Dissertation Vs Thesis: The Difference When Writing A Paper

If you have plans to enroll for a post-graduate degree, it is important to learn the basic requirements early enough. Many students struggle through the university because they never took time to understand such basics. Writing projects are at the core of your post-graduate studies and you will either have to write a dissertation or thesis. Now, these two forms of writing cause a lot of problems for students and it is important to learn the similarities and differences because they are unavoidable tasks at the university.

Dissertation Vs. Thesis

If you plan to start your dissertation and thesis writing project, you need to know what each entails. In the simplest understanding, a dissertation is a research project written as part of a doctoral degree. This project has a supervisor or advisor who guides you right from the dissertation prospectus to the defense phase of your dissertation. It is an involving project which can take years to complete and while length might vary, it can go up to 400 pages.

On the other hand, a thesis is part of a research-based master’s degree or an undergraduate honors degree. The purpose of the thesis is to obtain an academic degree or qualification. It is a shorter form of writing and students take one or two semesters to complete these papers. When trying to understand the dissertation vs master's thesis question, this basic understanding will help a lot.

Similarities in A Dissertation And Thesis

You will have close supervision with both dissertation and theses from start to finish thus guaranteeing your paper meets the required standards. More importantly, both academic projects involve research whether using primary or secondary data sources. In both projects, you need to have a thesis statement which forms the foundation of your paper.

Other similarities are in the structure where you have shared sections such as the abstract, background, introduction, literature review, methodology, findings, data analysis, and a conclusion.

Thesis Vs. Dissertation 8 Basic Differences

To better differentiate between these two important academic papers, it is important to highlight these thesis vs. dissertation 8 basic differences. Take a look:

1. A master’s thesis is about 100 pages in length but a dissertation can go to 400 pages. A dissertation is longer.
2. A dissertation requires more intense original research than a thesis
3. A thesis is for a master’s program but a dissertation is for a doctorate program
4. A thesis proves you are knowledgeable about a topic taught in class but a dissertation is an opportunity to contribute new knowledge, theories or practices to your field.
5. A thesis looks more like an academic research paper while a dissertation looks like an academic book.
6. A dissertation represents one full-time year's work and full points for the year while a thesis counts for half the requirements for a Ph.D.
7. For a dissertation, the student must come up with a subject not yet researched but for a thesis, a student can use a literature review to form the basis of the argument.
8. For a dissertation, you usually get scholarships but not so for a thesis.

If you get stuck with your dissertation or thesis, you can use the best dissertation and thesis database online. A reliable dissertations and theses database free contains the best papers to guide you through your paper. eWritingService will also come in handy if you want to write a perfect paper.