hear that – thanks for the feedback. Good luck writing your dissertation/thesis.

This is the most comprehensive explanation of how to write a dissertation. Many thanks for sharing it free of charge.

Very rich presentation. Thank you

Thanks Derek Jansen|GRADCOACH, I find it very useful guide to arrange my activities and proceed to research!

Thank you so much for such a marvelous teaching .I am so convinced that am going to write a comprehensive and a distinct masters dissertation

It is an amazing comprehensive explanation

This was straightforward. Thank you!

I can say that your explanations are simple and enlightening – understanding what you have done here is easy for me. Could you write more about the different types of research methods specific to the three methodologies: quan, qual and MM. I look forward to interacting with this website more in the future.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions 🙂

Hello, your write ups is quite educative. However, l have challenges in going about my research questions which is below; *Building the enablers of organisational growth through effective governance and purposeful leadership.*

Very educating.

Just listening to the name of the dissertation makes the student nervous. As writing a top-quality dissertation is a difficult task as it is a lengthy topic, requires a lot of research and understanding and is usually around 10,000 to 15000 words. Sometimes due to studies, unbalanced workload or lack of research and writing skill students look for dissertation submission from professional writers.

Thank you 💕😊 very much. I was confused but your comprehensive explanation has cleared my doubts of ever presenting a good thesis. Thank you.

thank you so much, that was so useful

Hi. Where is the excel spread sheet ark?

could you please help me look at your thesis paper to enable me to do the portion that has to do with the specification

my topic is “the impact of domestic revenue mobilization.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Print Friendly

• Study and research support
• Academic skills

Dissertation examples

Listed below are some of the best examples of research projects and dissertations from undergraduate and taught postgraduate students at the University of Leeds We have not been able to gather examples from all schools. The module requirements for research projects may have changed since these examples were written. Refer to your module guidelines to make sure that you address all of the current assessment criteria. Some of the examples below are only available to access on campus.

• Undergraduate examples
• Taught Masters examples

Essay and dissertation writing skills

Planning your essay

Writing your introduction

Structuring your essay

• Writing essays in science subjects
• Brief video guides to support essay planning and writing
• Writing extended essays and dissertations
• Planning your dissertation writing time

Structuring your dissertation

• Top tips for writing longer pieces of work

Advice on planning and writing essays and dissertations

University essays differ from school essays in that they are less concerned with what you know and more concerned with how you construct an argument to answer the question. This means that the starting point for writing a strong essay is to first unpick the question and to then use this to plan your essay before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

A really good starting point for you are these short, downloadable Tips for Successful Essay Writing and Answering the Question resources. Both resources will help you to plan your essay, as well as giving you guidance on how to distinguish between different sorts of essay questions. 

You may find it helpful to watch this seven-minute video on six tips for essay writing which outlines how to interpret essay questions, as well as giving advice on planning and structuring your writing:

Different disciplines will have different expectations for essay structure and you should always refer to your Faculty or Department student handbook or course Canvas site for more specific guidance.

However, broadly speaking, all essays share the following features:

Essays need an introduction to establish and focus the parameters of the discussion that will follow. You may find it helpful to divide the introduction into areas to demonstrate your breadth and engagement with the essay question. You might define specific terms in the introduction to show your engagement with the essay question; for example, ‘This is a large topic which has been variously discussed by many scientists and commentators. The principal tension is between the views of X and Y who define the main issues as…’ Breadth might be demonstrated by showing the range of viewpoints from which the essay question could be considered; for example, ‘A variety of factors including economic, social and political, influence A and B. This essay will focus on the social and economic aspects, with particular emphasis on…..’

Watch this two-minute video to learn more about how to plan and structure an introduction:

The main body of the essay should elaborate on the issues raised in the introduction and develop an argument(s) that answers the question. It should consist of a number of self-contained paragraphs each of which makes a specific point and provides some form of evidence to support the argument being made. Remember that a clear argument requires that each paragraph explicitly relates back to the essay question or the developing argument.

