Doctoral thesis projects are expected to make a significant contribution to knowledge in the Ph.D. candidate's field. Because the definition of what constitutes significance may prove subjective, part of the dissertation is devoted to reviewing the existing literature on the topic and establishing that the current approach will fill an important gap.
Excepting creative writing or arts projects, all doctoral theses contain the following six components: introduction, literature review, methods, findings, analysis and bibliography. The introduction presents the topic and research question to an audience of intelligent non-experts. The literature review establishes the history and significance of the problem. The methods section outlines how the research will be conducted, and the findings section presents the results of the research. The analysis section presents the researcher's interpretation of the findings, and the bibliography lists all works cited in the thesis.
Appropriate methods for completing doctoral research vary depending on the field of study. Quantitative methods, favored by scientists, result in empirical data. Examples include laboratory experiments or gathering census data. Qualitative methods, such as those favored by cultural anthropologists, focus on gathering more overtly subjective information through techniques such as interviews, focus groups or ethnography. Doctoral theses in the humanities utilize methods such as close-reading and semiotic analysis.
Structurally, a doctoral thesis begins with an introduction and literature review. For quantitative and qualitative dissertations, the subsequent chapters follow a basic outline of methods, findings and analysis. Humanistic projects are organized more individually based on groupings of similar content. The graduate school sets stylistic guidelines for the final presentation of the thesis, which must be strictly followed.