Jewish Council

A Few Words About The Average Length Of A PhD Dissertation


How long should a dissertation be? Some say less than fifty pages is acceptable as long as the information is valuable. Others say that they've seen some dissertations over 200 pages. The length of a paper will vary depending on the topic and information. Most say that it should be long enough to make your point. I think you should give a good understanding of the subject and share the information you have.

Dissertations are looked at for quality, not quantity. So as long as your dissertation is 50 pages or longer, it seems like you're good to go. You can ask your classmates how long they plan to make theirs, but don't let it influence you. You shouldn't make your paper longer because you were intimidated by the length of someone else's work. Just make sure that you give accurate and clear information. But if you're still unsure, you can always check with your professor to ask if your school requires a minimum number of pages.

Dissertations are – on average – 4 to 6 chapters. Like all theses and dissertations, there is a structure to follow. If you don't know it already, you should become familiar with it. You can begin to plan and have an idea of how long your paper will be once you know what is required.

  1. Begin with your introduction. Introduce your technology and give any background work and/or aspects that have already been discussed on your problem.

  2. Discuss the model of whatever it is that you're trying to prove, but don't get into anything specific.

  3. This is where you should show your proof and validate your model.

  4. Here, you should present all the data that you have collected from simulations or other sources. This data should support your thesis.

  5. If you need to add any additional information, such as additional studies or further proof and support of your thesis, you may include it here.

  6. Now for the final step; your conclusion. You should present your results and describe any other pertinent information, such as any restrictions. You should also hint to future work

    7. Again, I've seen a lot of people stress that the quantity of your paper is not nearly as important as the quality. But if your school requires a certain length, you have to meet it, or meet the minimum at the very least

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