• Conclusion: An essay should end with a conclusion that reiterates the argument in light of the evidence you have provided; you shouldn’t use the conclusion to introduce new information.
• References: You need to include references to the materials you’ve used to write your essay. These might be in the form of footnotes, in-text citations, or a bibliography at the end. Different systems exist for citing references and different disciplines will use various approaches to citation. Ask your tutor which method(s) you should be using for your essay and also consult your Department or Faculty webpages for specific guidance in your discipline. 

Essay writing in science subjects

If you are writing an essay for a science subject you may need to consider additional areas, such as how to present data or diagrams. This five-minute video gives you some advice on how to approach your reading list, planning which information to include in your answer and how to write for your scientific audience – the video is available here:

A PDF providing further guidance on writing science essays for tutorials is available to download.

Short videos to support your essay writing skills

There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including:

• Approaching different types of essay questions  
• Structuring your essay  
• Writing an introduction  
• Making use of evidence in your essay writing  
• Writing your conclusion

Extended essays and dissertations

Longer pieces of writing like extended essays and dissertations may seem like quite a challenge from your regular essay writing. The important point is to start with a plan and to focus on what the question is asking. A PDF providing further guidance on planning Humanities and Social Science dissertations is available to download.

Planning your time effectively

Try not to leave the writing until close to your deadline, instead start as soon as you have some ideas to put down onto paper. Your early drafts may never end up in the final work, but the work of committing your ideas to paper helps to formulate not only your ideas, but the method of structuring your writing to read well and conclude firmly.

Although many students and tutors will say that the introduction is often written last, it is a good idea to begin to think about what will go into it early on. For example, the first draft of your introduction should set out your argument, the information you have, and your methods, and it should give a structure to the chapters and sections you will write. Your introduction will probably change as time goes on but it will stand as a guide to your entire extended essay or dissertation and it will help you to keep focused.

The structure of  extended essays or dissertations will vary depending on the question and discipline, but may include some or all of the following:

• The background information to - and context for - your research. This often takes the form of a literature review.
• Explanation of the focus of your work.
• Explanation of the value of this work to scholarship on the topic.
• List of the aims and objectives of the work and also the issues which will not be covered because they are outside its scope.

The main body of your extended essay or dissertation will probably include your methodology, the results of research, and your argument(s) based on your findings.

The conclusion is to summarise the value your research has added to the topic, and any further lines of research you would undertake given more time or resources. 

Tips on writing longer pieces of work

Approaching each chapter of a dissertation as a shorter essay can make the task of writing a dissertation seem less overwhelming. Each chapter will have an introduction, a main body where the argument is developed and substantiated with evidence, and a conclusion to tie things together. Unlike in a regular essay, chapter conclusions may also introduce the chapter that will follow, indicating how the chapters are connected to one another and how the argument will develop through your dissertation.

For further guidance, watch this two-minute video on writing longer pieces of work . 

Systems & Services

Access Student Self Service

• Student Self Service
• Self Service guide
• Registration guide
• Libraries search
• OXCORT - see TMS
• GSS - see Student Self Service
• The Careers Service
• Oxford University Sport
• Online store
• Gardens, Libraries and Museums
• Researchers Skills Toolkit
• LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com)
• Access Guide
• Lecture Lists
• Exam Papers (OXAM)
• Oxford Talks

Latest student news

CAN'T FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?

Try our extensive database of FAQs or submit your own question...

Ask a question

Degree classifications: How does each year of uni count towards a degree? 

Starting university is an exciting and transformative experience. As a potential or new student, you may be wondering how each year at university will contribute to your overall degree classification.  

In this article, we will explore the significance of each year throughout your university journey and shed light on how they contribute to your final degree.  

• What is degree classification?
• How does each year of uni count towards a degree?
• What is a dissertation and how does it affect your degree?
• What factors effect your final grade/ classification?
• More questions about degree classifications

What is degree classification?   

Before diving into the role of each year, let’s first understand what degree classification entails. Similar to there being certain qualifications you need to get into university , there is also a range of degree awards you can achieve when you leave uni.

