What Are The 8 Basic Differences Between A Thesis And A Dissertation?

It is amazing how many times we write about a thesis and a dissertation and use the two terms interchangeably. This is a mistake that happens so innocently, and most of the time it goes unnoticed. It is important to know that these two terms are different and refer to different things, irrespective of how much we use them interchangeably.

We will look into some of these differences herein and hope that in the long run you will be able to get some good work done in the process.

Thesis

  1. In most cases, you will realize that a thesis is aimed at revealing some research that has been done in a given field of study.
  2. These papers must always be composed of original ideas or subjects
  3. When you are working on this paper, you must have a hypothesis
  4. You must work alongside an advisor to help you get some good work done
  5. Must be supported by original research content that you have to collect on your own
  6. These papers also require a lot of evidence to back up claims, but they stress so much emphasis on the conclusive research instead of your opinion as an author
  7. Depending on your country, this is often the final project you write for your Masters’ degree
  8. This paper might only require you to provide your opinions based on different studies that you have undertaken

Dissertation

  1. These are supposed to set you on the right path towards getting the proper grades that you need to move from one study level to another
  2. These will in most cases contain information that you have collected over time and accumulated as a result of studies over time
  3. They are written further from your studies and therefore a hypothesis might not necessarily suffice
  4. The review for these papers will be done only once you have already completed it, and it will be done with one or more of your peers.
  5. These papers will be written in such a manner that you are the one that comes up with the original material
  6. These will need a lot of evidence to support your claims, but they normally focus more on opinions
  7. These will in most cases be delivered as a final paper for your doctoral degree
  8. This paper is entirely about the new knowledge that you are contributing to a given field as a professional