The core elements of a dissertation are
Introduction; Literature Review; Research Methodology; Results; Discussion and Conclusion
The accepted structure of a dissertation follows the logic of the research process itself, and each element answers a distinct question about the study.
The Introduction sets out the research problem, its background and significance, the objectives and research questions, and the scope of the study. It answers what the study is about and why it matters.
The Literature Review surveys what has already been written on the topic, identifies the gap the present work addresses, and establishes the theoretical framework. It answers what is already known.
The Research Methodology describes the design, the population and sample, the tools of data collection, the procedure followed and the techniques of analysis. It answers how the study was carried out, and it is what allows another researcher to judge or replicate the work.
The Results present the findings, usually with tables and figures, reporting what was found without interpreting it.
The Discussion and Conclusion interpret those findings, relate them back to the literature and the research questions, acknowledge limitations, and draw implications and recommendations for further work.
The fourth option contains all five, which is why it is correct. Judging the others by what they leave out makes the point clear. The first omits the literature review and the methodology - without the latter no reader can assess how the data were obtained. The second omits methodology as well, and puts an executive summary in the place of a proper introduction; an executive summary belongs to a report rather than to a dissertation. The third is too compressed and again has no literature review and no discussion, so the findings would stand without interpretation.
The pattern corresponds to the familiar IMRAD structure used in research writing generally.
Hence the core elements are Introduction, Literature Review, Research Methodology, Results, and Discussion and Conclusion.
Similar Questions
Given below are two statements :
Statement I : UGC-CARE list includes all the scopus, web of science, and MLA indexed journals.
Statement II : Open Access Journals are predatory journals.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :
Position papers are:
Supervisor's certification on the thesis
A researcher while writing his/her thesis does not give the rationale underlying use of statistical techniques. This will be best described as a case of:
A thesis statement is
A good thesis writing should involve:
(a) reduction of punctuation and grammatical errors to a minimum.
(b) careful checking of references.
(c) consistency in the way the thesis is written.
(d) a clear and well written abstract.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
In a thesis, figures and tables are included in
In which of the following formats 'Chapter Scheme' of the document has to be formally approved by a research degree committee in the university?
When a reviewer reviews a research article without knowing the author’s name, it is referred to as :
The format of thesis writing is the same as in
Important Questions from Thesis and Article Writing
Given below are two statements :
Statement I : UGC-CARE list includes all the scopus, web of science, and MLA indexed journals.
Statement II : Open Access Journals are predatory journals.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :
Position papers are:
Supervisor's certification on the thesis
A researcher while writing his/her thesis does not give the rationale underlying use of statistical techniques. This will be best described as a case of:
A thesis statement is
