A dissertation and a journal article are two different kinds of academic reports. A dissertation is more focused on the in-depth study of a research subject or an issue. Whereas the journal article is just an informative sheet of the paper that describes what the research is and the results obtained. Hence, both documents are completely different. Many PhD students remain confused about their differences. It is exactly why in today’s article, we will discuss dissertation vs journal article. Yes, in this article, you will find a comparison of both important academic documents. Before that, let’s define both of them.
What is a dissertation?
A dissertation is defined as a research-extensive academic document that is long and discusses a research subject in detail. Such an academic document allows the students to present the research findings that they have obtained after studying the research topic. Submitting this document is necessary to get a PhD degree. A dissertation is probably the most complicated and longest piece of writing. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills.
What is a journal article?
An academic journal is a piece of research that is usually short and scientific in nature. This academic document is first submitted to a journal, and upon review, the journal publishes it. Normally, a journal article is written by experts in a field. A research or journal article usually contains the central question or idea. There are generally two types of journal articles, e.g., qualitative and qualitative. Hence, this is what a journal article is.
Differences between a dissertation and a journal article
After reading the information above, you now have a good idea of what a dissertation is and what a journal article is. Now, let’s explain dissertation vs journal article. It means it is time to discuss the differences that exist between these two academic documents. Hence, a brief description of the differences is as follows:
The difference in the purpose
The first difference that lies between a journal article and a dissertation is known as the difference in purpose. Yes, whenever you study dissertation vs journal articles, the first thing that comes to mind is the purpose of both documents. The purpose of a dissertation is just to demonstrate knowledge about a field. It shows that you have considerable knowledge about your research field. On the other hand, the purpose of a journal article is different. The main aim of this paper is to advance knowledge.
The difference in audience
Another difference that exists between a dissertation and a journal article is the difference in the audience. The dissertation is more academic, and its audience is also academic. Mostly, the top academicians, professors, and the people who evaluate it are its audience. In contrast, the audience of a journal article is the individuals who are seeking information on your topic. They could be scientists, seasoned researchers, or the general public.
The difference in length
When you are discussing a dissertation vs journal article, it is not possible that the length does not come into your mind. The length of both academic documents is the ultimate difference that exists between them. The length of a dissertation is too much. Normally, the word count of a dissertation is more than 25000. Whereas the word count of a journal article does not exceed 4000 words. Hence, it is way shorter in length.
The difference in the abstract
The 4th difference that lies between a dissertation and a journal article is the difference in the abstract. The abstract of a dissertation is relatively longer and discusses things in depth. The normal length of the dissertation’s abstract is 300 to 350 words. On the other hand, the abstract of a journal article is shorter than the one discussed previously. The normal length of a journal article’s abstract is 150 to 200 words.
The difference in the introduction
The introduction section is the section where you discuss what the problem is and what its significance is. A huge difference also exists between the introduction sections of both academic documents. The dissertation’s introduction chapter is very much detailed and goes in-depth about the problem. On the other hand, the introduction of a journal article is pretty small in length and is only aimed at explaining the problem or issue to the audience.
Final Thoughts
In this guidepost on dissertation vs journal articles, we have learned the differences that exist between these two important academic documents. Both have too many things different to each other. Some of the top differences are mentioned above. Therefore, before you attempt to write one of them, know the differences.
Author Bio
This article is written by Jonathan Wills. He is an experienced academic writer at Theacademicpapers.co.uk. Currently, he is working as the Senior Academic Writer and has been on this post for more than 2 years now. Furthermore, he provides different services like custom dissertation writing services, dissertation topic selection topic help, and dissertation editing services at the company mentioned above.
