What about the Length of my Dissertation: Should I pay much Attention to it?
A dissertation is one of the most important academic papers that a student will ever write. There are a lot of things to consider when writing a dissertation including what to write about, how to format, and how to write varying sections. However, one of the biggest questions asked is, how long does a dissertation have to be, are there requirements and specifications? Is a short dissertation low merit? The short answer is no, but here is more information regarding the average length of a dissertation and how to know what length to make you own.
What are the Specifications?
Each college and university has their own requirements and specifications, but there are no general guidelines for length. Because of this, here are the two main ways to determine how long to make your dissertation. First, check to see what preferences of your educational institution is. While these are generally just guidelines and preferences rather than rules, it is best to adhere to them as much as possible. The second way to determine is by stopping to consider how long you want the paper to be. Yes, you do get a say in this. Some dissertations are as short as thirty pages (it is not advisable to go much if at all below this) and some are as long as three hundred pages (try not to go over this number). The length of a student’s dissertation is as personal as every other part. The average length of a dissertation is between fifty and one hundred and fifty pages. However, keep in mind that a short dissertation does not constitute a bad paper and a long one does not constitute a good one.
If you are in doubt, stick as close to your universities guidelines, but otherwise do not overly concern yourself with length. There are plenty of other things regarding preparing, writing, and editing a dissertation to occupy your time and efforts. There is no need to be terribly concerned or stressed over length. Instead, use your time and attention for more important issues such as narrowing down your topic, writing an amazing introduction, making sure your acknowledgments list is complete, and editing is complete. Just be sure that your point has been fully expressed and your thoughts have been fleshed out. That is the most important consideration regarding length.