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Dissertation & Thesis Survey Design 101

5 Common Mistakes To Avoid (+ Examples)

By: David Phair (PhD) & Kerryn Warren (PhD) | April 2022

Surveys are a powerful way to collect data for your dissertation, thesis or research project. Done right, a good survey allows you to collect large swathes of useful data with (relatively) little effort. However, if not designed well, you can run into serious issues.

Over the years, we’ve encountered numerous common mistakes students make when it comes to survey design. In this post, we’ll unpack five of these costly mistakes.

Overview: 5 Survey Design Mistakes

• Having poor overall survey structure and flow
• Using poorly constructed questions and/or statements
• Implementing inappropriate response types
• Using unreliable and/or invalid scales  and measures
• Designing without consideration for analysis techniques

Mistake #1: Having poor structure and flow

One of the most common issues we see is poor overall survey structure and flow . If a survey is designed badly, it will discourage participants from completing it. As a result, few participants will take the time to respond to the survey, which can lead to a small sample size and poor or even unusable results . Let’s look at a few best practices to ensure good overall structure and flow.

1. Make sure your survey is aligned with your study’s “golden thread”.

The first step might seem obvious, but it’s important to develop survey questions that are tightly aligned with your research question(s), aims and objectives – in other words, “your golden thread”. Your survey serves to generate the data that will answer these key ideas in your thesis; if it doesn’t do that, you’ve got a serious problem. To put it simply, it’s critically important to design your survey questions with the golden thread of your study front of mind at all times.

2. Order your questions in an intuitive, logical way.

The types of questions you ask and when you ask them are vital aspects when designing an effective survey. To avoid losing respondents, you need to order your questions clearly and logically.

In general, it’s a good idea to ask exclusion questions upfront . For example, if your research is focused on an aspect of women’s lives, your first question should be one to determine the gender of the respondent (and filter out unsuitable respondents). Once that’s out of the way, the exclusion questions can be followed by questions related to the key constructs or ideas and/or the dependent and independent variables in your study.

Lastly, the demographics-related questions are usually positioned at the end of the survey. These are questions related to the characteristics of your respondents (e.g., age, race, occupation). It’s a good idea to position these questions at the end of your survey because respondents can get caught up in these identity-related questions as they move through the rest of your survey. Placing them at the end of your survey helps ensure that the questions related to the core constructs of your study will have the respondents’ full attention.

3. Design for user experience and ease of use.

This might seem obvious, but it’s essential to carefully consider your respondents’ “journey” when designing your survey. In other words, you need to keep user experience and engagement front of mind when designing your survey.

One way of creating a good user experience is to have a clear introduction or cover page upfront. On this intro page, it’s good to communicate the estimated time required to complete the survey (generally, 15 to 20 minutes is reasonable). Also, make u se of headings and short explainers to help respondents understand the context of each question or section in your survey. It’s also helpful if you provide a progress indicator to indicate how far they are in completing the survey.

Naturally, readability is important to a successful survey. So, keep the survey content as concise as possible, as people tend to drop out of long surveys. A general rule of thumb is to make use of plain, easy-to-understand language . Related to this, always carefully edit and proofread your survey before launching it. Typos, grammar and formatting issues will heavily detract from the credibility of your work and will likely increase respondent dropout.

In cases where you have no choice but to use a technical term or industry jargon, be sure to explain the meaning (define the term) first. You don’t want respondents to be distracted or confused by the technical aspects of your survey. In addition to this, create a logical flow by grouping related topics together and moving from general to more specific questions.

You should also think about what devices respondents will use to access your survey. Because many people use their phones to complete your survey, making it mobile-friendly means more people will be able to respond, which is hugely beneficial. By hosting your survey on a trusted provider (e.g., SurveyMonkey or Qualtrix), the mobile aspect should be taken care of, but always test your survey on a few devices.  Aside from making the data collection easier, using a well-established survey platform will also make processing your survey data easier.

4.  Prioritise ethics and data privacy.

The last (and very important) point to consider when designing your survey is the ethical requirements. Your survey design must adhere to all ethics policies and data protection laws of your country. If you (or your respondents) are in Europe for instance, you’ll need to comply with GDPR. It’s also essential to highlight to your respondents that all data collected will be handled and stored securely , to minimise any concerns about the confidentiality and safety of their data.

