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Chapter 3 Dissertation

How to Write Chapter 5 Dissertation?| A Beginner’s Guide

Writing a dissertation is a major undertaking. It requires countless hours of research, writing, and editing. One of the most important chapters in your dissertation is Chapter 4. This chapter should provide a detailed explanation of your methodology, results, and analysis.

Here, we'll provide an overview of the chapter 4 dissertation, how to structure it properly, and tips for writing it effectively. Read on to learn more!

Skimming through these dissertations, you can also check out how to craft Chapter 4 and what to discuss.

Example: 1   The Importance of Health and Safety in Construction Industry

Example:2   influence of different socio-physical attributes on individual’s weight.

Keep going through till the end to have a complete idea of how to compose a well-written and structured chapter 4 dissertation.

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What is chapter 4.

In an academic dissertation, chapter 4 is the data analysis chapter—the heart of the research project. That is where you will present the results of your research and analyze them in light of existing literature. In other words, this is where you will explain why your findings are significant and what they mean for the field as a whole.

Structure of Chapter 4

The structure of your chapter 4 should depend on the type of data that you collected during your research process. However, several key elements should be included in chapter 4:

• An introduction that explains the aims and objectives of this chapter.
• A detailed description of the approaches utilized to collect and analyze data.
• Results from both qualitative and quantitative analyses.
• Discussion about the implications for future research; and
• Conclusions about your findings as well as potential limitations or challenges faced in completing this research project.

Keep in mind that these are just general guidelines—your specific dissertation may require additional sections based on its own individual requirements. It's always best to check with your professor before starting work on any section of your dissertation. 

Writing an Effective Chapter 4 Dissertation

i.  Outline Your Goals & Objectives

Before you begin writing this chapter, it's important to think about the goals and objectives you want to achieve with it.

• What are the main points you want to make?
• What do you expect your readers to understand after they've read this chapter?

Having clear goals and objectives before you start writing will help ensure that your chapter is focused and organized.

ii.  Explain Your Methodology

When it comes time to discuss your methodology in Chapter 4, include all relevant details about the methods you used during your research process.

It should include information about what kind of data or materials were collected, how they were analyzed, and why those particular methods were chosen for the study.

It's also important to explain any limitations or challenges encountered during data collection so that readers can fully understand the process.

iii.  Discuss Results & Analysis

In Chapter 4 dissertation, it's also essential to discuss the results of your research and any analysis conducted on those results.

It should include detailed descriptions of any patterns or trends in the data collected as well as a discussion on how those patterns or trends may relate to the existing literature in the field or could potentially lead to further research questions in the future.

Make sure that all data presented here is accurate and reliable; If any differences exist between what was anticipated and what was observed, note them here as well.

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Tips for writing your chapter 4.

Here are some suggestions to make the writing process simpler if you have a clear grasp of what should be in your chapter 4;

• Take notes throughout your entire research process so that it's easier for you to compile all relevant information into one cohesive document later on.
• Utilize headings to make it easier for readers to follow along with your arguments.
• Ensure all references are correctly cited using an accepted academic style such as APA, MLA or Harvard.
• Use diagrams or graphs when necessary to visually demonstrate key points or trends among variables.
• Always proofread and edit carefully before submitting each section, so the content is free from errors or inconsistencies.

Writing a dissertation can seem overwhelming at first glance, but with some guidance, knowledge, and practice, it can become much more manageable. This guide provides an overview of everything you need to know about chapter 4 to write an effective dissertation.

Be sure not to forget to discuss both the methodology used during research and any results or analysis obtained from research; these are both integral components of this section that must not be overlooked if an effective Chapter 4 is desired.

To gain more information and academic assistance, check out the following resources:

• How To Write a Report Introduction: A Step-By-Step Guide
• How To Write a Conclusion Good Paragraph: Examples and strategies for an effective conclusion
• Mastering the Art of Academic Writing: Tips and Tricks on How to Write Academically?

