CC BY-NC-NDThis work is released under a CC BY-NC-ND license, which means that you are free to do with it as you please as long as you (1) properly attribute it, (2) do not use it for commercial gain, and (3) do not create derivative works.
This version Ross Woods, 2025.
Adapted from An Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods Ross M. Woods, 2025
Research articles and dissertations generally follow the same outline and their purposes are very similar; they both present a work of research according to academic standards. The question then arises: How are they different?
A dissertation may be up to 100,000 words, while most journal articles are between 6,000-8,000 words. Due to space constraints, the methodology section in a journal article is typically brief and focuses on the essentials, often referring readers to supplementary materials or previous studies for more details. In a dissertation, the methodology chapter must include extensive detail on research design, data collection methods, sampling strategies, instrumentation, and data analysis techniques. It also often includes longer sections on assumptions, limitations, and ethical considerations.
The dissertation must follow the style guide of the students' institution. The journal article must follow the style guide of the journal article. Consequently, if a students wants to submit part of a dissertion as a journal article, the document must be re-formatted.
The literature review in a PhD dissertation must be comprehensive and exhaustive, although institutions have different definitions of comprehensive and exhaustive.
This means that this chapter is often between 30 and 50 pages. In a journal article, space allows only the most relevant recent sources, so 15-20 sources in common. (The exception is that some journal articles consist only of a literature review.)
A journal article usually gives a more concise justification, and assumes readers have background knowledge. In contrast, a dissertation requires a strong theoretical framework and a justification for every methodological choice. For instance, the student needs to say or how the sampling method aligns with the research question, and why a specific statistical test was chosen. (Some supervisors might also require the student to give reasons why one test is preferable to other tests.)
Journal articles often focus on a single study or experiment with one primary method or statistical model. In a PhD dissertation, the methodology may involve multiple phases, such as pilot studies, more extensive data collection, or a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed methods research). Additionally, advanced statistical models like structural equation modeling (SEM) or hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) are more common.
Space limitations for journal articles mean that only the final version of the instrument and key validation results are typically shared. PhD students often create new instruments (e.g., surveys, tests). Consequently, the dissertation includes details about instrument development, validity testing, and reliability analysis (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha, factor analysis).
Journal articles often focus on results and implications, with detailed methodological materials available in supplementary files. In a dissertation, the methodology must be detailed enough for another researcher to replicate the study step-by-step. This often includes appendices with the full survey, codebooks, and data analysis scripts.
In a journal article, ethical considerations are usually summarized in a brief statement. Dissertations, however, might have a dedicated section on ethical approval, informed consent procedures, risk analysis, and how participant confidentiality was maintained.
In a journal article, data analysis is more streamlined, focusing on the results most relevant to the hypothesis. This contrasts with a dissertation, where the analysis often includes exploratory data analysis (EDA), assumption testing, and detailed discussions of effect sizes, confidence intervals, and post hoc analyses. It may also include a critique of the chosen methodology.
For this task, you will need a journal article and a dissertation that use similar methods. (Your instructor might provide them for you or ask you to find your own.)
Compare each part of the journal and the dissertation. In what specific ways are they similar? Why? In what specific ways are they different? Why?
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This work is released under a CC BY-NC-ND license, which means that you are free to do with it as you please as long as you (1) properly attribute it, (2) do not use it for commercial gain, and (3) do not create derivative works.