dissertation planner download

What’s Included: The Dissertation Template

If you’re preparing to write your dissertation, thesis or research project, our free dissertation template is the perfect starting point. In the template, we cover every section step by step, with clear, straightforward explanations and examples .

The template’s structure is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects such as dissertations and theses. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your dissertation or thesis will have a smooth, logical flow from chapter to chapter.

The dissertation template covers the following core sections:

• The title page/cover page
• Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
• Table of contents
• List of figures /list of tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction  (also available: in-depth introduction template )
• Chapter 2: Literature review  (also available: in-depth LR template )
• Chapter 3: Methodology (also available: in-depth methodology template )
• Chapter 4: Research findings /results (also available: results template )
• Chapter 5: Discussion /analysis of findings (also available: discussion template )
• Chapter 6: Conclusion (also available: in-depth conclusion template )
• Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included practical examples to help you understand exactly what’s required in each section.

The cleanly-formatted Google Doc can be downloaded as a fully editable MS Word Document (DOCX format), so you can use it as-is or convert it to LaTeX.

FAQs: Dissertation Template

What format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The dissertation template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of dissertations/theses can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research projects such as dissertations or theses, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Will this work for a research paper?

A research paper follows a similar format, but there are a few differences. You can find our research paper template here .

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a dissertation, thesis or research project at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my dissertation/thesis be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, Masters-level projects are usually 15,000 – 20,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects are often in excess of 60,000 words.

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this dissertation template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our dissertation and thesis coaching services .

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation
• 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!

Research bias

• Anchoring bias
• Halo effect
• The Baader–Meinhof phenomenon
• The placebo effect
• Nonresponse bias
• Deep learning
• Generative AI
• Machine learning
• Reinforcement learning
• Supervised vs. unsupervised learning

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

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.)

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

George, T. (2023, November 21). Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/dissertation-thesis-outline/

Is this article helpful?

Tegan George

Other students also liked, dissertation table of contents in word | instructions & examples, figure and table lists | word instructions, template & examples, thesis & dissertation acknowledgements | tips & examples, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

Search templates

Property Management

Manufacturing

Media & Entertainment

Project Management

Team Collaboration

Human Resources

Work Planning

Event Planning

Action Plans

Goal Setting

Content Creation

Customer Success

Select category

Thesis Planning

Use template

Organize your thesis writing process with a comprehensive planner

Template screenshots

What is Thesis Planning Template?

Thesis writing can be a daunting task, with numerous ideas, research questions, and resources to manage. This thesis planning template is designed to help you stay organized from the very beginning, keeping track of all your notes, drafts, and resources. With an adjustable schedule and a centralized resource center, you can ensure that you stay on top of your thesis writing process and ace your final submission.

Try this template now

Who is this Thesis Planning Template for?

This template is perfect for graduate students, researchers, and academics who are in the process of writing a thesis or a major research paper. Whether you are just starting your research or already deep into the writing process, this template can help you stay organized, manage your time effectively, and ensure that you meet all your deadlines.

Why use this Thesis Planning Template?

Keep track of all your ideas, research questions, and potential topics in one place, making it easy to review and refine your thesis focus.

Create a realistic and adjustable schedule with start and end dates for key tasks and milestones, ensuring that you stay on track and meet your deadlines.

Develop a centralized resource center for all your sources, making it easy to reference and cite them later in your thesis.

Stay organized and reduce stress by having a clear overview of your entire thesis writing process, from brainstorming to final submission.

Easily collaborate with your thesis advisor or peers by sharing your progress and receiving feedback within the template.

What is Lark?

What is Lark used for?

How is Lark different from all the work collaboration tools?

Need help with this template?

Contact us to build a customized demo for you, for free!

Related templates

Return to Template Center

Ai Prompts For Tweets And Twitter Threads

Generate engaging ai-related content for tweets and twitter threads effortlessly.

Ai Prompts For Status Reports

Streamline status reports with ai prompts for comprehensive updates.

Ai Prompts For Instagram

Elevate your instagram content strategy with ai prompts.

Ai Prompts For Dialogue Writing

Spark creativity and inspire rich, authentic conversations between characters with ai prompts for dialogue writing.

Action Plan For Remediation

Create an action plan for remediation to address and resolve issues effectively.

Create personalized email templates for various occasions

Visualize and organize your ideas with a mind map

College resume, create a professional college resume to showcase your achievements and skills.

Letter Of Interest

Create professional and compelling letters of interest with ease.

Sign In Sheet

Efficiently track visitor sign-ins and sign-outs.

Play Bingo with your team and have fun while working

Job Description

Create comprehensive job descriptions for various positions.

Job Application

Track and manage job applications with ease.

Frayer Model

Organize and analyze information with the frayer model.

Create a professional one-pager for your project

Executive Summary

Summarize key findings and strategic direction in an executive summary, fishbone diagram, identify and analyze potential causes of a problem with a fishbone diagram.

Create a professional About Me page with ease

Budget Temp

Track your expenses and manage your budget with ease.

Vehicle Bill Of Sale

Create a professional vehicle bill of sale with ease.

Plot Diagram

Visualize the plot of your story with a plot diagram.

Lined Paper

Create lined paper templates for various purposes.

Book Report

Create professional book reports with ease, create an eye-catching pamphlet for your business or event, all about me, create a personalized 'all about me' template.

Create professional name tags for your events

Chore Chart

Keep track of household chores with this chore chart template.

Table Of Contents

Create a professional table of contents for your document.

Rent Receipt

Create professional rent receipts with ease.

Budget Sheet

Daily Planner

Stay organized and maximize productivity with our daily planner template, budget planner, track your income and expenses with ease.

Capture and showcase your favorite memories with a Polaroid-style photo template

Streamline communication and reporting with the sbar template, sign up sheet, efficiently manage event sign-ups and preferences.

Concept Map

Visualize and organize complex concepts with a concept map.

Christmas List

Keep track of your christmas gift list with ease.

Create a comprehensive shot list for your film or video project

Essay Outline

Create a comprehensive essay outline for environmental conservation.

Grocery List

Keep track of your grocery list and expenses with ease.

Create and customize your own Bingo cards

Learn about different butterfly species and their characteristics

Efficiently manage work orders and track progress

Raffle Ticket

Create professional raffle tickets for your event.

Track and manage your investment portfolio with ease

Visualize and analyze circle data with ease

Personal financial statement, track your assets, liabilities, and net worth with ease.

Missing Poster

Create missing person posters with ease, evaluate and grade student work with ease using this rubric template, create mla format citations with ease, study guide, stay organized and track your study progress with this comprehensive study guide template, manage your book collection with ease.

Create professional quotes for your business

Create a comprehensive fish database with Lark

Employment verification letter, generate employment verification letters with ease.

2 Week Notice Letter

Create professional 2-week notice letters with ease.

Spelling Test

Track and analyze spelling test results, visualize your family tree with a genogram.

Book Review

Capture and organize book reviews with ease, eisenhower matrix, organize your tasks based on urgency and importance with the eisenhower matrix, employee evaluation, streamline employee evaluations and performance tracking, review of systems, review your symptoms and medical history with this comprehensive template.

Certificate Of Completion

Create professional certificates of completion for courses and workshops.

Organize and share your favorite recipes with ease

Construction contract, create and manage construction contracts with ease.

Employee Of The Month

Recognize and reward outstanding employees with the employee of the month template.

Weekly Budget

Character Reference Letter

Create a character reference letter with ease.

Create an organized outline for your projects

Decision Tree

Make informed decisions with a decision tree template.

Create a fact sheet to showcase your company's key information

Cleaning Schedule

Keep your workspace clean and organized with this cleaning schedule template, doctors note for work, generate doctors' notes for work with ease, streamline your essay writing process with this comprehensive essay template.

Organize travel itinerary with ease

Create a comprehensive syllabus for your course.

User Persona

Create user personas to understand your target audience, trading card, organize and track your trading card collection, credit dispute letter, resolve credit report inaccuracies with a professional dispute letter.

Discover different types of flowers and their characteristics

Create professional lab reports with ease, keep track of your professional references, logic model, create a logic model to plan and evaluate your projects.

Create your own cookbook with ease

Stay organized and on top of your tasks with this checklist template.

