All dissertations come up with a structure and format that are easily recognized, even though no format and structure have been prescribed for them. The University of Queensland (2011) requires a theoretical dissertation to take the following format.

-          Title page;

-          Statement of sources;

-          An abstract;

-          Table of content;   

-          A list of diagrams and illustration (if they are more than 10);

-          The main text;

-          Sources;

-          Appendices.

Although this format has included the main text, it has left out how this part should be structured. The writer is left to decide on how this part will be structured, even though this is considered as the most essential part of the dissertation (University of Leicester, 2011).

            Theoretical dissertation, however, will take a decidedly different structure from other dissertations when it comes to the main text. Several aspects of a dissertation likely to feature in this part include assumptions, which are considered challenging, and common beliefs (Locke, 2011) while broad issues are also included in this part. Different sub-headings are required to ensure that the message being passed is clear and can easily be obtained. The structure of a theoretical thesis also depends on the plot of the thesis. Direction taken by the thesis is extremely powerful and can only be obtained after analysis of data has been performed (Locke, 2011).

            Several aspects of the thesis can either be included or excluded after data analysis has been performed. Another important thing that a research should put in mind is the length of the dissertation. A well-structured dissertation will only constitute the most salient parts, and thus saving the reader the hustle of reading things that contribute little to the outcome of the dissertation (Locke, 2011). The main text is the most valuable part of the dissertation; thus poor structure in this part is likely to cause a serious problem to the reader.  

References      

University of Queensland. Deciding on your structure. 2011. 16 2 2012 <http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/phdwriting/phlink12.html>.

Locke, John. Organizing the LiteratureReview based on theTheoretical Framework. Presentation. NY: ISBN, 2011.

University of Leicester. Doing a theoretical/ library dissertation. 2011. 16 2 2012 <http://www2.le.ac.uk/Members/mh64/research-methods/doing-a-theoretical-library-dissertation>.