Degree classification is a system used to assess and categorise your overall performance as an undergraduate student. It is a way to determine the level of academic achievement and assign an appropriate degree level based on the grades obtained throughout your degree.  

What are the different undergraduate degree classifications?   

There are several different undergraduate degree classifications. In the United Kingdom, the most common are: 

• First Class Honours (1st) 
• Upper Second Class Honours (2:1) 
• Lower Second Class Honours (2:2) 
• Third Class Honours (3rd) 
• Pass  

How is degree classification calculated?   

The degree classification is calculated using a weighted average of module marks. Every module you take during your degree is worth a specific number of credits, usually 15 or 30. The marks you receive for each module are then multiplied by the number of credits it carries. These weighted module marks are then combined to calculate your overall grade and classification.  

How does each year of uni count towards a degree?  

The number of credits you earn in each year, as well as the grades you achieve, will be used to calculate your degree classification. However, as you will discover, not all years contribute equally – and sometimes there are years that might not contribute at all.  It’s also worth noting that the specific weighting can vary significantly between different universities and degree programs. 

Does the first year count towards degree classification?  

Although the first year sets the foundation for your subsequent studies, it typically does not count towards your final degree classification, while the second and final years do. However, this may vary depending on the university and the degree course. Instead of directly contributing, the first year is usually considered a preliminary year or an ‘exploratory period’.  

How does the second year contribute to the final degree classification?   

What is the significance of the second year in an undergraduate degree? While the first year may not directly impact your final classification, the second year plays a more significant role: The module marks you achieve during your second year are crucial in determining your overall award.

How are module marks in the second year calculated?   

The module marks in the second year are calculated using the same methodology as explained earlier. Each module is assigned a certain number of credits, typically either 15 or 30 credits, and your performance in each module is graded accordingly. These grades are then multiplied by the number of credits and weighted to calculate your overall grade for the second year.  

Do I need to pass all modules in the second year to progress?   

While it is important to strive for success in all your modules, you do not need to achieve a pass in all your modules in the second year to progress to the next academic year. However, some degree programs may have specific requirements, so it is essential to check with your university and program guidelines.  

How are the final year marks weighted in the final degree classification?   

The final year marks are of utmost importance in determining your final degree.  The specific weighting may vary depending on the university and degree program, but the final year marks do contribute significantly to how your degree is calculated and your final degree classification. 

What is a dissertation and how does it affect your degree classification?   

A dissertation is a lengthy and detailed piece of research undertaken by students during their final year of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. The impact of a dissertation on your degree can vary depending on the educational institution and the specific degree.

In some cases, the dissertation may be weighted heavily and contribute a significant percentage to the final grade – from 30 to 60 credits and between 20-40% to the final year’s marks. In such cases, performing well in the dissertation can improve the overall award.

It is important to refer to the specific guidelines and regulations set by the educational institution and the particular department or faculty to understand the exact impact of the dissertation on your studies.   

What factors determine the final degree classification?  

The final degree classification takes into account a range of factors, including the module marks achieved in the final year and sometimes the second year. Additionally, it may consider the overall average mark across all years of your degree, as well as any specific requirements outlined by your university or program guidelines.  

Are the final year marks based on a specific number of credits?   

Yes, the final year marks are typically based on a specific number of credits. Similar to the second year, modules in the final year are usually assigned a certain number of credits, often 15 or 30 credits.  

Does a placement year affect the overall degree classification?   

When you’re researching what subjects to study at university , you’ll see some include a placement year. If your degree does include a placement year, it is often marked as pass/fail or is not included in the final calculation. However, it is still an essential part of your degree course and can provide valuable industry experience and skills. 

What is the relevance of a placement year in achieving a good degree classification?   

While the placement year may not directly impact your final degree classification, it can enhance your employability and provide you with practical skills that can be advantageous in the job market. Employers often value students who have gained real-world experience through placements, which can contribute to your future career prospects.  

