dissertation of planning

A Guide to Dissertation Planning: Tips, Tools and Templates

Dissertations are a defining piece of academic research and writing for all students. To complete such a large research project while maintaining a good work-life balance, planning and organisation is essential. In this article, we’ll outline three categories for dissertation planning including project management, note-taking and information management, alongside tools and templates for planning and researching effectively.

For both undergraduates and postgraduates, a dissertation is an important piece of academic research and writing. A large research project often has many moving parts from managing information, meetings, and data to completing a lengthy write-up with drafts and edits. Although this can feel daunting, getting ahead with effective planning and organisation will make this process easier. By implementing project management techniques and tools, you can define a research and writing workflow that allows you to work systematically. This will enable you to engage in critical thinking and deep work, rather than worrying about organisation and deadlines. 

To get prepared, you can do two things: First, start your preliminary readings and research to define a topic and methodology.  You can do this in summer or during the first few weeks of university but the sooner, the better. This gives you time to discuss things with your supervisor, and really choose a topic of interest. Second, begin preparing the tools and techniques you’ll be using for your research and writing workflow. You can use the preliminary research phase to test these out, and see what works for you. 

Below, we’ll cover three key aspects to consider when managing your dissertation, alongside some digital tools for planning, research and writing. 

The 3 Categories of Dissertation Planning

Project Management and Planning 

Your dissertation is a project that requires both long and short-term planning. For long-term planning, roadmaps are useful to break your work down into sections, chapters or stages. This will give you a clear outline of the steps you need to work through to complete your dissertation in a timely manner. 

Most likely, your roadmap will be a mixture of the stages in your research project and the sections of your write-up. For example, stage 1 might be defined as preliminary research and proposal writing. While stage 3 might be completing your literature review, while collecting data. 

This roadmap can be supplemented by a timeline of deadlines, this is when those stages or chapters need to be completed by. Your timeline will inform your short-term plans, and define the tasks that need completing on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. This approach, using a roadmap and timeline, allows you to capture all the moving parts of your dissertation, and focus on small sub-sections at a time. A clear plan can make it easy to manage setbacks, such as data collection issues, or needing more time for editing. 

Note-taking 

Whether you use a notebook, or digital tool, it’s ideal to have a dedicated research space for taking general notes. This might include meeting notes from supervision, important information from informational dissertation lectures, or key reminders, ideas and thoughts. It can be your go-to place for miscellaneous to-do lists, or to map out your thought processes. It’s good to have something on hand that is easy to access, and keeps your notes together in one place. 

Beyond this, you’ll also need a dedicated space or system for literature and research notes. These notes are important for avoiding plagiarism, communicating your ideas, and connecting key findings together. A proper system or space can make it easier to manage this information, and find the appropriate reference material when writing. Within this system, you might also include templates or checklists, for example, a list of critical reading questions to work through when assessing a paper. 

Information Management 

It’s important to consider how you plan to organise your literature, important documents, and written work. Note-taking is a part of this, however, this goes a step further to carefully organise all aspects of your dissertation. For example, it’s ideal to keep track of your literature searches, the papers you’ve read, and their citations but also, your reading progress. Being able to keep track of how many passes a paper has been through, how relevant it is, or where it fits within your themes, or ideas, will provide a good foundation for writing a well-thought out dissertation. 

Likewise, editing is an important part of the write-up process. You’ll have multiple drafts, revisions and feedback to consider. It’s good to have some way of keeping track of all this, to ensure all changes and edits have been completed. You might also have checklists or procedures to follow when collecting data, or working through your research. A good information management process can reduce stress, making everything easy to access and keep track of, which then allows you to focus on getting the actual work complete. 

Digital Project Management and Research Tools for Dissertation Planning 

Trello is a project management tool that uses boards, lists and cards to help you manage all your tasks. In a board, you can create lists, and place cards within these lists. Cards contain a range of information such as notes, checklists, and due dates. Cards and lists can be used to implement a digital kanban board system , allowing you to move cards into a ‘to-do’, ‘in progress’ or ‘complete’ list. This gives a visual representation of your progress.

This is a flexible, easy to use and versatile tool that can help with project management of your dissertation. For example, cards and lists can be used to track your literature, each card can represent a paper and lists could be 1st pass, 2nd pass, or be divided into themes. Likewise, you can use this approach to organise the various chapters or stages of your dissertation, and break down tasks in a visual way. Students have used Trello to manage academic literature reviews , daily life as an academic , and collaborate with their supervisors for feedback and revisions on their write-up. 

Notion is an all-in-one note-taking and project management tool that is highly customisable. Using content blocks, pages, and databases, this tool allows you to build a workspace tailored to your needs. Databases are a key feature of Notion, this function allows you to organise and define pages using a range of properties such as tags, dates, numbers, categories and more. This database can then be displayed in a multitude of ways using different views, and filters. 

For example, you can create a table with each entry being a page of meeting notes with your supervisor, you can assign a date, person, and tags to each page. You can then filter this information by date, or view it in a board format. Likewise, you can use the calendar to add deadlines, within these deadlines, you can expand the page to add information, and switch to ‘timeline’ view . This is perfect for implementing project management techniques when planning your dissertation. 

Although this may sound complicated, there are many templates and resources to get you started . Notion is an ideal tool for covering all three aspects of dissertation planning from project and information management to note-taking of all kinds. Students have used Notion for literature reviews , thesis writing , long-term PhD planning , thesis management , and academic writing . The best part, these students not only share their systems, but have also created free templates to help you build your own system for research. 

Asana is a project management and to-do list tool that uses boards, lists, timelines and calendars. If you’re someone who prefers using lists to organise your life and projects, Asana is ideal for you. You can use this tool to manage deadlines, reading progress, or break down your work into projects and sub-tasks. Asana can integrate with your calendar, which is perfect if you already use other calendar tools for organisation. If something like Notion is too overwhelming, using a mixture of tools with different purposes can be a more comfortable approach. 

Genei is an AI-powered research tool for note-taking and literature management. Your research and reading material can be imported, and organised using projects and folders. For each file, genei produces an AI-powered summary, document outline, keyword list and overview. This tool also extracts key information such as tables, figures, and all the references mentioned. You can read through documents 70% faster but also, collect related articles by clicking on the items in the reference list. Genei can generate citations, and be used alongside other popular reference management tools, such as Zotero and Mendeley . 

This tool is ideal for navigating information management and literature notes for your dissertation. You can compile notes across single documents or folders of documents using the AI-generated summaries. These notes remain linked to their original source, which removes the need for you to keep track of this information. If you find it hard to reword content, there’s also summarising and paraphrasing tools to help get you started. Genei is a great tool to use alongside project management solutions, such as Trello and Asana, and note-taking tools like Notion. You can define an efficient research and writing workflow using these range of tools, and make it easier to stay on top of your dissertation. 

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• StudySkills@Sheffield
• Research skills
• Research methods

How to plan a dissertation or final year project

Information on how to plan and manage your dissertation project.

What is research?

Research sometimes just means finding out information about a topic. However, research in an academic context refers to a more rigorous process that, when undertaken effectively, will lead to new insights or perspectives. 

The classic definition of academic research is that it leads to an original 'contribution to knowledge' in a particular field of inquiry by identifying an important question or problem and then answering or solving it in a systematic way.

The University of Sheffield prides itself on being a research-led university . Crucially, this means that teaching is informed by cutting-edge research in the academic field.

It also means that you are learning in an environment where you develop and use research skills as you progress. Your dissertation or final-year project is a chance to put all of this experience together and apply it to make your own contribution to knowledge in your own narrow and specific area of interest. 

It also presents a number of new challenges relating to the scale, scope and structure of a piece of work that is likely to be more substantial than any you have undertaken before. These resources will help you to break the process down and explore ways to plan and structure your research and organise your written work.

Dissertation Planning Essentials workshop: book here

Defining your project

A good research project will be as narrowly defined and specific as possible to allow you to explore the area as fully as possible within the time and space constraints that you are facing. But how do you go from a general area of interest to a fully-formed research project?

This Project Design Template will help you to work through this process. Access the template and read more about how to use it below.

Access the Project Design Template (google doc)

Your dissertation or final-year research topic

You may have lots of ideas of things you would like to explore in your project; you may not be sure where to start. Either way, writing down some relevant key words is a good first step to help you to identify the area(s) of interest. 

Once you have some key words in place, can you break them down further to identify any sub-topics of interest. For example if you are interested in sustainable building design, what is it about that topic that you would like to find out more about? The use of green walls? Natural light? Air circulation? Are you interested in civic buildings, schools or homes? Do you have a geographical area of focus in mind? 

Once you have your key words and sub topics in place, you can have a go at formulating them into a mission statement for your project setting out exactly what it is you want to achieve. For example, ‘This project will compare the use of natural air circulation design features in Chinese and British school buildings.’ 

Don’t forget, your mission statement is something that you can keep coming back to and tweaking as your project takes shape.

Relevant literature

How much do you need to read to develop your literature review? There is no simple answer to this question and the answer will depend on your project and its scope. However, you can help to answer that question yourself by identifying the key themes from the literature that you will need to include in your review. Aim for somewhere between 3-5 themes to help create a structured and focused literature review. 

Once you have your themes in place, you will need to identify the key texts that have informed your thinking. Try to aim for 3-5 sources per theme and make sure you have included the most influential and the most recent research within that list.

Book workshops on Dissertation Writing: Effective Paraphrasing, Summarising and Referencing, Writing Persuasive Introductions, Conclusions and Discussions, and Writing Effective Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences.

More information

Book a writing advisory service appointment for feedback on your work and advice on dissertation writing

make an appointment (student login required)

Your research

What is it that you want to find out, explore or test in your research? Most research projects will involve several research objectives that will allow you to fulfil your mission statement. Aim to begin with the broadest, most significant objective and try to keep the number of objectives manageable to maintain focus. 

What data or information will you need to collect in order to meet each objective? Remember that the data that you use for your research will need to be valid, sufficient, reliable and feasible within the timeframe. You can find out more about how to develop your research methodology in order to collect this information on our How to identify your research methods page.

• How to identify your research methods

Project planning

The key to completing a research project successfully is to invest time in planning and organising your project.

A student research project, whether a dissertation or a research placement, will usually involve tight timescales and deadlines. Given the wealth of tasks involved in a typical dissertation project, this can seriously limit the time available for actual data collection or research. 

As an early stage of the planning process, have a go at breaking your project down into its constituent parts: i.e. all of the tasks that you will need to complete between now and the deadline. How long will each of them take? For example:

Using Generative AI for planning

You may want to consider using a Generative AI tool to help with the planning process. The key things to consider in your approach to planning with GenAI are the following:

• Provide as much detail as possible about your schedule and requirements when you are designing your initial prompt.
• Be sure to build some contingency time into the plan to allow for unforeseen eventualities.
• You may need to use multiple prompts to refine and tweak the output to generate a plan that works for you.
• You will need to sense check the output to ensure that it is realistic and meets your needs.

Generative AI can help you to plan an overall schedule for your project and/or break down individual tasks. The following prompts may give you some inspiration for how to use GenAI to plan your dissertation project:

[PROMPT] I am a [final year undergraduate] student planning a dissertation project. I have an intermediate deadline for my literature review on [15th April 2025]. The word count for the literature review is [3000 words]. I will be on holiday from [1 April-11 April 2025]. I would like to spend [7] hours per week on this. Create a plan to help me meet this deadline. 

[PROMPT] I am a [masters] student planning a dissertation project. My research will involve [a survey] with a goal of receiving [100 responses]. I need to have this data by [20 May]. What key stages do I need to include in my planning process?

Visit How to use Generative AI for productivity for further information.

Project management

Once you have an idea of the tasks involved in your project and the rough timescales that you intend to work towards, you will need to make sure that you have a strategy in place to monitor your progress and stay on track. 

You might want to consider using one or more of the following strategies to manage your time on your dissertation project.

A simple timeline can be a clear visual way to keep track of tasks and organise them chronologically. 

Try using a large sheet of paper with a timeline drawn across the middle horizontally. Add tasks and deadlines to post-it notes and arrange them along the timeline, overlapping where the tasks allow it. 

