Crucial Details In A Dissertation Format Guide

A dissertation is a crucial part of your post-graduate studies and for this reason; you need to get everything right. It is an involving project and the quality of the paper you submit can make or break your program. In the dissertation, your professor expects you to follow strict writing guidelines to deliver a high standard academic paper which contributes to the body of knowledge in your discipline. To get it right, you have to understand dissertation format APA guidelines.

This article highlights the important details you should remember when composing your paper. Keep reading and don't hesitate to ask Thesis Helpers for help.

Dissertation Structure

  • Title page
  • Copyright page
  • Abstract
  • Acknowledgment page
  • Preface
  • List of Abbreviations
  • Glossary
  • Nomenclature
  • Dedication
  • Table of Contents
  • List of Tables, Illustrations, Figures, or Graphs
  • Introduction
  • Text body
  • Tables, Illustrations, Figures, Graphs
  • References
  • Appendices
  • Vita

Formatting Basics

While every college has its unique requirements for academic papers, there are general guidelines that apply in dissertations. Before commencing on your paper, you can look at a dissertation APA format example to identify any unique requirements. Some of the formatting basics you need to remember are:

  • Double space throughout except for entries in the Table of Contents, the title page; captions; extensive quotations; footnotes or endnotes; table or figure headings, items in the references section.
  • Use a font size of approximately 12. (Use standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Helvetica, Arial, and Courier).
  • ALL pages must have 1 inch top, bottom, left, and right margins. Nothing should appear in these margins.
  • Pagination: While the title page appears as page one, it should not have a number. Instead, all other pages must have a page number centered at the bottom of the page. The same applies for your dissertation proposal format. Number the preliminary pages (title page, dissertation committee, abstract, copyright page, academic history page, dedication, acknowledgments, and table of contents, list of tables (if any), and list of figures) in lowercase Roman numerals.
  • Title page (numbered in numerals) should include month and year, the title of the dissertation and student’s name.
  • Avoid leaving more than two inches of white space without type.
  • Citations and referencing: You must attribute any borrowed idea to the original writer based on the writing style.

Other Points To Remember

  1. Check your dissertation guidelines: Your professor might vary these requirements and it is thus important to keenly check through the document requirements. Look at a dissertation example education from your department to understand any formatting requirements exclusive to your college.
  2. Include all required sections: If the document guidelines have not indicated the sections required, try to include all necessary parts. Look for a dissertation dedication example to understand this section better before writing one for your paper.
  3. Read samples to excel in dissertation formatting: Look for example dissertation research questions to find out where to include this section on your paper. These samples make things easier for you.

Go ahead and check sample dissertation defense PowerPoint presentation online to learn the best presentation techniques.

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