Simple Budget

Recipe card, create beautiful recipe cards with ease.

Create professional cover pages for your documents

Professional references, organize and manage your professional references with ease, create mla citations with ease.

Create engaging blog posts with ease

Recipe book, create your own recipe book with ease.

Binder Cover

Create personalized binder covers for your projects, letter of authorization, authorize parties and grant specific authorities with this letter of authorization template.

Acting Resume

Create a professional acting resume with ease, graph paper, create custom graphs and charts with ease, cease and desist letter, send professional cease and desist letters to protect your intellectual property rights, terms and conditions, create a comprehensive terms and conditions template for your website, free monthly budget, organize and track your board game collection, permission slip, create permission slips for student activities, attendance sheet, track employee attendance and manage work hours.

Business Contract

Create professional business contracts with ease, reading log, keep track of your reading progress and insights, create and manage scripts for your film or theater production.

Thesis Statement

Create effective thesis statements for various topics, create professional case study reports with ease.

Manage your bill of lading (BOL) with ease

Generate professional check stubs for your employees, employment letter, create personalized employment letters for your employees, debt verification letter, verify and dispute alleged debts with ease, shopping list, stay organized and never forget your shopping list again.

Door Hanger

Efficiently distribute messages and promotions with door hangers.

Baseball Lineup

Create and manage your baseball lineup with ease, plan and track your work projects with ease, demand letter, demand payment for outstanding invoices and unpaid fees, puzzle piece, organize and track your puzzle pieces with ease.

Notebook Paper

Organize your biology class with this notebook paper template.

Keep track of tree information and conservation status

Create a professional price list for your products or services.

Check Register

Track your financial transactions with ease.

Place Setting

Create personalized place settings for your event.

Gantt Chart Templ

Track project progress and manage tasks with this gantt chart template.

Needs Assessment

Assess your organization's needs and prioritize projects.

Mental Status Exam

Conduct comprehensive mental status exams with ease, checkbook register, keep track of your expenses and manage your finances with ease, customer journey map, visualize and understand your customer journey with ease, free org chart, visualize your organization's structure with ease.

Simple Monthly Budget

Letter of employment, generate professional letter of employment templates, problem statement, streamline problem identification and resolution.

Collect signatures for your petition with ease

Create personalized personas for your target audience.

Bill Of Sale

Create professional bill of sale documents with ease, research proposal, streamline your research proposal process with this template, create and analyze surveys with ease, buyer persona, create personalized buyer personas for your marketing strategy, certificate of appreciation, recognize and appreciate outstanding achievements with personalized certificates, social security card, create professional and secure social security card templates, one on one meeting, streamline your one-on-one meetings with this template, story board, visualize your story with a storyboard template.

Literature Review

Organize and analyze research literature for your literature review.

Bill Tracker

Track and manage your bills with ease, consulting contract, create a comprehensive consulting contract with ease, create your own screenplay with ease.

Exit Ticket

Gather feedback and assess student understanding with this exit ticket template, interview thank you email, express gratitude and follow up after an interview.

Bill Of Sale Word

Create a captivating story with our story map template.

Cleaning List

Keep your space clean and organized with this cleaning list template, police report, efficiently manage and track police reports with this template, succession planning, plan for the future of your organization with a comprehensive succession planning template, blank check, create professional and customizable blank checks.

Streamline user registration and account management

Reference List

Create a professional reference list for your research papers and publications, simple will, create a simple will to distribute your assets.

Grant Proposal

Streamline your grant proposal process and increase your chances of securing funding, essay format, format your essays with ease using this template.

Budget Tracker

Track your expenses and income with ease, letter of support, show your support with a letter of endorsement, college essay, streamline your college essay writing process with this comprehensive template, thank you letter, express gratitude and follow-up with personalized thank you letters, create your own game board with ease.

Collection Letter

Streamline your collection letter process with this customizable template, bullet journal, stay organized and productive with a bullet journal template, news article, create professional news articles with ease, birthday calendar, never miss a birthday with this customizable birthday calendar template.

Monthly Bills

Stay on top of your monthly bills with ease.

Visualize your data on a bubble map

Create an elegant gala event booklet

Stock Certificate

Create professional stock certificates for your shareholders.

Exit Interview

Streamline your exit interview process and gather valuable feedback from departing employees, financial plan, manage your personal finances with ease.

Value Proposition

Create compelling value propositions for your target customers, event proposal, create professional event proposals with ease, verification of employment letter, verify employment details with ease.

Doctor Excuse

Generate doctor excuse notes for patients, policies and procedures, manage and track your organization's policies and procedures, job posting, create professional job postings with ease, movie script, create a movie script with ease, food journal, track your daily meals and nutritional intake with ease.

Memo Format

Create professional and organized memos with ease, corrective action plan, track and manage corrective actions for identified issues, mission statement, craft a compelling mission statement for your organization.

To Whom It May Concern Letter

Create professional recommendation letters with ease.

Keep track of your calls and follow-ups with ease

Waiver of liability, create a waiver of liability for your activities, track your business financial performance and growth.

Monthly Work Schedule

Manage your team's work schedule with ease.

Block Schedule

Organize your school's block schedule with ease, birthday list, keep track of birthdays and gift ideas for your friends and family.

Journey Map

Visualize and analyze customer journey with ease, create a comprehensive site map for your website, notary acknowledgement, create professional notary acknowledgement templates with ease, job proposal, create professional job proposals with ease.

Rent Ledger

Track rent payments and balances with ease, cleaning checklist, efficiently manage cleaning tasks with this comprehensive checklist template.

Potluck Sign Up Sheet

Organize your potluck event with ease.

Birth Certificate

Create personalized birth certificates for newborns, questionnaire, create engaging and interactive quizzes with our questionnaire template, certificate of origin, create professional certificate of origin documents with ease, envelope address, create professional envelope addresses with ease, notarized letter, create professional notarized letters with ease.

Stakeholder Analysis

Analyze and manage project stakeholders effectively.

Instagram Carousel

Create engaging instagram carousels with ease.

Decision Matrix

Make informed decisions with the decision matrix template.

Create stunning mood boards with a variety of visual elements

List of references, create a comprehensive list of references for your research projects, bill of lading, create professional bill of lading documents with ease, monthly expenses, track and manage your monthly expenses with ease, reference sheet, organize and manage your references with ease, efficiently manage household chores with this chore list template, happy birthday, plan and organize birthday celebrations with ease.

Blank Bingo

Create your own customized bingo game, bank statement, track your financial transactions and balance with ease.

Create a personalized birth plan for a smooth delivery

Free itinerary, create a personalized travel itinerary with ease.

Custody Agreement

Create a comprehensive custody agreement for co-parenting, visualize your data with a colorful bar graph.

Policy And Procedure

Standardize your company policies and procedures with this template.

Track and manage handovers between team members

Create professional and customizable quotes for your clients

Contractor estimate, estimate the cost and materials needed for your construction project, itinerary temp, plan your travel itinerary with ease, create a personalized will with ease, free work schedule, efficiently manage employee schedules with this free work schedule template, manage your cloud resources with ease.

Rent To Own Contract

Create a rent-to-own contract for tenants and landlords, sales funnel, track your sales pipeline and manage deals effectively, budget proposal, create a budget proposal for your projects.

Create professional doctor's note templates for patients

Script Format

Create professional scripts with ease, gift letter, create personalized gift letters for donors and recipients.

Letterhead Word

Create professional letterheads with ease, missing person, track missing persons and their case details.

Contractor Agreement

Create a comprehensive contractor agreement with ease, recommendation letter, create personalized recommendation letters with ease, wanted poster, create a professional wanted poster for fugitives, monthly budget, track your monthly budget and manage your expenses with ease, letter of recommendation, create professional and compelling letters of recommendation, doctors note, keep track of patient visits and medical recommendations with this doctor's note template, create a professional newspaper with ease, vision board, visualize your goals and dreams with a vision board, create professional and personalized envelopes for your business, business plan, create a comprehensive business plan with ease, project plan, plan your projects with ease.

Create professional newsletters with ease

Account Based Marketing

Manage your account-based marketing strategies effectively.