Stick your timeline on the wall behind your desk and cross off tasks as you complete them, or move them around and add to them if your plans change or new tasks arise along the way. 

Gantt charts

A Gantt chart provides a more structured visual representation of your project and its milestones. 

Identify tasks in order down the left-hand side of the chart, identify deadlines and colour in the corresponding number of days or weeks that you anticipate the task will take. 

A Gantt chart will allow you to identify high priority ‘blocker’ tasks that need to be completed before subsequent tasks can be ‘unlocked’. For example, your ethics review will need to be complete before you are able to move onto data collection. 

You can access a free Gantt chart template via Google sheets.

Access a free Gantt chart template (Google Sheets)

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is a powerful tool to help manage your time on an independent research project. The following steps will help you to make the most of your calendar to organise the individual tasks relating to your project:

• Add the milestones that you have identified to the top bar of your calendar. 
• Block out any existing or planned other commitments in your calendar to help you to keep track of how much time you have available to devote to your project.
• Plan ahead and identify blocks of time that you can spend working on your dissertation, aiming to keep this as protected project time.
• Using your task list and your milestones, identify what specifically you intend to use each block of time to work on and add it to the event in your calendar. 

Planning ahead and committing this time to your dissertation will help you to sense check the time you have available and stick to your plan.

Trello is a simple and accessible online tool that allows you to identify and colour code tasks, set yourself deadlines and share your project plan with collaborators

You can use Trello to create a project ‘workflow’ with tasks allocated to the following sections:

• Low priority: the tasks that are coming up in the future but which you don’t need to worry about right now.
• High priority: the tasks that you will need to start working on soon or as a matter of urgency.
• In progress: the tasks that you are actively working on now. Try to keep the number of in-progress tasks to a minimum to maintain your focus.
• Under review: you may need to share progress with your supervisor or want to review things yourself. Keep tasks here until you feel they are complete.
• Complete: tasks that are now finished and will need no further attention.

Over the course of a project like a dissertation, you will hopefully see all of your tasks move from low priority through the workflow to the point of completion. You can see an example Dissertation Planning Trello board here and some guidance for students on using Trello (Linked In Learning).

View an example Trello board Access guidance on using Trello (LinkedIn Learning)

Working with your supervisor

Your supervisor will be your first point of contact for advice on your project and to help you to resolve issues arising. 

Remember, your supervisor will have a busy schedule and may be supervising several students at once. Although they will do their best to support you, they may not be able to get back to you right away and may be limited in their availability to meet you. 

There are a number of things that you can do to make the most out of the relationship. Some strategies to consider include:

• Share plans/ideas/work-in-progress with your supervisor early 
• Plan for meetings, sketch out an informal agenda 
• Write down your main questions before the meeting. Don’t leave without answers!
• Be receptive to feedback and criticism
• Take notes/record the meeting on a smartphone (with your supervisor’s permission!)

To find out more about how to get the most out of working with your supervisor, explore our interactive digital workshop.

Launch the Supervisor/Supervisee Relationships interactive workshop

• Read other dissertations from students in your department/discipline to get an idea of how similar projects are organised and presented. 
• Break your project down into its constituent parts and treat each chapter as an essay in its own right.
• Choose a topic that interests you and will sustain your interest, not just for a few days, but for a few months!
• Write up as you go along - writing can and should be part of all stages of the dissertation planning and developing process. 
• Keep good records – don’t throw anything out!
• If in doubt, talk to your supervisor.
• How to write a literature review
• How to gain ethical approval

Further resources

• University of Sheffield Library Research Skills for Dissertations Library Guide

Use your mySkills portfolio to discover your skillset, reflect on your development, and record your progress.

Library Guides

Dissertations 1: getting started: planning.

• Starting Your Dissertation
• Choosing A Topic and Researching
• Devising An Approach/Method
• Thinking Of A Title
• Writing A Proposal

Planning Your Time

The dissertation is a large project, so it needs careful planning. To organise your time, you can try the following:  

Break down the dissertation into smaller stages to complete (e.g., literature search, read materials, data collection, write literature review section…). 

Create a schedule. Working backwards from your deadline, decide when you will complete each stage. 

Set aside time to regularly work on the dissertation. 

Consider what times of day you are most alert and what makes a suitable space to study. 

Identify a specific task to work on. 

If overwhelmed, try to identify one task that needs doing rather than focusing on the larger project. 

Leave time to redraft, proof-read, format, and complete the reference list. 

Gantt Charts

As the dissertation project involves certain processes to take place simultaneously, rather than in a sequence, you can use a Gantt chart to organise your time.  

A Gantt chart is a bar chart which shows the schedule for a project. The project is broken down into key tasks/elements to be completed. A start and finish date for each task/element of the project is given. Some tasks are scheduled at the same time or may overlap. Others will start when a task has been completed. 

To produce a Gantt chart, you can use Word, Excel (see example in the attachment) or an online planner.

• Tom's Planner . There's  an example  for you to use to complete your plan. 
• Excel:  example of Gantt Chart in Excel . This is an example of a Gantt chart which can be used to generate a plan of work (timeline) for your dissertation. You can download and edit it as you please. The chart has been created by the University of Leicester. 

Research Data Management

This video helps you to understand the importance of research data management and how you can plan, organise, store, preserve, and share your data.

• Link to video on Research Data Management
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Dissertations and major projects

• Introduction

What does a dissertation look like?

Finding a topic, going from a topic to a question, dissertation presentations.

• Researching your dissertation
• Managing your data
• Writing up your dissertation

Useful links for dissertations and major projects

• Study Advice Helping students to achieve study success with guides, video tutorials, seminars and appointments.
• Maths Support A guide to Maths Support resources which may help if you're finding any mathematical or statistical topic difficult during the transition to University study.
• Academic writing LibGuide Expert guidance on punctuation, grammar, writing style and proof-reading.
• Guide to citing references Includes guidance on why, when and how to use references correctly in your academic writing.
• The Final Chapter An excellent guide from the University of Leeds on all aspects of research projects
• Royal Literary Fund: Writing a Literature Review A guide to writing literature reviews from the Royal Literary Fund
• Academic Phrasebank Use this site for examples of linking phrases and ways to refer to sources.

It's natural to feel slightly directionless at the start of any dissertation or major project because you are not sure what to research or how to find the information you need. Start early and allow yourself some time for reading around topics that interest you and scoping out the kinds of sources that are available. This initial reading, thinking and planning time is really valuable and will provide a good basis for focusing your ideas into a research question.

The guidance on this page gives strategies for identifying a topic, refining this into a clearer research question, and starting to plan how you will answer it.    

At one level all dissertations ask you to do broadly the same things:

• Formulate a clear question that your dissertation seeks to answer
• Review the relevant literature in your field
• Engage in independent thought and research
• Explain and justify whatever methods you use
• Present your findings clearly and demonstrate how they relate to your original question

Finding the topic and question for your dissertation can take longer than you think. You shouldn't feel worried if you don't hit on the ideal topic straight away… you have enough time to be creative and enjoy exploring your subject. At this stage no ideas are barred!

• Something you've always wondered about
• Lecture notes and old essays
• Flicking through current journals
• Media / news items
• Things you disagree with
• A hunch that you have… is it true?
• Controversies / new areas in your subject
• Talking with friends

Thinking outside your subject area may also help – are there any current affairs issues or controversies that you can apply your subject to?

It's never too early to start thinking of ideas. Keep them in one place -  start an ideas book or a box file to keep any notes or articles you find that might be useful.

• Starting research for your dissertation (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Starting research for your dissertation (transcript) Read the transcript.

A dissertation question is not the same as a topic…it has to be phrased so that it can be answered in a specific and focused way . There are various ways that you can get from your topic to a question:

• Do some reading around your topic – are there any gaps in current research that could provide a question?
• If you usually write too much – think smaller and focus on one narrow aspect of your topic.
• If you usually don't write enough – think bigger and link some related areas of your topic together.

It is a good idea before you make any final decisions to discuss your choice of question with your supervisor, as they will have the academic experience to know what kinds of questions will be manageable, and which will need more refining.

Before settling on a question – ask yourself:

• "Will it keep me interested for a long period?"
• "Can I answer it with the time and resources I have?"
• "Is there someone who can supervise me and can I get on with them?"
• "Do I have some idea of how to go about answering it?"

• Defining your research question (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Defining your research question (transcript) Read the transcript.

• explain why your chosen topic is interesting;
• show how it fits into the context of your course generally;
• try out your plan for how to tackle the research.

Remember that you're not presenting the end result of your research, but work-in-progress. Think about including some questions for your audience to encourage useful feedback.

• Giving presentations LibGuide Expert guidance on producing and delivering presentations at university.
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• Last Updated: Jul 23, 2024 2:41 PM
• URL: https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/dissertations

Dissertation Planner: Plan & Research

• Getting Started
• Prepare & Propose
• Plan & Research
• Write & Edit
• Defense & Closure
• Help & Resources

Create a Work Plan

• Big Picture
• Little Picture
• Revise & Reward
• To Recap...

Researching and writing your dissertation is a huge, complex undertaking. Before beginning, check with your advisor and your department/college about specific dissertation research-and-writing conventions in your discipline. The instructions in this section are offered as general suggestions and not as definitive guidance for the University of Kentucky requirements.

In order to manage the dissertation writing process, you should CREATE A WORK PLAN . A work plan will help you:

• Break down the large, overwhelming process of writing a dissertation into manageable steps;
• Keep a "daily commitment" to your dissertation;
• Discover and take advantage of your most productive work habits;
• Set goals and reward yourself for achieving them; and
• Balance dissertation writing with the other aspects of your life.

To start your work plan, you should assess your own goals and work habits as well as those of your advisor, committee, and department. Think about questions like:

• When would you like to complete and defend your dissertation?
• To meet this deadline, how much will you need to work every day/week/month?

Start your work plan by setting a completion goal, the date by which you would like to have your dissertation complete.

Then, think about the "big picture" issues. Talk to your advisor about all of the steps and associated deadlines for your specific program. Completing a dissertation involves many smaller deadlines along the way to the final deadline. You need to have a complete understanding of what is expected of you throughout this process. Once you know all the smaller deadlines and steps you will need to complete, map them out along the timeline set by your completion goal.

Once you know all of the deadlines and requirements, think about the "little picture" issues. Most importantly, how will you manage your time? You should map out all of your absolutely unbreakable time commitments to identify what remaining time is available for you to use on your dissertation. Additionally, you should:

• Establish a regular work schedule;
• Figure out when and how you work best and try to maximize these advantages;
• Find productive and positive work spaces;
• Eliminate distractions while you work;
• Create "ready to write" rituals that help you get started every day;
• Base your daily goals and requirements on output instead of time worked; and
• Save your "mindless work" (such as formatting, transcribing, etc.) for when you are blocked so you can still make progress every day.

Check out this video for time management tips:

When you are first starting, set a specific amount of time (such as two weeks to a month) as a pilot test for your work plan. Stick to your plan during this pilot test, then evaluate and revise your plan. Additionally, make sure to evaluate and revise your plan each semester to account for changes in your schedule.

Dissertation writing is a long process and setbacks will happen. You should expect the unexpected and build in extra time to your schedule to account for unavoidable delays. Let missed deadlines and other lapses go, and remember to focus on what you can do today and tomorrow to reach your goals. Further, you need to make sure to reward yourself for completing work on or ahead of schedule.

The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has created a handout about planning for dissertation writing. Additionally, the video below offers an overview of the planning process. 

Research-Related Considerations

• Human Subjects
• Organize Your Research
• Copyright Issues
• Research Data Management
• Professional Identity

Will your research require you to use human subjects in any capacity?  If so, you will need to get your research reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). At the University of Kentucky, all IRB matters are handled by the Office of Research Integrity .

Additionally, these 10 simple rules for protecting research integrity may be of help. 

Keeping your research organized is key because it will help ensure your dissertation writing process remains efficient. A wide variety of tools are available to help you keep your research organized. The following is some of the most popular options.

