university of bristol dissertation cover page

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Dissertations and theses

To find a university of bristol thesis:.

Use  Library Search  as if you were trying to find a book, using either the author's name, the title or a combination of the two. When your search results display, you can refine your search by using the 'Resource type - Thesis' option.

If the thesis you wish to consult is not held on open shelves, you can request it using the 'reserve a copy' button.

To find theses from other institutions:

UK’s national thesis service providing records of all doctoral theses awarded by UK Higher Education institutions and free access to the full text of as many theses as possible. Please note: UK theses not available on EThOS can be requested via the Inter-Library Loan service.

Includes citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day. Full-text is available for most dissertations added since 1997. The official digital dissertations archive for the Library of Congress, it also includes UK & Ireland content.

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Dissertation title page

Published on 30 May 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 18 October 2022.

The title page (or cover page) of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper should contain all the key information about your document. It usually includes:

• Dissertation or thesis title
• The type of document (e.g., dissertation, research paper )
• The department and institution
• The degree program (e.g., Master of Arts)
• The date of submission

It sometimes also includes your student number, your supervisor’s name, and your university’s logo.

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Table of contents

Title page format, title page templates, title page example, frequently asked questions about title pages.

Your department will usually tell you exactly what should be included on your title page and how it should be formatted. Be sure to check whether there are specific guidelines for margins, spacing, and font size.

Title pages for APA and MLA Style

The format of your title page can also depend on the citation style you’re using. There may be guidelines in regards to alignment, page numbering, and mandatory elements.

• MLA guidelines for formatting the title page
• APA guidelines for formatting the title page

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We’ve created a few templates to help you design the title page for your thesis, dissertation, or research paper. You can download them in the format of your choice by clicking on the corresponding button.

Research paper Google doc

Dissertation Google doc

Thesis Google doc

A typical example of a thesis title page looks like this:

The title page of your thesis or dissertation should include your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date.

The title page of your thesis or dissertation goes first, before all other content or lists that you may choose to include.

Usually, no title page is needed in an MLA paper . A header is generally included at the top of the first page instead. The exceptions are when:

• Your instructor requires one, or
• Your paper is a group project

In those cases, you should use a title page instead of a header, listing the same information but on a separate page.

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.

McCombes, S. (2022, October 18). Dissertation title page. Scribbr. Retrieved 30 July 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/title-page/

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Other students also liked, thesis & dissertation acknowledgements | tips & examples, dissertation table of contents in word | instructions & examples, research paper appendix | example & templates.

University of Bristol Thesis Template

A thesis template using the memoir class, which is mainly based on book class, but it's intended to look fancier and, above all, to get more control on environments as Figures, Tables, etc.. The template was designed to follow the University of Bristol thesis guidelines .

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• Thesis & Dissertation Title Page | Free Templates & Examples

Thesis & Dissertation Title Page | Free Templates & Examples

Published on May 19, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on July 18, 2023.

The title page (or cover page) of your thesis , dissertation , or research paper should contain all the key information about your document. It usually includes:

• Dissertation or thesis title
• The type of document (e.g., dissertation, research paper)
• The department and institution
• The degree program (e.g., Master of Arts)
• The date of submission

It sometimes also includes your dissertation topic or field of study, your student number, your supervisor’s name, and your university’s logo.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Title page format, title page templates, title page example, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions.

Your department will usually tell you exactly what should be included on your title page and how it should be formatted. Be sure to check whether there are specific guidelines for margins, spacing, and font size.

Title pages for APA and MLA style

The format of your title page can also depend on the citation style you’re using. There may be guidelines in regards to alignment, page numbering, and mandatory elements.

• MLA guidelines for formatting the title page
• APA guidelines for formatting the title page

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We’ve created a few templates to help you design the title page for your thesis, dissertation, or research paper. You can download them in the format of your choice by clicking on the corresponding button.

Research paper Google Doc

Dissertation Google Doc

Thesis Google Doc

A typical example of a thesis title page looks like this:

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The title page of your thesis or dissertation should include your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date.

Usually, no title page is needed in an MLA paper . A header is generally included at the top of the first page instead. The exceptions are when:

• Your instructor requires one, or
• Your paper is a group project

In those cases, you should use a title page instead of a header, listing the same information but on a separate page.

The title page of your thesis or dissertation goes first, before all other content or lists that you may choose to include.

