How to write an chemistry dissertation

The writing of a chemistry dissertation follows after the proposal has been approved by the dissertation committee. Thus, at this point the committee members have already approved the topic chosen by the student, as well as the methodology required in undertaking the study. The structure of the chemistry dissertation should be comprehensive enough to cover the main elements of a chemistry research undertaking. Generally, a chemistry dissertation must be broad in scope and content; and should discuss the approved topic quite extensively. Structurally, a chemistry dissertation should include two main sections, which are as follows: (a) the front matter and (b) the body of the dissertation. The front matter of the chemistry dissertation must include the following:

signature page
the title page
acknowledgements
table of contents
list of tables and illustrations

On the other hand, the body of the dissertation must include the following elements:

introduction
literature review
methodology
results
discussion
conclusion
references or bibliography
appendices

A. Front Matter

The front matter has the following elements:

The Signature Page

The signature page is also called the approval sheet and consists of the title of the chemistry dissertation; the names of the dissertation committee members including their respective signatures and the dates when they approved the dissertation. This should, however, follow the required format given by the student’s institution.

The Title Page

The title page contains the title of the chemistry dissertation which is the same as the title of the proposal. It should be specific and to the point; and must represent the topic and body of the chemistry dissertation. Moreover, the most important words should appear toward the beginning of the title. For example, if the topic of the chemistry dissertation revolves around enzyme kinetics, an appropriate title would be something like “The Effects of a Low Activation Energy on the Rate of Pepsin Action” - which is clear, specific and to the point. The title page also contains statements about the copyright; which could be written as “Copyright 2008, Name of Student, or © 2008 Name of Student.

Acknowledgements

This section of the chemistry dissertation is an expression of the student’s gratitude to those people who, in one way or another, have assisted in writing the work. This may include an expression of gratitude to the review committee, to the dissertation advisor, or to institutions which facilitated the use of copyrighted chemistry materials. For example: ‘I would like to thank the following for inspiring me…”; I would like to express my great respect for …who has …”;or “I would like to extend my gratitude to (name of institution) for allowing the use of restricted / copyrighted chemistry materials…”

Abstract

The abstract is essentially the summary of the whole chemistry dissertation. It gives the readers a bird’s eye view of the chemistry dissertation by presenting the problem being investigated or analysed, the methodology used, the results gathered, the discussion of the results and the conclusions derived from the analysis and discussion of the findings of the study.

Table of Contents

This is a list of the elements that make up the whole chemistry dissertation with the corresponding number of the pages on which such elements specifically appear on the whole document. The table of contents can be automatically generated by a word processing program.

List of Tables, Figures and Illustrations

This list should provide the name number and title of each table, figure or illustration in the order it is shown or presented in the chemistry dissertation. Again, this can be automatically generated by a word processing program.

B. Body of the Dissertation

The following elements comprise the body of a chemistry dissertation:

Chapter 1: Introduction

The introduction of a chemistry dissertation offers the readers a background description of the chemistry problem that is being addressed in the study. This chapter also identifies the objectives of the study; and defines important terminologies. In addition, the introduction presents a brief description of all the remaining chapters of the dissertation.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

This chapter presents an evaluation of the available literature related to the chemistry dissertation topic. It provides a review of each scholarly work related to the dissertation topic, as well as an evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses. In addition, it shows how a particular study is similar to and how it differs from the others. This chapter also shows the gaps in literature and explains how the chemistry dissertation will be able to fill such gaps.

Chapter 3: Methodology

This chapter of the chemistry dissertation describes the methods used in conducting the research itself. Typically, the methodology consists of subchapters that describe the participants, the procedures and the limitations associated with the experimental methods.

Chapter 4: Results

This includes the presentation of the data gathered from carrying-out the procedures outlined in the methodology as well as the statistical treatment of the raw data when the methodology calls for its application. The results of a chemistry dissertation typically include the outcomes of various chemical reactions and mechanisms involved in the study, but do not include an in-depth analysis of the obtained data.

Chapter 5: Discussion

This section of the chemistry dissertation presents the evaluation and analysis of the results obtained within the context of the research questions and the statement of the problem which are explicitly stated in the introduction.

Chapter 6: Conclusion

This section draws the conclusions and main findings of the chemistry dissertation. It discusses whether or not the purpose and objectives of the study were achieved. This section also presents the limitations which negatively affect the validity of the findings. It also includes recommendations for further research.

References or Bibliography

An alphabetical list of references or bibliography follows the conclusion. A chemistry dissertation can either use a list of references or bibliography, depending on the requirements of the student’s institution. A list of references includes those sources such as chemistry books or journal articles that were actually used or cited in the dissertation. In contrast, a bibliography includes all chemistry literature that was consulted during the preparation of the dissertation, including those that were not actually cited.

Appendices

The appendices section should include those materials that are too long or look awkward to be placed within the main text of the chemistry dissertation, such as the survey or questionnaire used, complicated chemical diagrams, the whole periodic table, raw data, supporting statistical tables and graphs that are not used in the presentation and discussion of the results, etc.

In addition to covering the all the elements of the main sections of a chemistry dissertation, it should also be 100% original, wherein all sources should be properly cited within the text and listed in the references or bibliography. It should give particular focus on clarity, accuracy of information and good organization of ideas. Moreover, a chemistry dissertation is written for the scientific community and thus requires the presentation of ideas in a formal, academic tone.

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