Mistake #2: Using poorly constructed questions

Another common survey design issue we encounter is poorly constructed questions and statements. There are a few ways in which questions can be poorly constructed. These usually fall into four broad categories: 

• Loaded questions
• Leading questions
• Double-barreled questions
• Vague questions 

Let’s look at each of these. 

A loaded question assumes something about the respondent without having any data to support that assumption. For example, if the question asks, “Where is your favourite place to eat steak?”, it assumes that the respondent eats steak. Clearly, this is problematic for respondents that are vegetarians or vegans, or people that simply don’t like steak. 

A leading question pushes the respondent to answer in a certain way. For example, a question such as, “How would you rate the excellent service at our restaurant?” is trying to influence the way that the respondent thinks about the service at the restaurant. This can be annoying to the respondent (at best) or lead them to respond in a way they wouldn’t have, had the question been more objective.

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A double-barreled question is a question that contains two (or more) variables within it. It essentially tries to ask two questions at the same time. An example of this is

“ Do you enjoy eating peanut butter and cheese on bread?”

As you can see, this question makes it unclear whether you are being asked about whether they like eating the two together on bread, or whether they like eating one at a time. This is problematic, as there are multiple ways to interpret this question, which means that the resultant data will be unusable. 

A vague question , as the name suggests, is one where it is unclear what is being asked or one that is very open-ended . Of course, sometimes you do indeed want open questions, as they can provide richer information from respondents. However, if you ask a vague question, you’ll likely get a vague answer. So, you need to be careful. Consider the following fairly vague question:

“What was your experience at this restaurant?”. 

A respondent could answer this question by just saying “good” or “bad” – or nothing at all. This isn’t particularly helpful. Alternatively, someone might respond extensively about something unrelated to the question. If you want to ask open-ended questions, interviewing may be a better (or additional) data method to consider, so give some thought to what you’re trying to achieve. Only use open-ended questions in a survey if they’re central to your research aims . 

To make sure that your questions don’t fall into one of these problematic categories, it’s important to keep your golden thread (i.e., your research aims, objectives and research questions ) in mind and consider the type of data you want to generate. Also, it’s always a good idea to make use of a pilot study to test your survey questions and responses to see whether any questions are problematic and whether the data generated is useful.

Mistake #3: Using inappropriate response types

When designing your survey, it’s essential to choose the best-suited response type/format for each question. In other words, you need to consider how the respondents will input their responses into your survey. Broadly speaking, there are three response types .

The first response type is categorical.  

These are questions where the respondent will choose one of the pre-determined options that you provide, for example: yes/no, gender, ethnicity, etc.

For categorical responses, there will be a limited number of choices and respondents will only be able to pick one. This is useful for basic demographic data where all potential responses can be easily grouped into categories. 

The second response type is scales . 

Scales offer respondents the opportunity to express their opinion on a spectrum . For example, you could design a 3-point scale with the options of agree, neutral and disagree. Scales are useful when you’re trying to assess the extent to which respondents agree with specific statements or claims. This data can then be statistically analysed in powerful ways. 

Scales can, however, be problematic if they have too many or too few points . For example, if you only have “strongly agree”, “neutral” and “strongly disagree”, your respondent might resort to selecting “neutral” because they don’t feel strongly about the subject. Conversely, if there are too many points on the scale, your respondents might take too much time to complete the survey and become frustrated in the process of agonising over what exactly they feel. 

The third response type is the free form text box (open-ended response). 

We mentioned open-ended questions earlier and looked at some of the ways in which they can be problematic. But, because free-form responses are useful for understanding nuances and finer details, this response type does have its benefits. For example, some respondents might have a problem with how the other questions in your survey are presented or asked, and therefore an open-ended response option gives them an opportunity to respond in a way that reflects their true feelings. 

As you can see, it’s important to carefully consider which response types you use, as each one has its own purpose, pros and cons . Make sure that each response option is appropriate for the type of question and generates data that you will be able to analyse in a meaningful way.