In most styles, the title page is used purely to provide information and doesn’t include any images. Ask your supervisor if you are allowed to include an image on the title page before doing so. If you do decide to include one, make sure to check whether you need permission from the creator of the image.

Include a note directly beneath the image acknowledging where it comes from, beginning with the word “ Note .” (italicized and followed by a period). Include a citation and copyright attribution . Don’t title, number, or label the image as a figure , since it doesn’t appear in your main text.

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, July 18). Thesis & Dissertation Title Page | Free Templates & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved July 30, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/title-page/

Is this article helpful?

Tegan George

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

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Bristol Doctoral College

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Student theses

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(re)shaping genre: the commercial and social presentation of speculative fiction in the 21st century.

Supervisor: Krishnan, M. (Supervisor) & Tether, L. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

[2+2]-Photocycloaddition Reactions in the Synthesis of Novel Scaffolds and Natural Products

Supervisor: Willis, C. (Supervisor) & Booker-Milburn, K. I. (Supervisor)

Supervisor: Ladyman, J. A. C. (Supervisor) & Thebault, K. P. Y. (Supervisor)

3D Bioprinted Engineered Living Materials for Continuous Organophosphorus Compound Detoxification

Supervisor: Perriman, A. W. (Supervisor) & Ting, V. (Supervisor)

3D FE-informed laboratory soil testing for the design of offshore wind turbine monopiles

Supervisor: Ibraim, E. (Supervisor) & Diambra, A. (Supervisor)

3D-printable conjugated microporous polymer electrodes for carbon capture and conversion

Supervisor: Patil, A. (Supervisor) & Faul, C. F. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Master's Thesis › Master of Science by Research (MScR)

3D-Printing Electrochemical Systems

Supervisor: Faul, C. F. J. (Supervisor) & Lennox, A. J. J. (Supervisor)

3D Printing Enzyme Mediated Interpenetrating-Network Biohybrid Materials with Shape Changing Properties

Supervisor: Perriman, A. W. (Supervisor) & Anderson, J. L. R. (Supervisor)

3D printing shape-changing double-network hydrogels

Supervisor: Seddon, A. M. (Supervisor) & Eichhorn, S. (Supervisor)

5G Communication Framework for Smarter Autonomous Vehicles

Supervisor: Piechocki, R. (Supervisor) & Nix, A. (Supervisor)

Ab initio Study of Spin-Dependent Transport and Magnetism in Heavy and Superconducting Metals

Supervisor: Gradhand, M. (Supervisor)

A biologically-inspired artificial lateral line: Observations of collective behaviour in fish lead to the development of a novel design of simple and low-cost artificial lateral line sensor

Supervisor: Hauert, S. (Supervisor), Ioannou, C. (Supervisor) & Genner, M. J. (Supervisor)

A biophysical investigation into the self-assembly of α-helix - polyproline II helix oligomers

Supervisor: Race, P. R. (Supervisor) & Woolfson, D. N. (Supervisor)

Abstractions for Portable Data Management in Heterogeneous Memory Systems

Supervisor: McIntosh-Smith, S. (Supervisor)

Access and equity in the school’s marketplace: the case for random allocation in secondary school admissions

Supervisor: Watson, D. L. (Supervisor) & Harris, P. R. (External person) (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Social Science (DSocSci)

ACCORD – ACCESSING CLINICAL ETHICS COMMITTEES FOR RAPID DISCUSSION: What approach(es) should be adopted by clinical ethics support services (CESS) for advising on urgent decisions in healthcare?

Supervisor: Huxtable, R. (Supervisor), O'Connor, D. (Supervisor), O'Connor, D. (Supervisor) & Huxtable, R. (Supervisor)

Acetylcholine in the Interpositus Cerebellar Nuclei

Supervisor: Apps, R. (Supervisor), Bashir, Z. (Supervisor) & Pickford, J. (Supervisor)

A changing world: how anthropogenic noise and climate impact dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula) behaviour

Supervisor: Radford, A. (Supervisor) & Cuthill, I. C. (Supervisor)

A characterisation of mononuclear phagocyte dynamics in the healthy and regenerating zebrafish heart

Supervisor: Richardson, B. (Supervisor) & Martin, P. B. (Supervisor)

