Writing Guide
A Short Dissertation: Does the Size Influence the Content?
You get an assignment to write a short dissertation. One of the first questions that may appear in your mind is how short this dissertation should be. Usually, any short dissertation is about 10 page (+/- 2 pages), and the content of this work depends on the subject and the tutor’s requirements.
The peculiar feature of a short dissertation is the possibility to omit some parts of ordinary dissertation in order to have space for discussion a subject. So, let us think about the chapters that may be omitted in a short dissertation and the chapters that are obligatory for a short dissertation.
Any short dissertation should have:
- Title page (where all information about a paper, student, university, and supervisor is presented)
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methodology
- Body (discussion, research, findings)
- Conclusion
- Reference list (note that different styles require different name of this page)
Any short dissertation may not have:
- Acknowledgements
- Literature review (in case, research may be conducted on personal experience)
- Limitations (in case, a topic does not need some further investigations)
Students should comprehend that short dissertation writing does not imply some brief work and discussion of some general information. The essence of a short dissertation is to describe the chosen topic fully, to follow one concrete structure and format, and to clear up all points.
Professors do not spend too much time on the analysis of short dissertations, however their skills and experience allow them to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the work and comprehend whether a student complete this final project correctly.
So, dear students! Do not think that a short dissertation is some insignificant task. In spite of its name, the effects of this work become crucial for your future grade and for your career.