It’s also good to keep in mind that you as the researcher will need to process all the data generated by the survey. Therefore, you need to consider how you will analyse the data from each response type. Use the response type that makes sense for the specific question and keep the analysis aspect in mind when choosing your response types.

Mistake #4: Using poorly design scales/measures

We’ve spoken about the design of the survey as a whole, but it’s also important to think carefully about the design of individual measures/scales. Theoretical constructs are typically measured using Likert scales. To measure these constructs effectively, you’ll need to ensure that your scales produce valid and reliable data.

Validity refers to whether the scale measures what you’re trying to measure . This might sound like a no-brainer, but oftentimes people can interpret questions or statements in diverse ways. Therefore, it’s important to think of whether the interpretations of the responses to each measure are sound relative to the original construct you are measuring and the existing literature relating to it.

Reliability, on the other hand, is related to whether multiple scales measuring the same construct get the same response (on average, of course). In other words, if you have three scales measuring employee satisfaction, they should correlate, as they all measure the same construct. A good survey should make use of multiple scales to measure any given construct, and these should “move” together – in other words, be “reliable”.

If you’re designing a survey, you’ll need to demonstrate the validity and reliability of your measures. This can be done in several ways, using both statistical and non-statistical techniques. We won’t get into detail about those here, but it’s important to remember that validity and reliability are central to making sure that your survey is measuring what it is meant to measure.

Importantly, when thinking about the scales for your survey, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There are pre-developed and tested scales available for most areas of research, and it’s preferable to use a “tried and tested” scale, rather than developing one from scratch. If there isn’t already something that fits your research, you can often modify existing scales to suit your specific needs.

Mistake #5: Not designing with analysis in mind

Naturally, you’ll want to use the data gathered from your survey as effectively as possible. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to start with the end (i.e., the analysis phase) in mind when designing your survey. The analysis methods that you’ll be able to use in your study will be dictated by the design of the survey, as it will produce certain types of data. Therefore, it’s essential that you design your survey in a way that will allow you to undertake the analyses you need to achieve your research aims. 

Importantly, you should have a clear idea of what statistical methods you plan to use before you start designing your survey. Be clear about which specific descriptive and inferential tests you plan to do (and why). Make sure that you understand the assumptions of all the statistical tests you’ll be using and the type of data (i.e., nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio ) that each test requires. Only once you have that level of clarity can you get started designing your survey. 

Finally, and as we’ve emphasized before, it’s essential that you keep your study’s golden thread front of mind during the design process. If your analysis methods don’t aid you in answering your research questions, they’ll be largely useless. So, keep the big picture and the end goal front of mind from the outset.

Recap: Survey Design Mistakes

In this post we’ve discussed some important aspects of survey design and five common mistakes to avoid while designing your own survey. To recap, these include:

If you have any questions about these survey design mistakes, drop a comment below. Alternatively, if you’re interested in getting  1-on-1 help with your research , check out our dissertation coaching service or book a free initial consultation with a friendly coach.

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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 ...

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Find out how to use a dissertation questionnaire for your masters.

Prof Martyn Denscombe, author of " The Good Research Guide, 6th edition ", gives expert advice on using a questionnaire survey for your postgraduate dissertation.

Questionnaire surveys are a well-established way of collecting data. They work with relatively small-scale research projects so design and deliver research questionnaires quickly and cheaply. When it comes to conducting research for a master’s dissertation, questionnaire surveys feature prominently as the method of choice.

Using the post for bulky and lengthy surveys is normal. Sometimes questionnaires go by hand. The popularity of questionnaire surveys is principally due to the benefits of using online web-based questionnaires. There are two main aspects to this.

Designing questionnaires

First, the software for producing and delivering web questionnaires. Simple to use features such as drop-down menus and tick-box answers, is user-friendly and inexpensive.

Second, online surveys make it possible to contact people across the globe without travelling anywhere. Given the time and resource constraints faced when producing a dissertation, makes online surveys all the more enticing. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp is great for contacting people to participate in the survey.

In the context of a master’s dissertation, however, the quality of the survey data is a vital issue. The grade for the dissertation will depend on being able to defend the use of the data from the survey. This is the basis for advanced, master’s level academic enquiry.