A Chemical Synthesis Paradigm for in utero Repair of Spina Bifida

Supervisor: Galan, C. (Supervisor), Briscoe, W. (Supervisor) & Cosgrove, T. (Supervisor)

A Child of Two Worlds: Materiality and Landscape of Mushroom-Shaped Bunkers in Albania

Supervisor: Saunders, N. (Supervisor)

A comprehensive screening of the two-component network in Staphylococcus aureus

Supervisor: Massey, R. (Supervisor)

A Computational Framework for the Optimisation of Antivenom Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics

Supervisor: Hauert, S. (Supervisor), Blee, J. A. (Supervisor) & Collinson, I. R. (Supervisor)

Acoustic and Flight Behaviour of Emerging Greater Horseshoe Bats in Paired Flight

Supervisor: Holderied, M. W. (Supervisor)

Acoustic Flow Perception in Bats and Applications in Navigation

Supervisor: Windsor, S. P. (Supervisor) & Holderied, M. W. (Supervisor)

A Critical Evaluation of Indonesia's Special Economic Zones using New Institutional Economics Approach

Supervisor: King, W. (Supervisor) & Hewitt, V. (Supervisor)

A critical investigation into students’ perceptions of the impact of EMI policy on their content learning and social equity in a HEI in Oman

Supervisor: Sharples, R. (Supervisor) & Giampapa, F. (Supervisor)

A critical realist analysis of COVID-19 pandemic policy enactment in English secondary schools

Supervisor: Leckie, G. (Supervisor) & Watermeyer, R. (Supervisor)

Across the waves: Departmental leadership in the field of management and technology studies at a research university

Supervisor: Macfarlane, B. J. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Education (EdD)

Action gradients for motor learning in neuroscience and artificial intelligence

Supervisor: Aitchison, L. (Supervisor), Ludwig, C. (Supervisor) & Lepora, N. (Supervisor)

Active Flow Control Methods for Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics: Aerofoil Trailing-edge Noise Applications

Supervisor: Gambaruto, A. (Supervisor) & Azarpeyvand, M. (Supervisor)

Active Thermal Management in FRP Composites via Embedded Vascular Networks

Supervisor: Bond, I. P. (Supervisor) & Lawrie, A. G. W. (Supervisor)

Adaptive Optimal Control via Reinforcement Learning: Theory and Its Application to Automotive Engine Systems

Supervisor: Burgess, S. C. (Supervisor), Herrmann, G. (Supervisor) & Brace, C. (External person) (Supervisor)

Adaptive Sampling in Particle Image Velocimetry

Supervisor: Poole, D. (Supervisor) & Allen, C. (Supervisor)

Additive structure in convex sets and related topics

Supervisor: Rudnev, M. (Supervisor)

ADDomer: synthetic multiepitope virus-like particle platform for next-generation vaccines and high-affinity binders

Supervisor: Berger, I. (Supervisor), Mulholland, A. (Supervisor) & Berger-Schaffitzel, C. (Supervisor)

Addressing the challenges of catchment characterisation, model selection and evaluation in large-sample hydrology: application to Great Britain

Supervisor: Rahman, S. (Supervisor) & Coxon, G. (Supervisor)

Addressing the key uncertainties of improving preconception health in the UK

Supervisor: White, J. (Supervisor) & Kipping, R. (Supervisor)

A design approach for super-efficient Wrapped Tow Reinforced Hierarchical Space Frames

Supervisor: Woods, B. K. S. (Supervisor), Macquart, T. (Supervisor), Schenk, M. (Supervisor) & Pirrera, A. (Supervisor)

ADHD and reward processing: a mixed-methods investigation in analogue and clinical samples

Supervisor: Slaney, C. (Supervisor) & Attwood, A. (Supervisor)

A Diamond Gammavoltaic Cell

Supervisor: Scott , T. B. (Supervisor) & Fox, N. A. (Supervisor)

Adjacency spectral embedding beyond unweighted, undirected networks

Supervisor: Babaee, F. (Supervisor) & Rubin-Delanchy, P. (Supervisor)

Advanced Continuous Tow Shearing Utilising Tow Width Control

Supervisor: Kim, B. C. (Supervisor) & Ivanov, D. (Supervisor)

Advanced Extreme Rainfall Simulation Using a Numerical Weather Prediction Model

Supervisor: Han, D. (Supervisor) & Rico-Ramirez, M. (Supervisor)