Is a placement year mandatory for all undergraduate degrees?  

No, a placement year is not mandatory for all university undergraduate degrees . Some programs offer optional placement years, allowing students to choose whether they want to undertake a placement. It is important to check the requirements of your specific degree program to determine if a placement year is mandatory or optional.  

Questions about UK degrees and their classifications   

Q: What is an honours degree?  

A: An honours degree is an undergraduate degree that demonstrates a higher level of academic achievement. It is typically awarded to students who have achieved a certain level of performance in their studies.  

Q: How are honours degree classifications calculated?  

A: Honours degree classifications are calculated based on the overall mark earned throughout the degree program. The specific calculation method may vary depending on the university’s specification, but it generally takes into account the grades achieved in each module or unit.  

Q: How are integrated master’s degree classifications determined?  

A: Integrated master’s degree classifications are determined using a similar calculation method as undergraduate honours degrees. The overall mark earned throughout the integrated master’s program, as well as the grades achieved in individual modules, are used to determine the final classification.  

Q: What is the pass mark for a degree?  

A: The pass mark for a degree may vary depending on the university and the specific program of study. Generally, students are required to achieve a minimum overall mark or average grade to pass their degree.  

Q: How many credits are needed for an undergraduate degree?  

A: The number of credits needed for an undergraduate degree varies depending on the university and the specific program. In general, a full-time undergraduate degree program will consist of 120 credits per year, with a total of 360 credits required to complete the degree.  

Q: What is a foundation degree?  

A: A foundation degree is a vocational qualification that is equivalent to the first two years of an undergraduate degree. It is typically awarded by universities or colleges and allows students to progress onto a full undergraduate degree program if they choose.  

Q: Can I repeat a year if I do not achieve the required grades?  

A: It is possible to repeat a year of study if you do not achieve the required grades in your modules or units. This will give you the opportunity to improve your grades and progress towards achieving your degree. 

How YOU can get to university

Tips and advice to help you apply and get to university

We use cookies to personalise content, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. Read our detailed cookie policy

About Us arrow_drop_down expand_more

• News Releases

Our Values arrow_drop_down expand_more

• Diversity & Inclusion
• Accessibility
• Slavery Act Statement

Product Families arrow_drop_down expand_more

Content Solutions expand_more

• Books and Ebooks
• Dissertations
• News & Newspapers
• Primary Sources
• Streaming Video

Products by Subject expand_more

• Health & Medicine
• History & Social Change
• Interdisciplinary
• Science & Technology
• Social Sciences

Popular Products expand_more

Proquest one academic.

• ProQuest One Business
• ProQuest One Education
• ProQuest One Psychology
• ProQuest Black Studies
• Ebooks Offers for Libraries

Library Management expand_more

Discovery services expand_more, resource sharing expand_more, course resource lists expand_more, research management expand_more, mobile solutions expand_more.

• Innovative Mobile

Libraries We Serve expand_more

• Academic Solutions for universities, colleges, and community colleges of all sizes.
• Public Solutions for librarians supporting patrons of public libraries.
• K-12 Solutions for elementary schools, primary schools and high schools.
• Community College Solutions for community colleges, trade schools and two year programs.
• Government Solutions for governmental affairs offices, patent examiners, and grants administrators.
• Corporate Solutions for professionals in the pharmaceutical, legal industries and more.

Solutions For expand_more

• DEI E-Resources
• Print to Electronic
• Reclaiming Your Space
• Library Management
• Library Management – Public Libraries
• Community Engagement
• Content Discovery
• Research Repository
• Digital Preservation
• Resource Sharing
• Document Delivery
• Course Resources

Account Support expand_more

• Setup and Support
• Access Questions
• Renewing a Product
• Paying an Invoice
• Get Usage Data: ProQuest
• Get Usage Data: Alexander Street
• Submitting Dissertations

Idea Exchange

• ProQuest Status Page

Tools & Resources expand_more

• Find a Title List
• Accessibility Documentation
• Open Access

Browse Collections by Subject expand_more

I want to expand_more.