Pro's and con's

It is not good enough to simply rely on getting 100 or so people to complete your questionnaire. Be aware of the pros and cons of questionnaire surveys. You need to justify the value of the data you have collected in the face of probing questions, such as:

• Who are the respondents and how they were selected?
• How representative are the respondents of the whole group being studied?
• What response rate was achieved by the survey?
• Are the questions suitable in relation to the topic and the particular respondents?
• What likelihood is there that respondents gave honest answers to the questions?

This is where The Good Research Guide, 6th edition becomes so valuable.

It identifies the key points that need to be addressed in order to conduct a competent questionnaire survey. It gets right to the heart of the matter, with plenty of practical guidance on how to deal with issues.

In a straightforward style, using plain language, this bestselling book covers a range of alternative strategies and methods for conducting small-scale social research projects and outlines some of the main ways in which the data can be analysed.

Read Prof Martyn Denscombe's advice on using a Case Study for your postgraduate dissertation.

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7 Ways To Get Respondents for Your Dissertation Survey

Not getting enough people for your study? Here are tried and tested ways to get respondents for your dissertation survey.

Conducting a survey may probably be the most important part of writing your dissertation, since this is where you can get hard data to support your study. It might be the most challenging part as well, especially when you need to get as many respondents as possible to support your results.

You may have everything down pat, from the objectives to the survey design, but without your respondents, your dissertation survey won’t be as useful as you thought it might be. Here are some tips in order for you to gather enough respondents for your dissertation survey:

We wish you the best of luck in completing your dissertation survey! We hope that you’ll be able to gather enough respondents who will complete your study. If you need assistance in getting an Asian online research panel for your survey, or if you'd like to try our survey demo, feel free to contact us or try our free IR check . If you’d like to know more about online research panels, check out our special page about them .

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Writing a dissertation is a serious milestone. Your degree depends on it, so it takes a lot of effort and time to figure out what direction to choose. Everything starts with the topic: you read background literature, consult with your supervisor and seek approval before you start writing the first draft. After that, you need to decide how you will collect the data that is supposed to contribute to the research field.

This is where it gets complicated. If you have never tried conducting primary research (i.e. working with human subjects), it can seem quite scary. Analyzing articles may sound like the safest and the coolest option. Yet, there might not be enough information for you to claim that your research is somehow novel.

To make sure it is, you might need to conduct primary research, and the survey method is the most widespread tool to do that. The number of advantages surveys present is huge. However, there are various perks depending on what approach you pursue. So, let’s go through all of them before you decide to pay for essay and order a dissertation that will go on and on about analyzing literature and nothing else except it.

In the quantitative primary research, students have to calculate the data received from typical a, b, c, d questionnaires. The latter provides precise answers and helps prove or reject the formulated hypothesis. For the research to be legit, there are several stages to go through like:

• Discarding irrelevant or subjective questions/answers included in questionnaires.
• Setting criteria for credible answers.
• Composing an explanation of how you will manage ethical concerns (for participants and university committee).

However, all this is done to prevent issues in the future. Provided you have taken care of all the points above, you will get to enjoy the following benefits.

Data Collection Is Less Tedious

There are numerous services, like Survey Monkey, that the best write my essay services use. It can help you distribute your questionnaire among potential participants. These platforms simplify the data collection process. You don’t have to arrange calls or convince someone that they can safely share the information. Just upload the consent letter each participant has to sign and let the platform guide them further.

Data Analysis Is Fast

In quantitative analysis, all you have to take care of is mainly data entry. It requires focus and accuracy, but the rest can be done with the help of software. Whether it’s ordinary Excel or something like SPSS, you don’t have to reread loads of text. Just make sure you download the collected data from the platform correctly, remove irrelevant fields, and feed the rest to your computer.

Numbers Rule

Numbers don’t lie (unless you miscalculated them, of course). They give a clear answer: it’s either ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Moreover, they leave more room for creating good visuals and making your paper less boring. Just make sure you explain the numbers properly and compare the results between various graphs and charts.

