Before embarking on writing a thesis or dissertation, you should be aware of the major conventions in your discipline in terms of organisation patterns typically used. What often differentiates one thesis from another is the placement of the Literature Review in relation to the Introduction, and the Recommendations for Future Research in relation to the Conclusion. For example, the Literature Review can often be found within the Introduction chapter in Humanities, MPLS and Medical subjects, but may appear as a standalone chapter in the Social Sciences.
In the hard sciences (MPLS and Medicine), we sometimes find that the Conclusion can be quite brief, with most of the concluding content incorporated into the Discussion chapter. In some cases, the Conclusion chapter may be only a few paragraphs long, followed by a separate chapter dedicated to Future Research.
Let’s consider the different organisational patterns that are typically seen by students in different Oxford disciplines. The resources below outline five common organisational patterns found in dissertations and theses written by Oxford students. Some are more aligned with Social Science research, while others are better suited to Natural Science studies. Remember, however, that these are generic disciplinary patterns; you should still review examples from your own department to understand how they conform to, or differ from, these structures.
Here are three examples of Oxford Tables of Contents:
Reviewing Organisational Patterns in Your Discipline
When reviewing organisational patterns from previous dissertations or theses in your field, consider the following questions:
- Which generic pattern reviewed above is closest to the theses or dissertations in your field?
- How specifically does the structure of those theses or dissertations deviate from the generic pattern?
- Where are the literature reviews located, and are they presented as a standalone section or chapter, or incorporated into the introduction?
- Does the conclusion chapter follow directly after the discussion? Is the recommendations for future research section presented as a separate section or chapter?