Advanced numerical modelling of the cyclic/dynamic response of offshore structures in inhomogeneous non-cohesive soils

Supervisor: Karamitros, D. K. (Supervisor) & Diambra, A. (Supervisor)

Advanced quantum communications for next-generation secure optical networks

Supervisor: Kanellos, G. (Supervisor) & Nejabati, R. (Supervisor)

Advanced Ultrasonic Array Processing for Pipeline Inline Inspection

Supervisor: Wilcox, P. D. (Supervisor) & Velichko, A. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Engineering Doctorate (EngD)

Advance of Big Data in Water Quality Monitoring

Supervisor: Han, D. (Supervisor)

Advances in Chip-Based Quantum Key Distribution

Supervisor: Barreto, J. (Supervisor) & Erven, C. (Supervisor)

Advances in Efficient and Resilient Radio Frequency Transceiver Circuits

Supervisor: Beach, M. A. (Supervisor) & Cappello, T. (Supervisor)

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Trapped in dissertation revisions?

Sample dissertation cover page + how to, published by steve tippins on may 26, 2020 may 26, 2020.

Last Updated on: 6th June 2024, 02:20 am

If you’re wondering about making your dissertation cover page, chances are you’re nearing the final stretch of your doctoral journey. Congratulations!

Luckily, making your title page is one of the simplest tasks you’ll have to complete. Generally speaking, there’s a template your institution will use and you just have to fill in your information.

What Should a Dissertation Cover Page Include?

The inner artist in you might want to make your dissertation cover page beautiful: printed in color, maybe with pictures, or with an interesting font or design. However, you’re going to be limited by your university. 

Pretty much every university that I’ve come across has a template and guidelines that you must follow for your dissertation cover page. You may just be filling in things like your title, name, your university’s name, maybe your committee members’ names, and not much more. You won’t have much (if any) creative license.

The advantage of this is, by the time you get to that stage, you may be tired of writing and it will be easier to follow directions than to come up with something creative. Your dissertation cover page doesn’t need to be a work of art. It just needs to convey what the dissertation is about.

Dissertation Cover Page: The Title

The aspect of your dissertation cover page that you have the most control over is the title . It’s also the most important to get right. 

The main thing to remember is, keep the title simple . It should simply tell a person what they’re going to read in the document. Don’t try to intrigue people or be too clever, just tell them directly. Having a straightforward title helps your committee approve your dissertation more quickly.

Over 50% of doctoral candidates don’t finish their dissertations.

Your title should include relevant information that gives the reader a complete picture of what your study was about. Generally speaking, you’ll want to cover a few specific areas.

Quantitative Title Requirements

• Type of relationship between variables.
• Key variables (independent and dependent).
• Population.

Qualitative Title Requirements

• Central conceptual issue investigated.
• Qualitative tradition applied.
• Participant group.

See this article for a more in-depth discussion of choosing your dissertation’s title .

Sample Dissertation Cover Page

Your dissertation cover page should look something like this:

While each university has slightly different requirements, generally speaking, a dissertation cover page looks something like this, above. The required sections are as follows:

A Dissertation

Submitted to XXXXX University

Graduate Faculty of the School of XXXXXXXX

in Partial Fulfillment of the 

Requirements for the Degree of 

DOCTOR OF XXXXXXXXXX

City, State (of the university)

Final Thoughts

While your dissertation title page doesn’t have to be fancy, it’s important that it aligns with your university’s requirements. Take a look at their rubric and, if needed, look at completed dissertations’ title pages as well. If all else fails, ask your mentor for help.

Once you’ve finished this, pat yourself on the back. You’re almost done!

PS. Need support getting through the final stages of your dissertation, or moving into the world of your career? As a dissertation coach and career coach , I’ve helped countless students achieve their dreams. Let’s achieve yours. Book a free 30-minute consultation today.

Steve Tippins

Steve Tippins, PhD, has thrived in academia for over thirty years. He continues to love teaching in addition to coaching recent PhD graduates as well as students writing their dissertations. Learn more about his dissertation coaching and career coaching services. Book a Free Consultation with Steve Tippins

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Formatting your work

General advice.

The format of your assignment (eg margin size, font size, word count, line spacing) will vary module by module. Please consult your module handbook (via Blackboard ) or ask your module tutor for advice.

