The most common seen dissertation structure and format consists of three parts: the dissertation introduction, the body (which is sometimes known as the analysis), and the conclusion. Each part consists of even more parts, which are also called chapters. This dissertation structure is what is required by most professors in most universities nowadays, so it can be considered universal and worth knowing as a student.

The introduction of the dissertation includes the abstract, which is a summary of the study that is about a page or two in length. The abstract explains the importance of the study, how the writer plans on going about doing the research, and what they hope to discover as they write their dissertation. After the abstract is the literature review, in which the first portion involves a summary of the references used within the paper, as well as an explanation as to how the reviews help the study, and the second part is the actual study itself. Following the literature review is the actual introduction, whose purpose is to share the goal of the study and to make the thesis statement known.

The second portion of the dissertation, the body, is the portion that contains all of the research done throughout the assignment. This is the part of the paper that holds the methodology, analysis, data, and any illustrations, graphs, or charts that might have proven helpful to the study as well as to the subject matter.

The conclusion is considered to be the overall summary of the paper. This section of the paper contains a very detailed description of the conclusion, which also summarizes the research done throughout the paper, the results found within that research, and the importance of that research throughout the rest of the paper.

The dissertation format – the layout of the paper – differs with each professor, so it is best to know what they prefer before continuing the study.