Dissertation Chapters Overview
What distinguishes a dissertation paper from a contemporary essay is its approach to a topic; which is defined by respective dissertation chapters. All the chapters should follow each other in a sequence, with every previous chapter laying a foundation for the next one. Harmony within and among the chapters is key in the realization of the dissertation’s objectives. Generally, dissertation papers encompass about 5 main chapters, that is, introduction, literature review, methodology, results and analysis, and findings and discussions. The approach to each chapter is as expounded on here below.
Chapter I: Introduction
This chapter is important in providing an insight on the research study at hand. It examines eight key elements of a dissertation paper. These elements are background of the study problem, problem statement, purpose and study significance, research design to be adopted, research questions and hypothesis, research limitations and assumptions, definitions, and expected outcomes. The sections in this chapter must provide an overview of the problem under study, the contributions the study will make, and the respective approach towards resolving the problem.
Chapter II: Literature Review
This chapter is important in laying a background for the research process by examining literature on previous studies that relate to the topic under study. It seeks to achieve some objectives. These objectives include.
a) Find out and examine previous research studies that form an important part in the generation of the research problem, respective research questions, and importance of the research study.
b) Determining the area of contributions the dissertation paper will be part of.
c) Determine and examine the previous studies related to the topic in an effort to find out the most appropriate theoretical framework to be adopted as well as respective variables, results analysis, and interpretation.
d) Literature review should equally support and provide the reasons for the selection and use of a specific methodological approach and respective research instruments.
Chapter III: Methodology
This chapter is considered quite important. It entails a description of how the research study was carried out. The steps followed in the research process are expansively described in this chapter. The methodology chapter encompasses some key elements that include purpose of the study, research design, target population, research sample and sampling technique, procedures, research instruments, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
Chapter IV: Findings and Results Presentation
Chapter IV entails an analysis of the demographics in the research study. It should start by clarifying the purpose of the research study. Key elements that may be featured in this analysis may include respondents’ age, demographic variable frequency, sample size, gender, and sample characteristics. In this, text-based analysis should precede analysis by the use of tables and figures. For quantitative analysis, an explanation of how the resulting factors were extracted should be made, justification for retained factors made, and naming of new scales done.
Chapter V: Discussions
This chapter focuses on the interpretation of the research results. It should entail a summary of the results followed by their rigorous discussion and interpretation. In cases where conclusion is incorporated into this chapter, recommendations for practice and future research are given.
