The traditional dissertation is organized into 5 chapters and includes the following elements and pages:
- Title page (aka cover page)
- Signature page (aka committee page but without signatures)
- Copyright page (strongly recommended to protect your scholarship)
- Abstract (We’ll emphasize spending quality time refining the abstract as it’s widely read)
- Dedication page (optional)
- Acknowledgments page (optional, but highly recommended)
- Table of Contents (We’ll recommend that you use auto formatting with Word headings)
- List of Tables (if applicable)
- List of Figures (if applicable)
- Dissertation Body, 5 Distinct Chapters:
- Chapter I: Introduction
- Chapter II: Review of Literature
- Chapter III: Methodology (Research Design & Methods)
- Chapter IV: Presentation of Research (Results)
- Chapter V: Summary, Implications, Conclusions (Discussion)
- Footnotes (if separate from dissertation)
- References
- Bibliography (rare but valuable for other researchers – ask your chair)
- Appendix (can include consent forms and other research documents)
Antioch University Writers' Exchange. (2021). The Dissertation: Chapter Breakdown.