Writing a dissertation involves more than just demonstrating your expertise in your chosen field of study. It also requires using important skills, such as analytical thinking. Without it, developing sound theories, introducing arguments, or making conclusions would be impossible. And nowhere is this ability more prominently showcased than in writing comparative analysis dissertations.
Comparative analysis is a helpful method you can use to do research. Remember writing compare-and-contrast essays at school? It’s actually very similar to conducting this type of analysis. But it also has plenty of peculiarities that make it a unique approach. Keep reading to learn more about it!
What Is a Comparative Analysis Dissertation?
Comparative analysis boils down to studying similarities and differences between two or more things, be it theories, texts, processes, personalities, or time periods. This method is especially useful in conducting social sciences, humanities, history, and business research.
Conducting a comparative analysis helps you achieve multiple goals:
- It allows you to find parallels and dissimilarities between your subjects and use them to make broader conclusions.
- Putting two or more things against each other also helps to see them in a new light and notice the usually neglected aspects.
- In addition to similarities and differences, conducting a comparative analysis helps to determine causality—that is, the reason why these characteristics exist in the first place.
Comparative Analysis Types
Depending on your research methods, your comparative analysis dissertation can be of two types:
- Qualitative comparative analysis revolves around individual examples. It uses words and concepts to describe the subjects of comparison and make conclusions from them. Essentially, it’s about studying a few examples closely to understand their specific details. This method will be especially helpful if you’re writing a comparative case study dissertation.
- Quantitative comparative dissertations will use numbers and statistics to explain things. It helps make general statements about big sample groups. You will usually need a lot of examples to gather plenty of reliable numerical data for this kind of research.
There are no strict rules regarding these types. You can use the features of both in your comparative dissertation if you want to.
Possible Difficulties of Writing a Comparative Analysis Dissertation
As you can see, comparison is an excellent research method that can be a great help in dissertation writing. But it also has its drawbacks and challenges. It’s essential to be aware of them and do your best to overcome them:
- Your chosen subjects of comparison may have very little in common. In that case, it might be tricky to come up with at least some similarities.
- Sometimes, there may not be enough information about the things you want to study. This will seriously limit your choices and may affect the accuracy of your research results. To avoid it, we recommend you choose subjects you’re already familiar with.
- Choosing a small number of cases or samples will make it much more challenging to generalize your findings. It may also cause you to overlook subtle ways in which the subjects influence each other. That’s why it’s best to choose a moderate number of items from which to draw comparisons, usually between 5 and 40.
- It’s also essential that your dissertation looks different from a s high school compare-and-contrast essay. Instead, your work should be appropriately structured. Read on to learn how to do it!
Elements of Dissertation Comparative Analysis
Do you want your dissertation comparative analysis to be successful? Then make sure it has the following key elements:
- Context
Your comparative dissertation doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It has historical and theoretical contexts as well as previous research surrounding it. You can cover these aspects in your introduction and literature review. - Goals
It should be clear to the reader why you want to compare two particular things. That’s why, before you start making your dissertation comparative analysis, you’ll need to explain your goal. For example, the goal of a dissertation in human science can be to describe and classify something. - Modes of Comparison
This refers to the way you want to conduct your research. There are four modes of comparison to choose from: similarity-focused, difference-focused, genus-species relationship, and refocusing.
- Scale
This is the degree to which your study will be zooming on the subjects of comparison. It’s similar to looking at maps. There are maps of the entire world, of separate countries, and of smaller locations. The scale of your research refers to how detailed the map is. You will need to use similar scale maps for each subject to conduct a good comparison. - Scope
This criterion refers to how far removed your subjects are in time and space. Depending on the scope, there are two types of comparisons:
- Research Question
This is the key inquiry that guides your entire study. In a comparative analysis thesis, the research question usually addresses similarities and differences, but it can also focus on other patterns you’ll be exploring. It can belong to one of the following types, depending on the kind of analysis you want to apply:
Want to write your research question quickly and easily? Try our thesis statement generator! It has four modes depending on your type of writing, which helps it produce customized results.
- Data Analysis
Here, you analyze similarities, differences, and relationships you’ve identified between the subjects. Make sure to provide your argumentation and explain where your findings come from. - Conclusions
This element addresses the research question and answers it. It can also point out the significance of similarities and differences that you’ve found.
How to Write a Comparative Analysis Dissertation
Now that you know what your comparative analysis should include, it’s time to learn how to write it! Follow the steps, and you’ll be sure to succeed:
- Select the Subjects
This is the most critical step on which your entire dissertation will depend. To choose things to compare, try to analyze several important factors, including your potential audience, the overall goal of the study, and your interests. It’s also essential to check whether the things you want to discuss are sufficiently studied.
While you research possible topics, you may stumble upon untrustworthy AI-generated content. Unfortunately, it’s getting increasingly difficult to differentiate it from human-made writing. To avoid getting into this trap, consider using an AI detection tool. It provides 100% accurate results and is completely free. - Describe Your Chosen Items
Before you can start comparing the subjects, it’s necessary to describe them in their social and historical contexts. Without taking a long, hard look at your topic’s background, it would be impossible to determine what you should pay attention to during your research.
To describe your subjects properly, you will need to study plenty of sources and convey their content in your dissertation. Want to simplify this task? Check out our excellent free summarizer tool! - Juxtapose
Now, it’s time to do the comparison by checking how similar and different your subjects are. Some may think focusing on the resemblances is more critical, while others find contrasts more exciting. Both these viewpoints are valid, but the best approach is to find the right balance depending on your study’s goal. - Provide Redescription
Unlike previous steps, this one is optional. It involves looking at something for the second time after conducting the comparison. The point is that you might learn new things about your subjects during your study. They may even help shed light on each other (it’s called “reciprocal illumination.”) This knowledge will likely deepen your understanding or even change it altogether. It’s a good idea to point it out in your comparative case study dissertation. - Consider Rectification and Theory Formation
These two processes are also optional. They involve upgrading your writing and theories after conducting your research. This doesn’t mean changing the topic of you study. Instead, it refers to changing how you think about your subjects.
For example, you may gain some new understanding and realize that you weren’t using the right words to properly describe your subjects. That’s when rectification comes into play. Essentially, you revise the language used in your discussion to make it more precise and appropriate.
This new perspective may even inspire you to come up with a new theory about your topic! In that case, you may write about it, too. Usually, though, rectification is enough. If you decide to do it, feel free to use our paraphrasing tool to help you find the right words. - Edit and Proofread
After you’re done writing the bulk of your text, it’s essential to check it and ensure it passes the plagiarism check. After all, even if you haven’t directly copied other people’s texts, there may still be some percentage of accidental plagiarism that can get you in trouble. To ensure that it doesn’t happen, use our free plagiarism detector.
And this is how you write a comparative analysis dissertation! We hope our tips will be helpful to you. Read our next article if you need help with a literature review in a dissertation. Good luck with your studies!
