What is Dissertation 2013

What is Dissertation?
AADYA AGRAWAL
M.ARCH (RECREATION BRANCH) SEM-2
JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA

Abstract
This paper is written in context to find out the meaning of the term „Dissertation‟. For this,
many articles are reviewed so as to get a good knowledge about it and its purpose. So,
Dissertation has different meanings for different purposes to different researchers.

Keywords: Dissertation, Research, Researcher, Knowledge, Study, Solution, Methodology,

Analysis, Conclusion.

Dissertation is all about the original research done at academic level to judge the skills,
ability and knowledge of a student of how he will perform in future in his required field.
According to Kerchner, “Dissertation is a demonstration of researcher skills”.1

For a good Dissertation, selection of topic is very important and relevant to test the
researcher‟s skills. Several weeks or months get wasted in selecting a relevant topic on which
some study is already done in past and has some scope for further research. It is based on
study of others work or research. It needs a base or framework to start with and add some
new knowledge or experience to the existing knowledge.

“Dissertation is a contribution to some field or discovery of new knowledge through

techniques and systematic research”

It is generally a hypothetical study which a researcher intends to prove till the end of his
doctoral or master‟s degree. Some examples are:

1. Growing population leads to urbanization and drastic climate change.

2. Practical knowledge is better than virtual knowledge.

3. Technology is transforming the image of future cities.

4. Today‟s Architect thinking is moving beyond the sustainability.

1 Kerchner, Charles T., Dissertation craftsmanship, Unpublished manuscript,

Spring, 1994, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, CA., pp. 1
 What is Dissertation 2013

Research involves an element of discovering new knowledge with original investigation. This
may mean the collection and analysis of original data, re-analysis of existing data,
or other forms of original analysis related to the problem selected for investigation. Research
designs may take many forms for discovering new knowledge. They may be descriptive,
exploratory, or experimental, for example, and may use many types of qualitative of
quantitative data.2

It involves various steps to conduct a research but in very systematic manner otherwise,
researcher will fail to prove his hypothetical problem and will have to repeat his study from
starting.

Dissertation Outline: Structure of Research

There are some guidelines or format of wiring the most dissertations at academic level like-

 PROBLEM FORMULATION: Selection of title of dissertation is main and must be

precise and self explanatory about the report. This chapter includes aim, scope of
study, limitations, objectives and introduction of the study.

 LITERATURE REVIEW: The existing study is reviewed so as to find out what

methods are adopted, what findings are interoperated and what is already done so that
same study and research is not repeated.

 DATA COLLECTION: Collection of information can be primary or secondary

source depending upon research need. The relevant techniques of data collection are
questionnaire, interviews, observation etc.

 DATA ANALYSIS: All the data which is collected is analysed and interpreted in the
form of pie-charts, tables, graphs etc. Statistics play a important role in this chapter to
conclude the findings.

The conclusion of all the above states that Dissertation is a piece of scholar work done by
researcher at academic level to give some solutions to problems or to find out new
knowledge for further studies.

2 Kerchner, Charles T., Dissertation craftsmanship, Unpublished manuscript,

Spring, 1994, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, CA., pp. 1
 What is Dissertation 2013

References:

1. Kerchner, Charles T., Dissertation craftsmanship, Unpublished manuscript,

Spring, 1994, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, CA., pp. 1

2. Dissertation Guidelines, 2010, University of Warwick, pp.3

3. Writing thesis or dissertation

http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/writing/forms/Writing%20Theses%20and%20Dissertati
ons.pdf, pp.2

4. Dissertation Manual, 2004, International university of professional studies, pp.6-15

5. John J. Clague and Thomas S. James, “History and isostatic effects of the last
ice sheet in southern British Columbia”.

6. Marc Treib, “The Content of landscape form [the limits of formalism.

7. Anne whiston spirn, “Restoring Mill Creek: LandscapeLiteracy, Environmental Justice and
City Planning and Design”, Landscape Research, Vol. 30, No. 3, 395 – 413, July 2005.