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How To Write The Conclusion Chapter

The what, why & how explained simply (with examples).

By: Jenna Crossley (PhD Cand). Reviewed By: Dr. Eunice Rautenbach | September 2021

So, you’ve wrapped up your results and discussion chapters, and you’re finally on the home stretch – the conclusion chapter . In this post, we’ll discuss everything you need to know to craft a high-quality conclusion chapter for your dissertation or thesis project.

Overview: Dissertation Conclusion Chapter

• What the thesis/dissertation conclusion chapter is
• What to include in your conclusion chapter
• How to structure and write up your conclusion chapter
• A few tips  to help you ace the chapter

What exactly is the conclusion chapter?

The conclusion chapter is typically the final major chapter of a dissertation or thesis. As such, it serves as a concluding summary of your research findings and wraps up the document. While some publications such as journal articles and research reports combine the discussion and conclusion sections, these are typically separate chapters in a dissertation or thesis. As always, be sure to check what your university’s structural preference is before you start writing up these chapters.

So, what’s the difference between the discussion and the conclusion chapter?

Well, the two chapters are quite similar , as they both discuss the key findings of the study. However, the conclusion chapter is typically more general and high-level in nature. In your discussion chapter, you’ll typically discuss the intricate details of your study, but in your conclusion chapter, you’ll take a   broader perspective, reporting on the main research outcomes and how these addressed your research aim (or aims) .

A core function of the conclusion chapter is to synthesise all major points covered in your study and to tell the reader what they should take away from your work. Basically, you need to tell them what you found , why it’s valuable , how it can be applied , and what further research can be done.

Whatever you do, don’t just copy and paste what you’ve written in your discussion chapter! The conclusion chapter should not be a simple rehash of the discussion chapter. While the two chapters are similar, they have distinctly different functions.  

What should I include in the conclusion chapter?

To understand what needs to go into your conclusion chapter, it’s useful to understand what the chapter needs to achieve. In general, a good dissertation conclusion chapter should achieve the following:

• Summarise the key findings of the study
• Explicitly answer the research question(s) and address the research aims
• Inform the reader of the study’s main contributions
• Discuss any limitations or weaknesses of the study
• Present recommendations for future research

Therefore, your conclusion chapter needs to cover these core components. Importantly, you need to be careful not to include any new findings or data points. Your conclusion chapter should be based purely on data and analysis findings that you’ve already presented in the earlier chapters. If there’s a new point you want to introduce, you’ll need to go back to your results and discussion chapters to weave the foundation in there.

In many cases, readers will jump from the introduction chapter directly to the conclusions chapter to get a quick overview of the study’s purpose and key findings. Therefore, when you write up your conclusion chapter, it’s useful to assume that the reader hasn’t consumed the inner chapters of your dissertation or thesis. In other words, craft your conclusion chapter such that there’s a strong connection and smooth flow between the introduction and conclusion chapters, even though they’re on opposite ends of your document.

Need a helping hand?

How to write the conclusion chapter

Now that you have a clearer view of what the conclusion chapter is about, let’s break down the structure of this chapter so that you can get writing. Keep in mind that this is merely a typical structure – it’s not set in stone or universal. Some universities will prefer that you cover some of these points in the discussion chapter , or that you cover the points at different levels in different chapters.

Step 1: Craft a brief introduction section

As with all chapters in your dissertation or thesis, the conclusions chapter needs to start with a brief introduction. In this introductory section, you’ll want to tell the reader what they can expect to find in the chapter, and in what order . Here’s an example of what this might look like:

This chapter will conclude the study by summarising the key research findings in relation to the research aims and questions and discussing the value and contribution thereof. It will also review the limitations of the study and propose opportunities for future research.

Importantly, the objective here is just to give the reader a taste of what’s to come (a roadmap of sorts), not a summary of the chapter. So, keep it short and sweet – a paragraph or two should be ample.