• EndNote EndNote is a powerful software application used to manage personal databases of citations from sources such as journals, books, or websites. EndNote can input records from online bibliographic databases; organize references, images and PDFs; and be used to create bibliographies and figure lists.
• Zotero Includes the ability to store author, title, and publication fields and to export that information as formatted references, and the ability to organize, tag, and search in advanced ways.
• Mendeley Mendeley is a free reference manager and academic social network.
• Research Log Handout Don't like any of these software options? Create your own research log! This handout from the University of Manitoba will show you how to keep track of your research.

Copyright issues are prevalent in activities related to teaching, learning, and research.  For instance, researchers may wonder who owns the copyright of their publications .  At the same time, they may run into questions about whether they can lawfully use copyrighted materials in their publications. 

You as the author are by default the copyright holder of your dissertation and thus have exclusive rights over it.  Registering your copyright is optional.  However, registration will provide you with more protection in case somebody infringes upon your rights in the future. 

When deciding whether you can use somebody's work in your dissertation, you need to find out if the work concerned is already out of copyright protection.  The Copyright Slider can help you with that.  If the work is out of copyright, you can reuse it in whatever way you want without seeking permission. 

For materials that are still under copyright protection, you should think about whether your use is fair.  There are many online resources that help people determine what constitutes a fair use.  For example, the University of Minnesota Libraries provides detailed information about using copyrightable materials , understanding fair use , and thinking through the four factors of fair use .  Other libraries provide a checklist to help researchers make a decision on the matter of fair use. 

If you have questions about copyright, feel free to contact the University of Kentucky Libraries or refer to this Copyright Resource Center . 

It is likely that your scholarly endeavors will generate research data in different formats.  It is common nowadays that researchers are expected to take care of the collected data and later provide access to the processed dataset, especially if the research project is publicly funded.  Managing research data can help researchers develop commendable work habits and thus enable them to do their work more efficiently.  If you need help with research data management, refer to this guide or feel free to contact your academic liaison for suggestions and assistance.  There are also these 10 simple rules to help you with a data management plan. 

Below is a short video that shows the importance of research data management.  The second video provides a quick Introduction to the basics of research data.  

There is an international initiative that addresses problems related to confirming the identity of researchers with similar or the same name. It is ORCID , which issues unique identifiers to distinguish individual researchers. Different stakeholders in the research community, including funding agencies, higher education institutions, and publishers, plan to adopt the ORCID ID as a means to disambiguate the identity of researchers and to track their scholarly activities and contributions. More information about ORCID is available from the video below. 

Click here to register for an ORCID ID. Once you have created the ID, take some time to add information about yourself and your research outputs.  This will help build your professional online presence and reputation.  Last but not least, remember to add the ORCID ID to your CV, scholarly publications, grant applications, and academic profiles such as a personal Web page. This will help clarify your identity as a scholar among others who have names similar to or same as yours.

In the video below, a professor explains how a professional online presence can supplement a CV.  She also points out what to consider before putting together an online profile.  Additionally, these 10 simple rules show you how to build and maintain a scientific reputation. 

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Thesis and Dissertation: Getting Started

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The resources in this section are designed to provide guidance for the first steps of the thesis or dissertation writing process. They offer tools to support the planning and managing of your project, including writing out your weekly schedule, outlining your goals, and organzing the various working elements of your project.

Weekly Goals Sheet (a.k.a. Life Map) [Word Doc]

This editable handout provides a place for you to fill in available time blocks on a weekly chart that will help you visualize the amount of time you have available to write. By using this chart, you will be able to work your writing goals into your schedule and put these goals into perspective with your day-to-day plans and responsibilities each week. This handout also contains a formula to help you determine the minimum number of pages you would need to write per day in order to complete your writing on time.

Setting a Production Schedule (Word Doc)

This editable handout can help you make sense of the various steps involved in the production of your thesis or dissertation and determine how long each step might take. A large part of this process involves (1) seeking out the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding specific document formatting requirements, (2) understanding research protocol limitations, (3) making note of deadlines, and (4) understanding your personal writing habits.

Creating a Roadmap (PDF)

Part of organizing your writing involves having a clear sense of how the different working parts relate to one another. Creating a roadmap for your dissertation early on can help you determine what the final document will include and how all the pieces are connected. This resource offers guidance on several approaches to creating a roadmap, including creating lists, maps, nut-shells, visuals, and different methods for outlining. It is important to remember that you can create more than one roadmap (or more than one type of roadmap) depending on how the different approaches discussed here meet your needs.

Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings . In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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• Dissertation

How to Write a Dissertation | A Guide to Structure & Content

A dissertation or thesis is a long piece of academic writing based on original research, submitted as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

The structure of a dissertation depends on your field, but it is usually divided into at least four or five chapters (including an introduction and conclusion chapter).

The most common dissertation structure in the sciences and social sciences includes:

• An introduction to your topic
• A literature review that surveys relevant sources
• An explanation of your methodology
• An overview of the results of your research
• A discussion of the results and their implications
• A conclusion that shows what your research has contributed

Dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay , building an argument by analysing primary and secondary sources . Instead of the standard structure outlined here, you might organise your chapters around different themes or case studies.

Other important elements of the dissertation include the title page , abstract , and reference list . If in doubt about how your dissertation should be structured, always check your department’s guidelines and consult with your supervisor.

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Table of contents

Acknowledgements, table of contents, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review / theoretical framework, methodology, reference list.

The very first page of your document contains your dissertation’s title, your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date. Sometimes it also includes your student number, your supervisor’s name, and the university’s logo. Many programs have strict requirements for formatting the dissertation title page .

The title page is often used as cover when printing and binding your dissertation .

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The acknowledgements section is usually optional, and gives space for you to thank everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation. This might include your supervisors, participants in your research, and friends or family who supported you.

The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation, usually about 150-300 words long. You should write it at the very end, when you’ve completed the rest of the dissertation. In the abstract, make sure to:

• State the main topic and aims of your research
• Describe the methods you used
• Summarise the main results
• State your conclusions

Although the abstract is very short, it’s the first part (and sometimes the only part) of your dissertation that people will read, so it’s important that you get it right. If you’re struggling to write a strong abstract, read our guide on how to write an abstract .

In the table of contents, list all of your chapters and subheadings and their page numbers. The dissertation contents page gives the reader an overview of your structure and helps easily navigate the document.

All parts of your dissertation should be included in the table of contents, including the appendices. You can generate a table of contents automatically in Word.

If you have used a lot of tables and figures in your dissertation, you should itemise them in a numbered list . You can automatically generate this list using the Insert Caption feature in Word.

If you have used a lot of abbreviations in your dissertation, you can include them in an alphabetised list of abbreviations so that the reader can easily look up their meanings.

If you have used a lot of highly specialised terms that will not be familiar to your reader, it might be a good idea to include a glossary . List the terms alphabetically and explain each term with a brief description or definition.

In the introduction, you set up your dissertation’s topic, purpose, and relevance, and tell the reader what to expect in the rest of the dissertation. The introduction should:

• Establish your research topic , giving necessary background information to contextualise your work
• Narrow down the focus and define the scope of the research
• Discuss the state of existing research on the topic, showing your work’s relevance to a broader problem or debate
• Clearly state your objectives and research questions , and indicate how you will answer them
• Give an overview of your dissertation’s structure

Everything in the introduction should be clear, engaging, and relevant to your research. By the end, the reader should understand the what , why and how of your research. Not sure how? Read our guide on how to write a dissertation introduction .

Before you start on your research, you should have conducted a literature review to gain a thorough understanding of the academic work that already exists on your topic. This means:

• Collecting sources (e.g. books and journal articles) and selecting the most relevant ones
• Critically evaluating and analysing each source
• Drawing connections between them (e.g. themes, patterns, conflicts, gaps) to make an overall point

In the dissertation literature review chapter or section, you shouldn’t just summarise existing studies, but develop a coherent structure and argument that leads to a clear basis or justification for your own research. For example, it might aim to show how your research:

• Addresses a gap in the literature
• Takes a new theoretical or methodological approach to the topic
• Proposes a solution to an unresolved problem
• Advances a theoretical debate
• Builds on and strengthens existing knowledge with new data

The literature review often becomes the basis for a theoretical framework , in which you define and analyse the key theories, concepts and models that frame your research. In this section you can answer descriptive research questions about the relationship between concepts or variables.

The methodology chapter or section describes how you conducted your research, allowing your reader to assess its validity. You should generally include:

• The overall approach and type of research (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, experimental, ethnographic)
• Your methods of collecting data (e.g. interviews, surveys, archives)
• Details of where, when, and with whom the research took place
• Your methods of analysing data (e.g. statistical analysis, discourse analysis)
• Tools and materials you used (e.g. computer programs, lab equipment)
• A discussion of any obstacles you faced in conducting the research and how you overcame them
• An evaluation or justification of your methods

Your aim in the methodology is to accurately report what you did, as well as convincing the reader that this was the best approach to answering your research questions or objectives.

Next, you report the results of your research . You can structure this section around sub-questions, hypotheses, or topics. Only report results that are relevant to your objectives and research questions. In some disciplines, the results section is strictly separated from the discussion, while in others the two are combined.

For example, for qualitative methods like in-depth interviews, the presentation of the data will often be woven together with discussion and analysis, while in quantitative and experimental research, the results should be presented separately before you discuss their meaning. If you’re unsure, consult with your supervisor and look at sample dissertations to find out the best structure for your research.

In the results section it can often be helpful to include tables, graphs and charts. Think carefully about how best to present your data, and don’t include tables or figures that just repeat what you have written  –  they should provide extra information or usefully visualise the results in a way that adds value to your text.

Full versions of your data (such as interview transcripts) can be included as an appendix .

The discussion  is where you explore the meaning and implications of your results in relation to your research questions. Here you should interpret the results in detail, discussing whether they met your expectations and how well they fit with the framework that you built in earlier chapters. If any of the results were unexpected, offer explanations for why this might be. It’s a good idea to consider alternative interpretations of your data and discuss any limitations that might have influenced the results.

The discussion should reference other scholarly work to show how your results fit with existing knowledge. You can also make recommendations for future research or practical action.

The dissertation conclusion should concisely answer the main research question, leaving the reader with a clear understanding of your central argument. Wrap up your dissertation with a final reflection on what you did and how you did it. The conclusion often also includes recommendations for research or practice.

In this section, it’s important to show how your findings contribute to knowledge in the field and why your research matters. What have you added to what was already known?

You must include full details of all sources that you have cited in a reference list (sometimes also called a works cited list or bibliography). It’s important to follow a consistent reference style . Each style has strict and specific requirements for how to format your sources in the reference list.

The most common styles used in UK universities are Harvard referencing and Vancouver referencing . Your department will often specify which referencing style you should use – for example, psychology students tend to use APA style , humanities students often use MHRA , and law students always use OSCOLA . M ake sure to check the requirements, and ask your supervisor if you’re unsure.

To save time creating the reference list and make sure your citations are correctly and consistently formatted, you can use our free APA Citation Generator .

Your dissertation itself should contain only essential information that directly contributes to answering your research question. Documents you have used that do not fit into the main body of your dissertation (such as interview transcripts, survey questions or tables with full figures) can be added as appendices .

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• Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Published on June 7, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on November 21, 2023.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process . It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding the specifics of your dissertation topic and showcasing its relevance to your field.

Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:

• Your anticipated title
• Your abstract
• Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review, research methods, avenues for future research, etc.)

In the final product, you can also provide a chapter outline for your readers. This is a short paragraph at the end of your introduction to inform readers about the organizational structure of your thesis or dissertation. This chapter outline is also known as a reading guide or summary outline.

Table of contents

How to outline your thesis or dissertation, dissertation and thesis outline templates, chapter outline example, sample sentences for your chapter outline, sample verbs for variation in your chapter outline, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis and dissertation outlines.

While there are some inter-institutional differences, many outlines proceed in a fairly similar fashion.