No Room For Subjectivity

A quantitative dissertation is mostly a technical paper. It’s not about creativity and your ability to impress like in admission essays students usually delegate to admission essay writing services to avoid babbling about things they deem senseless. It’s about following particular procedures. And there is also a less abstract analysis.

Qualitative-oriented surveys are about conducting full-fledged personal interviews, working with focus groups, or distributing open-ended questionnaires requiring short but unique answers. Let’s talk about what makes this approach worth trying!

First-Hand Experience

The ability to gain a unique perspective is what distinguishes interviews from other surveys. Close-ended questions may be too rigid and make participants omit a lot of information that might help the research. In an interview, you may also correct some of your questions, and add more details to them, thus improving the outcomes.

More Diverse and Honest Answers

When participants are limited by only several options, they might choose something they cannot fully relate to. So, there is no guarantee that the results will be authentic. Meanwhile, with open-ended questions, participants share a lot of details.

Sure, some of them may be less relevant to your topic, but the researcher gains a deeper understanding of the issues lying beneath the topic. Of course, all of it is guaranteed only if the researcher provides anonymity and a safe space for the interviewees to share their thoughts freely.

No Need For Complex Software

In contrast to quantitative analysis, here, you won’t have to use formulae and learn how to perform complex tests. You might not even need Excel, except for storing some data about your participants. However, no calculations will be needed, which is also a relief for those who are not used to working with such kind of data.

Both types of research have also other advantages:

• With surveys, you have more chances to fill the literature gap you’ve discovered.
• Primary research may not be quite easy, but it’s highly valued at the doctoral level of education.
• You receive a lot of new information and stay away from retelling literature that has been published before.
• Primary research is less boring.

However, there is a must-remember thing: not every supervisor or university committee approves of surveys and primary research in general. It depends on numerous aspects like topic and subject, the conditions of research, your approach to handling human subjects, etc.

It means that the methodology you are going to use should be approved by your professor first. Otherwise, you may have to discard some parts of your draft and lose time gathering data you won’t be able to use. So, take care and good luck!

7+ Reasons to Use Surveys in Your Dissertation FAQ

What are the benefits of using surveys in a dissertation, surveys can provide a large amount of data in a short amount of time, they are cost-effective and can allow for anonymity, they can reach a wide audience, and they can be used to obtain feedback from the participants., how can i ensure that my survey results are accurate, make sure to ask questions that are clear and concise and that there are no bias in the questions. make sure to have a good sample size and to have a response rate that is high enough to provide accurate results., how can i analyze the survey results, depending on the type of survey, there are various analysis techniques that can be used. these include descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis., what are the limitations of surveys, surveys can be subject to sampling errors, response bias, and interviewer effects. they may also not be able to capture the full range of opinions and attitudes of the population., like what you see share with a friend..

Sarath Shyamson

Sarath Shyamson is the customer success person at BlockSurvey and also heads the outreach. He enjoys volunteering for the church choir.

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• How to Frame and Explain the Survey Data Used in a Thesis

Surveys are a special research tool with strengths, weaknesses, and a language all of their own. There are many different steps to designing and conducting a survey, and survey researchers have specific ways of describing what they do.

This handout, based on an annual workshop offered by the Program on Survey Research at Harvard, is geared toward undergraduate honors thesis writers using survey data.

PSR Resources

• Managing and Manipulating Survey Data: A Beginners Guide
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• Introduction to Surveys for Honors Thesis Writers
• PSR Introduction to the Survey Process
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Surveys for dissertation

We are starting a series of articles created for students who are looking for an online survey and questionnaire tool for their dissertations.

While planning your survey you can select from multiple research techniques. Each one can be the subject of a separate article. In this article, we will focus on CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview).

Thanks to Internet and survey tools development (like SurveyLab) CAWI is gaining popularity not only among students but also among big organizations and corporations.

The most important advantages of CAWI are low cost of the research, a clear process that is easy to control, and short time needed to create a survey and collect responses.

How to start – research goal

Before you start work on your questionnaire design, define the goal you want to accomplish. It may occur that survey research is not the best way to do it.

It is always good to write your goal on a blank sheet of paper. It will help you to clarify your thoughts.

