An Outline of the Dissertation

1
An Outline of the Dissertation

• Lindenwood University
• Susan Isenberg, Ph.D.
• Beth Kania-Gosche, Ph.D.

2
Go look at a completed dissertation . . .

• Downstairs in Butler library
• Electronically from the Education Resources
  Information Center (ERIC)there are over 4,000
  completed dissertations available electronically
  for free!!
• ERIC - Education Resources Information Center
• It may especially be helpful to find a
  dissertation with a similar methodology.
• Remember, every university has different
  requirements, and even the requirements at this
  university have changed from years past.

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You can do that, right?

• It helps to break the 100 plus pages of a
  dissertation into sections.
• Most dissertations are five chapters, although
  some may be more than that.
• Chapters 1-3 are often written before data is
  collected (in the proposal) and then revised.
• Lets look at an outline of the dissertation.

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Preliminary Pages

• Title page
• Signature page
• Declaration of Originality page
• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (see next slide)
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• Use lower-case Roman numerals in the bottom
  center for these pages!

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The Abstract

• Summarize your findings. This is not an
  introduction so limit the background you give.
• Use no more than 350 words (but we recommend you
  use all of them!).
• Avoid referencesthis section could be read
  separately from the rest of your dissertation.
• People will decide whether or not to read your
  entire document based on these 350 words, so
  choose them carefully!
• This should be one of the last things you write.

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That was the easy part! Now, lets talk about
the real writing.

• Chapter One Introduction to the Study
• Chapter Two Review of the Literature
• Chapter Three Methodology
• Chapter Four Presentation of Data
• Chapter Five Conclusions, Discussion, and
  Recommendations
• Appendix (if applicable)
• References

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All chapters . . .

• Have an introduction or overview section at
  the beginning to introduce the chapter.
• Have a conclusion or summary section to
  concisely summarize the chapter.
• Do NOT use these sections to list the headings of
  the chapter thats why theres a table of
  contents.
• Use headings to organize each chapter. It may
  help you to write an outline of each chapter
  first.

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This is YOUR dissertation!

• While its helpful to look at a sample and take
  our suggestions, there is no one size fits all
  approach to dissertations.
• Different topics and methodologies may lend
  themselves to different types of organization and
  writing.
• But . . . ask questions and get approval before
  you start!!
• Remember, the official policies for dissertations
  are in the Ed.D. Handbook and Program Description
  Guide. Read these at the Lindenwood website
  first.

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Chapter One

• Background of the Study
• Statement of the Problem
• Purpose of the Study (including hypothesis or
  research question)
• Importance of the Study (why should the reader
  care?)
• Definition of Terms (only relevant terms or
  phrases that are essential to understanding the
  study)
• Limitations
• Delimitations (if applicable)
• Assumptions

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Chapter Two

• Organization is critical! Consider writing an
  outline first.
• Offer background information, historical context,
  as well as summaries and evaluations of other
  studies on your topic.
• The literature review is more than demonstrating
  how many sources you read. Compare, contrast,
  and evaluate the previous studies.
• Only include reliable, recent, relevant sources
  in your literature review.

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Chapter Three

• Research Perspective (type of methodology and why
  it is the best way to answer your research
  question)
• Context and Access (where, when, and how you will
  find participants)
• Participants (number, relevant demographics,
  sampling methods)
• Instrumentation (include copy in appendix or in
  text if using survey or interview questions)
• Procedure (be specific, so a reader could imitate
  your study)
• Data Analysis (again, specific down to the
  computer program used for statistics)

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Chapter Four

• Often, this chapter includes multiple charts,
  graphs, and figures to display results. Use
  these appropriately and follow APA format.
• Theres no need to include information in a chart
  and again in the text. The text should highlight
  the most relevant findings. Dont write about
  every number.
• Be clear what the abbreviations on your charts
  and figures mean.
• Remember, you are not including every piece of
  data that you found. This is a summary of your
  findings, not the raw data itself.

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Chapter Five

• This is the most important chapter of your
  dissertation!
• Tell the reader what your interpretation of the
  data is.
• Give recommendationsthats why you did the study
  in the first place!
• This is an educational leadership degree, so
  reflect on how you can use these results. What
  are the implications of your findings?
• Give direction to future studies.
• Discuss the findings. If you were to conduct the
  study again, what would you do differently?

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References

• Lindenwood requires at least 50!
• Double check that every references is cited at
  least once! (The find feature in Microsoft Word
  is very handy for this.)
• Double check that every in-text citation has a
  source in the reference list!
• APA format is a must! Youll be asked to revise
  any errors in formatting, so its better to get
  it right the first time.

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What happens now?

• Many different people will read your dissertation
  and make suggestions
• -Your committee chair
• -Your committee members
• -Director of Graduate Research
• -APA reader
• -Grammar reader
• -Final reader (runs through www.turnitin.com)

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Why so many readers?

• Each person is reading for a different reason and
  checking for different types of errors.
• Its difficult for one person to catch everything
  in a 100 page document.
• Your dissertation has not only your name on it
  but Lindenwoods as well!
• Turnitin.com checks for plagiarism. You are
  highly encouraged to use this for your drafts as
  well to avoid rewriting at the end of the process.