Final Dissertation Checklist: What to Do Before You Submit

Submitting your dissertation is a significant milestone, but before you hit “send,” there’s one final step to make all the difference: the final dissertation checklist. After months (or even years) of research, writing, and revisions, it’s easy to overlook small but crucial details that could impact your submission. The following checklist will walk you through everything you need to review and double-check before submitting your dissertation. From formatting and citations to final edits and submission requirements, it ensures your work is polished, complete, and ready to impress your committee. Let’s make sure nothing stands between you and a successful submission.

What is a Dissertation Checklist

A dissertation checklist is a comprehensive list of essential tasks, components, and formatting requirements that guide students through planning, writing, reviewing, and submitting a dissertation. It helps ensure that all necessary sections, such as the introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and conclusion, are appropriately developed and included. The checklist covers essential aspects like citation formatting, plagiarism checks, and final proofreading. Using a dissertation checklist, students can stay organised, meet academic standards, and submit a complete and polished dissertation on time.

Final Dissertation Checklist: Everything You Must Do Before Submission

1. Verify Structure and Formatting

Before you submit your dissertation, ensure that the structure and formatting strictly adhere to your university’s official guidelines. Even strong content can be penalised if formatting rules are not followed.

• Title Page: Verify that it includes the full title of your dissertation, your full name, degree type (e.g., PhD), department or faculty, the name of your university, and the submission date. Ensure everything is centred, capitalised where required, and free from typos.

• Abstract: This summary (typically 250–350 words) should clearly explain your research purpose, methodology, significant findings, and key conclusions. Write it last, but ensure it accurately reflects your whole dissertation.

• Table of Contents: Should be auto-generated using Word or LaTeX, with all chapter titles and subheadings correctly listed and linked to accurate page numbers. Update the table before submission to reflect final edits.

• List of Figures and Tables: Include separate lists for figures and tables, with titles and page numbers matching what appears in the main text. Ensure consistency in formatting and naming.

• Chapter Organisation: Your dissertation should follow a logical, standard academic structure, typically Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. Use consistent chapter titles and numbering.

• Page Numbers and Headings: Insert page numbers in the proper position (usually bottom centre or bottom right). Heading styles must follow institutional requirements and should be consistent across the document.

• Margins, Font, and Line Spacing: Confirm that all margins (often 1 or 1.5 inches), font size (usually 11 or 12-point), typeface (e.g., Times New Roman or Arial), and line spacing (commonly 1.5 or double-spaced) align with your graduate school’s formatting policies.

2. Review Content for Quality and Consistency

Your dissertation must demonstrate scholarly depth, originality, and internal consistency. Each section should contribute meaningfully to your research objectives.

• Introduction: Introduce the topic, define the research problem, explain the study’s significance, and state your research questions or hypotheses. A well-written introduction sets the tone for the entire dissertation.

• Literature Review: Demonstrates your understanding of the existing scholarship, highlights gaps your research addresses, and builds a conceptual framework for your study. It should be critical, not just descriptive.

• Methodology: Justify your research design, explaining why you chose specific data collection and analysis methods. Include sample size, tools used, ethical considerations, and potential limitations.

• Results: Present findings using clear tables, charts, and narrative summaries. Avoid interpreting results here; report them. Be honest about unexpected results or null findings.

• Discussion: Analyse and interpret your results, relate them to your research questions, and compare them with previous studies. Explain the implications of your findings and how they advance the field.

• Conclusion: Summarise the main findings, revisit the research objectives, acknowledge study limitations, and offer recommendations for future research or practice.

• Transitions and Flow: Ensure logical progression between chapters and within sections. Use clear transitions to help the reader understand how each part connects to the next.

3. Check Referencing and Citation Accuracy

Accurate referencing strengthens your academic integrity and protects against plagiarism. Minor citation errors can result in significant issues.

• In-text Citations: Verify that all in-text citations are correct, include all necessary details (author, year, page number if required), and match the reference list.

• Reference List: Every in-text citation must appear in your reference list, and the list must follow a consistent and correct format (APA 7, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, etc.).

• Citation Style Consistency: Choose one citation style and stick with it throughout the dissertation. Inconsistent referencing may confuse readers and affect credibility.

• Reference Management Tools: Using software like Zotero, EndNote, or Mendeley can help automate and organise citations. Be sure to review the final list for errors introduced by these tools.

• Visual and Data Sources: Any graphs, images, tables, or datasets borrowed from other sources must be cited with proper attribution and permissions if necessary.

4. Evaluate Language, Tone, and Clarity

Your dissertation should be professionally written, easy to follow, and without grammatical and structural flaws.

• Grammar and Spelling: Use proofreading tools and grammar checkers, but also manually review your work for contextual issues that these tools may miss. Consider peer review or professional proofreading.

• Sentence Structure: Avoid overly long or complex sentences. Aim for clarity, precision, and readability without dumbing down your content.