Library staff have produced a sample essay in the UWE Harvard style (PDF)  you can refer to and guidance for using figures and tables (PDF) in your work.

Formatting Appendices

What is it.

An appendix includes additional information that provides useful background and context for your topic. This must be relevant and aid the reader in understanding your work. This could include your own research data or information from other sources. If you are using more than one appendix, you would refer to them as appendices.

What to include in your appendices

Supporting information for your work from other sources, for example data or diagrams. If you have conducted your own research, it is a good idea to include your raw data for example: interview transcripts, surveys, correspondence (emails, letters etc.), statistics. Additionally, consider putting images or graphs in an appendix, whether your own or from another source.

Where are they?

They are located at the end of your work after your reference list or bibliography.

What do they look like?

• To make it clearer for your reader, consider breaking down long appendix into separate ones.
• Keep information in a single appendix within a particular focus area, for instance interviews on a topic with participants.
• Label each new appendix alphabetically, for example appendix A, appendix B.
• Give each appendix a meaningful title.
• Start each appendix on a new page.
• Refer to individual tables or sources within the appendix as numbered items. This ensures you can easily refer to these individual sources within your body of work. Order the appendices as they are referred to within the main body of the text for the first time. If your work includes a contents page, add appendices to the table of contents.
• Continue page numbers from the end of your main body of work.

How to refer to appendices in your work

All appendices should be mentioned in your work.  You could do this in the following ways: The data I gathered on this topic suggests there’s a correlation (see appendix A). Appendix B suggests … If your appendix contains more than one information source, refer to it in the following way: (see appendix A1) As shown in appendix B3 … If your appendix refers to your own research or data you do not need to provide a reference. However, if your appendix refers to the work of others, provide an-text citation in the appendix and add the full reference to your reference list. For instance, if you’ve created a table using someone else’s work, underneath the table it could look like this: (Table author’s own, data from Greig, 2021.)

Quoting other works in your assignment

You are expected to acknowledge the books, journal articles and other sources of information that you use when preparing and completing your university work. This is known as referencing .

You will often find you need to quote  from your sources of information. Use your own judgement to make sure that the layout and flow of your writing is logical, and that use of quotations is clear and easy to follow as well as being consistent throughout your assignment.

(The following guidance applies when referencing using the UWE Bristol Harvard  style only.)

Quoting one or two lines

Put quotation marks around the quote and include within a standard-format paragraph of your text. Include any italics and errors of spelling or punctuation found in the original. Example: As Pearson et al . state (2007, p.72), "The basis of evidence-based practice is, of course, evidence".

Quoting more than two lines

Indent the quotation in its own paragraph and leave out the quotation marks. Include any italics and errors of spelling or punctuation found in the original. Example: Pearson et al . (2007, p.74) summarise the issue as follows:

Critical appraisal is a difficult component of the systematic review process, and a good understanding of research design is required. The major aim of critical appraisal of any type of evidence is to establish the validity of the evidence for practice. Validity refers to the soundness of the evidence; in other words, it is about the degree to which we can accept the evidence as trustworthy and believable.

Editing a quote

You can make minor changes to a direct quotation as long as you don't change the meaning and indicate where you have made changes:

• If you insert your own words, or different words, into a quotation, put them in square brackets [ ]
• To draw attention to an error in a quotation (for example a spelling mistake) do not correct it, but write [sic] after the error
• To emphasise something in a quotation, put the emphasised words in italics, and state that the emphasis is your own

"Mobile-learning (m-learning) is learning in which mobile technologies play a central role" (Davis, 2011, p.125, my italics)

Omitting text within a quote

If you wish to omit part of a quote, indicate the omission by inserting a space, three full-stops, and another space. Example: Pearson et al . (2007. p.74) conclude that "Critical appraisal is a difficult component of the systematic review process ... The major aim of critical appraisal of any type of evidence is to establish the validity of the evidence for practice."

Single or double quotation marks

When quoting from other works you can use single or double quotation marks. If your source of information is quoting direct speech, use the two types of quotation marks to differentiate them. Check with your module tutor if you need advice and be consistent with the use of single or double quotation marks throughout your piece of work.

• In-text citations and quotations are included in your assignment's word count.
• References, bibliographies and footnotes containing references are not included in the word count, unless it is clearly stated in the coursework instructions that the module is an exception to this rule.

