There are alternatives to writing a dissertation. One of these is a project study, or an applied study. Most students in advanced studies have a general idea of what a dissertation is, but fewer people know what a project study is. It is good to know the difference between a dissertation and a project study before you make the choice to pursue one or the other. If you have already chosen a project study, however, and are still not sure what it entails, this blog may help you.
Most of us know that a dissertation is an extended piece of research. A typical structure for a dissertation in the social sciences is five chapters: introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and discussion. A central feature of the dissertation is the research problem. The research problem is the impetus for conducting a study: there is inconclusiveness about a topic in the literature or a gap in our understanding of a phenomenon. The gap drives the research questions, which collect information to enhance understanding and justify the study.
The key difference between a project study and a dissertation is that a project study does not proceed from a research problem. The purpose of a project study is not to add to our understanding of research on a topic. A project study aims to solve an existing local real-world problem, which is why it is also called an applied study. The purpose of a project study is to collect information to help address an identifiable problem in a specific setting.
For example, low graduation rates at a high school could be the local problem. A project study would gather information to address this issue, resulting in an applied document with evidence-based solutions, like policy recommendations or program evaluations.