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Traditional Academic Dissertation Structure

While there is room for flexibility in the format of the Dissertation, the following example of a
Dissertation structure may be of guidance in organising the written work.

Front pages:

Title page: include the title of the Dissertation, the year of submission, the name of the
degree and the candidate’s anonymous number (beginning Z0) and the following statement:

“Dissertation submitted as part requirement for the degree of MSc XXX of Durham
University, 2023”

Second title page must contain the following statement:

“This Dissertation is the result of my own work. Material from the published or unpublished
work of others, which is referred to in the Dissertation, is credited to the author in question in
the text. The Dissertation is XXXX words in length. Research ethics issues have been
considered and handled appropriately within the Durham University Business School
guidelines and procedures.”

Executive Summary (a short summary of the research project in not more than 300
words)

Table of Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

Acknowledgements

Chapters:

1.0 Introduction (will include your aims and objectives)

The introductory chapter will introduce your topic and research question and will set the
context of your Dissertation. The chapter should introduce your research question and
explain the relevance and justification for it. This chapter should also provide a guide to the
Dissertation’s structure.

2.0 Literature review

The literature review will help explain the relevance of the topic and your research question.
It also provides an overview of empirical research and theoretical considerations which so
far shape our understanding of the topic, for example: regarding which theories can be
applied to the topic, what do they predict, how far has this been substantiated or rejected by
previous empirical research, what are the strengths and limitations of that previous research
or the theories proposed so far. In doing this the chapter will develop your research
questions and hypotheses. The literature review should inform your choice and application
of methodology and provide the basis for the analysis of your findings.

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3.0 Research methods

Informed by your literature review, the research methods literature and the research
methods module in Term 2, this chapter will outline the chosen methodology applied to your
research questions. The chapter will demonstrate that you will understand the range of
choices that can be made in choice of methodology and apply this logic to your choice of
methodology. This chapter will also clearly outline any ethical issues and how they have
been overcome.

4.0 Analysis

This chapter will present how you analyse the data and the findings of your primary data
collection in a clear and accessible way.

5.0 Discussion

In this chapter you will assess your findings and justify them in light of your literature review
and existing theories. Here you will highlight what your research has added to the literature.
What new findings have you made? Do you support previous research in the area? In this
chapter you also need to include any recommendations you would make to managers based
on your findings.

6.0 Conclusion/Recommendations

This chapter will sum up and bring together all aspects of your Dissertation. You should also
include a further research section (what would you do next if you continued the research)
and a limitations section (what could you have done better with more time/money and what
could you have done better knowing what you know at the end of the Dissertation period).

End pages:

Appendices

While the appendices included will differ from Dissertation to Dissertation, a copy of your
primary research instrument (questionnaire, interview questions etc) should be included
here. You do not need to include a copy of your approved ethics form(s).

References

The complete list of references should appear at the end of the text. Citations for references
and bibliographies must follow the Harvard System format. You can find the University’s
guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism at: Examinations and Assessment
(sharepoint.com)

You should agree the structure of your Dissertation with your Supervisor. This is particularly
important if you are not following this example.

Copies of previous Dissertations are available on this Ultra site – see section Examples of
Past Dissertations.