Dissertation and thesis are terms that many institutions sometimes use differently and even interchangeably. Moreover, if you google “PhD thesis vs. dissertation,” the results may be conflicting. However, there is a generally accepted meaning for both terms.

We’ll learn what each term implies and how they differ in this article. If you’ve been wondering, what is a dissertation? or what is a master’s thesis? Continue reading to find out.

Thesis definition: what is a thesis?

A thesis is a piece of scholarly work written and submitted by students graduating from a master’s program. It is written to obtain a master’s degree, and it demands a high standard of writing and knowledge of the subject you have been studying in the program. The basic structure of a thesis usually includes a title page, abstract, table of contents, table of figures/maps, body, typically divided into chapters, and conclusion.

Dissertation definition: what is a dissertation?

A dissertation is also a piece of scholarly work, often lengthier than a thesis, which is required of students pursuing a doctorate. It demands more original or expanded research on a topic. Generally, a dissertation has the following components: title page, acknowledgments, abstract, table of contents, introduction, literature review, theoretical framework, methodology, findings, discussion of findings, conclusion, reference list, and appendices.

Dissertation vs. thesis – what are the differences?

Now that we understand both terms, we will proceed to the differences between a thesis and a dissertation:

• Time of writing

One primary difference between thesis and dissertation is the time they are written. A master’s program and a doctoral program are two major academic programs that scholars undergo. A master’s thesis is completed after a master’s program, whereas a doctoral dissertation is completed at the finish of a doctoral program.

• Length

A thesis is usually much shorter than a dissertation. This is because a dissertation requires more in-depth and distinctive research than a thesis. For example, the average master’s thesis is roughly 100 pages long. In contrast, a PhD dissertation could be 400 to 500 pages long. Furthermore, a student’s time to complete a master’s thesis is smaller than that required to complete a doctoral dissertation.

• Sources of data

A master’s thesis uses the knowledge that has already been analyzed and published. This is usually referred to as secondary data and may be obtained from journal articles, published statistics, survey reports, scholarly publications, etc. Hence, when writing a master’s thesis, you’ll need to write on already reported documented data. This is quite different when it comes to a doctoral dissertation. A doctoral dissertation makes use of novel (new) data. The sources may be from lab experiments, firsthand surveys and interviews, and unpublished but verified data.

• Scope of research

A master’s thesis aims to prove you are competent and knowledgeable in the subject you studied during the program. The work is a test and a demonstration of how much mastery you have regarding your field of study. As for a doctoral dissertation, the aim is to innovate and use the knowledge obtained from the program to create new advancements and contribute to the subject in the long run.

Conclusion

Both thesis and dissertation are academic terms that every students will encounter as they advance in their education. Both words, however, can be confusing as they are sometimes used interchangeably. This article establishes the general differences between a master’s thesis and a doctoral dissertation. Leave it to us to help you avoid googling if a doctoral thesis is an actual thing.

You don’t know if it had been written before or written extensively or exhaustively. The essence of a dissertation is to contribute your quota to your field’s body of work – your topic should be detailed if you’re writing an education dissertation.

If you find it challenging to choose a dissertation topic, this article will provide you with the steps to select a suitable one.

What are the steps to choosing the best dissertation topics on education?

Before choosing your dissertation topics on education, you need to be conversant with the issues that affect the education sector mainly. You will need to do extensive research into topics in your education dissertation. This will help you come up with one that suits you best and will contribute immensely to the body of work in your field. Let’s look at the steps on how to pick a dissertation topic below;

1. Choose a relatable topic

Your topic must be relatable to you and your field of study. Choose a topic you will fully comprehend instead of one where you have limited knowledge. This is important because your understanding would keep you going and give you more inspiration for content. It must also be relatable to your field of study if you want it to have a lasting impact in that field.

2. Research extensively

The quality of your dissertation topic is as good as the quality of your research. Before choosing a topic, make sure you research it thoroughly to ensure the content you’ll get from it will be valuable content. Read articles in your field extensively and find areas that could require additional research. You may find an area that gets your attention but needs to be broadened. You may narrow your topic down to this area.

3. Be specific

Don’t mistake subscribing to vague generalizations when choosing dissertation topics in education. Instead, choose a specific topic that helps you stay focused on the subject, makes your dissertation concise and helps you argue your points persuasively. Though distinct, your topic should still be robust enough to provide broad and significant arguments without having countless repetitions in your paper.

4. Seek advice

You will always have supervisory guidance for your dissertation. Of course, getting education dissertation ideas or topics on your own is good, but seeking advice from your professor or supervisor will help make the process seamless and faster. Also, ask your supervisor for feedback at every step; it would help you immensely.

Where to find dissertation topics in education

If you’re looking to find dissertation ideas for education or any sector, for that matter, looking in the right place is essential. Below are places you can find inspiration to come up with your topic:

• Look online; you’ll find loads of educational topics that you can tailor to your research.
• Check out what scholars like you are doing, and focus on their work and the topics.
• Research the papers published in the education sector most recently; this would help you know what people are currently writing about.

Examples of dissertation topics in education

A good topic is very important to any dissertation. Make sure your topic does justice to your research. The topic itself should concisely communicate the main objectives of your dissertation. Below are some education dissertation topic examples:

1. How globalization affects education and the impact of the internet.
2. Is the future of learning online? What can be done to fast-track it?
3. How to inspire more students to become teachers.
4. Should high schools and colleges prioritize personality and character formation over academic education?
5. The rising cost of education and the impact of tech.
6. Personal development for teachers in educational institutions.
7. The role of sustainability in educational institutions.
8. Importance of self-discipline for students studying online.
9. The impact of the internet on the social life of students.
10. Should engineering degrees of today focus more on tech?
11. How the shortage of teachers should be handled now.