• Working Title
• “Elevator pitch” of your work (often written last).
• Introduce your area of study, sharing details about your research question, problem statement , and hypotheses . Situate your research within an existing paradigm or conceptual or theoretical framework .
• Subdivide as you see fit into main topics and sub-topics.
• Describe your research methods (e.g., your scope , population , and data collection ).
• Present your research findings and share about your data analysis methods.
• Answer the research question in a concise way.
• Interpret your findings, discuss potential limitations of your own research and speculate about future implications or related opportunities.

For a more detailed overview of chapters and other elements, be sure to check out our article on the structure of a dissertation or download our template .

To help you get started, we’ve created a full thesis or dissertation template in Word or Google Docs format. It’s easy adapt it to your own requirements.

 Download Word template    Download Google Docs template

It can be easy to fall into a pattern of overusing the same words or sentence constructions, which can make your work monotonous and repetitive for your readers. Consider utilizing some of the alternative constructions presented below.

Example 1: Passive construction

The passive voice is a common choice for outlines and overviews because the context makes it clear who is carrying out the action (e.g., you are conducting the research ). However, overuse of the passive voice can make your text vague and imprecise.

Example 2: IS-AV construction

You can also present your information using the “IS-AV” (inanimate subject with an active verb ) construction.

A chapter is an inanimate object, so it is not capable of taking an action itself (e.g., presenting or discussing). However, the meaning of the sentence is still easily understandable, so the IS-AV construction can be a good way to add variety to your text.

Example 3: The “I” construction

Another option is to use the “I” construction, which is often recommended by style manuals (e.g., APA Style and Chicago style ). However, depending on your field of study, this construction is not always considered professional or academic. Ask your supervisor if you’re not sure.

Example 4: Mix-and-match

To truly make the most of these options, consider mixing and matching the passive voice , IS-AV construction , and “I” construction .This can help the flow of your argument and improve the readability of your text.

As you draft the chapter outline, you may also find yourself frequently repeating the same words, such as “discuss,” “present,” “prove,” or “show.” Consider branching out to add richness and nuance to your writing. Here are some examples of synonyms you can use.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .

The title page of your thesis or dissertation goes first, before all other content or lists that you may choose to include.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

• Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review , research methods , avenues for future research, etc.)

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What is a thesis?

What is a dissertation, getting started, staying on track.

A thesis is a long-term project that you work on over the course of a semester or a year. Theses have a very wide variety of styles and content, so we encourage you to look at prior examples and work closely with faculty to develop yours. 

Before you begin, make sure that you are familiar with the dissertation genre—what it is for and what it looks like.

Generally speaking, a dissertation’s purpose is to prove that you have the expertise necessary to fulfill your doctoral-degree requirements by showing depth of knowledge and independent thinking.

The form of a dissertation may vary by discipline. Be sure to follow the specific guidelines of your department.

• PhD This site directs candidates to the GSAS website about dissertations , with links to checklists,  planning, formatting, acknowledgments, submission, and publishing options. There is also a link to guidelines for the prospectus . Consult with your committee chair about specific requirements and standards for your dissertation.
• DDES This document covers planning, patent filing, submission guidelines, publishing options, formatting guidelines, sample pages, citation guidelines, and a list of common errors to avoid. There is also a link to guidelines for the prospectus .
• Scholarly Pursuits (GSAS) This searchable booklet from Harvard GSAS is a comprehensive guide to writing dissertations, dissertation-fellowship applications, academic journal articles, and academic job documents.

Finding an original topic can be a daunting and overwhelming task. These key concepts can help you focus and save time.

Finding a topic for your thesis or dissertation should start with a research question that excites or at least interests you. A rigorous, engaging, and original project will require continuous curiosity about your topic, about your own thoughts on the topic, and about what other scholars have said on your topic. Avoid getting boxed in by thinking you know what you want to say from the beginning; let your research and your writing evolve as you explore and fine-tune your focus through constant questioning and exploration.

Get a sense of the broader picture before you narrow your focus and attempt to frame an argument. Read, skim, and otherwise familiarize yourself with what other scholars have done in areas related to your proposed topic. Briefly explore topics tangentially related to yours to broaden your perspective and increase your chance of finding a unique angle to pursue.

Critical Reading

Critical reading is the opposite of passive reading. Instead of merely reading for information to absorb, critical reading also involves careful, sustained thinking about what you are reading. This process may include analyzing the author’s motives and assumptions, asking what might be left out of the discussion, considering what you agree with or disagree with in the author’s statements and why you agree or disagree, and exploring connections or contradictions between scholarly arguments. Here is a resource to help hone your critical-reading skills:

http://writing.umn.edu/sws/assets/pdf/quicktips/criticalread.pdf

Conversation

Your thesis or dissertation will incorporate some ideas from other scholars whose work you researched. By reading critically and following your curiosity, you will develop your own ideas and claims, and these contributions are the core of your project. You will also acknowledge the work of scholars who came before you, and you must accurately and fairly attribute this work and define your place within the larger discussion. Make sure that you know how to quote, summarize, paraphrase ,  integrate , and cite secondary sources to avoid plagiarism and to show the depth and breadth of your knowledge.

A thesis is a long-term, large project that involves both research and writing; it is easy to lose focus, motivation, and momentum. Here are suggestions for achieving the result you want in the time you have.

The dissertation is probably the largest project you have undertaken, and a lot of the work is self-directed. The project can feel daunting or even overwhelming unless you break it down into manageable pieces and create a timeline for completing each smaller task. Be realistic but also challenge yourself, and be forgiving of yourself if you miss a self-imposed deadline here and there.

Your program will also have specific deadlines for different requirements, including establishing a committee, submitting a prospectus, completing the dissertation, defending the dissertation, and submitting your work. Consult your department’s website for these dates and incorporate them into the timeline for your work.

Accountability

Sometimes self-imposed deadlines do not feel urgent unless there is accountability to someone beyond yourself. To increase your motivation to complete tasks on schedule, set dates with your committee chair to submit pre-determined pieces of a chapter. You can also arrange with a fellow doctoral student to check on each other’s progress. Research and writing can be lonely, so it is also nice to share that journey with someone and support each other through the process.

Common Pitfalls

The most common challenges for students writing a dissertation are writer’s block, information-overload, and the compulsion to keep researching forever.

There are many strategies for avoiding writer’s block, such as freewriting, outlining, taking a walk, starting in the middle, and creating an ideal work environment for your particular learning style. Pay attention to what helps you and try different things until you find what works.

Efficient researching techniques are essential to avoiding information-overload. Here are a couple of resources about strategies for finding sources and quickly obtaining essential information from them.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_in_literature_detailed_discussion/reading_criticism.html

https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/reading-techniques

Finally, remember that there is always more to learn and your dissertation cannot incorporate everything. Follow your curiosity but also set limits on the scope of your work. It helps to create a folder entitled “future projects” for topics and sources that interest you but that do not fit neatly into the dissertation. Also remember that future scholars will build off of your work, so leave something for them to do.

Browsing through theses and dissertations of the past can help to get a sense of your options and gain inspiration but be careful to use current guidelines and refer to your committee instead of relying on these examples for form or formatting.

DASH Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard.

HOLLIS Harvard Library’s catalog provides access to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global .

MIT Architecture has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.

Rhode Island School of Design has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.

University of South Florida has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.

Harvard GSD has a list of projects, including theses and professors’ research.

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Planning a dissertation: the dos and don’ts

(Last updated: 20 December 2023)

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Your professor has told you that you must write a dissertation to complete your degree. At this point, you may begin to panic. What is a dissertation? It sounds difficult, or like a massive project that is going to require considerable organisation. For the typical undergraduate, who may be prone to procrastination, a dissertation requires not only the creation of a large piece of writing, but it also may require research to be conducted, data to be analysed, and an extensive bibliography to be compiled. That's why being thorough with your dissertation plan is essential. Starting with the initial phases of the dissertation and working through to the final stages of proofreading, this post should offer you a few tips and tricks for success along with some common mistakes to avoid.

Why do I need to do a dissertation?

The whole point of a dissertation is to convince your professor that you are a competent researcher. This can be challenging, because it is likely that this is your first real experience with research and the first time you will have to attempt a piece of research to this scale of magnitude. Becoming a competent researcher means you have to demonstrate proficiency in each of the phases of your dissertation. The following tale represents the typical path of the "Dissertation Life Cycle."

To complete the various stages of the Dissertation Life Cycle you are going to need to demonstrate a certain level of proficiency in all of these skills. You should know that while on paper, this life cycle follows a straightforward path; such is rarely the case in real life. Although you may think your dissertation plan is thorough and comprehensive, you should be prepared to modify and change your plans as challenges arise. There will also be the need to go back and modify previous parts. For example, while you might write the literature review first, this will likely require modification after you complete the data analysis for your study.

Managing your time and staying organised

An essential component of producing a great dissertation plan is good time management. You must be able to manage your time effectively. This can be done through the adoption of two specific time management strategies: the macro-management of time, and the micro-management of time. Macro-management equates to the bigger picture; you should be able to make well-informed estimates about how long it is going to take you to complete each section. Basically, to do this, you need to work backwards from the final submission date, creating a time framework. No dissertation is the same, so the amount of time that you spend on each section will vary from that of your peers. This is contrasted with micro-management, which examines the finer details of the dissertation, for example through the division of a chapter into subsections. As an example, you might allow yourself four weeks to write the literature review using the macro approach to time management. The micro approach would mean that your literature review might be divided into four subsections, a week devoted to each of those.

Time management goes hand in hand with organisation and you are going to require excellent organisational skills as you work to complete your dissertation. Organisation is not just about the writing. You are initially going to need to organise a number of meetings with your supervisor as you begin the dissertation process. As your dissertation is going to be different than that of your peers, it is your responsibility to come to the meeting with a plan in mind so that you can use the time you have effectively and efficiently.

"You must be able to manage your time effectively. But if you do fall behind schedule, do not despair. At the undergraduate level there are usually ample opportunities for you to make up time."

In addition to meetings with your supervisor, you are also going to have to arrange meetings and/or other activities with your participants. This might include the scheduling of interviews , the arrangement of observations, etc. You may also need to account for time that you will spend attending the library, searching for sources, and reading key materials. All of this requires you to be organised and to act in a methodical way.

If you do fall behind schedule, do not despair. At the undergraduate level there are usually ample opportunities for you to make up time. The project is rarely long enough for you to go completely off the rails. If you know that you are not a particularly organised person or that you struggle with time management skills, you may benefit from the use of a professional project management tool such as Trello or Asana.

Listen up: be social

To produce the best dissertation plan possible, there are other key skills that you are going to need to employ. Two that are going to be essential at the start are your listening and social skills. Listening skills come into play as you begin to work with your supervisor. At the undergraduate level, they are likely going to be somehow involved in the assessment of your written work, so if you can identify what exactly they are expecting of you, you are going to be in a better position to succeed. This includes making sure that you not only understand the directions, but that you take into consideration any feedback they are providing you as you progress throughout your project.

When your professor makes a suggestion about your work, they are typically expecting you to change it to align with their requests. You should attempt to do this in all possible cases, and if you want to disagree, you must have an appropriate justification as to why you wish to do so. In addition to listening, you need to be able to get on well with others. This means that you will need to employ appropriate strategies during both email and oral communication. This is a skill that is not only necessary when speaking with your professor, but also relates to working with other students, with your participants, and with administrators.

What other skills will I need?

Below is a list of skills and qualities that you might need to adopt in order to complete your dissertation well:

Meetings with your supervisor

Now that you have a basic understanding of the skills you need, we can consider the finer points of your dissertation. One of these is understanding how to take advantage of the meetings you have with your supervisor.

Preparing for the meetings

Meetings that are well crafted generally offer better opportunities for you to advance with your dissertation. It is very common (and something you want to avoid) for students to arrive at the first meeting with the supervisor with no real idea about what they want to study. Instead, they ask the supervisor for ideas or inspiration on what they might do. This generally sets a bad impression; your supervisor can help you shape your initial ideas, but ultimately you want the ideas to be yours. In some instances, your supervisor may provide you with a topic or title, but this approach (which you may like in the beginning) can be difficult at later stages when you realise that your understanding of the topic is limited. Going back to the skills and qualities described above, if you fail to understand the topic, you are less likely to be motivated and confident when completing the work.