Target group

Define your target group. It means estimate how many responses you need to be able to start data analysis and what is your respondent profile (e.g. people living in big cities – over 200k citizens, that are active tourists – spend at least one weekend outside the city).

Questionnaire

Now you can start work on your questionnaire. This phase is very important as questionnaire quality will impact survey results and report quality. There are a few rules you should follow :

• Remember that your respondents won’t be able to ask you additional questions and you won’t be able to provide additional explanations. Therefore your questionnaire should be clear and easy to understand.
• Your questionnaire and questions quality will impact report and survey results.
• Use easy-to-understand language, and avoid technical jargon, slang, or abbreviations.
• Don’t try to add every question to your survey. Ask yourself if you need each question that has been added.
• Your questionnaire should be logical, which means questions should be grouped by subjects.
• Don’t forget about statistical and demographic questions. It will help you to analyze your database using such criteria as gender, age, city, occupation, …
• Test your questionnaire, send it to your friends, and test if the survey is clear and easy to complete.

Project start

Select the best date to start data collection. For example, December, 24 won’t be the best idea to start data collection. Make sure that selected date is best for your target group.

Response analysis

SurveyLab was designed to make hard work for you. The system will automatically collect responses, aggregate them, and present them in a single report.

When selecting a survey tool make sure it will be able to export data in the format you need it. SurveyLab allows you to download survey results in CSV, Excel, or SPSS format.

Try SurveyLab for free Best survey tool with great features

14 days trial | view complete list of features

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Find out how to use a dissertation questionnaire for your masters.

Prof Martyn Denscombe, author of " The Good Research Guide, 6th edition ", gives expert advice on using a questionnaire survey for your postgraduate dissertation.

Questionnaire surveys are a well-established way of collecting data. They work with relatively small-scale research projects so design and deliver research questionnaires quickly and cheaply. When it comes to conducting research for a master’s dissertation, questionnaire surveys feature prominently as the method of choice.

Using the post for bulky and lengthy surveys is normal. Sometimes questionnaires go by hand. The popularity of questionnaire surveys is principally due to the benefits of using online web-based questionnaires. There are two main aspects to this.

Designing questionnaires

First, the software for producing and delivering web questionnaires. Simple to use features such as drop-down menus and tick-box answers, is user-friendly and inexpensive.

Second, online surveys make it possible to contact people across the globe without travelling anywhere. Given the time and resource constraints faced when producing a dissertation, makes online surveys all the more enticing. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp is great for contacting people to participate in the survey.

In the context of a master’s dissertation, however, the quality of the survey data is a vital issue. The grade for the dissertation will depend on being able to defend the use of the data from the survey. This is the basis for advanced, master’s level academic enquiry.

Pro's and con's

It is not good enough to simply rely on getting 100 or so people to complete your questionnaire. Be aware of the pros and cons of questionnaire surveys. You need to justify the value of the data you have collected in the face of probing questions, such as:

• Who are the respondents and how they were selected?
• How representative are the respondents of the whole group being studied?
• What response rate was achieved by the survey?
• Are the questions suitable in relation to the topic and the particular respondents?
• What likelihood is there that respondents gave honest answers to the questions?

This is where The Good Research Guide, 6th edition becomes so valuable.

It identifies the key points that need to be addressed in order to conduct a competent questionnaire survey. It gets right to the heart of the matter, with plenty of practical guidance on how to deal with issues.

In a straightforward style, using plain language, this bestselling book covers a range of alternative strategies and methods for conducting small-scale social research projects and outlines some of the main ways in which the data can be analysed.

Read Prof Martyn Denscombe's advice on using a Case Study for your postgraduate dissertation.

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Dissertation Surveys

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Using an online tool to gather information for your dissertation survey can be a nightmare. Unintuitive interfaces, limited means of distribution and poor response rates all eat away at your precious time. So picking a platform with a quick and simple setup, wide range of channels to contact respondents and plenty of tools to boost response rates is a must.

What can SmartSurvey do?

• Design and send a survey, form or questionnaire in just a few simple steps
• Distribute surveys via email and social media as well as direct links
• Boost response rates with skip-logic, piping and custom variables
• Collect data with a secure, compliant and anonymous platform

SmartSurvey offers the survey solution you need to conduct an effective dissertation survey.

