Writing a Ph.D. thesis in law is not a doddle. It requires tremendous amount of dedication and effort. This is certainly an uphill struggle in your academic life. One has to go through several stages while writing it.
The one who may not be aware of the right guidelines may fall behind. However, if you know all the right steps to organize and write your impeccable thesis, then it would be less challenging.
The Right Way To Organize And Write Your Ph.D. Thesis In Law
Here is the right way to organize and write your Ph.D. thesis in law. Follow these simple yet effective steps to create a perfect document.
- Length
The length of a thesis generally should be above 60,000 words and must not exceed 80,000. However, the word limit should be 15,000 to 20,000 for a law dissertation. The words should be double-spaced or should have 1.5 spacing and they should be fully referenced. The law thesis writing experts recommends to exclude footnotes and bibliography in the final word count.
2. Structure
Following is the general structure for a law Ph.D. thesis:
- Title
Starting the structure with the first thing is the title which should clearly state the subject matter. Write the title in either a single phrase form or a short–long title.
- Abstract
The abstract comes right after the title. It is a summary of the purpose of your dissertation, the main hypothesis that is going to be tested, and questions that would be answered. The summary would further contain the overview of the material covered in the paper and the conclusion. The overall word count of the abstract would be about 200.
- Content
The content part should come right after the abstract. In this part, provide a list of the chapters and sub-headings with their page numbers. If you are going to add any tables, figures, and appendixes, list them too.
- Chapter
As every topic needs a unique approach, therefore, choose a structure that suits your subject matter the most. If having any sort of doubts regarding this segment, consult with your supervisor.
However, for a well-written dissertation, the chapter part should cover the following basic outline.
- Introduction:
- The chapter segment opens up with the introduction part. The introduction should be written in a way that grabs the attention of the readers and builds curiosity to hook them to the end
- The first sentence of the introduction is known as a hook sentence which should be clear, concise, and engaging
- One should state the primary issues of the dissertation in the introduction
- Also include the hypothesis that is going to be tested later and the questions addressed related to the hypothesis
- Describe what contribution your dissertation is making related to the issue
- Background:
- Before digging into the main subject matter, it is important to present the background information
- Define the important terminologies you’re going to mention later in the document
- Substantive Issues:
- The next part of your chapter segment is the discussion of the substantive issues that you would examine
- As you would discuss several substantive issues, therefore it is better to divide them into a few or more sub-chapters or parts
- It doesn’t matter whether the numbers of those sub-chapters are more or less. What matters is they should be logically divided, convey a clear meaning and ensures continuity
- Summary And Conclusion:
- The conclusion is one of the last parts that summarize all the findings of the main research
- Summarize all the previously mentioned conclusions in a coherent main conclusion
- Mention the contribution your dissertation is making toward the primary issue
- Appendices:
- This part is not a must but it can be pretty useful for the readers
- The appendices contain texts that can’t be easily included in the main body of the document. It includes detailed statistical data and details related to the interviews that were taken during the research process
- Bibliography:
- The bibliography contains the list of all the material you have used while crafting this dissertation
- You should list this according to the bibliographical guidelines provided by your university
- However, generally primary legal sources such as cases, official reports, parliamentary debates, etc. are listed first
- After that, secondary sources such as books and articles are mentioned
- How To Plan And Organize Your Dissertation?
Having great research skills would be handy for you to craft a great document. Below are the steps to plan and organize your dissertation:
- The first skill required is to be familiar with your online and library databases related to your law subject
- Make sure the topic you choose is significant, interesting, and practical enough to complete within eight months
- Make sure to design your research to stay more productive
- Stick to the plan you have designed for your research
In case, you experience hardship while crafting this document, taking law assignment help from online services would be a blessing.
- How Should Be The Research Process?
You can keep the above format in your head while researching as this would create a mind map within your head. The following activities are required to complete the research process.
- Read all the primary and secondary sources you included in your plan
- Be aware of all the major controversies that would affect the development of your document
- Gather and analyze the data from your both sources. Note down roughly in your journal as they would be handy during writing
- Writing
Writing is something you should be doing throughout your journey to craft the dissertation. You should write in bits and parts to document your research. However, once your research is executed, create your first draft, proofread it and create the final draft for your submission.
Final Words
And with that, we elaborated on the right way to organize and write your Ph.D. thesis in law. We described the appropriate length, structure, the way to plan and organize the document.
You must be also familiar with how your research process should be and the writing process. Follow the above methods and tips to craft the best document for your academic journey.