• Academic Tone: Maintain a formal tone throughout. Avoid colloquialisms, contractions, and overly personal language unless your discipline allows it.

• Technical Terms: Clearly define specialised vocabulary when it first appears. Do not assume the reader knows all the jargon, even if they are from your field.

• Voice: Use active voice where possible to make your writing stronger. Passive voice may be acceptable in some sections (like Methodology), depending on disciplinary norms.

5. Address Ethics and Institutional Requirements

All research involving people, animals, or sensitive data must comply with ethical standards. Failing to do so can jeopardise your degree.

• Ethical Approval: If your research involved human or animal participants, you must have institutional approval (e.g., IRB clearance). Include your ethics approval reference number in the appendix.

• Participant Consent: Ensure informed consent forms are on file and anonymised as required. These may be included as appendices if permitted.

• Data Anonymity and Privacy: Remove or mask all identifying information. Use pseudonyms or codes where necessary.

• Plagiarism Check: Run your dissertation through plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin. Make sure the similarity index falls within your university’s acceptable range.

• Research Data Storage: Your raw data must be stored securely per your institution’s data management policy. You may be asked to provide access during the examination.

6. Prepare for Final Submission

You’ve written, formatted, and reviewed your dissertation—now it’s time to wrap up the administrative side of submission.

• Supervisor Review: Submit the final draft to your advisor for feedback and final approval. Do not submit without their sign-off.

• Submission Guidelines: Revisit the university’s thesis submission checklist, and double-check formatting, file size limits, naming conventions, and submission platforms.

• Required Forms: Complete all necessary documentation, such as submission forms, plagiarism declarations, copyright statements, and embargo requests if applicable.

• File Format and Quality: Save your dissertation in the required format (e.g., PDF/A). Ensure all links work, fonts are embedded, and visuals display correctly.

• Backups: Keep several secure copies of your final dissertation in cloud storage, a USB drive, and an external hard drive.

• Submission Confirmation: After submitting online or in print, ensure you receive and save your institution’s confirmation receipt or acknowledgement.

Why do you need a dissertation checklist?

A dissertation checklist is an essential tool that helps you stay organised and focused during the final stages of your PhD journey. Here’s why it’s important:

1. Ensures Completeness: A checklist helps verify that every crucial component, such as title page, abstract, chapters, references, and appendices, is included and properly formatted according to your university’s guidelines.

2. Improves Quality: By systematically reviewing content, language, citations, and formatting, a checklist helps catch errors, inconsistencies, and omissions that could lower the quality of your work or delay approval.

3. Saves Time: Instead of scrambling at the last minute, a checklist provides a clear step-by-step plan to finalise your dissertation efficiently and confidently.

4. Avoids Costly Mistakes: Missing necessary ethical approvals, incorrect citations, or formatting errors can lead to rejection or the need for costly revisions. A checklist helps you avoid these pitfalls.

5. Reduces Stress: The final stage of dissertation writing can be overwhelming. A checklist breaks down the process into manageable tasks, giving you peace of mind that nothing critical is overlooked.

6. Boosts Confidence: Knowing you have thoroughly reviewed your dissertation using a structured checklist increases your confidence in submitting a polished, professional document.

Dissertation Checklist Sample

Dissertation Checklist for Phd Students 

FAQ

1. What is a final dissertation checklist?
A final dissertation checklist is a step-by-step guide to ensure all necessary components of your dissertation are complete, properly formatted, and meet your institution’s submission requirements.

2. Why do I need a dissertation checklist before submission?
A checklist helps catch overlooked errors, ensures compliance with guidelines, and gives you confidence that your work is polished and ready for evaluation.

3. What should be included in a dissertation checklist?
Key items include formatting requirements, citation and reference accuracy, grammar and spellcheck, title page correctness, table of contents, appendices, and adherence to submission deadlines.

4. Do I need to proofread my dissertation even if I used a spell checker?
Yes. Spellcheckers miss contextual errors, grammar issues, and formatting inconsistencies. Manual proofreading or hiring a professional editor is strongly recommended.

5. Should I have someone else review my dissertation?
Absolutely. A second set of eyes, whether a peer, advisor, or professional proofreader, can spot issues you may have missed.

6. How can I ensure my formatting meets university guidelines?
Refer to your university’s dissertation manual or formatting guide. Some institutions also provide templates or checklists specifically for formatting.

7. Do I need to check for plagiarism before submission?
Yes. Even unintentional plagiarism can be flagged. Use plagiarism detection software to verify originality and cite all sources correctly.

8. Is it necessary to include an abstract and acknowledgements?
Most institutions require an abstract; acknowledgements are usually optional but commonly included. Always check your university’s requirements.

9. What if I find a mistake after submission?
Contact your supervisor or academic office immediately if it’s before the deadline. Post-deadline corrections may not be allowed or may require formal procedures.

10. Can I submit a digital copy, or do I need to print my dissertation?
Submission formats vary by institution. Some accept digital-only, others require printed copies. Always verify the necessary format and number of copies in advance.