"Take advantage of the meetings you have with your supervisor. Meetings that are well crafted generally offer better opportunities for you to advance with your dissertation."

After you have scheduled your first meeting with your supervisor, ensure that you attend the meeting well equipped with both questions and a means to record the responses (e.g. laptop or pen & paper). In this initial meeting, you should be able to clearly state your area of study, overall aim, your objectives (related to the aim), and a rationale for the topic you have selected. You may also wish to call up some preliminary research studies related to your topic in order to demonstrate that you have taken the notion of this research project seriously and truly understand what it is you want to do.

During this first meeting, your supervisor is looking for the intended focus of your research, clarity of your objectives and that the objectives are achievable within the timescale. You should be posing these questions to your supervisor (e.g. are my objectives clear?).

This is also true for future meetings. It is important that you send your supervisor your work in progress prior to the meeting that you have scheduled. You can do this by email. Ensure that your email is properly formatted with detailed information and instructions that you would like your supervisor to consider. Make sure that you identify who you are, what the new work is that you are submitting, and what you would like the supervisor to do with it. Avoid sending the work at the last minute. Your supervisor is likely to have many different things on the go and so sending them work only 24 hours in advance is not appropriate. If you are unsure about how much in advance to send the information, you should clarify this with your supervisor.

Maximising the benefits of the meetings

A supervisory session should be more than just a question and answer session where your supervisor asks you questions and you answer them. This would constitute two monologues, but does not achieve the dialogue that is needed for effective communication. Your supervisor is looking to determine how your work is moving forward and to address any issues that s/he thinks are arising as a result of your project. It may be helpful for you to begin with a summary of what you have achieved followed by any issues that are currently concerning you. These meetings should be seen as opportunities to gauge how your supervisor is feeling about your work and as a way to seek corrective action when necessary. Any feedback that you get from your supervisor can be turned into additional marks and grades. Building a rapport with your supervisor is essential and is best achieved when you arrive prepared.

What to avoid

There are a few things that you are going to want to avoid during supervisions. The first is missing the meeting entirely. If you cannot make a meeting with your supervisor, make sure that you email them as soon as you can. In that email make sure that you include a reason and request to make another appointment immediately. Your reasoning for cancelling a meeting should not be due to the fact that you are considerably behind. Putting off the inevitable is never a good thing and you are better off facing the music. Obviously all of this is just considered good manners, so keep this in mind.

Finally, you are going to want to avoid walking into a meeting and uttering the phrase “I can’t find anything on this subject!” The first thing that your professor is likely to do is to plug your topic into Google and come back with thousands of hits on what you just said did not exist. Professors hear this phrase every year, and generally they tend to equate it with laziness on the part of the student and a lack of serious commitment.

"You become the content expert, while your supervisor becomes a guide to keep you on the right track. It requires effort on both parties, but it puts you in the driving seat."

Most students, at least upon first encounter with their supervisor, lack the ability to focus and to ‘run’ the meeting. Remember that your supervisor may not be as passionate about the topic as you are and thus, you may have done more reading than they have on your topic. Through this, you become the content expert, while your supervisor becomes a guide to keep you on the right track. It requires effort on both parties, but it puts you in the driving seat. This might be a new feeling for you, as you may have always felt like the supervisor is the one in charge. Making this transition will better prepare you for graduate school or any future research work that you may wish to undertake.

Where do I find resources and what is considered scholarly?

Finding the literature to become that content expert can be a challenge, especially if you don’t know where to look. It is in your best interest to use your school library to its full advantage. This includes not only borrowing books, but also using the ample online resources that are provided to you through your institution. The material you require is not simply going to appear in front of you. You are going to have to look for it . It may be easier for you to begin with a more random or general search. This can be done using sites such as Google Scholar (scholar.google.com). Remember, however that not everything that Google Scholar finds is of the same quality and if you choose to use this site, you must consider what is scholarly and what is not.

Defining scholarly is, perhaps, a somewhat challenging thing to do, as it is a sort of grey area. Generally, in an academic sense, if an article is published in a peer-reviewed journal, it is typically considered to be scholarly. That does not mean that anything else is ‘not scholarly’, but you must use your own judgement to make that determination. In addition, you must be able to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. While both types of sources are likely to be appropriate at the undergraduate level, you are better off to use more primary than secondary sources. Primary sources are classified as original documents with first hand evidence about an event, object, person, or work of art. Things you read in a scholarly book or journal article directly would be primary, as are interviews, fieldwork, communications by email, and empirical studies. Secondary sources describe or discuss the primary sources. Typically, these include things like newspaper articles, popular magazines, book reviews, or articles in journals that discuss someone else’s work. While both are useful, it is up to you to decide which are most appropriate.

Think critically and consider all your options

Finding sources is sort of like being a detective. In this case, you begin with some questions (in this case research questions or research objectives) that you want answered. You then search for clues as to how to answer these questions within the literature. You then get rid of any information that is irrelevant and use the information that you do find to lead you to other sources. This can be done by using the references of one article to lead you to the next one. Once you have enough ‘clues’ you can then construct a case based on evidence and explain the points as you see them. One way that you can get help with this whole process is by utilising your school librarian. Often there are librarians within the institution that specialise in the subject matter that you are studying. By approaching these librarians, you can often find better ways to search or strategies to locate sources that end up being key components in your research. Check out what your library has to offer and what resources are available.

How many sources should I use?

There is no corresponding number of sources that should appear in your dissertation. Obviously, your list will be extensive, but it also must be balanced. If you use too few sources, your argument may not appear convincing; if you use too many, your argument may be lost because there is no room for you to insert any of your own thoughts or demonstration of criticality. It is up to you to find that balance. In addition, the quality of the sources that you use matters. Using research from decades ago may not be beneficial in the current times, especially if you are focusing on an area that has rapidly changed (e.g. technology, education, etc.).

The literature review

It’s important to consider your reader as you craft your literature review . It may be beneficial for you to start by reminding the audience of your research objectives. That way, the reader is then better able to understand how it relates to your project. One common mistake that students often make is just jumping from one study they have read to the next - without warning. Providing your reader with an outline at the beginning of the chapter and including your own critical thought shows the reader that you are on the right track and gives them an idea about what to expect.

The common mistake described above often occurs because there has been a lack of planning. Students typically just sit down to write the literature review and find the material as they go. This then offers a very fragmented chapter. While creating a detailed outline is essential, so is the organisation of the literature. As suggested above, perhaps you have a literature review with four sections. You may, in a separate document want to collate and keep track of the useful sources you have found for each section. In these notes, you should maintain the citation of the source, a few notes on the summary, and how it might be useful.

It may also be beneficial to colour code these citations to the section to which they pertain. An example might look like:

Organising your notes and research

How you organise your notes is completely up to you. It really depends on what type of person you are. Some people like to organise their notes in a linear way; others want to organise by colour. Some people write detailed notes, others write very scarce notes and go back to the original article. Regardless of the type of person you are, some sort of organisation is going to be essential. Try a few different strategies to begin and see what works best for you.

Organisation of your sources and good citation is going to be important in the note taking process because you will need to cite these sources within your paper. Learn (if you do not know already) which referencing style is expected within your academic discipline. The above example uses APA, but there are many other referencing styles. You should apply this style throughout your paper. In the actual paper, you are usually going to require page numbers when you employ direct quotes, and sometimes when you paraphrase/summarize. Keep this in mind as you are taking your notes. For example, you could write ‘particularly useful quote on p. 166 about student mistakes in the dissertation.’ Then, you would know where to look in the original article to find the quote. Remember that quotes are only useful in moderation - you don’t want a dissertation filled with them. It is also essential that you provide critical insight into the quote you are using, so quotes should never appear at the end of a paragraph.

Research Strategy

At the same time that you are writing about your literature, or possibly just after you have finished, you are going to need to consider planning for your primary research . The dissertation is usually under a fairly tight timeline and so getting these aspects organised early on can save you some struggles as you progress through the dissertation.

You are initially going to need to come up with a research strategy. This strategy is a description of how you are going to implement the research within your own study. It's an essential component of your project, but not something that is going to require a detailed review of general research strategies. This is a common mistake by students who often spend a lot of time discussing all research strategies, rather than focusing on the one that they have chosen and the justification for this choice.

Research instruments

Once you have established a research strategy, you are going to need to consider what types of research instruments you are going to need to use - and how those research instruments are going to come about (i.e. are you going to create one, or are you going to use one that has been used in previous research). If you are creating a questionnaire for example, and you decide to create your own, you are likely going to need to pilot the questionnaire to determine whether or not your questions make sense. This can add additional time to the dissertation process, and so should be factored into your plan. Questionnaires, while a common tool among students, are generally not enough to stand alone as a research instrument. Quite commonly, students will use two or more research instruments.

Another common instrument is the interview. Planning for interviews has several challenges:

First, you must find a time and a location to hold the interview. Generally, this space is a quiet one, like an office or library study room. As an undergraduate student, you may not have access to these spaces at all times and so coordinating your interview participant with time available can be logistically challenging. Once you have secured a location and time for your interview, you must also be aware that other challenges may arise. Interviewees may cancel at the last minute or they may run late. It is your job, as a researcher, to try your best to accommodate their situations, as it is likely they are volunteering to participate in your study. You want to set your interviews up well in advance, but perhaps not too far in advance that people will forget. A reminder email or phone call to your interview subjects can be particularly beneficial in getting them there on time and to the correct location.

The home straight: editing and proofreading

The logistics of planning your research can be challenging; from finding the right sources to scheduling interviews, there are many things to consider. One aspect of the writing process that students often fail to consider is the editing and proofreading process. Editing occurs when you need to make considerable changes to parts of your dissertation because they are no longer relevant, or because you need to add/remove words. Sometimes, when students write, the editing process can be a real challenge because it is difficult to cut out words that you have spent considerable time writing. Remember, however, that it is the final mark that counts and having irrelevant information in the dissertation is going to harm you more than it is going to benefit you.

Proofreading is also essential. This is the final stage in your dissertation and considers aspects of grammar, spelling and punctuation. It often takes much longer than you initially anticipate because it is best to do it in short chunks, so you don’t get distracted. There are also additional difficulties with the proofreading process; often because you are so familiar with the work itself, you skip over errors. For example, errors such as using ‘form’ instead of ‘from’ or using the wrong version of ‘there/their/they’re’ can make your work seem unpolished, but it is easy to do.

For some students, it is better to get someone else to proofread your work . Not only can a third party comment on spelling, grammar, and punctuation, but they can also identify areas that come across as unclear. You may need to pay for a proofreading service - that is unless you have a parent or friend who is willing and able to help you out. When selecting a proofreading service, ensure that you pick one that is reputable - this is your final opportunity to make changes and you want the best possible outcome.

To summarise

Remember that dissertation writing is a challenging part of your undergraduate degree but with the right planning and strategies, you can be very successful. It is essential that you select a topic that is interesting to you from the outset, as long as it is related to your academic discipline. Further, you must ensure that you make a good first impression with your supervisor and that you utilize all the resources that you have available to you.

By reading this post, you are starting out well. Learn to develop the time-management, organisational and confidence-based skills for dissertation writing in your quest for success!

Dissertation research: how to find dissertation resources

Master’s dissertation research – library cataloguing, 10 mistakes to avoid with dissertation writing.

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Managing the Dissertation Writing Process

Materials from workshop.

• Slides:  https://z.umn.edu/dissworkshopslides
• Revision Memo:  https://z.umn.edu/revisionmemo
• Dissertation Analysis handout (PDF)
• "How to Read like a Writer" (PDF) by Mike Bunn (in  Writing spaces : readings on writing Vol 2 )

Finding Dissertations

• Dissertations and Theses Global This link opens in a new window Collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, offering millions of works from thousands of universities. Each year hundreds of thousands of works are added. Full-text coverage spans from 1743 to the present, with citation coverage dating back to 1637.
• Google Scholar (Setup connection to get to PDFs) Use Google Scholar to find articles from academic publishers, professional societies, research institutes, and scholarly repositories from colleges and universities. If you are using from off-campus access, change the "Library Settings" to University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Look for the "FindIt@U of M Twin Cities" links in your Google Scholar search results to access full text and PDFs. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
• University Digital Conservancy at the University of Minnesota A digital archive of M.A. and PhD theses at the University of Minnesota. The collection in this institutional repository can also be searched by keyword, date, authors and majors.