Price Matrix

Track and compare product prices, bulk prices, and vendor details.

Content Calendar

Organize and plan your content strategy with ease.

Product Roadmap

Track and manage your product features with ease.

Gantt Chart

Track your project progress with a comprehensive gantt chart.

Availability

Manage your resources and schedule with ease, inventory sheet, manage your inventory with ease and precision, income statements, streamline your request for quotation process with this rfq template, manage your projects efficiently with a clear overview of all activities, project status report, track your project's progress, budget, and health with ease.

Requirements Gathering

Streamline your project requirements with a comprehensive overview.

Staff Availability

Manage your staff's availability with ease and efficiency.

Weekly Stand Up Meeting

Streamline your weekly stand-up meetings and keep track of team progress.

Release Management

Manage your software releases efficiently and effectively, networking spreadsheet, manage your professional contacts and networking activities effectively, process documentation, streamline your business processes with a comprehensive documentation, account planning, streamline your account management and planning process.

Action Item

Track and manage your team's tasks efficiently.

Business Requirements Document

Streamline your project requirements with a comprehensive and organized approach, communications plan, streamline your communication strategy with a comprehensive plan.

Post Mortem

Analyze your projects, identify successes and failures, and improve future endeavors.

Party Planning

Organize your party planning with ease and efficiency.

Vacation Itinerary

Plan your dream vacation with ease, business model canvas, visualize, design, and reshape your business model with ease, track your company's financial health with a comprehensive p&l statement, manage your marketing campaigns effectively and efficiently.

Production Schedule

Streamline your production process with a comprehensive schedule, sprint planning, streamline your sprint planning with a comprehensive overview of tasks, assignments, and deadlines, construction daily report, track your construction project progress daily.

Product Backlog

Manage your product backlog with ease and efficiency, release plan.

10 Year Plan

Plan your personal and professional life for the next 10 years.

Event Run Of Show

Efficiently plan and manage your event schedule, 3 year plan, plan your business objectives and strategies for the next three years, order tracker, track your orders and deliveries in real-time, grant management, manage your grants effectively and efficiently, trade show planning, streamline your trade show planning process.

Manage your customer relationships with ease

Training plan, streamline your training sessions with a comprehensive plan.

Project Outline

Streamline your project management with a comprehensive outline, organize your meetings effectively with a comprehensive overview, interview guide, streamline your interview process with a comprehensive guide, manage and organize your team's profiles in one place, vendor management, manage your vendors, contracts, and services in one place, real estate schedule, manage your real estate showings, agent details, and property status in one place.

Jira Checklist

Streamline your project management with a comprehensive checklist, class schedule, organize your class schedule with ease, marketing campaign, plan, track, and analyze your marketing campaigns in one place, design brief, streamline your design projects with a comprehensive brief, manage and analyze your product reviews in one place.

Compare and contrast different products with ease

Project milestone, track your project milestones with ease and precision, track your events, responsibilities, and status with ease, manage your projects efficiently with a clear overview of tasks, deadlines, and priorities.

Holiday Schedule

Manage your team's holiday schedule with ease.

Interior Design Schedule

Manage your interior design project with ease, legal case management, manage your legal cases efficiently and effectively, grant calendar, track and manage your grant applications with ease, sales training plan, streamline your sales training with a comprehensive plan.

Key Policy For Employees

Manage and track your employees' key issuance and return with ease, track your project milestones, dependencies, and status with ease, book of business, manage your client's financial portfolio with ease, long term planning, strategize your long-term goals and track progress with ease, action plan for students, track your goals, actions, and progress with ease.

Story Mapping

Map your user stories and prioritize tasks with ease, social media content calendar, plan, schedule, and manage your social media posts effectively, hourly calendar, organize your day with precision using the hourly calendar template, marketing strategy, strategize your marketing efforts with clear objectives, target audience, key messages, and more, personal budget, performance evaluation, streamline your employee performance evaluations with ease, contact list, organize your contacts in one place, invoice tracker, track your invoices and payments with ease, schedule of real estate, manage your real estate activities with ease, media brief, organize your media briefs with ease and efficiency, manage your it assets efficiently and effectively, vacation coverage plan, ensure smooth operations during employee vacations with a comprehensive coverage plan.

Msp Client Onboarding Checklist

Streamline your client onboarding process with a comprehensive checklist.

Product Testing

Track and manage your product testing with ease, talent planning, track and plan your employees' career development, volunteer spreadsheet, manage your volunteers and their contributions effectively, intern onboarding, streamline your intern onboarding process with ease, product training, streamline your product training process with a comprehensive schedule, retrospective, track and improve your team's performance with a retrospective template.

Risk Matrix

Manage and mitigate risks effectively with our risk matrix template, project overview, manage your projects effectively with a comprehensive overview, google calendar, manage your events, meetings, and appointments with ease, organize your tasks, groceries, work, and home maintenance with ease.

Sprint Retrospective

Track and improve your team's sprint performance, event program, streamline your event planning with a comprehensive schedule, staff schedule, efficiently manage your staff's schedule and roles, track and improve your employees' performance with ease, product comparison.

Track your project tasks and employee hours with precision

Activity calendar, organize your team's activities with a comprehensive calendar.

Product Design

Streamline your product design process with a comprehensive overview, project portfolio management, manage your projects, track progress, and align with strategy.

Free Pay Stub

Manage your employee payroll with ease and accuracy, manage your project tasks, deadlines, and deliverables effectively, operations plan, streamline your operations with a comprehensive plan.

Goal Tracking

Track your personal and professional goals with ease, training schedule, organize and manage your training sessions effectively.

Lifecycle Powerpoint

Manage your project lifecycle with ease and precision.

Grant Tracking

Track your grants, deadlines, status, and more with ease.

Conference Itinerary

Organize your conference itinerary with ease.

Subscription

Manage your subscriptions with ease and never miss a renewal date, sprint demo, track and manage your sprint demos with ease.

Consultant Timesheet

Track your consultants' work hours and billable status with ease, project scope, define your project's boundaries with clarity and precision, track and achieve your personal and professional goals with ease, project management plan, manage your project tasks, resources, and timelines effectively, manage your project estimates with ease and precision, manage your sales and purchases with a comprehensive proforma invoice, hourly weekly schedule, organize your week with precision and ease.

Request For Quote

Streamline your procurement process with a comprehensive rfq template, strategic roadmap, strategically plan your company's future with a comprehensive roadmap.

5 Whys Root Cause Analysis

Identify, analyze, and solve problems effectively, manage your volunteers and their tasks efficiently, purchase order, streamline your purchase order process with ease.

Donation Tracker

Track your donations and donors with ease, requirements document, manage your project requirements with ease and efficiency, marketing brief, plan and execute your marketing strategies effectively, monthly goals, track and manage your monthly goals effectively, track, manage, and resolve issues efficiently, travel planner.

Board Meeting Agenda

Streamline your board meetings with a comprehensive agenda.

Fundraising

Track your donors, donations, and follow-ups with ease, project retrospective, analyze your project's success and areas for improvement, conference planning, effortlessly plan and manage your conferences.

Product Launch Plan

Efficiently plan and track your product launches, manage your project backlog with ease and efficiency, sprint planning meeting, streamline your sprint planning meetings and keep track of your team's progress.

Reporting Specifications

Streamline your reporting process with a comprehensive overview, 24 hour planner, plan your day hour by hour with this 24 hour planner template, workback plan, streamline your project management with a comprehensive workback plan, template management, manage your templates effectively and efficiently, event schedule, organize and manage your events with ease, resource planning, efficiently manage your resources and tasks with a comprehensive view, construction proposal, manage your construction proposals efficiently, project kickoff, kickstart your projects with a comprehensive plan.

Organize and analyze your data with ease

Best Practices Documentation

Document and implement best practices across various business functions.

Supply Request Form

Streamline your supply requests with a simple and efficient form, legal case management spreadsheet.

