A standard dissertation follows this order: title page, abstract, table of contents, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, bibliography and appendices. That is the order the University of Westminster’s dissertation guide gives for "a typical dissertation in the sciences or social sciences". Other guides add acknowledgements and a declaration to the front pages, and in some subjects chapters are merged or replaced.
This guide maps every part of a dissertation or thesis, shows how three UK university guides split the word count between chapters, compares undergraduate, master’s and PhD structures, and ends with a chapter plan you can copy. Your own department’s handbook always comes first: where it sets a structure, follow it.
The parts of a dissertation, in order
| Part | What it does | Our guide |
|---|---|---|
| Title page | Title, your name, degree, university and year | Dissertation title page |
| Declaration | States the work is your own (Edinburgh, for example, requires one at the front of research theses) | |
| Abstract | A one-paragraph summary of the question, method, findings and conclusion | How to write an abstract |
| Acknowledgements | Thanks to the people and funders who helped | Thesis acknowledgements |
| Table of contents | Every heading with its page number | |
| Lists of figures, tables and abbreviations | Help the reader find visuals and decode terms | List of figures, list of abbreviations |
| Introduction | Background, the problem, your aims and research questions, and a map of the chapters | Aims and objectives, scope of the study, significance of the study |
| Literature review | What is already known, and the gap your work addresses | What a literature review involves (PhD level) |
| Methodology | What you did, and why that design answers your question | Types of research |
| Results or findings | What you found, without interpretation | Statistical treatment of data |
| Discussion | What the findings mean, set against the literature, with limitations | |
| Conclusion | Answers the research question and suggests further work, with no new material | |
| References or bibliography | Every source you cited, in your department’s style | |
| Appendices | Supporting material: questionnaires, transcripts, extra tables | Appendices |
Front matter order varies. For example, Edinburgh’s postgraduate research thesis guidance puts a declaration at the front, an abstract and lay summary after the title page, and the table of contents after the abstract. Check your own university’s rules for the front pages, as they are often fixed.
How much of the word count each chapter gets
Three UK university skills guides give suggested shares. None is a rule, and they don’t fully agree, but together they give a realistic starting point.
| Chapter | Westminster | Sussex | Suffolk (20,000-word example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction | roughly 10% | 10% | 10% |
| Literature review | not given | around 25 to 30% | 30% |
| Methodology | not given | not given | 15% |
| Results | not given | not given | 5 to 10% |
| Discussion | not given | about 30% | 30% |
| Conclusion | roughly 5 to 10% | 10% | 10% |
The pattern is clear: the introduction and conclusion are short (about a tenth each), while the literature review and discussion are the two largest chapters. Suffolk’s figures add up to 105% at the top of its results range, which is a reminder that these are guides to proportion, not quotas.
Worked example: turning shares into a word plan
The plan below is our own illustration. It takes the shares above and adjusts them so they add up to 100% for an empirical dissertation with its own data, giving the results chapter a little more room than Suffolk’s example.
| Chapter | Share | 10,000 words | 15,000 words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction | 10% | 1,000 | 1,500 |
| Literature review | 25% | 2,500 | 3,750 |
| Methodology | 15% | 1,500 | 2,250 |
| Results | 15% | 1,500 | 2,250 |
| Discussion | 25% | 2,500 | 3,750 |
| Conclusion | 10% | 1,000 | 1,500 |
If your dissertation is mainly a literature-based or theoretical argument, move words from methodology and results into the main argument chapters (see below). Check what your department counts towards the limit. Newcastle’s research thesis limits, for example, exclude the bibliography and appendices, and Edinburgh’s MSc Theatre and Performance Studies limit excludes the bibliography.
How the structure changes by degree level
| Undergraduate dissertation | Master’s dissertation | PhD thesis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length (examples) | 10,000 words maximum for the dissertation courses at LSE and Edinburgh (Law) | 15,000 words at Edinburgh (MSc Theatre and Performance Studies) and Aberdeen | Up to 80,000 words in medical sciences and in science, agriculture and engineering, and up to 100,000 in humanities and social sciences, at Newcastle |
| Shape | The standard chapters, introduction to conclusion | The standard chapters (Suffolk’s 20,000-word example uses all six) | The same framing chapters around a larger body of research; or a collection of papers, each paper a chapter (below) |
Word limits differ by university, subject and module, so treat the examples as examples. For more on PhD lengths, see how long a PhD thesis is, and for what the thesis has to achieve, what a PhD thesis is.