Sample of project management tools

Tool considerations:

• Devices -- “apps” vs. Laptop 
• Collaboration
• Fewer features vs. lots of features
• Learning curve
• Security/privacy 

More Options

• Open Project:  https://www.openproject.org/
• Redbooth:  https://redbooth.com/
• Notion:  https://www.notion.so/
• Freedcamp:  https://freedcamp.com/
• Smartsheet:  https://www.smartsheet.com/
• Click up:  https://clickup.com/
• Kanboard:  https://kanboard.org/

Student Writing Support from the Center for Writing

Student Writing Support (SWS) offers collaborative one-to-one writing consultations to help student writers develop confidence and effective writing strategies. SWS offers three kinds of consultations:

• walk-in consultations in 15  Nicholson Hall
• appointments in  Zoom
• appointments in  SWS.online

Our writing consultants will listen to your goals and concerns, read and respond to your written work, pose questions that help you clarify and articulate your ideas, and affirm the experiences and abilities you bring to your writing. We value your life experiences and languages, and we seek to provide a supportive space for you to share and develop your voice.

Sample of online books

• Restarting stalled research by Paul C. Rosenblatt ISBN: 9781483393551 Publication Date: 2016 Written for researchers and graduate students writing dissertations, this unique book offers detailed advice and perspective on many issues that can stall a research project and reveals what can be done to successfully resume it. Using a direct yet conversational style, author Paul C. Rosenblatt draws on his decades of experience to cover many diverse topics. The text guides readers through challenges such as clarifying the end goal of a project; resolving common and not-so-common writing problems; dealing with rejection and revision decisions; handling difficulties involving dissertation advisers and committee members; coping with issues of researcher motivation or self-esteem; and much more.

Get materials we don't own or from our print collection (Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery)

• InterLibrary Loan & Digital Delivery Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Digital Delivery offers access to materials needed for courses and research, including materials not currently available within the University of Minnesota Libraries, AND digital copies of articles and book chapters from our print and microform collections. Free for currently-affiliated University students, faculty, and staff.

Citation managers

What is a citation manager?

A citation manager is a software tool used to create personalized databases of citation information and notes. They allow you to:

• import and organize citation information from article indexes and other sources,
• export your citations into Word documents or other types of publications,
• format citations for your papers and bibliographies using APA and many other styles, and
• include your own notes.

Choosing a citation manager

• Guide to Citation Managers at UMN
• Wikipedia's comparison of reference management software

Browse scholarly journals available from the UMN Libraries on your tablet device, iPhone, or via the web using BrowZine .

• Read journal articles on your preferred device. 
• Create personal libraries of your favorite journals. 
• Set up alerts for new issues of journals.

For a quick overview, see this one-minute video about BrowZine. For more information, see  the full BrowZine guide.

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• Center for Research Libraries (CRL) Foreign Dissertations Search the CRL Catalog for dissertations already held at the Center. If a foreign dissertation is not at CRL, UCLA's Interlibrary Loan Service will request that CRL acquire it for your use. This special issue of Focus on Global Resources describes CRL's extensive collection of foreign dissertations.

For research from students in UCLA's Urban Planning Program, see the below instructions for searching the Library Catalog .  Some of the projects are available full-text online, others are deposited in the SRLF.  

To locate a UCLA U.P. dissertation:

• Do an Any Field search for dissertations urban planning ucla .
• To see the most recent dissertations, Sort by Date — newest .
• You can also browse dissertations by call number
• From the Browse search screen, copy and paste the following call number LD791.9 U7; select Call Number from the drop-down menu.

To locate a UCLA M.A. thesis:

• Do an Any Field search on thesis urban planning ucla m a
• You can also browse theses by call number
• From the Browse search screen, copy and paste the following call number LD 791.8 U7; select Call Number from the drop-down menu.

To locate a UCLA M.A. client project or comprehensive project:

• Do an Any Field search on projects ucla urban planning

UCLA Urban Planning Research

• Urban Planning Student Research Links to the undergraduate capstone projects, master's theses, comprehensive projects, applied research projects and dissertations.
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University Library

Doctoral Theses in Urban and Regional Planning

A chronological checklist.

The following are doctoral theses completed by individual students in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Please see Find Dissertations for more details about locating doctoral theses in general.  Check the online catalog for doctoral theses not listed here.

Most call numbers and locations are given after each entry; if not available, search the online catalog under author or title. Call numbers are linked to the entry in the online catalog or IDEALS when available.

Yu, Chenxi. Three papers in urban and regional economic and development/ by Chenxi Yu. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign , 2015. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Regional Planning/    Found in IDEALS

Kashem, Md Shakil Bin. Moving towards disaster: examining the changing patterns of social vulnerability in a multi-hazard urban environment/ by Md Shakil Bin Kashem. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign , 2015. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Regional Planning/    Found in IDEALS

Lee, Sungwon. The role of urban spatial structure in reducing VMT and GHG emissions/ by Sungwon Lee. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2015. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Regional Planning/   Found in IDEALS

Vincentelo Lupa, Claudia Mariella . Planning in cyberenvironments: an analysis of the impacts of open data in Chicago / by Claudia Mariella Vincentelo Lupa. Dissertation (Ph.D.)—University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2015. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Regional Planning/    Found in IDEALS

Figueroa, Carlos. Wage equations and the regional economics in Guatemala/ by Carlos Figueroa. Dissertation (Ph.D.)—University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2014. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Regional Planning/    Found in IDEALS

Green, Timothy. Cluster Planning and Cluster Strategy in Regional Economic Development Organizations/ by Timothy Green. Thesis (Ph.D.)—University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2014. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Found in IDEALS

Irawan, Andi. Regional Income Disparities in Indonesia: Measurements, Convergence Process, and Decentralization/ by Andi Irawan. Thesis (Ph.D.)—University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2014. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Found in IDEALS

Allred, Dustin. Examining the Effectiveness of Voluntary Coordination among Local Governments: Evidence from a Regional Land Use Planning Process/ by Dustin Allred. Thesis (Ph.D.)—University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2013. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Found in IDEALS

Boyer, Robert. Transitioning to Sustainable Urban Development: A Niche-Based Approach / by Robert Boyer. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Found in IDEALS

Rahe, Mallory. Building Prosperous Communities: The Effects of Social Capital, Financial Capital, and Place / by Mallory Rahe. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Found in IDEALS

Honey-Roses, Jordi. Ecosystem Services in Planning Practice for Urban and Technologically Advanced Landscapes / by Jordi Honey-Roses. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Found in IDEALS

Nesse, Kate. How Do We Know? Determining School District Fiscal and Administrative Policy in Rural Hispanic Boomtowns in the Midwest / by Kate Nesse. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Found in IDEALS

Sarraf, Saket. Three essays on Social Dynamics and Landuse Change: Framework, Model, and Estimator / by Saket Sarraf. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Found in IDEALS

Borich, Genevieve. The Broader Social Network of Community Planning: A Diagnostic Tool for Communities to Assess Their Planning Capacity / by Genevieve Borich. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Found in IDEALS

Wan, Jun. Three Papers in Regional Economics: Energy Productivity Convergence, Water Resource Planning, and Workforce Occupation-Industry Dynamics / by Jun Wan. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Found in IDEALS

Araj, Fidaa I. Planning Under Deep Political Conflict: The Relationship Between Afforestation Planning and the Struggle Over Space in the Palestinian Territories / by Fidaa Ibrahim Mustafa Araj. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Found in IDEALS

Brody, Jason. Constructing Professional Knowledge   :  The Neighborhood Unit Concept and the Community Builders Handbook / by Jason Brody. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning   /    Found in IDEALS

Budhathoki, Nama R. Participants’ Motivations to Contribute Geographic Information in an Online Community / by Nama Raj Budhathoki. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning   /    Found in IDEALS

Chandrasekhar, Divya. Understanding Stakeholder Participation in Post-Disaster Recovery (Case Study: Nagapattinam, India) / by Divya Chandrasekhar   .  Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning   /    Found in IDEALS

Dringo, Marina V. Why Use Agent-Based Models To Explore Social Issues? The Case Of Intimate Partner Violence and Social Support Systems / by Marina V. Dringo. 2010.   Found in IDEALS

Gamal, Ahmad. Appropriating decentralization: how urban poverty project triggers advocacy / by Ahmad Gamal. 2010.   Found in IDEALS

Ganning, Joanna P. Growth Effects of Urban-Rural and Intra-Regional Linkages on Non-Metropolitan Counties and Communities in the U.S. / by Joanna Paulson Ganning. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning   /    Found in IDEALS

Iuchi, Kanako. Redefining a Place to Live: Decisions, Planning Processes, and Outcomes of Resettlement after Disasters / by Kanako Iuchi. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Found in IDEALS

Kim, Jae H. Land Use, Spatial Structure, and Regional Economic Performance: Assessing the Economic Effects of Land Use Planning and Regulation / by Jae Hong Kim. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Found in IDEALS

Robles, Johanna D. The FDI and regional development in Chile / by Johanna D. Robles. 2010.  Found in IDEALS

Finn, Donovan. Our Uncertain Future: Can Good Planning Create Sustainable Communities? / by Donovan Flinn. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. iv, 203 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 192-202). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Q. 338.927 F497o

Li, Jinghuan. Developing a Markup Language for Encoding Graphic Content in Plan Documents / by Jinghuan Li. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Found in IDEALS

Sandiford, Glenn. Transforming an Exotic Species: Nineteenth-Century narratives about Introduction of Carp in America / by Glenn Sandiford. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. xiv, 320 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 639.37483 Sa568t

Zapata, Marisa. Planning Across Differences: Collaborative Planning in the California Central Valley / by Marisa Zapata. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Found in IDEALS

Ha, Soo J. Integrated Assessment of Structural Change and Sustainability in the Chicago Region / by Soo Jung Ha. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. v, 117 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-111). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 354.34 B433r

Kang, Sangjun. Spatial Distribution of Best Management Practices for Stormwater Management / by Sangjun Kang. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. v, 113 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-99). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /   Q. 628.1 K131s

Kaza, Nikhil. Reasoning With Plans: Inference of Semantic Relationships among Plans about Urban Development / by Nikhil Kaza. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. xiv, 181 leaves, bound : ill., maps (some col.) ; 29 cm. + cdrom. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 168-175). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning / Q. 711.4 K189r ; Found in IDEALS

Koschinsky, Julia. Modeling Spatial Spillover Effects from Rental to Owner Housing: The Case of Seattle / by Julia Koschinsky. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. ix, 172 leaves, bound : ill., maps (some col. ) ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-114). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning / Q. 307.76097977 K846m

Warren, Drake Edward. The regional economic effects of commercial passenger air service at small airports / by Drake Edward Warren. viii, 414 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 398-413). Q. 338.1 Tbp08w

Wildermuth, Todd A. Yesterday’s city of tomorrow : the Minnesota Experimental City and green urbanism / by Todd A. Wildermuth. v, 278 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 271-276). Q. 630 Tbp08w

Xiao, Yu. Local Labor Market Adjustment and Economic Impacts after a Major Disaster: Evidence from the 1993 Midwest Flood / by Yu Xiao. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. xii, 219 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-205). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning / Q. 363.34097738 X4l

Bendor, Todd K. Redistribution effects of wetland mitigation over space and time / by Todd K. Bendor. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. v, 117 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-111). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 354.34 B433r

Lim, Jaewon. Interregional Migration and Regional Economic Structure / by Jaewon Lim. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. xiii, 143 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-134). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 304.81 L628i

Lufin Varas, Marcelo Leonardo. Essays in social space : applications to Chilean communities on inter-sector social linkages, social capital, and social justice / by Marcelo Leonardo Lufin Varas. v, 254 leaves, bound : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-173).  Q. 711.40983 L967e