Legal Case Tracking

Track and manage your legal cases efficiently, track and manage your project tasks efficiently, account plan, manage your client relationships effectively with a comprehensive account plan, employee task list, manage your team's tasks efficiently and effectively, weekly goals, track and manage your team's weekly goals with ease, daily task employee task list, streamline your daily tasks and improve productivity, deliverables, track and manage your project deliverables with ease, project pipeline, manage your projects efficiently with a clear overview, streamline your order management process with ease, track and evaluate participant performance with ease, manage your request for information (rfi) process with ease, professional development plan, track your professional growth and plan for future skills with ease, competitive analysis, analyze your competition with a comprehensive overview, google sheets calendar temp, manage your personal and professional life with a comprehensive calendar.

24 Hourly Schedule

Organize your day with a 24-hour schedule, create a new database from the time card, track your employees' work hours and tasks efficiently, case management, manage your cases efficiently and effectively, risk benefit analysis, analyze the potential benefits and risks of your business decisions, business case, streamline your business case creation process, manage your projects efficiently with a comprehensive overview, gap analysis, identify and address gaps in your business operations, workforce planning, streamline your workforce planning with a comprehensive overview of your employees, streamline your project management with clear roles and responsibilities, streamline your testing process with a comprehensive test case template.

30 60 90 Day Plan

Streamline your first 90 days in a new role with a clear plan, performance review, streamline your performance review process with a comprehensive template, strategic planning, strategically plan and track your company's goals with ease.

Software Comparison

Compare and choose the best software for your needs, interview notes, streamline your interview process with a comprehensive overview of each candidate, success plan, track your goals and measure your success with ease, risk register, manage and mitigate potential risks with a comprehensive overview, creative brief, streamline your project management with a comprehensive creative brief.

Student Progress Tracker

Track and analyze student progress with ease, construction budget template goog, track your construction budget with ease and accuracy, employee availability, manage your team's availability and shift preferences with ease, sprint backlog, manage your project tasks efficiently with a sprint backlog.

Google Docs Timeline

Track your project's progress with a comprehensive timeline, elevator pitch, craft compelling elevator pitches with ease, strategize your business goals and objectives with ease, event budget, track and manage your event expenses effectively, team charter, streamline your team's mission, roles, and norms with a comprehensive team charter, social media calendar template goog, streamline your social media posts and track engagement metrics.

Travel Itinerary Template Go

Plan your travel itinerary with ease and precision, project deliverables, work breakdown structure, streamline your project management with a detailed work breakdown structure, implementation plan, streamline your project implementation with a clear and concise plan, organize your meetings effectively with a detailed agenda.

Manage your projects, tasks, and deadlines with ease

Expense Report

Track and manage your team's expenses with ease, weekly schedule, organize your week efficiently with a clear schedule, time blocking, organize your day efficiently with time blocking.

Standard Operating Procedure

Streamline your operations with our standard operating procedure template, google docs itinerary, plan your business trips with ease and precision, root cause analysis, analyze, track, and prevent incidents with a comprehensive root cause analysis, performance improvement plan, track and manage employee performance improvement plans, market analysis, analyze your market with precision and ease, 12 week year, plan and track your goals and actions for each week of the year.

Profit And Loss

Track your company's financial performance with ease, action plan, streamline your project management with a comprehensive action plan, cost benefit analysis, analyze the cost and benefits of your projects with ease, products list, manage your product inventory with ease, organize your events, meetings, and activities with ease, cost analysis, analyze and manage your company's expenses effectively, project charter, streamline your project management with a comprehensive project charter, income statement, travel itinerary.

Streamline your project management with a comprehensive workflow

Manage your project risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies with ease, vendor list, manage your vendors efficiently and effectively, mutual action plan, streamline your business objectives and action plans with mutual action plan templates, daily schedule, organize your daily activities with a clear and concise schedule, track your expenses and savings with ease, go to market strategy, strategize your market entry with comprehensive planning, risk assessment, manage and mitigate risks effectively with a comprehensive overview, raci matrix, workback schedule, streamline your project management with a detailed workback schedule, action items, track and manage your team's action items effectively.

Business Plan Temp

Craft a comprehensive business plan with ease.

Proof Of Concept

Track and manage your innovative projects with ease, free business plan, streamline your business planning process with a comprehensive template, timeline template go, track your project's progress from start to finish, smart goals, track and achieve your goals with precision and clarity, process mapping, streamline your project process with a clear roadmap, gantt chart template goog, manage your project timelines and tasks efficiently, vacation planning, staff roster, manage your team's information and hours with ease.

Sales Tracker

Track your sales, analyze trends, and maximize profits.

Uat Sign Off

Track and manage your user acceptance testing (uat) with ease.

Technical Debt Register

Track, manage, and resolve technical debts efficiently, marketing calendar, plan and track your marketing campaigns with ease, sample rollout plan, streamline your product rollout with a comprehensive plan, photo directory, create a comprehensive photo directory for your organization, process flow chart, visualize and streamline your sales process, investment agreement, track and manage your investment agreements with ease.

College Schedule

Organize your college life with a comprehensive schedule, meeting tracker, track your meetings, attendees, and action items with ease, business travel itinerary, organize your business travel details in one place, plumbers invoice, manage your plumbing services invoices with ease.

Employee Daily Activity Report

Track and manage your team's daily activities efficiently, work breakdown, streamline your project management with a comprehensive work breakdown.

Html Report

Create comprehensive html reports with ease, plan and manage your events with ease, end of day report, track your team's daily progress with ease, cna report sheet, track and manage patient care with ease, rank tracker report, track your keywords and their performance across different search engines.

Classroom Seating Chart Whiteboard

Organize your classroom seating with ease and efficiency, delegation of authority matrix, streamline your task delegation and authority levels with ease, executive project status report, track your projects' progress, budget, risks, and more in one place, decision log, track and manage your team's decisions with ease, simple payment agreement, manage your payment agreements with ease and precision, medical chart, manage your patient's medical records efficiently, level 10 meeting, streamline your team meetings with the level 10 meeting template, capability matrix, track and manage your team's skills and certifications, benchmark analysis, analyze your competitors' strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, content plan, streamline your content planning and execution with ease, seo competitor analysis, analyze your competitors' seo strategies and improve your own.

Campaign Brief

Streamline your marketing campaigns with a comprehensive brief.

Streamline your deal management process with a comprehensive overview

24 hours schedule, organize your day efficiently with a 24-hour schedule, weekly planner, organize your tasks and deadlines with a weekly planner, software change log, track and manage software changes efficiently, construction gantt chart, track your construction project progress with a gantt chart, termination of contract letter, manage your contract terminations effectively and efficiently, manage your projects, tasks, and deadlines efficiently, daily to do list, organize your day efficiently with a comprehensive to-do list, seo project management, manage your seo tasks efficiently and effectively, project management decision log, track and manage your project decisions with ease, content management, manage your content effectively across different platforms, organize your legal memos with ease.

Marriage Contract

Simplify your marriage contract creation process.

Approval Matrix Whiteboard

Streamline your approval process with the approval matrix whiteboard template, company contact list, organize and manage your company's contacts with ease, data analysis report, analyze and present your data effectively.

Shift Schedule

Manage your team's shifts efficiently and effectively, project roadmap, track your project's progress with a comprehensive roadmap, commission sheet, track and manage your sales team's performance with ease, report requirements, streamline your report creation process with this comprehensive template, weekly report, track your team's weekly progress with ease.

Camp Schedule

Organize your camp activities with ease and precision, policy memo, streamline your policy memo creation and management, leader standard work, streamline your leadership tasks and priorities, employee schedule, streamline your employee scheduling process, it incident report, track, manage, and resolve it incidents effectively.

User Acceptance Testing Checklist

Streamline your user acceptance testing (uat) process with this comprehensive checklist, 5050 partnership agreement, create fair and balanced partnership agreements, contractor invoice, manage your contractor invoices with ease and efficiency, plan of record, track your project tasks, deadlines, and progress with ease, governance plan, streamline your governance plan with a comprehensive overview of tasks, roles, and deadlines, meeting minutes, track your meetings, attendees, agendas, and action items with ease, urgent important matrix, prioritize your tasks effectively with the urgent important matrix template, customer success plan, track and manage your customer success journey, business development plan, strategize your business growth with a comprehensive plan, out of office coverage plan, manage your team's leaves and ensure smooth task delegation with our out of office coverage plan template, staffing matrix, manage your staffing needs efficiently and effectively, college pros and cons list, compare and contrast different colleges with ease.

