Works applying for the status of a qualification for a doctoral degree have their own specifics. It consists in the fact that for their preparation respondents use materials accumulated over the entire period of a scientist’s career. In practice, this means large volumes and disparate character. Putting together a plan for a doctoral dissertation will help to tie this data together – an operation that promotes a clear organization of the work schedule of a doctoral candidate or applicant for scientific work. Planning in any activity brings tangible practical benefits, and scientific work cannot be called an exception either.

Doctoral Plan: Recommendations on the structure and design

When enrolling in the ranks of doctoral students, assistance in drawing up an individual plan can be found at your supervisor or consultant. However, many of them recommend that they show more independence, and therefore the design and justification of the points and subparagraphs of the doctoral dissertation plan becomes a great responsibility for the author of the work.

In its finished form, this document is a kind of table of contents layout, where the components of the report on the scientifically-scientific activity of the scientist are prescribed. Its general structure consists of the following items:

• introductions, which approximately describe the relevance and scientific significance of the disclosure of the topic, indicate approximate goals and objectives of the study;
• the main part, which, by highlighting sections and subsections, outlines the main areas of work within the dissertation;
• conclusion intended to summarize the study.

When preparing a doctoral dissertation plan on your own, examples of predecessors will help you navigate key points. But in any of the successful samples, the logic of presentation is visible: all parts of the plan complement each other, but in general the document gives the impression of completeness.

What must a doctoral dissertation plan include?

First of all, the object of study, the problem is described and the degree of its knowledge is considered. Based on the results of the work, a review article is written, which, if possible, is published in journals that meet the requirements of the Higher Attestation Commission.

The next stage is a description of the methodology planned for use, indicating the rationale for its choice. A separate publication can also be devoted to this item.

The following is a statement of a large-scale experiment, the results of which will become the basis for the substantial chapters of the dissertation. The main part, depending on the volume, will provide information for the preparation of several articles at once. The effect of applying the results of work in practice is the most valuable data for a doctoral dissertation, which may be the main evidence of the need for a study.