• Start my Research
• Start Text & Data Mining
• Find Research Funding
• Keep up with Research News
• Showcase Research
• See Upcoming Webinars
• Contact Support

I’m Interested In expand_more

• Submitting a Dissertation
• Purchasing a Dissertation
• Assembling Course Materials
• Implementing a Mobile Campus App

Insights expand_more

How text and data mining enables digital literacy in the classroom.

Read about the University of Sydney’s journey to integrate text and data mining (TDM) into its undergraduate courses and incorporate it across disciplines

Meeting Your Needs expand_more

• Graduate Students
• Graduate Administrators

Products & Services expand_more

• ETD Dissemination
• Dissertation & Theses Global
• ETD Dashboard

Resources expand_more

• eLearning Modules
• Expert Advice Articles

Dissertations News expand_more

• Top 25 Most-Accessed Dissertations
• Dissertations Award Winners

Are you a researcher looking for scholarly content? Try searching our platform here...

Language preference

Do you want set this as your default language ?

Connect with ProQuest

Dissertations & theses, proquest: the world leader in dissertation access and dissemination.

Over the last 80 years, ProQuest has built the world’s most comprehensive and renowned dissertations program. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT Global), continues to grow its repository of 5 million graduate works each year, thanks to the continued contribution from the world’s universities, creating an ever-growing resource of emerging research to fuel innovation and new insights.

PQDT Global provides researchers with quality and equitable search results across all institutions, as well as rich citation data that delivers insights into the connections building around the world.

Amplify your Research

Include research with ProQuest to amplify its reach to a vast community of scholars. Submitting is free!

Accelerate your discovery

Subscribe to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global to accelerate and focus your discovery journey, resulting in more efficient and effective research.

Analyze your Influence

Analyze the influence and impact of your dissertations and theses globally by monitoring retrieval data from the ProQuest Platform.

Have questions? We've gathered these frequently asked questions about ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.

Free online learning support to inspire and guide

ProQuest has developed on-demand instructional resources for students to use in a virtual learning environment. eLearning Companions are available to support the graduate student during their research and writing process as well as the undergraduate student who is developing their information literacy skills.

Access the Learning Modules

Spotlight on Research

Distinguished Dissertation and Thesis Award Winners

ProQuest sponsors our Graduate students and their ambitions. Click to see detailed author profiles and previous winners

Top 25 Dissertations

See what titles and topics are trending around the globe. Each month ProQuest posts the top 25 Most-Accessed Dissertations and Theses across all subjects, based upon total PDF downloads.

Have an idea for ProQuest? Share, vote and get feedback on ideas in our forums.

Subject Indexing Partners Enhancing Discoverability

Related Products

ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Global

ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Global is the world's most comprehensive curated collection of multi-disciplinary dissertations and theses from around the world.

Empower researchers to uncover new connections and make new discoveries using TDM Studio, a new solution for text and data mining (TDM). From the initial idea to the final output, TDM Studio puts the power of text and data mining directly in the researcher’s hands.

ProQuest One Academic brings together four core multi-disciplinary products, allowing access to the world’s largest curated collection of journals, ebooks, dissertations, news and video.

• Request Info
• About UNI About open dropdown
• History & Traditions
• Office of the President
• Administrative Departments
• Academics Academics open dropdown
• Majors, Minors & Degrees
• Pre-Professional Preparation
• Online & Distance Education
• Colleges & Departments
• Honors Program
• Student Research
• Study Abroad
• Office of the Registrar
• Academic Advising
• Admissions & Aid Admissions & Aid open dropdown
• Transfer Students
• International
• Tuition & Fees
• Financial Aid
• Student Life Life on Campus open dropdown
• Health & Safety
• Housing & Dining
• Student Health & Wellbeing
• Career Services
• Cedar Falls & Waterloo
• Support UNI Support UNI open dropdown
• UNI Alumni Association
• UNI Foundation
• Give to UNI
• Rod Library

UNI Fact Sheet

‌This guide provides quick, factual information about UNI.