75 Hard Wellness Challenge

Track your daily wellness activities and progress with ease, social media posting schedule, schedule and manage your social media posts effectively, test report, track and manage your software testing process, scheduling matrix, streamline your tasks and manage your team efficiently, user story mapping, map your user stories, track progress, and manage tasks with ease.

Monthly Planner

Organize your work and personal life with a monthly planner, investigation report, track and manage your investigations with ease, budget report, track your budget, income, expenses, and net profit/loss with ease, change of shift report, streamline your shift changes with a comprehensive report, request form, streamline your request management process with a comprehensive request form, workshop agenda, streamline your workshop planning with a comprehensive agenda.

For Dummies Book

Streamline your book writing process with a structured approach, organizational chart, visualize your company's hierarchy with our organizational chart template, llc annual meeting minutes, streamline your annual meetings with our llc annual meeting minutes template, pto calendar, manage your team's time off with a comprehensive pto calendar, addendum to a contract, track and manage your contract amendments with ease, minutes of meeting mom, streamline your meetings and keep track of decisions with the minutes of meeting (mom) template.

Identify the root cause of problems and devise effective solutions

Profit and loss statement, streamline your standard operating procedures with this comprehensive sop template, website migration project plan, streamline your website migration process with a comprehensive project plan, inventory report, action register, trip report, track your business trips, objectives, expenses, and insights, event brief, kinship diagram whiteboard, visualize and understand your family tree with ease, alignment chart, align your team's goals and strategies with clear execution steps, end of day cash register report, track your daily sales and cash register status with ease.

Communication Matrix Report

Streamline your project communication with a comprehensive matrix, streamline your standard operating procedures with this sop template, meeting agenda, streamline your meetings with a comprehensive agenda.

Organize your tasks efficiently with a clear view of priorities and deadlines

Project timeline, manage your project timeline efficiently and effectively.

Have new ideas for Lark Base template?

Submit here

Get Lark today

Download Lark

Users love us

Open Platform

Savings Calculator

Lark vs. Slack

Lark vs. Zoom

Lark vs. Whatsapp

Lark vs. Teams

Lark vs. ClickUp

Lark vs. monday.com

Lark vs. Airtable

Lark vs. Trello

Lark vs. Wrike

Lark vs. DingTalk

Lark vs. Base.vn

Become a Partner

Partner Directory

Alternatives

Slack alternatives

Zoom alternatives

Discord alternatives

Airtable alternatives

Notion alternatives

Lattice alternatives

Sales & Marketing

Students & Educators

IT Managers

Build with Us

Developers/Applications

Integrations/APIs

Logistics/Supply Chain

Lark for Startups

Global Collaboration

Food & Beverages

Professional Services

Customer Stories

Help Center

Lark Academy

Lark Topics

Security & Compliance

Privacy Policy

Customer Terms of Services

User Terms of Services

Acceptable Use Policy

Cookie Policy

Cookie Settings

© 2024 Lark Technologies Pte. Ltd. Headquartered in Singapore with offices worldwide.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, automatically generate references for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation
• Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Published on 8 June 2022 by Tegan George .

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

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 organisational 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, frequently asked questions about 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.

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 utilising 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.

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

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 .

All level 1 and 2 headings should be included in your table of contents . That means the titles of your chapters and the main sections within them.

The contents should also include all appendices and the lists of tables and figures, if applicable, as well as your reference list .

Do not include the acknowledgements or abstract   in the table of contents.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

George, T. (2022, June 08). Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved 2 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/outline-thesis-dissertation/

Is this article helpful?

Tegan George

Other students also liked, dissertation table of contents in word | instructions & examples, how to write a dissertation proposal | a step-by-step guide, thesis & dissertation acknowledgements | tips & examples.

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. 

Do you want to achieve more with your time?

98% of users say genei saves them time and helps them work more productively. Why don’t you join them?

About genei

genei is an AI-powered research tool built to help make the work and research process more efficient. Our studies show genei can help improve reading speeds by up to 70%! Revolutionise your research process.

Articles you may like:

Find out how genei can benefit you

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. 

• << Previous: Prepare & Propose
• Next: Write & Edit >>
• Last Updated: Jan 23, 2024 10:01 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uky.edu/dissertation-planner

• Home »
• Blog »

Your Dissertation Plan - 18 Free Tools

Find your perfect postgrad program search our database of 30,000 courses.

• by Charlotte King
• In Theses and Dissertations

A dissertation  requires solid organisational skills and effective time management  in order to achieve a high standard, so we’ve put together a list of some of the best free tools available to make the planning stages of your project easier.  

Choosing a topic

Before you even get near your research proposal , you need to have a topic in mind. Mind mapping is a great way to organise and visualise your early ideas when developing your dissertation topic. Mind42.com 's mind mapping tool allows you to collaborate with colleagues online, which could be useful for sharing with peers or your project supervisor. Mindmeister.com  also features collaboration and boasts mobile access with it’s free iPhone app, whilst Bubbl.us  focuses on speed with it's handy keyboard shortcuts.

Evernote  provides tools for your computer, mobile device, or web browser which capture your ideas, notes, and inspiration wherever you are. This free toolset lets users save text notes, web pages, photos, and screenshots with a comprehensive search feature so that you can retrieve your ideas quickly and easily.

Reading & research

Using Google Scholar  you can search a large index of scholarly articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions. To get the most out this research tool check out Google’s guide to Advanced Scholar Searches . Compiling a bibliography in the required format can be a time consuming task at the end of a dissertation, especially if you haven't kept track whilst writing . Fortunately there are free tools available which help you to store your citations from the beginning of your project and retrieve them in a number of commonly use formats. Bibdesk  is an Open Source Mac app with bibliography management and search features, as well as some useful import and export capabilities. Alternatively, you could use Zotero 's browser extension for Firefox which can automatically sync your data with multiple computers. It also features browsing for mobile devices, which means you can access your data in away from your computer. For Windows users, BiblioExpress  offers a simple reference manager that can format citations in common styles such as ACS, APA, and MLA.

Planning your time

Time management is crucial  in a large project such as a dissertation. It may be useful to plan backwards from your deadline, allowing extra time where necessary for unforeseen delays and revisions. Gantt charts are a very visual way to allocate time to your dissertation tasks and there are many free tools to help you build your own. This is especially great if you're accommodating some non-work time too . Google Docs has a Gadget  in it’s spreadsheet feature which creates Gantt charts for free. Similarly, if you already own Microsoft Excel you can build Gantt charts with it too.

Tomsplanner  is a dedicated web-based Gantt generator which is free for personal use, and Team Gantt 's free trial offers an alternative with a slick interface. If you’re not keen on Gantt charts you could simply plan your project in a standard calendar. Google Calendars  is web based meaning you can access it from any computer and most mobile devices. You could also share your calendar with your supervisor if you think you're likely to miss deadlines. Microsoft Outlook’s calendar and iCalendar on Mac could also be useful planning tools.

To-do lists

If you need to organise your dissertation workload on a shorter time scale,  TeuxDeux 's well designed interface helps you to plan your tasks on a weekly basis. There’s also a paid iPhone app for task management on the go.

HabitRPG  is an excellent option for those of you who need a bit of positive reinforcement alongside your planning. If a week is still too much to think about, check out Todokyo  which takes simplicity to the next level with a clean-looking daily list.

Productivity

If you find yourself constantly distracted by the lures of email and social networking, you could try Freedom’s free trial . This Mac app blocks your web connection for up to 3 hours at a time, leaving you to concentrate on your dissertation. Alternatively you can block specific websites from Firefox using Leechblock , and Google Chrome users can do the same with StayFocusd .

Related articles

Planning A Good Research Project

How To Write A Thesis or Dissertation

Publishing Your Thesis or Dissertation

Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries

Halley Jan. 10, 2020, 5:57 a.m.

Great article! Thank you :)

Charlotte King Jan. 13, 2020, 8:28 p.m.

Glad you liked it – hope you found it useful too!

Leave a comment

All contributors must be over 16 year olds

By submitting your comment you agree to our privacy policy .