Bag first class results and nail your research projects with the power of SmartSurvey. All for less than the price of a pizza! For more information see our SmartSurvey student plan .

No contract, no worries

SmartSurvey doesn’t tie you in to a contract, there’s no commitment and you can cancel anytime. A lot of our student customers use SmartSurvey for their research projects, but downgrade to a Basic Account once it’s completed. We will leave your account live so you can access your surveys and results whenever you choose. We’re sure this will work for you too.

Please note: the Student Account is only to be used for gathering information for educational research. We reserve the right to cancel any account if we discover it’s being used for commercial purposes. There will be a small “Powered by Smartsurvey” footer in place at the bottom of all surveys created on a Student Account.

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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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Find and use our data during your studies

The UK Data Service holds over 9,000 data collections, including both qualitative and quantitative data. Students can access most of this data. If you are a student at a UK institution of higher or further education, you can simply use your university or college login to register with the UK Data Service .

What data are available?

Our data collections include:

Data from social surveys

Our high-quality survey data covers topics from health and finance to employment and crime. These surveys use representative samples, and many are repeated regularly. Our survey data can be used to make estimates at a national level, identify trends and examine patterns within a population such as how people’s circumstances, attitudes and behaviours relate to age, gender, and social class.

Qualitative data

Archived qualitative data comes in many forms including transcripts from interviews and focus groups, online sources, and images. It often gives you an in-depth description of people’s everyday lives, including their behaviour, beliefs, and emotions. This data can be coded, then analysed using techniques like thematic analysis or discourse analysis.

UK census data

The UK census is conducted every 10 years. It is a vital resource for social research, providing a snapshot of demographic and social life in the UK. Through the UK Data Service, you can access:

• census data for areas such as local authorities
• samples of individual records from the census
• data on flows between places because of migration or commuting.

International data

International data series contain socio-economic time series data for countries or regions for a range of countries over time. They are updated regularly, giving up-to-date data for comparing countries and tracking change through time.

How to find and access data?

To find and access data, you can:

• Search the data catalogue using keywords and topics.
• Visit the find data section to explore data collections by data type or theme.

If you are looking for data for your project, visit our dissertation resources, which include information about finding and accessing data for your project from the UK Data Service.

Do I need to register?

You can search our data catalogue and download open data collections without needing to register. To access many data collections, you need to register before downloading the data. If you are a student or member of staff at a UK institution of higher or further education (UK HE/FE), you register using your institutional username and password.

If using data as part of a class, you may need to register with the UK Data Service before you can access the data. Alternatively, your lecturer or instructor may collate and pass on information about who has access to the data.

Once registered you can easily access our data collections (except the more highly sensitive and confidential data that only Approved Researchers can access through our SecureLab).

Doing a dissertation or project?

Doing a dissertation or independent project can be a challenging and rewarding experience. Finding, collecting, and analysing data can be crucial to a project’s success and we have a range of resources than can help.

Secondary analysis

Have you considered using some of the interesting and good quality datasets already available for you to use? Find out more about why you might use existing data sources in your research project in our video Secondary analysis What and why?

Dissertation case studies

Find inspiration for using data from the UK Data Service in our dissertation case studies:

• urban space and public wellbeing
• class and environmental behaviours
• effect of family attachments in youth violence .

Dissertation Award

Undergraduate students who use our data in a dissertation on a social science topic can enter the UK Data Service Dissertation Award.

Dissertations and their data

The Dissertations and their data: promoting research integrity in undergraduate projects (PDF) resource provides guidance about data management and research integrity in undergraduate dissertations. It includes:

• practical examples of good practice
• templates for consent, transcription, anonymisation and documentation.

Using survey data in a dissertation

Survey data can be a great option for a dissertation project. From the UK Data Service, you can access data from representative samples of the population on a wide range of topics.

Find out more about using survey data in a dissertation.

You can also see our quick start guides to top surveys for dissertation projects.

Quick start guide: British Social Attitudes (BSA)

Quick start guide: health survey for england (hse), quick start guide: community life survey (cls).