• Special Collections
• Manuscript Collection
• University Archives
• Digital Collections
• Web Archives
• Plan Your Visit
• Biographies
• Building Histories
• Historical Essays
• Outdoor Sculptures
• Faculty Roster
• Virtual Campus Tour
• Our Policies
• Location & Hours

Institutional Names

UNI is a statutory rather than a chartered institution. For the legislation that established UNI, see Iowa  Acts and Joint Resolutions  Ref K 345.12 I65 v. 16 1876.

• 1876-1909 Iowa State Normal School (first day of school was Wednesday, September 6, 1876)
• 1909-1961 Iowa State Teachers College (name changed on Thursday, July 1, 1909)
• 1961-1967 State College of Iowa (name changed on Tuesday, July 4, 1961)
• 1967-present University of Northern Iowa (name changed on Saturday, July 1, 1967)

UNI has had eleven chief executive officers. Click on a name to be linked to a brief biographical sketch.

• 1876-1886  James Cleland Gilchrist
• 1886-1928  Homer Horatio Seerley
• 1928-1940  Orval Ray Latham
• 1940-1950  Malcolm Poyer Price
• 1950-1970  James William Maucker
• 1970-1983  John Joseph Kamerick
• 1983-1995  Constantine William Curris
• 1995-2006  Robert D. Koob
• 2006-2013 Benjamin J. Allen
• 2013-2016 William Ruud
• 2016-         Mark Nook

Size of Campus

Approximately 900 acres

Faculty and Staff--Fall 2023

•     Faculty and Institutional Officers: 506
•     Professional & Scientific Staff:  621
•     General Service Staff:  440
•     Total:  1,567

Does not include some temporary and second appointments

Student Demographic Data--Fall 2023

• 9,021 students
• 7,742 undergraduates; 1,279 graduates
• 8,118 (90%) Iowa residents
• 5,780 women; 3,241 men
• 277 Black/African-American; 523 Hispanic/Latino; 146 Asian; 14 American Indian/Alaskan Native; 6 Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; 248 Two or More

Tuition and Mandatory Fees--Full-Time Resident Undergraduate

From 1876 through 1882 tuition was free to all students intending to teach in Iowa. Full-Time Undergraduate Student Tuition and Fees. The figures below do not reflect boarding expenses.  

• 1876-1882 = Free
• 1883-1895 = $10 per year
• 1896-1923 = $5 per term
• 1924-1929 = $9 per term
• 1930-1931 = $20 per term (Freshman & Sophomore), $30 per term (Junior & Senior)
• 1932-1934 = $25 per term (Freshman & Sophomore), $32 per term (Junior & Senior)
• 1935-1946 = $26 per term (Freshman & Sophomore), $32 per term (Junior & Senior)
• 1947 = $32 per quarter
• 1948-1949 = $33 per quarter
• 1950 = $35 per quarter
• 1951 = $36 per quarter
• 1952-1954 = $40 per quarter
• 1955-1956 = $53 per quarter
• 1957 = $80 per semester
• 1958-1959 = $100 per semester
• 1960 = $110 per semester
• 1961-1962 = $123 per semester
• 1963 = $126 per semester
• 1964 = $146 per semester
• 1965 = $156 per semester 
• 1966-1967 = $171 per semester
• 1968 = $186 per semester
• 1970-1975 = $300 per semester
• 1976 = $315 per semester
• 1978 = $347 per semester
• 1979-1980 = $387 per semester
• 1981 = $450 per semester
• 1982 = $492 per semester
• 1983 = $525 per semester
• 1984 = $592 per semester
• 1985 = $621 per semester
• 1986 = $682 per semester
• 1987 = $774 per semester
• 1988 = $845 per semester
• 1989 = $905 per semester
• 1990 = $940 per semester
• 1991 = $976 per semester
• 1992 = $1044 per semester
• 1993 = $1096 per semester
• 1994 = $1146 per semester
• 1995 = $1193 per semester
• 1996 = $1235 per semester
• 1997 = $1283 per semester
• 1998 = $1333 per semester
• 1999 = $1393 per semester
• 2000 = $1453 per semester
• 2001 = $1558 per semester
• 2002 = $1846 per semester
• 2003 = $2458 per semester
• 2004 = $2693 per semester
• 2005 = $2801 per semester
• 2006 = $3056 per semester
• 2007 = $3095 per semester
• 2008 = $3188 per semester
• 2009 = $3318 per semester
• 2010 = $3504 per semester
• 2011 = $3675 per semester
• 2012 = $3817.50 per semester
• 2013 = $3842.50 per semester
• 2014 = $3874.50 per semester
• 2015 = $3908 per semester
• 2016 = $4,133 per semester
• 2017 = $4,311 per semester
• 2018-2020 = $4,425 per semester
• 2021 = $4,482 per semester
• 2022 = $4,661 per semester
• 2023 = $4,811 per semester