Please consult the UWE Bristol Policies  for further advice (includes the Assessment Content Limit policy).

Library study skills support

There are a number of ways you can get support from the library, such as talking to us at helpdesks, using our online chat service, booking 1:1s or attending workshops.

Get feedback on your writing

Find out different ways to get feedback on your writing before you submit your work.

Get feedback

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Dissertations and major projects

• Planning your dissertation
• Researching your dissertation
• Managing your data
• Introduction

Managing your time

Structuring your dissertation, keeping going, finishing off and checking through, useful links for dissertations and major projects.

• Study Advice Helping students to achieve study success with guides, video tutorials, seminars and appointments.
• Maths Support A guide to Maths Support resources which may help if you're finding any mathematical or statistical topic difficult during the transition to University study.
• Academic writing LibGuide Expert guidance on punctuation, grammar, writing style and proof-reading.
• Guide to citing references Includes guidance on why, when and how to use references correctly in your academic writing.
• The Final Chapter An excellent guide from the University of Leeds on all aspects of research projects
• Royal Literary Fund: Writing a Literature Review A guide to writing literature reviews from the Royal Literary Fund
• Academic Phrasebank Use this site for examples of linking phrases and ways to refer to sources.

Writing up your dissertation makes it sound like this is the last big step that you do, but it is a good idea to start writing as you go along, as the writing process will help clarify your thinking. It is also reassuring to have some words down on the page. You may have other coursework due so it is important to protect your dissertation writing time.

The guidance on this page takes you through the whole writing process from managing your time to those crucial mark-gaining final checks.

Plan an overall work schedule

Break down your dissertation into stages and  plan backwards from your deadline  to fit them all in.

• Start with your literature review
• Think about your methodology
• Identify primary sources
• Identify secondary sources, if appropriate
• Write as you go along
• Organise and analyse your material
• Redraft / check / proofread

Do a little bit on a regular basis

• Decide in advance when you're going to work on your dissertation – set aside time each week or have a particular day to work on it
• Give yourself a specific task to do in that time
• Do difficult tasks at the times of day you work best
• Do easy tasks when you're tired / less motivated

• Managing time for your dissertation (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Managing time for your dissertation (transcript) Read the transcript.

It's a good idea to  write an overall plan  outlining what you need to cover in each chapter.

Think of a dissertation like a series of linked essays; each chapter is self-contained and has its own purpose, but they all connect together to contribute to the argument of your dissertation.

The chapters don't have to all be the same length – some can be longer because they are more detailed (like the literature review) and others can be shorter because they are summarising and finalising information (like the conclusion).

• Structuring your dissertation (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Structuring your dissertation (transcript) Read the transcript.

Write up as you go along . It is much easier to keep track of how your ideas develop and writing helps clarify your thinking. It also saves having to churn out 1000s of words at the end.

You don't have to start with the introduction  – start at the chapter that seems the easiest to write – this could be the literature review or methodology, for example. Alternatively you may prefer to write the introduction first, so you can get your ideas straight. Decide what will suit your ways of working best - then do it.

Think of each chapter as an essay in itself  – it should have a clear introduction and conclusion. Use the conclusion to link back to the overall research question.

Think of the main argument of your dissertation as a river , and each chapter is a tributary feeding into this. The individual chapters will contain their own arguments, and go their own way, but they all contribute to the main flow.

Write a chapter, read it and do a redraft - then move on. This stops you from getting bogged down in one chapter.

Write your references properly  and in full from the beginning. Consider using a reference management tool such as EndNote or Mendeley to store the details of the materials you will want to use and to add them to your text.

Keep your word count in mind  – be ruthless and don't write anything that isn't relevant. It's often easier to add information, than have to cut down a long chapter that you've slaved over for hours.

Save your work!  Remember to save your work frequently to somewhere you can access it easily. It's a good idea to at least save a copy to a cloud-based service like Google Docs or Dropbox so that you can access it from any computer - if you only save to your own PC, laptop or tablet, you could lose everything if you lose or break your device.

• Writing up your dissertation (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Writing up your dissertation (transcript) Read the transcript.
• Literature reviews LibGuide Expert guidance on researching and writing your literature review.
• Doing your literature review (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Doing your literature review (transcript) Read the transcript.
• Managing references An overview of different systems for managing your references.