Conclusion

Choosing a great dissertation topic is important to your paper and your career. It will go a long way in determining how easy or difficult it would be for you to write the dissertation. Whether online or peer-to-peer, never hesitate to seek help in arriving at a suitable topic.

When writing the significance of study dissertation, you need to convey what you hope would benefit others. And how readers will benefit or learn from your study.

How to write the significance of the study in dissertation

In this section, let’s examine how to write significance of the study in the dissertation. You can write the significance of the study in five main steps:

1. Start with the problem statement

When writing the significance of the study, always start with the problem statement. That would give you ideas of the general outcome of the research and those who would benefit from it. Then, ask yourself probing questions according to the problem statement. An example is “how would my research answers impact the community positively?” By answering this question correctly, you would double back to creating a solution for the community.

2. Explain how your research will extend the current literature in the field

This part is for you to discuss the unexplored areas in the previous studies. Then, explain how your research will give insight into those unexplored areas. With that, you give your readers something new to look forward to in your study that adds value to the field.

3. Explain how your research will benefit the community

In this section, elucidate how your research will impact society at large. Then, explain how the results of your study will set a precedent in your community.

A significance of the study example

If your research is about high-powered lithium batteries, you may indicate that you can develop a battery twice as powerful as the Tesla battery through your research. As a result, there would be healthy competition in the industry.

4. Mention specific persons or institutions who will benefit from your study

Using the above example, you may explain that your study will help the electric automobile community and car manufacturers looking to beat Tesla.

5. Indicate how your study may help future studies in the field

Lastly, you should include the overall benefits of your research to the community. This can include how your revolutionary idea will be included in your field’s literature and how people will benefit from it for years to come.

Tips for writing the significance of study dissertation

Some tips for writing a dissertation significance of study include:

• Be concise: go straight to the point, and make your readers understand you from the beginning. Avoid fluffy words and use transition words where necessary.
• Think steps ahead: see the big picture, and make plans ahead – plan the format, structure, and conduct adequate research.
• Seek assistance where needed: if you happen to get stuck along the way, don’t be shy to ask for help. You can ask your friends, lecturer or professor, or seek help from experts online.
• Avoid repetition of statements: it’s boring when a reader reads a statement twice or thrice in a paper; it’s worse if it’s a research paper for academics.
• Be open to change: if you get a superior argument after writing in a direction, don’t be scared to start all over. Who knows? The new argument could be record-breaking.
• Avoid deviating from the subject: stay on course as much as possible; there is nothing more excruciating than a writer rambling off in the middle of a research paper.
• Your writing should flow from the top down: let your writing start from the weightier areas to the simple topics. Conversely, you can start from simpler topics then move to complicated ones.

Conclusion

To get the best out of writing the significance of the study in research and dissertation, you need to understand the existing research gaps in your field. A gap essentially means an area that’s yet untapped in a particular research field. You may tailor your dissertation to fill that gap, and you will be home and dry.

Limitations of a study are the flaws, challenges, and problems encountered during your research process. They are the constraints or restrictions resulting from the methodology of your work.

Despite the sound of things, there is nothing wrong with including the limitations of the study section in your dissertation. Instead of weakening your work, it strengthens it because it lets the readers know that you acknowledge the constraints and their role in the research.

Examples of limitations of the study

During research for your dissertation, you are bound to encounter certain limitations in the process. Therefore, you need to know how to find limitations of a study to include them. Below are some limitations of the study examples.

• Access

This is one significant example of the limitations of study in dissertation. While writing your dissertation, you may face setbacks in getting access to documents, people, or other resources relevant to your research. If this is one of the limitations you eventually experienced, it is advisable to state it.

• Prior research

A lack of prior research on your dissertation topic can be a limitation too. Some research works will include a literature review section requiring reviewing pre-existing literature. However, on some occasions, you may find out that very little work has been done before in a particular area of your research.

• Sample size

Sample size refers to the number of people included in a research study – they represent a particular population. In quantitative research, sample size can be a limitation because the statistical results will be less accurate if the sample size is too small.

• Language barrier

Some research work may require interacting with data and people from different socio-cultural backgrounds. Thus, you can experience the problem of the language barrier. Be sure to acknowledge this limitation if it affects your dissertation.

• Data collection

There are various ways you can collect data for research. As such, each method for gathering data will have its limitations.

• Financial resources

Depending on the kind of research, there may be instances where purchasing some types of equipment or software to aid your work will be necessary. However, getting them may prove difficult and eventually impossible due to a lack of money. This can limit your research in multiple ways; thus, it is important to state it.

Tips on how to write limitations of the study

Now that we know the limitations of study dissertation examples let us consider some tips on how to write limitations of the study:

• Identify your limitations

First, you have to state the restraints of your work. You can create a list to guide you. Look at the examples of limitations of study we earlier established and see if some of them apply to you.

• Expand on the limitations

After you identify some imitations, enumerate them and detail how they affect your research work. You should also state how important they are to your study and the reasons for the limitations.

• Focus on your weaknesses

It is essential to focus on your shortcomings in this section rather than highlighting your results. This section is all about acknowledging flaws and limitations, so it is best to avoid praising one’s findings.

• Reference the future

After acknowledging the flaws of your research:

1. Explain how things could be done differently in the future.
2. Make mention of mistakes and how they will be avoided next time.
3. Consider admitting how using a better method could address the research problem better in future studies.

Conclusion

Limitations of the study are an essential section while writing your dissertation or research. It helps contribute to making suggestions for future research work, assisting researchers in focusing on areas that need improvement. To write limitations of study in dissertation, you can follow our tips and be assured to impress.