Alumni - Fall 2023

Total living alumni:  126,365

Degrees Awarded - 2022/2023

• Baccalaureate (Bachelor's):  1,992
• Master's:  318
• Specialist:  5
• Doctorate:  17
• Total:  2,332

See Building Histories page ​

Enrollment---Fall Term

• 1876 . . . . . . 88
• 1877 . . . . . 170
• 1878 . . . . . 170
• 1879 . . . . . 210
• 1880 . . . . . 233
• 1881 . . . . . 250
• 1882 . . . . . 226
• 1883 . . . . . 210
• 1884 . . . . . 284
• 1885 . . . . . 277
• 1886 . . . . . 297
• 1887 . . . . . 302
• 1888 . . . . . 322
• 1889 . . . . . 436
• 1890 . . . . . 529
• 1891 . . . . . 528
• 1892 . . . . . 503
• 1893 . . . . . 479
• 1894 . . . . . 619
• 1895 . . . . . 721
• 1896 . . . . . 757
• 1897 . . . . . 861
• 1898 . . . . . 921
• 1899 . . . . . 906
• 1900 . . . . . 911
• 1901 . . . . . 873
• 1902 . . . . . 868
• 1903 . . . . . 857
• 1904. . . . . .812
• 1905 . . . . . 905
• 1906 . . . . . 981
• 1907 . . . . .1013
• 1908 . . . . . 995
• 1909 . . . . .1070
• 1910 . . . . .1108
• 1911 . . . . .1094
• 1912 . . . . .1202
• 1913 . . . . .1297
• 1914 . . . . .1406
• 1915 . . . . .1741
• 1916 . . . . .1680
• 1917 . . . . .1387
• 1918 . . . . .1125
• 1919 . . . . .1423
• 1920 . . . . .1402
• 1921 . . . . .1644
• 1922 . . . . .2130
• 1923 . . . . .2565
• 1924 . . . . .2648
• 1925 . . . . .2642
• 1926 . . . . .2443
• 1927 . . . . .2304
• 1928 . . . . .2094
• 1929 . . . . .2227
• 1930 . . . . .2169
• 1931 . . . . .2049
• 1932 . . . . .1562
• 1933 . . . . .1472
• 1934 . . . . .1543
• 1935 . . . . .1771
• 1936 . . . . .1872
• 1937 . . . . .1863
• 1938 . . . . .1926
• 1939 . . . . .1901
• 1940 . . . . .1745
• 1941 . . . . .1502
• 1942 . . . . .1381
• 1943 . . . . . 820
• 1944 . . . . . 898
• 1945 . . . . .1233
• 1946 . . . . .2475
• 1947 . . . . .2846
• 1948 . . . . .3083
• 1949 . . . . .2949
• 1950 . . . . .2688
• 1951 . . . . .2352
• 1952 . . . . .2239
• 1953 . . . . .2231
• 1954 . . . . .2676
• 1955 . . . . .3045
• 1956 . . . . .3195
• 1957 . . . . .3210
• 1958 . . . . .3482
• 1959 . . . . .3428
• 1960 . . . . .3616
• 1961 . . . . .4070
• 1962 . . . . .4567
• 1963 . . . . .5147
• 1964 . . . . .5520
• 1965 . . . . .6419
• 1966 . . . . .7409
• 1967 . . . . .8213
• 1968 . . . . .9058
• 1969 . . . . .9494
• 1970 . . . . .9723
• 1971 . . . . .9605 on campus; 10546 total enrolled for credit
• 1972 . . . . .8845 on campus; 9846 total enrolled for credit
• 1973 . . . . .8858 on campus; 9587 total enrolled for credit
• 1974 . . . . .8690 on campus; 9944 total enrolled for credit
• 1975 . . . . .9287 on campus; 10181 total enrolled for credit
• 1976 . . . . .9699 on campus; 10537 total enrolled for credit
• 1977 . . . . 10342 on campus; 11126 total enrolled for credit
• 1978 . . . . 10455 on campus; 11638 total enrolled for credit
• 1979 . . . . 10382 on campus; 11916 total enrolled for credit
• 1980 . . . . 11020 on campus; 12448 total enrolled for credit
• 1981 . . . . 10954
• 1982 . . . . 10988
• 1983 . . . . 11204
• 1984 . . . . 11161
• 1985 . . . . 11514
• 1986 . . . . 11540
• 1987 . . . .
• 1988 . . . . 11772
• 1989 . . . . 11645
• 1990 . . . . 12638
• 1991 . . . . 13163
• 1992 . . . . 13045
• 1993 . . . . 12717
• 1994 . . . . 12572
• 1995 . . . . 12802
• 1996 . . . . 12957
• 1997 . . . . 13108
• 1998 . . . . 13329
• 1999 . . . . 13553
• 2000 . . . . 13774
• 2001 . . . . 14070
• 2002 . . . . 13926
• 2003 . . . . 13441
• 2004 . . . . 12824
• 2005 . . . . 12513
• 2006 . . . . 12260
• 2007 . . . . 12609
• 2008 . . . . 12908
• 2009 . . . . 13080
• 2010 . . . . 13201
• 2011 . . . . 13168
• 2012 . . . . 12273
• 2013 . . . . 12159
• 2014 . . . . 11928
• 2015 . . . . 11981
• 2016 . . . . 11905
• 2017 . . . . 11907
• 2018 . . . . 11,212
• 2019 . . . . 10,497
• 2020 . . . . 9,522
• 2021 . . . . 9,231 
• 2022 . . . . 8,949
• 2023 . . . . 9,021