• Accommodation
• Coronavirus (Covid-19)
• Distance Learning / Online Study
• Infographic
• International Students
• Jobs and Careers
• Mature Students
• MBA Programs
• Personal Statement
• Student Life
• Student Welfare
• Study Abroad
• Study Advice
• Study In Australia
• Study In Europe
• Study In Ireland
• Study in UK
• Study In USA
• Theses and Dissertations
• Top 10 Lists
• Universities

Exclusive bursaries Open day alerts Funding advice Application tips Latest PG news

Sign up now!

Take 2 minutes to sign up to PGS student services and reap the benefits…

• The chance to apply for one of our 5 PGS Bursaries worth £2,000 each
• Fantastic scholarship updates
• Latest PG news sent directly to you.

Ready for your legal career? Apply now to start your journey at The University of Law this Summer.

Find out more!

Dissertation Planner - Getting Started: Writing the dissertation

• Learning from lectures
• Managing your time
• Effective reading
• Evaluating Information
• Critical thinking
• Presentation skills
• Studying online
• Writing home
• Maths and Statistics Support
• Problem solving
• Maths skills by discipline
• Introduction to research skills
• Primary research
• Research methods
• Managing data
• Research ethics
• Citing and referencing
• Searching the literature
• What is academic integrity?
• Referencing software
• Integrity Officer/Panel
• Intellectual property and copyright
• Digital skills home

Use our   Writing the Dissertation - Overview and Planning guide as a way of steering you through the challenges of researching, planning and writing a dissertation. More detailed guidance on writing each chapter is provided throughout the various stages of the Dissertation Planner.

You might find it helpful to start the dissertation process by generating some initial ideas for your dissertation topic. These ideas might lack focus at first, but there’s no need to worry at this stage – it’s simply about making a start and exploring possible options. Try freewriting   as a way of getting some initial ideas on the page. You might unearth something interesting!

Also, get a head start on the formatting of your dissertation and the submission process. This can help you to avoid any late surprises. The conventions and expectations vary depending on the faculty or school, so consult any dissertation guidance you've been provided, in addition to the iSolutions guide for producing a dissertation in Word .

Think about using a document preparation system or a writing and editing tool, such as   Overleaf , an online LaTeX editor designed to ease the process of writing and editing large pieces of work. See the   Library's webpage for tips and support .

• Last Updated: Mar 13, 2024 3:14 PM
• URL: https://library.soton.ac.uk/sash/dissertation-planner/getting-started

• Find My Rep

You are here

Plan Your Dissertation

• Charlotte Brookfield - Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
• Jamie Lewis - Cardiff University, UK
• Description

Super Quick Skills  provides the essential building blocks you need to succeed at university - fast. Packed with practical, positive advice on core academic and life skills, you’ll discover focused tips and strategies to use straight away. Whether it’s writing great essays, understanding referencing or managing your wellbeing, find out how to build good habits and progress your skills throughout your studies.

• Learn core skills quickly
• Apply them right away and see results
• Succeed in your studies and in life

Super Quick Skills  gives you the foundations you need to confidently navigate the ups and downs of university life.

Supplements

A really easy read that gives you all the information to start thinking about writing a dissertation. The format and structure is perfect for students. I have already shared this text with my Year 2 undergraduate students in preparation for their Independent Project module in Year 3.

Fantastic little book for students, it is clear, concise, easy to read, easy to follow and inexpensive! I have recommended the range of Dissertation related books to my students. Highly recommended.

Preview this book

For instructors.

Please select a format:

Select a Purchasing Option

Order from:.

• VitalSource
• Amazon Kindle
• Google Play

Related Products

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Thesis and Dissertation: Getting Started

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

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.

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
• Feedback Form Please give us feedback on our videos!
• << Previous: Thinking Of A Title
• Next: Writing A Proposal >>
• Last Updated: Aug 1, 2023 2:36 PM
• URL: https://libguides.westminster.ac.uk/starting-your-dissertation

CONNECT WITH US

Tools and Forms

Writing Planning Tools

Here are some helpful tools and resources for your thesis/dissertation journey. Check additional graduation requirements and make sure your dates align with the Graduate College deadlines.

Shared Consent Forms

The Shared Consent Form should be included as an Appendix if a thesis/dissertation chapter is co-authored by two or more Iowa State University graduate students who may include the same chapter in their theses/dissertations. If student co-authors do not intend to include the manuscript as a chapter in their theses/dissertations, this form is not required. Students should discuss with their major professors and follow the instructions within the forms.

Publishing Agreement

The Publishing Agreement will be provided to graduate students at the time they create a new submission in ProQuest. It is important that graduate students review the publishing agreement while they are preparing their theses/dissertations because they will need to obtain all necessary permissions for third-party content.

Examples of materials created or owned by third parties include, but are not limited to, photographs, extensive quotations, figures, and tables. Previous publications may also require permission from the journal or book publisher if copyright has been transferred.

• Skip to Content
• Skip to Main Navigation
• Skip to Search

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington IU Bloomington

• Our Approach

2024 Solar Eclipse

• Creative Arts for Vets
• Community Arts and Culture Guide
• Rural Placemaking Studio
• Indiana Uplands Food Network
• Community Health Planning
• Project UNITE
• Trauma-Informed Care Certificate
• Housing Ready Toolkit
• Leadership and Innovation
• Discovery Café
• Daviess County
• Dubois County
• Greene County
• Lawrence County
• Orange County
• Washington County
• Resource Directory
• People Directory
• Media Resources

Center for Rural Engagement

Need help planning for the 2024 solar eclipse in your community?

The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Planning Toolkit can help you prepare yourself and your community for the anticipated excitement surrounding this event, both logistically and creatively.

• Focus Areas
• Arts and Culture

Share the magic of your community during the 2024 solar eclipse

Communities across southern Indiana will align directly with the path of totality during the 2024 solar eclipse. This provides a unique opportunity for  Hoosiers and tourists alike to explore the cultural dimensions and creative inspiration of a solar event that will remain in our memories for a lifetime.

With funding support from the Simons Foundation as part of its   In the Path of Totality initiative , the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement is leading IU’s   rural solar eclipse initiative, providing staff support, resources and outreach for community activities that unite residents around the historic astronomical event.

Microgrant Awardees

See the awardees of the 2024 Eclipse Microgrant.

Eclipse Scholars

Meet the students working with community organizations.

The Path of Totality

Indiana counties in the path of totality will experience a period when the sun is 100% covered. Other counties in Indiana will experience 90% coverage. 

Counties in the path of totality include: Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Dubois, Fayette, Franklin, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Posey, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Sullivan, Tipton, Union, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warrick, Washington, Wayne, and Wells.

About the Total Solar Eclipse Planning Toolkit

The precise alignment required for a total solar eclipse to cross over a specific region, such as Indiana, is a rare and awe-inspiring celestial coincidence. Despite total solar eclipses occurring approximately every eighteen months worldwide, they only occur about every 400 years in the same place.

Indiana’s rural communities will face large crowds, traffic, and congestion, but we are also presented with an exciting opportunity to engage with locals and tourists. Planning early will allow community leaders to make the most of the total solar eclipse.

The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Planning Toolkit is organized to provide background on the next total solar eclipse and resources to help you prepare yourself and your community for the anticipated excitement surrounding this event—both logistically and creatively.

Browse resources from the guide

Know the facts.