Maeng, Da-Mi. Information and Communications Technologies and Urban Environment: Empirical Analysis of the Washington DC Metropolitan Region / by Da-Mi Maeng. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. x, 119 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-115). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 711.4 M268i

Silva, Carlos E. Three Essays on Regional Economics / by Carlos Eduardo Silva. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. iv, 112 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-111). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 330.9 Si382t

Sorensen, Janni. Challenges of Unequal Power Distribution in University-Community Partnerships / by Janni Sorensen. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. ix, 212 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-189). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 711.58 So684c

Varas, Marcelo L. Essays in Social Space: Applications to Chilean Communities on Inter-Sector Social Linkages, Social Capital, and Social Justice / by Marcelo Leonardo Lufin Varas.Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. v, 254 leaves, bound : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-173). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 711.40983 L967e

Wang, Yun. Predicting long-term impacts of urbanization in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area on regional emissions of air pollutants from residential fuel combustion : a dynamic geographic information systems approach / by Yun Wang. viii, 142 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-69).  Q. 711.40977866 W184p

Aldegheishem, Abdulaziz J. Geospatial sharing as an effective governance tool for policy decision : comparative analysis and implication to Saudi Arabia / by Abdulaziz J. Aldegheishem.  Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. xiv, 221 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 204-220). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 910.28509538 Al21g

Shammin, Md Rumi. Opportunity and challenges for sustainability in urban planning and the energy sprawl / by Md Rumi Shammin. xvi, 211 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-145).  Q. 630 Tbp06s

Sofhani, Tubagus Furqon. Toward empowered participatory planning: the role of planners in the local planning paradigm change in Indonesia / by Tubagus Furqon Sofhani. xii, 173 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-167).  Q. 307.1216 So232t

Vial, Jose Fernando. Interlinking interregional economic models with infrastructure networks : three essays / by Jose Fernando Vial. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. ix, 184 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-182). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 330.9 V651i

Bonet, Jaime Alfred. Decentralization, structural change and regional disparities in Colombia / by Jaime Alfred Bonet. x, 128 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-113).  Q. 986.1063 B641d

Guo, Dong. Structure and structural change in China’s economy / by Dong Guo. 2005. xi, 130 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-125). Theses –UIUC –2005 –Urban and Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 338.951 G959s

Jang, Sung-Gheel. Interoperable multimodal travel guide system : modeling and implementation – a canonical model approach / by Sung-Gheel Jang. 2005. xi, 132 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-128). Theses –UIUC –2005 –Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.  Q. 388.0285 J254i

Lee, Jong Sung. Developing spatio-temporal models for retrofit and reconstruction strategy under unscheduled events / by Jong Sung Lee. 2005. x, 102 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-98). Theses –UIUC –2005 –Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library City Planning /  Q. 353.9 L517d

Prasai, Sagar R. Transnational migration-development nexus and the capability approach : reframing the linkages/ by Sagar R. Prasai. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005. vii, 145 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-140). Theses –UIUC –2005 –Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning. /  Q. 331.544 P886t

Balta, Nazmiye. Climate change policy in an enlarged European Union : institutions, efficiency, and equity / by Nazmiye Balta. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2004. xvii, 285 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 279-284). Theses–UIUC–2004–Urban and Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning. /  Q. 363.7 B216c

Kim, Jungik. An assessment of the discommodity effects of swine production on rural property values : a spatial analysis / by Jungik Kim. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2004. xi, 186 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-185). Theses–UIUC–2004–Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.   Q. 333.3352 K56a

Plotnikova, Maria. Determinants of household housing privatization decision in Russia / by Maria Plotnikova. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2004. vii, 98 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-97). Theses–UIUC–2004 –Urban and Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.   Q. 363.50947 P724d

Sumadi, Pungky. Governance in a democratic transition : the case of the Urban Poverty Project in Cirebon / by Pungky Sumadi. 2004. xv, 225 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 204-218). Theses –UIUC –2004 –Urban and Regional Planning. Printout.  Q. 320.85095982 Su61g

Budthimedhee, Kanjanee. Effective visualization interfaces for planning support systems / by Kanjanee Budthimedhee. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003. vi, 158 leaves, bound : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-156). Theses–UIUC–2003–Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning. /    Q. 005.118 B859e

Deal, Brian Michael. Sustainable land-use planning: the integration of process and technology / by Brian Michael Deal. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003. viii, 115 leaves, bound : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-85). Theses–UIUC–2003–Urban and Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning. /    Q. 307.1216 D342s

Haddad, Monica Amaral. Human development and regional inequalities: spatial analysis across Brazilian municipalities / by Monica Amaral Haddad. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003. xiv, 144 leaves, bound : ill. (some col.) maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-140). Theses–UIUC–2003–Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning. /  Q. 307.140981 H117h

Nazara, Suahasil. An exploration of interaction effects in Indonesian regional economic development / by Suahasil Nazara. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003. xiii, 156 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-155). Theses–UIUC–2003–Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning./   Q. 330.9598 N236e

Henne, Lisa Jean. Power and science in participatory watershed planning: a case study from rural Mexico / by Lisa Jean Henne. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2002. ix, 170 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-166). Theses–UIUC–2002–Regional Planning.Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning. /  Q. 333.730972 H391s

Song, Yan. Valuing the impacts of new urbanism on prices of single-family homes: a case study of Portland, Oregon / by Yan Song Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2002. xvi, 137 leaves, bound : ill., maps. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-136). Theses–UIUC–2002–Urban and Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning. /  Q. 728.370979549 So581v

Wu, Yueming. Seismic risk analysis for Mid-America communities / by Yueming Wu Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2002. ix, 208 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 203-207). Theses–UIUC–2002–Urban and Regional Planning. Printout. Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning. /  Q. 551.220287 W950s

Kumar, Sandeep. Role of information in design review : a case study / by Sandeep Kumar. 2001. ix, 189 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Printout. Vita. Theses–UIUC–2001–Regional Planning. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001.  Q. 711.40973 K96r

Tyler, Elizabeth Holl. Development of an environmental values typology / by Elizabeth Holl Tyler. xi, 256 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-146).  Q. 363.7 T971d

Matier, Debra Anne. A cross-national study of policy entrepreneurship on the part of technical-professional bureaucrats in national environmental agencies : the case of household waste reduction policy in Germany, France and the United States / by Debra Anne Matier. 2000. vii, 269 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Theses–UIUC–2000–Regional Planning. /  Q. 658.421

Tyler, Elizabeth Holl. Development of an environmental values typology / by Elizabeth Holl Tyler. 2001. xi, 256 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-146). Theses –UIUC –2001 –Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from Bell & Howell Information and Learning.  Q. 363.7 T971d

You, Jinsoo. Development of a hybrid travel time forecasting model with GIS : design and implementation issues / by Jinsoo You. 2000. xv, 171 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Printout. Vita. Theses–UIUC–2000– Regional Planning. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2000. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 161-167).  Q. 388.10113 Y83d

Alvares, Lucia Maria Capanema. Classifying intermediary non-governmental organizations according to their strategies to empower local grassroots groups / by Lucia Maria Capanema Alvares. c1999. xiv, 443 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. Printout. Vita. Data for this research was collected in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1999. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 427-440). 1. Non-governmental organizations–Case studies. 2. Community development–Brazil–Belo Horizonte–Case studies. I. Title. Other: Theses–UIUC–1999–Regional Planning.   361.763 Al86c

Carvajal N., Ana Maria . Evaluating the impact of rail-trail conversion projects on property values : empirical evidence from the Illinois Prairie Path / by Ana Maria Caraval N. 1999. vi, 37 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-37).   796.509773 C253e

Hanley, Paul Francis, 1965- Simulating land developers’, sewer providers’, and land owners’ behavior to assess sewer expansion policies / by Paul Francis Hanley. 1999. viii, 89 leaves : ill., maps ; 28 cm. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. “The research design uses a stochastic simulation model of development behavior to capture alternative explanations of sewer provider and developer behaviors. The input data and model parameters are based on 26 years of historical data for a 12 square mile study area in Washington County, Oregon…”–p.2. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Ilinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1999. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-80) 1. Sewage disposal–Mathematical models. 2. Stochastic processes. 3. Sewerage–Oregon–Washington County–Mathematical models. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1999–Regional Planning.   363.7284 H194s

Okuyama, Yasuhide. Analyses of structural change : input-output approaches / by Yasuhide Okuyama. 1999. xii, 141 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Printout. Vita. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1999. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-136). Analyzes structural change in the Chicago economy between 1980 and 1997 and the effects of the 1998 earthquake in the Hanshin region of Japan. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. 1. Input-output analysis. 2. Chicago (Ill.)–Economic conditions. 3. Hanshin region (Japan)–Economic conditions. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1999–Regional Planning.   339.23 Ok7a

Ellis, Christopher D. The effectiveness of qualitative spatial representation in supporting spatial awareness and spatial decision making / by Christopher D. Ellis. 1998. xii, 154 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Printout. Vita. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-151). Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. 1. Space perception– Case studies. 2. Qualitative reasoning–Case studies. 3. Geographic information systems. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1998–Regional Planning.  Q.910.285El59e

Larsen, Larissa Susan. A comparison of Chicago’s scattered site and aggregate public housing residents’ psychological self-evaluations / by Larissa Susan Larsen. c1998. viii, 171 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Printout. Vita. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998. Includes bibliographical records (leaves 144-152). Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. 1. Public housing– Resident satisfaction. 2. Public housing–Illinois–Chicago–Case studies. 3. Human ecology–Case studies. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1998– Regional Planning.  Q.363.58509773L329c

Lindsey, Timothy Craig. Promoting the adoption of pollution prevention innovations with the assistance of publicly owned treatment works / by Timothy Craig Lindsey. c1998. x, 220 leaves, bound ; 28 cm. Printout. Vita. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 209-212). Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. 1. Sewage–Purification. 2. Membrane separation. 3. Pollution prevention–Case studies. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1998–Regional Planning.  Q. 628.50286 L645p

Brodjonegro, Bambang. The econometric input-output model of Jakarta, Indonesia, and its application for economic impact analysis / by Bambang Brodjonegoro. 1997. viii, 142 leaves, bound: ill.; 28 cm. Printout. Vita. Thesis (Ph.D.) — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-141). 1. Econometric models–Indonesia–Jakarta. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1997–Regional Planning.   Q.330.015195 B784

Guo, Jiemen. Comparative study of economic structure of Chinese regional economies using new input-output techniques / by Jiemen Guo. x, 139 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-135).   Q. 338.951 G957c

Kim, Sung-Ho. Modeling resident satisfaction : comparison of the Francescato and Fishbein-Ajzen TRA models / by Sung-Ho Kim. 1997. xiii, 180 leaves, bound: ill.; 28 cm. Printout. Vita. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997. 1. Action theory–Research. 2. Housing– Resident satisfaction. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1997–Regional Planning.   Q.155.945 K56m, cop.2

Knowles-Yanez, Kimberley Lynne. Contested land use planning: a case study of a grassroots neighborhood organization, a medical complex, and a city / by Kimberley Lynne Knowles-Yanez. xiv, 178 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-144).   Q. 333.77 K764c

Miller, Claire Ellen. Managing local sustainability : a game theoretic analysis of natural resource conservation / by Claire Ellen Miller. 1997. vii, 195 leaves, bound: ill.; 28 cm. Printout. Thesis (Ph.D.) — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 161-175). 1. Conservation of natural resources–United States. 2. Habitat conservation–United States–Planning. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1997–Regional Planning.   Q.333.72M612m

Montagu, Allen Simon. Natural resource management in Papua New Guinea : an analysis of the forestry sector / Allen Simon Montagu. xiii, 308 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 284-304).   Q. 337.75 M76n

Chin, Yoihee. Multi-stage and multi-objective allocation procedures of urban parks using location decision support system (UPLDSS). vi, 129 leaves, bound : ill. ; 28 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-103).   Q. 711.5580113 C441M ;   Found in IDEALS