The thesis as a collection of papers
The University of Reading’s guidance on writing a thesis as a collection of papers says the format is "becoming increasingly common for doctoral students, particularly those in science disciplines". Its typical format is:
- Abstract.
- Chapter 1: introduction (the aims, the research questions and how the papers address them).
- Chapter 2: literature review (which can be merged with the introduction).
- The papers, normally one chapter each. Reading’s "normal expectation" is at least three.
- A final chapter of conclusions and discussion that ties the papers together.
Edinburgh’s guidance describes the same idea at chapter level: a published paper sits inside a chapter "with introductory and concluding text added". This is different from a PhD awarded for work published before registration; our guide to the PhD by publication explains that route.
Practical vs theoretical dissertations
Sussex’s guide splits dissertations into two shapes:
- Practical (empirical): introduction, literature review, methods and methodology, results, discussion, conclusion. It matches the order Westminster calls typical in the sciences and social sciences, and Westminster recommends a dedicated results chapter "especially if undertaking a scientific dissertation and/or you are using quantitative research".
- Theoretical: introduction and literature review, then a main body of "about 3 chapters, with each one discussing a different point of your argument", then a conclusion. Each chapter works like a short essay with its own introduction and summary.
Sussex also notes that, depending on your discipline, the literature review may sit inside the introduction rather than in its own chapter. If you want to combine results and discussion in one findings chapter, check your handbook and past dissertations in your department to see what is accepted.
What goes in each main chapter
- Introduction. Set out the background, the problem, why it matters, your aim and research questions, and a short paragraph on what each chapter covers. Westminster’s list adds the scope of the research and the gap in the literature.
- Literature review. Westminster’s guide says it is generally structured by topic, moving from general background to the specific focus of your dissertation. End by stating the gap that your research question fills.
- Methodology. Explain your design, sample, data collection, analysis and ethics, and why each choice suits the question. Westminster asks for "the limitations of your approach" here too.
- Results. Report the key findings clearly, with tables and figures. Save interpretation for the discussion.
- Discussion. Interpret the findings, compare them with the literature, and state the limitations and implications.
- Conclusion. Answer the research question directly, sum up the contribution and suggest further work. Westminster’s advice: don’t introduce any new theories, data or ideas.
A dissertation plan template
Copy this into a document and fill it in before you write. Agree it with your supervisor, then update the word targets as the project changes.
Working title: [title]
Research question: [one sentence]
Word limit: [n] words (excluding [what your handbook excludes])
Chapter 1, Introduction (about 10%): problem and context; aim; research questions; chapter map.
Chapter 2, Literature review (about 25 to 30%): themes [1], [2], [3]; the gap.
Chapter 3, Methodology (about 15%): design; participants or data; instruments; analysis; ethics; limitations.
Chapter 4, Results (share depends on design): findings for question 1, question 2.
Chapter 5, Discussion (about 25 to 30%): what the findings mean; comparison with the literature; limitations.
Chapter 6, Conclusion (about 10%): answer to the question; contribution; further work.
Appendices: [list].
Deadlines: draft of each chapter to supervisor by [date].
Common mistakes
- Writing chapters in the wrong proportions. A literature review that takes half the word count leaves too little room for your own findings. Check your totals against your plan as you go.
- Mixing results and discussion by accident. If your department expects separate chapters, keep interpretation out of the results.
- A conclusion that adds new material. New data or arguments belong earlier.
- An introduction with no chapter map. One short paragraph telling the reader what each chapter does makes the whole structure easier to follow.
- Ignoring the handbook. Some departments fix the chapters, the front matter order and what counts towards the word limit.
Next steps
Write your research question and word limit at the top of the plan template, then give each chapter a word target. If you are thinking about a research degree where you’d write a full thesis, you can search current PhD opportunities.