Information by state The Great American Eclipse website provides a depth of information on solar eclipses in general, with pages covering basics of the eclipse, logistics and safety considerations, and state-specific statistics based on previous eclipses. https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com

Resources and eclipse information The American Astronomical Society provides a variety of resources relating to the eclipse, covering topics ranging from eye safety to photography. Additional resources for apps, maps, books, articles, and more are located on their website. https://eclipse.aas.org

Timing the Solar Eclipse Visit the interactive Time and Date website to find when and where the eclipse crosses your area. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2024-april-8

Assessing the weather Locate historical and projected weather data, to get a sense of what to expect on April 8, 2024. https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate https://www.timeanddate.com/weather

Get eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers Visit the American Astronomical Society website to find a list of safe manufacturers and importers of eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers, as well as their resellers and distributors. https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters

Eclipse activities Science-Technology Activities and Resources for Libraries (STAR net) has numerous activities on their website, including methods for how to indirectly view the total solar eclipse. https://www.starnetlibraries.org/about/our-projects/solar-eclipse-activities-libraries-seal

Create a plan

Lessons learned from the 2017 eclipse Materials from the Solar Eclipse Planning workshop hosted by the American Astronomical Society are available on their website. Experts speak on topics ranging from community experience to traffic and safety. https://eclipse.aas.org/workshops/jun2023

General guidance for safe eclipse planning The Homeland Security Digital Library is a great resource for fact sheets, checklists, locally developed guidance documents, and news articles on eye safety, injury treatment, and planned mass gatherings in rural and urban areas. The Solar Eclipses: Planning Resources [September 2022] document compiles many of these sources. https://www.hsdl.org/c/view?docid=880095

Eclipse planning in Indiana The May 2023 issue of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security magazine, The Hoosier Responder, includes a section on eclipse planning in Indiana. https://www.in.gov/dhs/files/Hoosier-Responder-2023-05.pdf

Safety planning Uncover public safety planning information from the State of Indiana, including guidance for first responders, emergency management, and state agencies. https://www.in.gov/dhs/solar-eclipse-2024/planning/

Finding eclipse experts Discover amateur astronomers who may be interested in supporting your community’s eclipse planning. https://lovethenightsky.com/astronomy-clubs-in-indiana https://www.go-astronomy.com/astro-clubs-state.php?State=IN

Engage with the community

Eclipse planning and communication Dr. Kate Russo’s Community Solar Eclipse Planning guide provides further information on assembling a task force, developing a strategy, and planning for your community through the knowns and unknowns. https://www.beingintheshadow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/WHITE-PAPER-SECOND-EDITION.pdf

Facilities and preparedness Mark Howell, Director of Grounded Truths LLC, created a quick guide for best practices in estimating facilities needed at eclipse events. Consider how to implement the 3 “T”s and 2 “C”s for your eclipse events. https://eclipse.aas.org/sites/eclipse.aas.org/files/Howell_Jun2023_Poster.pdf

For libraries In collaboration with the STAR Library Network, astronomers Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz created “A Guide For Public Libraries and their Communities.” This double-header contains eclipse information, safe viewing activities, ideas for eclipse events, and links to finding science-literate partners. https://eclipse.aas.org/sites/eclipse.aas.org/files/SEAL-Booklet-for-Libraries.pdf

For educators and administrators In collaboration with the National Science Teaching Association, astronomers Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz also produced two solar eclipse guides. Educators https://static.nsta.org/pdfs/SolarEclipses2023_Educator.pdf Administrators https://static.nsta.org/pdfs/SolarEclipses2023_Administrator.pdf

Additional resources and information

Learn about best practices and safety.

IU Solar Eclipse 2024 Initiative

Find and share eclipse events in Indiana

Visit Indiana Eclipse event map

Get additional resources

Purdue Extension Resource Hub

Upcoming events

Dark Side of the Moon Festival | Metamora, IN

19067 US-52, Metamora, IN 47030

Discover Downtown Washington Solar Eclipse Festival

301 E Main St, Washington, IN 47501

Eclipse 2024 in Greene County, Indiana

Edinburgh Eclipse | Edinburgh, IN

John R. Drybread Community Center, 100 E Main Cross Street, Edinburgh, IN

Gibson County Eclipse Celebration

Gibson County Fairgrounds, 709 N Embree Street, Princeton, IN

Huntingburg Eclipse | Huntingburg, IN

412 N Jackson St, Huntingburg, IN 47542

John Hay Center 2024 Total Solar Eclipse | Salem, IN

The Depot Railroad Museum, 206 S. College Avenue, Salem, IN

Left in the Dark in English, Indiana

Main Street English, IN 47118

Solar Eclipse with Spencer Pride | Spencer, IN

Spencer Pride, 17 E. Franklin Street, Spencer, IN 47460

Total Solar Eclipse Festival | Washington, IN

301 E Main Street, Washington, IN 47501

Cosmic Art Gallery | Versailles, IN

9 a.m. — 12 p.m.

220 E US Hwy 50 Versailles, IN

Rural Eclipse Showcase at Maxwell Hall

10 a.m. — 4 p.m.

Maxwell Hall

Indiana Forest Alliance 2024 Solar Eclipse Viewing | Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center

11 a.m. — 5 p.m.

Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center, 3655 S Snoddy Rd, Bloomington, IN 47401

Totally Awe-SUN Solar Eclipse Watch Party | Daleville, IN

12 p.m. — 6 p.m.

Hilltop Pavilion, 1590 North 900W Road, Daleville, IN 47334

KCARC Community in Totality | Vincennes, IN

12:30 p.m. — 4 p.m.

The Baker Center Field, 2900 East Carney Avenue, Vincennes, IN

Total Solar Eclipse at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary

1 p.m. — 4 p.m.

3499 South Bird Sanctuary Road,Connersville, IN 47331

Recent news

Solar eclipse grant application opens to support arts, cultural activities in rural Indiana communities

Micro-grants for eclipse-related activities now open

2024 solar eclipse initiative to support arts, cultural activities in rural Indiana

Unlocking the mysteries of animal behavior during cosmic events

30 rural organizations receive grants to support solar eclipse arts, cultural activities

Connect with an IU faculty eclipse or astronomy expert

Center for rural engagement social media channels.

• Faculty & Staff Portal

• Getting started
• Manage your Personal Tasks
• Manage your Team's Plans
• Plan your day with My Day
• Advanced capabilities with Premium Plans

Manage your Team's plans with Planner in Teams

In the Planner app, you can create shared plans to effectively track work for your team. Shared plans are designed for ease of collaboration to help you get work done faster.

Create a shared plan

Basic plans

Grid – Use grid view to see your tasks in an easy-to-understand list. Here you can easily set task fields, mark tasks complete, and add new tasks.

Board – Use board view to see your tasks in a Kanban style board. Here you can group your tasks by bucket, progress, due date, priority, and labels.

Schedule – Use Schedule view to organize your tasks on calendar.  Learn more about schedule view.

Charts – Use Charts view to visually see the status of tasks. Here you can view you can view charts for:

Status – status of tasks.

Bucket – progress of tasks in each bucket.

Priority – progress of tasks by priority.

Members – availability of team members.

Premium plans

Timeline – Use timeline view to see a Gantt chart of your tasks and dependencies.

Charts – Use charts view to visually see the status of tasks. Here you can view you can view charts for:

People –Use people view to see the distribution of tasks among team members and quickly reallocate as needed.

Goals – Use the Goals view to set and track objectives.

Assignments  - Use assignments view to granularly manage resources’ efforts on tasks to accurately represent how and when work will be executed.

For full details on the advanced capabilities offered by premium plans, please check out Advanced Capabilities with Premium Plans.  

Note:  Please note that some views may require different premium licenses. Please reference  Microsoft Project for the web service description  for more information.

Assign tasks

When you're ready to decide who's doing what, there are several ways you can assign tasks to people in Planner.

You can assign someone when you create a task – Add a task name, and then select Assign to choose a plan member from the list. If the right person isn't listed, type a name or email address in the search box to add someone new.

You can assign a task to more than one person  –   When a task is being worked on by more than one team member, you can assign it to up to 11 people so that they can all see it in their Assigned to me list. When any team member marks the task complete, it's marked complete for all team members.

Change assignments

You can also change the Board to be grouped by Assigned to , and then drag tasks between the columns for each person on your team.

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!