Ding, Chengri. Managing urban growth for efficiency in infrastructure provision : dynamic capital expansion and urban growth boundary models / by Chengri Ding. 1996. x, 118 leaves, bound : ill. ; 28 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-117). Infrastructure (Economics). Capital –Management. Urban economics –Management. Theses –UIUC –1996 –Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International.   Q. 658.152 D613M ;   Found in IDEALS

Moore, Alan Wesley. An investigation of a collaborative meeting room supporting small group planning and decision making / by Alan Wesley Moore. x, 163 leaves, bound : ill. ; 28 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-162).   Q. 658.4030285 M781I ;   Found in IDEALS

Mukherjee, Jaideep. Environment and development : a study of north-south conflict / by Jaideep Mukherjee. 1996. xvii, 274 leaves, bound : ill. ; 28 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 264-268).  Theses –UIUC –1996 –Regional Planning. Printout.   Q. 333.70285 M896E ;  Found in IDEALS

Ortiz, Alexandra. Economic analysis of a land value capture system used to finance road infrastructure : the case of Bogota, Colombia / by Alexandra Ortiz. 1996. viii, 109 leaves, bound : ill. ; 28 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-91). Theses –UIUC –1996 –Regional Planning. Printout.   Q. 333.332 Or8e ;   Found in IDEALS

Schintler, Laurie A. Managing pavement in a busy urban highway network / by Laurie Shintler. 1996. iii, 103 leaves, bound ; 28 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-99).   Q. 388.411 Sch34m ;   Found in IDEALS

Vos, Jacobus Johannes . Environmental perceptions and participation in environmental decision-making among blacks : a study of environmental justice and solid waste management planning in two Illinois counties / by Jacobus Johannes Vos. 1996. xii, 142 leaves, bound : map ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-118).   Q. 363.72850977 V92E ;   Found in IDEALS

Westervelt, James Dahl. Simulating mobile objects in dynamic landscape processes / by James Dahl Westervelt. 1996. ix, 144 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-114).  Digital computer simulation. Landscape –Computer simulation. Theses –UIUC –1996 –Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International.   Q. 003.3 W525S ;   Found in IDEALS

Al-Kodmany, M. Kheir Al-Din. Cultural change and urban design: women’s privacy in traditional and modern Damascus / by M. Kheir Al-Din Kodmany 1995. viii, 199 leaves, bound: ill.,maps; 28 cm. Includes bibliographic references (leaves 172-196). 1. Neighborhood–Syria–Damascus. 2. Community development–Syria–Damascus. 3. City planning–Syria–Damascus. 4. Women in Islam–Syria–Damascus. 5. Women and city planning–Syria–Damascus 6.Theses–UIUC–1995–Regional Planning. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. Vita. City Planning Call Number:   Q. 307.09569101 ;   Found in IDEALS

Dickson, Bruce C. Ecorestoration of riparian forests for nonpoint source pollution control : policy and ecological considerations in Illinois agroecosystem watersheds / by Bruce Cameron Dickson. 1995. vii, 119 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 28 cm. Printout. Vita. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-117). 1. Environmental policy–Illinois. 2. Ecosystem management–Illinois. 3. Water–Pollution–Illinois. 4. Riparian forests–Illinois. 5. Riparian ecology–Illinois. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1995–Regional Planning.   Q.363.73946D55E ;   Found in IDEALS

Kim, Hyong-Bok. Capacity expansion modeling of water supply in a planning support system for urban growth management / by Hyong-Bok Kim. 1995. xiv, 216 leaves, bound : ill. ; 28 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 206-215). Water-supply –Mathematical models. Urbanization –Water-supply. Water resources development –Mathematical models. Theses –UIUC –1995 –Regional Planning. Printout. Vita. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International.   Q. 363.61011 K56C ,   Found in IDEALS

McGurty, Eileen Maura. The construction of environmental justice : Warren County North Carolina / by Eileen Maura McGurty. 1995. ix, 220 leaves, bound : maps ; 28 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 206-220). Environmental responsibility –North Carolina –Warren County. Hazardous waste sites –North Carolina –Warren County. Sanitary landfills –North Carolina –Warren County. Land use –North Carolina –Warren County. NIMBY syndrome –North Carolina –Warren County. Environmental ethics –North Carolina –Warren County.  Theses –UIUC –1995 –Regional Planning. Printout. Vita.    Q. 363.7009756 M179C ;   Found in IDEALS

Simon, Allison. Sequencing infrastructure development in the barrios marginales of Quito, Ecuador : policy findings of a hedonic price model. 1995. ix, 104 leaves, bound : col. maps ; 28 cm. Includes bibliographical references.   Q. 307.1409866 SI53S ; Found in IDEALS

Douglas, Judy Carol. Aesthetic-based conflict in highway planning : Federal Highway Administration putting planners at risk / by Judy Carol Douglas. 1994. xiii, 223 leaves ; ill. ; 30 cm. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. Printout. Vita. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1994. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 210-219). 1. Highway planning–United States. 2. Roads–United States–Design and construction. 3. Highway law–United States. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1994–Regional Planning.   Q.625.725D746A ;   Found in IDEALS

Lee, Insung. Development of procedural expertise to support multiattribute spatial decision making / by Insung Lee. 1994. xi, 153 leaves ; 29 cm. Vita. Printout. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. Thesis ( Ph. D. )–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1994. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-151). 1. City planning–Computer programs 2. City planning I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1994–Regional Planning.   Q.307.1L521D ;   Found in IDEALS

Choi, Keechoo. The implementation of an integrated transportation planning model with GIS and expert systems for interactive transportation planning / by Keechoo Choi. 1993. xviii, 217 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Printout. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1993. Bibliography: leaves 198-216. 1. Transportation–Planning. 2. Geographic information systems. 3. Information storage and retrieval systems–Transportation 4. Expert systems. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1993–Regional Planning.   Q.388.0285C452I ;   Found in IDEALS

Edwards, Hazel Ruth. The role of the residential environment in defining quality of life / by Hazel Ruth Edwards. 1993. xix, 402 leaves, bound : maps ; 29 cm. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Printout. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1993. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 368-394) 1. Quality of life 2. Housing–Resident satisfaction I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1993–Regional Planning.   Q.155.945ED96R ;   Found in IDEALS

Mitchell, Martin D. Changes in landscape forms and functions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, 1920-1993 / by Martin D. Mitchell. xii, 329 leaves, bound : maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 297-328).   Q. 333.7153 M6946C

El-Kholei, Ahmed Osman. The role of the government in housing in developing countries : the case of Egypt / by Ahmed Osman El-Kholei. 1992. xviii, 181 leaves, bound : ill., map ; 29 cm. Printout. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1992. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-169). 1. Housing–Developing countries. 2. Housing–Egypt. 3. Housing–Economic aspects–Egypt. 4. Housing policy–Egypt. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1992–Regional Planning.   Q.363.5EL52R ;   Found in IDEALS

Fields, Deborah Lynn. The application of computer-aided expert decision support systems to developing countries : a case of rural development in Kenya / by Deborah Lynn Fields. 1992. xiii, 283 leaves, bound: 29 cm. Printout. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Vita. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1992. Includes bibliographic references (leaves 267-281). 1. Rural development–Kenya–Decision making. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1992–Regional Planning.   Q.307.1412F46A ;   Found in IDEALS

Shiffer, Michael Joseph. A hypermedia implementation of a collaborative planning system / by Michael Joseph Shiffer. 1992. ix, 188 leaves, bound : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Printout. Vita. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1992. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-184) 1. Hypermedia systems. 2. User interfaces (Computer systems) 3. City planning I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1992–Regional Planning.   Q.307.120285SH61H ;   Found in IDEALS

Almansouri, Majdi Ahmed. The role of the Friday mosque (Al-Jami) in Islamic cities / by Majdi Ahmed Almansouri. 1991. xv, 301 leaves, bound : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Printout. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1991. Includes bibliographic refernces (leaves 248-291) 1. Architecture, Islamic–Middle East 2. Cities and towns, Islamic–Middle East–Planning–History. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1991–Regional Planning.   Q.711.40956AL62R ;   Found in IDEALS

Sen, Siddhartha. Role of Indian NGO’s in housing and development : a critical appraisal / by Siddhartha Sen. 1991. vii, 204 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Printout. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1991. Includes bibliographic references (leaves 187-198) 1. Poor–Housing–India. 2. Non-governmental organizations– India. 3. Community development, Urban–India. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1991–Regional Planning.   Q.363.596942SE55R ;   Found in IDEALS

Tazik, David J. Proactive management of an endangered species on army lands : the black-capped vireo on the lands of Fort Hood, Texas / by David John Tazik. 1991. x, 247 leaves, bound : ill., maps (some col.) ; 29 cm. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Printout. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1991. Includes bibliographic references (leaves 218-226) 1. Birds, Protection of–Texas–Fort Hood. 2. Black-capped vireo–Texas–Fort Hood. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1991–Regional Planning.   Q.333.954816T219P ;   Found in IDEALS

Chin, Yangkyo. Resident housing satisfaction in multi-family housing environments in Korea / by Yangkyo Chin. 1990. x, 222 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Vita. Printout. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1990. Bibiliography: leaves 118-130. 1. Housing–Resident satisfaction–Korea. 2. Apartment houses– Korea. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1990–Regional Planning.   Q.155.94509519C441R ;   Found in IDEALS

Doak, Jill Ann. Regional economic development marketing : process, preparation and organization / by Jill Ann Doak. 1990. v, 83 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Printout. Thesis (MUP)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1990. Bibliography: leaves 79-83. 1. Regional planning–Illinois–Economic aspects. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1990–Urban Planning.  Q.338.9773D65R

Han, Sang-Yun. The application of computer-based information systems to urban planning and public policy making / by Sang-Yun Han. 1990. xvi, 206 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Vita. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Printout. Thesis (Ph. D)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1990. Includes bibliographic references (leaves 188-205) 1. City planning–Decision making–Automation. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1990–Regional Planning.   Q.307.120285H19A ;   Found in IDEALS

Lai, Shih-Kung. A comparison of multiattribute decision making techniques using an iterative procedure to derive a convergent criterion / by Shih-Kung Lai. 1990. viii, 144 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Printout. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1990. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-141) 1. Multiple criteria decision making. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1990–Regional Planning.   Q.658.4035L14C ;   Found in IDEALS

Lee, Man-Hyung. Chinese housing policy : socio-historical analysis and policy evaluation / by Man-Hyung Lee. 1990. xi, 229 leaves, bound ; 29 cm. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Printout. Thesis (Ph.D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1990. Includes bibliographic references (leaves 187-218) 1. Housing policy–China–History. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1990–Regional Planning.   Q.363.50951L514C ;   Found in IDEALS

Glosser, Deanna Simmons. Differing perceptions and the resulting uncertainty of public policy : an examination of the Clean Water Act’s Section 404 regulatory program / by Deanna Simmons Glosser. 1989. viii, 165 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Vita. Printout. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1989. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Regional planning–Decision making. 2. Water–Pollution–Law and legislation–United States. 3. Policy sciences I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1989–Regional Planning.   Q.307.12068G516D ;   Found in IDEALS

Suh, Sunduck. Implementation and evaluation of nonlinear bilevel programming model of equilibrium network design problem / by Sunduck Suh. 1989. xiii, 179 leaves, bound : ill., maps ; 29 cm. Includes bibliographical references.   Q. 388.3140113 SU36I;     Found in IDEALS

Rho, Jeong Hyun. Implementation and evaluation of a nonlinear three dimensional urban activity model / by Jeong Hyun Rho. 1988. xii, 164 leaves, bound : ill. ; 29 cm. Vita. Printout. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms. Thesis (Ph. D.)–University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1988. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Traffic congestion–Mathematical models. 2. City traffic– Illinois–Chicago. 3. Land use, Urban–Mathematical models. I. Title. Other: 1. Theses–UIUC–1988–Regional Planning.  Q.388.41310151R346I ;  Found in IDEALS

Briassoulis, Helen. An integrated modeling approach for the study of the impacts of acid deposition control regulations / by Helen Briassoulis. 1985. vii, 178 leaves ; 29 cm. Bibliography: leaves 171-177.   FILM 1985 B762 ;   Found in IDEALS