• Quick start guide: Understanding Society COVID-19 Teaching Dataset .

Finding the right data for your project

How do you find the right data for your project? Our resources on how to find data for your project cover ways to search and evaluate data as well as all you need to know about registration and access conditions.

• Finding and accessing data for your project .

Other useful resources

Recordings of webinars for dissertation students:

• Dissertation projects: Introduction to secondary analysis for qualitative and quantitative data
• Webinar: Data for dissertations .

Try our data skills modules to learn more about data and how it can be used. These online interactive resources are for users who want to get to grips with key aspects of survey, longitudinal and aggregate data.

Need help with software? We have guides to major software used to manage and analyse data on our software and tools section including introductory guides to SPSS, Stata and R.

Working with survey, census, qualitative or aggregate data? Explore our learning hub to find resources to help with each of these data types.

Our YouTube channel includes tutorials and recordings of webinars and workshops (for example our using SPSS playlist and workshop on mapping crime data in R ).

Using survey data

Finding and accessing data for your project, quick start guide: understanding society covid-19 teaching dataset.

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Physical therapy graduate to serve U.S. military soldiers and veterans

August 12, 2024  | Erin Bluvas,  [email protected]

Growing up in Canada, Lemir Lira felt like he got to travel the world without even leaving his hometown. “Toronto was such a diverse and multicultural city that exposed me to different foods, music and customs,” he says.

After studying psychology at York University, Lira moved back to Houston, Texas, where he was born. He spent a couple years working with youth in underserved communities before enlisting in the U.S. Army.

Following Basic Training and Airborne School, Lira found himself stationed at Ft. Liberty in North Carolina. He also found himself afflicted by some minor orthopedic injuries and setbacks.

“This is where my exposure to physical therapy in the military setting began, and I had my ‘lightbulb’ moment realizing I could combine my two passions of continuing military service with the pursuit of a career in health care,” Lira says. “I had a new mission: to serve my fellow soldiers as a physical therapist when they were at their most vulnerable.”

While continuing his military service – first as a paratrooper with the U.S. Army National Guard and then as an infantry sniper with the SC Army National Guard – he began looking into Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs.  The Department of Exercise Science ’s research-oriented curriculum and its warm and welcoming staff put the Arnold School at the top of his list.

“I was very happy to hear that USC is known to be a very military-friendly institution, which allowed me to balance being a member of the SC Army National Guard while simultaneously juggling my academic studies,” Lira adds. “I was very lucky to be provided the opportunity to select clinical sites that best aligned with my goal of serving military veterans and active-duty service members.”

Rotating among sites like Shaw Air Force Base and the William Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Lira says he received outstanding mentorship from all his clinical instructors. He particularly connected with Matthew Geary , Cathy Arnot and Alicia Flach .

I was very lucky to be provided the opportunity to select clinical sites that best aligned with my goal of serving military veterans and active-duty service members.

“I cannot give enough thanks to my amazing program clinical director, Dr. Geary, who always made himself available to meet and discuss clinical site placements that best aligned with my future career goals,” Lira says. “I had a marvelous research supervisor, Dr. Arnot, who put my mind at ease when working on our final program research project. Lastly, I was very fortunate to have been paired with a faculty mentor, Dr. Flach, who continues to inspire me today to break barriers and advocate for our patients and the PT profession.”

After graduating this month, Lira plans to specialize in orthopedics and become a Physical Therapy Officer in the U.S. Army to serve the military members who sacrifice so much and work tirelessly to keep the country safe. He’ll miss the gorgeous campus, the capital city’s vibrant food scene and strolls along the Congaree River.

“My experience at USC’s Columbia campus has been amazing from beginning to end, and the DPT program was designed with the student in mind,” says Lira, who appreciated the small class sizes and mentorship from faculty and upper-class members from day one. “I know that my degree and time spent at USC has best prepared me to serve soldiers by instilling in me the importance of seeking the most current evidence-based PT practices.”    

Find Out More

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program prepares top-tier physical therapists to diagnose and treat individuals of all ages that have health-related conditions that limit their abilities to move through an individualized, high-quality, and high-value clinical program rooted in exceptional, evidence-based client care.

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