Internet Archive Audio

• This Just In
• Grateful Dead
• Old Time Radio
• 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
• Audio Books & Poetry
• Computers, Technology and Science
• Music, Arts & Culture
• News & Public Affairs
• Spirituality & Religion
• Radio News Archive

• Flickr Commons
• Occupy Wall Street Flickr
• NASA Images
• Solar System Collection
• Ames Research Center

• All Software
• Old School Emulation
• MS-DOS Games
• Historical Software
• Classic PC Games
• Software Library
• Kodi Archive and Support File
• Vintage Software
• CD-ROM Software
• CD-ROM Software Library
• Software Sites
• Tucows Software Library
• Shareware CD-ROMs
• Software Capsules Compilation
• CD-ROM Images
• ZX Spectrum
• DOOM Level CD

• Smithsonian Libraries
• FEDLINK (US)
• Lincoln Collection
• American Libraries
• Canadian Libraries
• Universal Library
• Project Gutenberg
• Children's Library
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Books by Language
• Additional Collections

• Prelinger Archives
• Democracy Now!
• Occupy Wall Street
• TV NSA Clip Library
• Animation & Cartoons
• Arts & Music
• Computers & Technology
• Cultural & Academic Films
• Ephemeral Films
• Sports Videos
• Videogame Videos
• Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

• Wayback Machine (iOS)
• Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

• Explore the Collections
• Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

• Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

Planning & Zoning January 4, 2024

Video item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

• Graphic Violence
• Explicit Sexual Content
• Hate Speech
• Misinformation/Disinformation
• Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
• Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

Download options, in collections.

Uploaded by John Hauser on January 11, 2024

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

X is testing NSFW adult communities, according to screenshots

X is living up to its name. The platform, formerly Twitter, is working on an addition to its Communities feature that would let X users create groups for X-rated material, according to app researchers.

Researcher Daniel Buchuk of Watchful , which analyzes app development and performance, spotted the feature in development. He shared screenshots with TechCrunch exclusively that show what X’s NSFW Communities could look like.

Image Credits: Watchful (opens in a new window)

An independent researcher, Nima Owji , also spotted the feature in development last month.

This is how it'll look like on the community page! pic.twitter.com/Sou18ze7Va — Nima Owji (@nima_owji) February 28, 2024

Twitter introduced its Communities feature in 2021. It allows users to post within smaller, interest-based subgroups, like a subreddit. When Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, he enacted sweeping changes to the app’s brand identity , verification systems and creator monetization efforts — but some features, like Communities, remained stagnant.

X also hasn’t taken much initiative in working with its sizable population of online sex workers , who turn to the platform — one of few that allows adult content — to promote their paid offerings from sites like OnlyFans.

“Twitter really is the primary advertising venue at this point for sex workers ,” Dr. Olivia Snow, a dominatrix and researcher at UCLA’s Center for Critical Internet Inquiry, told TechCrunch last year. So, the platform’s more lenient policy on adult content is critical for online sex workers to grow their businesses.

X did not reply to a request for comment.

Adult creators are allowed to post explicit content on X, though they can’t monetize it on the platform. But if they can create their own fan communities, this feature could give creators a more direct way to reach their audience.

Even though X seems to be working on this NSFW Communities feature, that doesn’t mean it’ll come to fruition. Shortly after Musk took control of the platform, reverse engineers uncovered possible features that would allow creators to monetize paywalled videos or charge money for DMs. These mock-ups looked similar to features on OnlyFans, which could be a strategy for Musk to recoup his $44 billion investment: monetizing “X videos.”

But as it stands, X doesn’t seem poised to reverse its stance on adult content monetization. Even before Musk’s takeover, Twitter had been working on an OnlyFans competitor , but it was shelved because Twitter could not adequately detect non-consensual content and child sexual exploitation (CSE). But X says it’s mitigating that dire problem. According to X CEO Linda Yaccarino, in 2023 the platform suspended 12.4 million accounts for violating child sexual exploitation policies, up from 2.3 million accounts removed in 2022.

Should Twitter embrace porn and compete with OnlyFans?

Sex workers explain why blue check stigma and #BlockTheBlue aren’t so straightforward

Eclipse tourists should plan for overloaded cell networks

Tips to prepare in case a surge of visitors bogs down mobile service.

If you witness nature’s majesty and can’t live-stream it on TikTok or post in your group chat, did it even happen?

In places around the United States where people will flock to see next week’s solar eclipse , some local officials have warned that mobile service could temporarily flake out .

Cellular networks sometimes bog down when people in one place all call, text, stream or post at once — like at a packed football game or, in this case, an opportunity to view a potentially once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse.

These congestion hiccups to cellular networks are far less common than they used to be. But just as eclipse tourists might want to prepare for traffic jams and portable toilet shortages , it couldn’t hurt to plan ahead for potential mobile disruptions, too.

Here are some tips:

2024 total solar eclipse

Download, print or write down driving directions ahead of time

In case you don’t have mobile service for turn-by-turn directions, have a hard copy of driving instructions to wherever you’re going before or after your eclipse viewing.

Some apps including Apple Maps and Google Maps also let you download maps before your trip to find your way even without mobile service.

For Google Maps , put in the location where you’re going. Select your profile picture or initials in the upper-right corner of the screen. Pick “Offline maps” and then “Select your own map.”

Zoom in or out until you’ve highlighted the area you want to save. Tap “Download.”

Find that saved map again by following the same instructions. You can access turn-by-turn directions if your destination is in the downloaded map area.

For Apple Maps , search for the area where you’re traveling. Tap “Download” and zoom in or out to highlight the area you want to save.

You can access turn-by-turn directions even when you don’t have cell service. The only feature that won’t work without mobile reception is real-time traffic information.

Waze has more limited directions if you lose an internet connection during your drive.

Have a backup plan for emergency calls

Jacob Saur, administrator of Arlington County Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management in Virginia, suggested texting 911 in areas where that’s an option. He said texts are not typically as affected by wireless phone congestion.

Or if you can, call emergency services from a landline or a VoIP line that carries calls over the internet . If you’re in the range of a WiFi network, you can also route any mobile calls that way.

Lastly, some phone models have built-in options for using satellites to contact emergency services . Find out the options for your device before your eclipse trip.

This might not be necessary, but it doesn’t hurt to plan for emergencies.

Have cash handy

Some payment terminals for swiping your debit or credit card use the same mobile networks as your phone.

It’s possible they could stop working if you’re somewhere with a flock of visitors on their phones. In case that happens, have some cash on you.

Plan ahead to entertain the kids (and yourself)

Some digital entertainment apps let you download videos or music that work fine even when you’re not connected to the internet.

You can find download instructions for Netflix , YouTube , Disney Plus , Spotify and Prime Video . (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

You need to be a paying subscriber to Spotify’s and YouTube’s premium services to use those apps’ download features.

You can also download podcasts, e-books and audiobooks to your phone that will work without mobile service. ( We love Libby for free e-books and audiobooks from some public libraries.)

Or ditch the devices and brush up on rules for the I Spy road trip game .

Why do mobile networks flake during temporary surges in use?

Phone companies have spent a fortune, especially in the past five years , expanding and modernizing mobile networks, including for sudden spikes of mobile use.

Still, in eclipse tourist zones, you might have service, but it could be far slower than you’re used to.

Patrick Halley, president and CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association, compared it to a wedding if there are five times the number of expected guests. You might have to slice the cake into tiny pieces that won’t satisfy anyone.

But many local officials have planned for eclipse-related mobile phone surges.

Some areas in the eclipse’s path have brought in scaled-down cellphone towers to handle more network use. (Delightfully, these are referred to by animal shorthand: COWs and COLTs , for cell towers on wheels and cell towers on light trucks.)

Everything could work fine. Officials in Carbondale, Ill., which was in the path of an eclipse in 2017 and again this year , were worried seven years ago about overloaded water and sewage systems, overwhelmed emergency rooms and strained mobile networks, said Steven Mitchell, Carbondale’s economic development director.

But while visitors from Chicago sat in terrible traffic on their way home after the 2017 eclipse, most of the worst case scenarios didn’t happen. “Cell service was not impacted at all,” Mitchell said.

If overloaded networks do stop you from posting your selfies immediately, Halley had some philosophical advice: “Maybe put the phone down and enjoy the eclipse.”

• Just pointing your phone at the eclipse will produce a terrible photo. Here’s what you need to take a good eclipse picture with your phone .
• The cloud forecast for eclipse viewing areas
• Options to contact 911 if you don’t have cell reception
• Your ultimate guide to the total solar eclipse, its path and how to watch April 4, 2024 Your ultimate guide to the total solar eclipse, its path and how to watch April 4, 2024
• Here’s what not to do to safely watch the total solar eclipse April 5, 2024 Here’s what not to do to safely watch the total solar eclipse April 5, 2024
• Eclipse tourists should plan for overloaded cell networks April 2, 2024 Eclipse tourists should plan for overloaded cell networks April 2, 2024