Peer Institutions

• Central Connecticut State University
• College of Charleston
• Eastern Illinois University
• Indiana State University
• Minnesota State University-Mankato
• The College of New Jersey
• University of Minnesota-Duluth
• University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
• University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
• Western Washington University

Maintained by University Archivist Gerald L. Peterson;  updated February 6, 2015 (GP). Updated by Library Associate Dave Hoing, October 2017. Updated by Student Library Assistant Nicholas Steffens, March 2022. Updated by student library assistant Faith Lawler and SC&UA library assistant Alli Guild, January 2023. Updated by student library assistant Natalie Labby and SC&UA library assistant Hannah Bernhard, July 2024.

Watch CBS News

University of Michigan athletic department finds new retailer

By Nick Lentz

Updated on: August 31, 2024 / 6:23 PM EDT / CBS Detroit

(CBS DETROIT) — The University of Michigan athletic department has a new retailer.

In a release Saturday, the athletic department said they've entered into a 10-year partnership with Legends Global Merchandise.

The university says "Legends will have exclusive rights to manage, operate, sell and distribute all Michigan-licensed merchandise."

The "official team store" will continue under the M Den name. The university says they're also working to find a new off-campus location.

The former M Den owners, Heritage Collegiate Apparel,  filed for bankruptcy earlier this month. The company also shut down three of its locations and said employees were offered positions at its remaining locations. It's unknown if the closed locations will reopen. 

• College Football
• University of Michigan

Featured Local Savings

More from cbs news.