After the initial enthusiasm wears off, it can be hard to keep motivated – it's also natural to feel confused and overwhelmed at points throughout your dissertation; this is all part of sustaining a longer project. Here are some suggestions to keep you going:

Break down large, unappealing tasks  into smaller bearable ones. Molehills are always easier to climb than mountains!

Give yourself rewards  when you've completed tasks - these might range from a cup of coffee, to an exercise session, or a night out.

If you're not in a good thinking mood,  do more straightforward tasks  like compiling the bibliography or doing the title page.

If you're feeling confused about what you're doing,  try writing a short paragraph  summarising what your research is about. This can help you find a focus again.

If you're feeling overwhelmed,  try identifying the one thing that you need to do next ; often this will logically lead to further steps, and you'll be able to get started again.

Talk to friends or your supervisor about what you're doing ; explaining where you are in your project and how it's going can help clarify your thinking.

General principles are:

• Double-space your writing, do not have narrow margins, and print on one side of the page only.
• Use a font that is legible and looks professional (Comic Sans is not appropriate!).
• Check what should be included in cover pages and headers and footers (e.g. page numbers).
• Have a clear Table of Contents to help your reader, and a separate List of Illustrations or tables if appropriate.
• Consider what information should be put in Appendices and check that you have referred to the appropriate appendix in your text.

If you're trying to track down that missing reference for your bibliography, you can always ask your Academic Liaison Librarian  for help finding it.

Undergraduate dissertations are usually 'soft bound'. This means having a soft card cover, with the pages joined together with comb, spiral, or thermal binding. You can get this done at many print shops, often while you wait.

If you choose to get your work hard bound, it can take a few days (more at busy times), so check with the printers / stationers beforehand.

• Finishing your dissertation (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Finishing your dissertation (transcript) Read the transcript.
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• Last Updated: Jul 23, 2024 2:41 PM
• URL: https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/dissertations

Dissertations & projects: Formatting

• Research questions
• The process of reviewing
• Project management
• Literature-based projects

Jump to content on these pages:

You are not being examined on your ability to use Microsoft Word. The Skills Team have therefore provided you with a template that already has most of the formatting work done for you. This has been approved centrally by the university.

This page has links to the template, guidance document and videos to support you with using the official University of Hull MS Word templates for creating undergraduate dissertations or independent projects or taught masters dissertations. This is not a mandatory template, but using it will streamline the formatting of such a long document.

University templates

The University has created templates which can help take the stress out of formatting your dissertation or final year project.

Students studying any subject other than those listed below can use the general template provided:

Download the undergraduate final year project or dissertation template here

Download the taught masters dissertation template here

Modified versions

In some disciplines, the undergraduate template has been modified and is available via your dissertation or independent project module's Canvas site. Currently this is the case for the following subject areas:

• Biomedical Sciences

Guidance document

Templates guidance document

It includes information on:

• Working with template files
• Working with text (styles, table of contents)
• Working with images and tables (captions)
• Adding landscape pages

Whilst this says it is for undergraduate dissertations, it is also relevant to the taught masters template.

Video support

We have created a set of videos to support you with using the template. These can be accessed below.

The videos below cover the following (click or tap to jump to video):

• Downloading the template and filling in the title page.
• Using styles and updating the table of contents.
• Labelling your figures and tables.
• Using the cross-referencing tool to refer to figures and tables.
• Adding a landscape page to your document.

​​​​​​​ Please note that there is a separate playlist for using the History template: Using the UoH undergraduate dissertation template for History .

Video 1: Downloading the UG dissertation or independent project template and filling in front matter

Note that if you have downloaded the template already from the link above, you can skip to 1 min 30 sec.

Video 2: Using styles and updating the table of contents

Video 3: Labelling your figures and tables

Video 4: Using the cross-referencing tool to refer to figures and tables

This is an optional feature - if you don't have many tables or figures you may wish to do this manually.

Video 5: Adding a landscape page to your document

Not everyone will need this feature but it is useful for large tables or some figures.

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• Next: Integrity >>
• Last Updated: Apr 24, 2024 1:09 PM
• URL: https://libguides.hull.ac.uk/dissertations
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We can normally soft bind your printed work while you wait. For comb and wire binding please allow four working hours. Allow at least one working day for both printing and binding your work and two working days   for hardback binding ‌.

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Please  collect  your dissertation from Print Services. Alternatively we can deliver free to a number of locations around the University.

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