If you plan to join a graduate school, you may already know that you will have to write a comprehensive paper to graduate. But, you may not know whether you will be required to write a dissertation or thesis. In fact, you might even wonder what differentiates the two. This can prompt you to conduct research to know the difference.
The internet has made finding information on virtually any topic easy. That’s why you may not have a hard time finding an article on a topic like thesis vs dissertation, 8 basic differences. Basically, these names are used interchangeably. That’s because the two papers have the same structure. They also contain the introduction, body, conclusion, bibliography and the appendix sections.
But, in addition to these similarities, there are differences that should come out when writing dissertation and theses from start to finish. It is important to know these differences to make writing any of these papers easier.
Basic Differences
One thing that makes these papers different is the time when a student is required to complete them. A thesis writing project comes at the end of a student’s master’s program. On the other hand, a dissertation is written while pursuing doctoral studies. This is the basic difference between a dissertation vs master’s thesis. The purposes of these papers are also different.
A thesis comprises of research that is aimed at proving that a student has acquired relevant knowledge during their graduate program. On the other hand, a dissertation provides a chance for a student to contribute theories, new knowledge, or practices to their study field. Thus, the learner is supposed to come up with a completely new concept develop and defend it by showing its worth. Basically, there are many dissertations and thesis database free resources that you can use to study this basic difference.
Structural Differences
A thesis has a structure that is similar to that of a research paper. That’s because it is aimed at showing the ability of a student to think critically about the chosen topic and discuss information in a detailed manner. A dissertation on the other hand requires the learner to use research for guidance only. They should present and prove a unique concept, theory or hypothesis. Much of the information that is presented in a dissertation is attributed to the student.
Additionally, a thesis and a dissertation differ in length. A thesis is supposed to be about 100 pages. A dissertation on the other hand should be longer than this. Its length should be determined by the amount of research and background information that is presented. Nevertheless, a dissertation is generally a complex piece of work. It can have two to three times the number of pages of a thesis.
To understand these differences, look for a dissertation and thesis database that allows you access to papers that you can compare.