Step 2: Discuss the overall findings in relation to the research aims

The next step in writing your conclusions chapter is to discuss the overall findings of your study , as they relate to the research aims and research questions . You would have likely covered similar ground in the discussion chapter, so it’s important to zoom out a little bit here and focus on the broader findings – specifically, how these help address the research aims .

In practical terms, it’s useful to start this section by reminding your reader of your research aims and research questions, so that the findings are well contextualised. In this section, phrases such as, “This study aimed to…” and “the results indicate that…” will likely come in handy. For example, you could say something like the following:

This study aimed to investigate the feeding habits of the naked mole-rat. The results indicate that naked mole rats feed on underground roots and tubers. Further findings show that these creatures eat only a part of the plant, leaving essential parts to ensure long-term food stability.

Be careful not to make overly bold claims here. Avoid claims such as “this study proves that” or “the findings disprove existing the existing theory”. It’s seldom the case that a single study can prove or disprove something. Typically, this is achieved by a broader body of research, not a single study – especially not a dissertation or thesis which will inherently have significant and limitations. We’ll discuss those limitations a little later.

Step 3: Discuss how your study contributes to the field

Next, you’ll need to discuss how your research has contributed to the field – both in terms of theory and practice . This involves talking about what you achieved in your study, highlighting why this is important and valuable, and how it can be used or applied.

In this section you’ll want to:

• Mention any research outputs created as a result of your study (e.g., articles, publications, etc.)
• Inform the reader on just how your research solves your research problem , and why that matters
• Reflect on gaps in the existing research and discuss how your study contributes towards addressing these gaps
• Discuss your study in relation to relevant theories . For example, does it confirm these theories or constructively challenge them?
• Discuss how your research findings can be applied in the real world . For example, what specific actions can practitioners take, based on your findings?

Be careful to strike a careful balance between being firm but humble in your arguments here. It’s unlikely that your one study will fundamentally change paradigms or shake up the discipline, so making claims to this effect will be frowned upon . At the same time though, you need to present your arguments with confidence, firmly asserting the contribution your research has made, however small that contribution may be. Simply put, you need to keep it balanced .

Step 4: Reflect on the limitations of your study

Now that you’ve pumped your research up, the next step is to critically reflect on the limitations and potential shortcomings of your study. You may have already covered this in the discussion chapter, depending on your university’s structural preferences, so be careful not to repeat yourself unnecessarily.

There are many potential limitations that can apply to any given study. Some common ones include:

• Sampling issues that reduce the generalisability of the findings (e.g., non-probability sampling )
• Insufficient sample size (e.g., not getting enough survey responses ) or limited data access
• Low-resolution data collection or analysis techniques
• Researcher bias or lack of experience
• Lack of access to research equipment
• Time constraints that limit the methodology (e.g. cross-sectional vs longitudinal time horizon)
• Budget constraints that limit various aspects of the study

Discussing the limitations of your research may feel self-defeating (no one wants to highlight their weaknesses, right), but it’s a critical component of high-quality research. It’s important to appreciate that all studies have limitations (even well-funded studies by expert researchers) – therefore acknowledging these limitations adds credibility to your research by showing that you understand the limitations of your research design .

That being said, keep an eye on your wording and make sure that you don’t undermine your research . It’s important to strike a balance between recognising the limitations, but also highlighting the value of your research despite those limitations. Show the reader that you understand the limitations, that these were justified given your constraints, and that you know how they can be improved upon – this will get you marks.

Next, you’ll need to make recommendations for future studies. This will largely be built on the limitations you just discussed. For example, if one of your study’s weaknesses was related to a specific data collection or analysis method, you can make a recommendation that future researchers undertake similar research using a more sophisticated method.

Another potential source of future research recommendations is any data points or analysis findings that were interesting or surprising , but not directly related to your study’s research aims and research questions. So, if you observed anything that “stood out” in your analysis, but you didn’t explore it in your discussion (due to a lack of relevance to your research aims), you can earmark that for further exploration in this section.

