Contrast And Analogy Of Thesis & Dissertation

If you are in graduate school, you might have heard about that comprehensive paper that is required to graduate. It seems like a nightmare to most students to differentiate between thesis and dissertation. Sometimes these two terminologies can be used interchangeably or used to mean two different things.

In essence, thesis and dissertation are distinct, yet they have similar characteristics.

Previously during the Shakespeare era, master’s students were expected to write a thesis. The document could entail the student’s idea. The student presents the ideas to the board/committee to assess and approve. If you seek to advance in your learning, you are expected to write a dissertation.

The differences are:

A thesis is an original document that contains a student’s idea or his/her knowledge on a particular topic. A dissertation is a sort of literature review of works done by other scholars. These days the concept is appreciated in Europe and most continents.

A thesis is an academic writing to be presented by students at the end of their master’s course while a dissertation is a document to be presented during a study at PhD level. A dissertation is, therefore, more comprehensive than a thesis. This concept is embraced in the US and most other countries’ institutions.

A thesis is shorter. A dissertation is quite lengthy as it requires a lot of background and research information on the topic of interest. It also needs you to provide every detail of your proposal and how you have arrived at the information.

We shall then look at the similarities. A dissertation and a thesis have very many similarities in a way that many individuals confuse them or use either term in place of the other.

Similarities include:

Both are academic writings that are written by postgraduate students either at the masters or PhD level. They’re all advanced.

For both the dissertation and thesis, you need to pick a topic of study and research comprehensively; and demonstrate your skills of research and understanding of the subject title.

You should defend both the thesis and dissertation; this means that you are required to present both of the thesis and dissertation to a committee to seek approval. Only after their approval will you earn a master of a PhD degree.

You are required to write a proposal for both dissertation and thesis.

Passing someone else’s work as your own is not allowed in both thesis and dissertation.

How do you excel in such academic writings?

1. Know the timeliness required to accomplish the task and plan. You need to plan yourself early on how you are going to complete either the thesis or the dissertation. The thesis might take a shorter time compared to a dissertation.
2. You should make use of the supervisor. Every student is assigned to a supervisor. You should be quick to seek explanations on parts that are unclear to you.
3. You need to seek help from a third party. Writing a thesis or dissertation can be demanding. You will need dissertation editing help in one instance or another. For example, you will need a third party to proofread your work once you are ready. You should be keen on their feedback and criticism.

A thesis and dissertation can vary depending on the region you are in or your institution.

It is important to check with your university to know the guidelines you need to study extensively, research, and write the report to submit to the committee for approval.