Essentially, this section is an opportunity to outline how other researchers can build on your study to take the research further and help develop the body of knowledge. So, think carefully about the new questions that your study has raised, and clearly outline these for future researchers to pick up on.

Step 6: Wrap up with a closing summary

Quick tips for a top-notch conclusion chapter

Now that we’ve covered the what , why and how of the conclusion chapter, here are some quick tips and suggestions to help you craft a rock-solid conclusion.

• Don’t ramble . The conclusion chapter usually consumes 5-7% of the total word count (although this will vary between universities), so you need to be concise. Edit this chapter thoroughly with a focus on brevity and clarity.
• Be very careful about the claims you make in terms of your study’s contribution. Nothing will make the marker’s eyes roll back faster than exaggerated or unfounded claims. Be humble but firm in your claim-making.
• Use clear and simple language that can be easily understood by an intelligent layman. Remember that not every reader will be an expert in your field, so it’s important to make your writing accessible. Bear in mind that no one knows your research better than you do, so it’s important to spell things out clearly for readers.

Hopefully, this post has given you some direction and confidence to take on the conclusion chapter of your dissertation or thesis with confidence. If you’re still feeling a little shaky and need a helping hand, consider booking a free initial consultation with a friendly Grad Coach to discuss how we can help you with hands-on, private coaching.

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This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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17 Comments

Really you team are doing great!

Your guide on writing the concluding chapter of a research is really informative especially to the beginners who really do not know where to start. Im now ready to start. Keep it up guys

Really your team are doing great!

Very helpful guidelines, timely saved. Thanks so much for the tips.

This post was very helpful and informative. Thank you team.

A very enjoyable, understandable and crisp presentation on how to write a conclusion chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Jenna.

This was a very helpful article which really gave me practical pointers for my concluding chapter. Keep doing what you are doing! It meant a lot to me to be able to have this guide. Thank you so much.

Nice content dealing with the conclusion chapter, it’s a relief after the streneous task of completing discussion part.Thanks for valuable guidance

Thanks for your guidance

I get all my doubts clarified regarding the conclusion chapter. It’s really amazing. Many thanks.

Very helpful tips. Thanks so much for the guidance

Thank you very much for this piece. It offers a very helpful starting point in writing the conclusion chapter of my thesis.

It’s awesome! Most useful and timely too. Thanks a million times

Bundle of thanks for your guidance. It was greatly helpful.

Wonderful, clear, practical guidance. So grateful to read this as I conclude my research. Thank you.

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Graduate Research Hub

• Preparing my thesis
• Incorporating your published work in your thesis
• Examples of thesis and chapter formats when including publications

The following examples are acceptable ways of formatting your thesis and chapters when including one or more publications.

Essential requirements

All theses with publications must have the following:

• Declaration
• Preface – noting collaborations, and contributions to authorship
• Acknowledgements
• Table of contents
• List of tables, figures & illustrations
• Main text/chapters
• Bibliography or list of references

Main text examples

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methods
• Chapter 4: Paper 1 & general discussion
• Chapter 5: Paper 2
• Chapter 6: Regular thesis chapter – results
• Chapter 7 : Regular thesis chapter/general discussion tying in published and unpublished work
• Chapter 8: Conclusion
• Appendices - May include CD, DVD or other material, also reviews & methods papers
• Chapter 2: Methods
• Chapter 3: Paper 1
• Chapter 4: Regular thesis chapter
• Chapter 6: Regular thesis chapter, final preliminary study
• Chapter 7: General discussion
• Chapter 5: Regular thesis chapter
• Chapter 6: Regular thesis chapter
• Chapter 7: Regular thesis chapter, final preliminary study
• Chapter 8: General discussion
• Chapter 4: Paper 2 - e.g. data paper, including meta analyses
• Chapter 5: Paper 3
• Chapter 6: Paper 4
• Chapter 7: Paper 5
• Chapter 3: Major paper
• Chapter 4: Normal thesis chapter, final preliminary study
• Chapter 5: General discussion

Chapter examples

• Introduction – including specific aims and hypotheses
• Introduction – including specific aims, hypotheses
• Methods – results (including validation, preliminary) not included in the paper
• Results (including validation, preliminary) not included in paper
• Discussion – expansion of paper discussion, further method development
• Resources for candidates
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• Mapping my degree
• Principles for infrastructure support
• Peer activities
• Change my commencement date
• Meeting expectations
• Working with my supervisors
• Responsible Research & Research Integrity
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• Pre-confirmation
• Confirmation
• At risk of unsatisfactory progress
• Unsatisfactory progress
• Add or drop coursework subjects
• Apply for leave
• Return from leave
• Apply for Study Away
• Return from Study Away
• Change my study rate
• Check my candidature status
• Change my current supervisors
• Request an evidence of enrolment or evidence of qualification statement
• Change my project details
• Change department
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The 5 Stages of Thesis Grief

Posted on May 2, 2024 by ethivers

Writing a thesis consumes you, much like the grief that consumes one who has lost a beloved ego. It’s a constant battle of coming to terms with the fallacy that your thesis will be perfect and read by even a handful of people. However, what’s great about this class is that everyone is grieving over their respective theses together, and grieving together is far better than grieving apart. While I offer these words (mostly) in gest, I think it’s helpful to understand how personal the experience of writing a thesis and being part of an Honors cohort is. Below, I have described the 5 stages of “thesis grief” that a student may experience. It’s best to be aware of and prepared for these unavoidable feelings. However, the feelings may be less severe if one set’s writing goals and sticks to their writing schedule! (Which your Honors instructor and advisor will undoubtedly encourage you to do.)

This stage lasts from when class first starts to roughly Spring Break when the first full draft is due. A time during which one attends class and completes class assignments, but only intermittently works on the writing part of their thesis. During this stage, the student is so overwhelmed by the work ahead of them, that they choose to remain assured that they will finish their thesis on time, even though they’re ignoring the issue. The deadline is far away and hopes are still high.

All of a sudden it’s Spring Break and you realize that you have about a month to finish your thesis and you are angry, you are belligerent, because you want your thesis to be earth-shatteringly interesting when you have a month to do so. You have already done more for your Honors thesis in half a semester than you would do in an entire semester for any other class and you still have vastly more to do. You begin to feel very anxious and stressed about said thesis.

It’s early April and you’ve realized that you bit off way more than you could chew when it comes to this thesis and it’s time to realistically decide what you can finish in time for graduation. Finally, a realistic plan materializes and you just gotta go for it. You’re writing day and night, but all the while you think of how much better this could be if you had more time, and knew what you were doing six months ago. 

Wow, you look at what you’ve written and it just makes you sad. You fixate on the imperfections despite your Honors instructor and advisor pointing out the numerous contributions and insights that you have also generated by this point. Their glass half-full “good grief” nonsense visciously ignores the part that remains half empty. You care so deeply and wish for your paper to be monumental, but it’s not and never had a chance to be. Your advisor cuts the limitations section in your discussion from a mountain of confession into a measely paragraph of prudent professional acknowledgement. Tears follow (hopefully not too many, haha). 

Once you’ve finished your thesis, you reflect on how traumatizing this process of composing a thesis has been, but also note how much better your next one will be because you’ve endured the harsh trials of your first thesis. While your thesis may still seem subpar to you, it’s likely that it’s still decent and you should be proud of what you produced, but even more proud of the fact that YOU DID IT! It’s not what you wrote: it’s what you learned. I was only able to write about 4 of the 10 trees species I was planning to write about in my thesis, but the writing I complete on future species will be so much better because I at least was able to cover 4. Finishing an undergraduate thesis is a crash course in understanding the realities of writing scholarly papers. You are now far more familiar than you were before and are ready to tackle the next one!

Ethan Iversen is a senior at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

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