Literature Review

The literature review is important because you must show that you have researched the field to find out what has already been researched on your topic. Often the college or university will tell you exactly how man references you need in this section. If they don't, a rule of thumb is to include 20 or more references.  You will also describe the history of the topic, how it looks today and describes any specific points of view on the problem. 

Methodology

This section answers the question, "What method of research did you use to complete your project?"  In a PhD dissertation it is very important to include the factors that came into play with your methods. Did you use a questionnaire? How many people did you survey? How did you design the research? Any information as to how you went about the study of your research question will be written in this section. 

Conclusion

This section answers the question, "What did you find out?" You will include the information that you found and any conclusions that you have drawn from writing conducting your study. 

List of References

This is basically your reference list. Your college or university will let you know what type of references you need. Some will want just a standard Reference page and others will want an Annotated Bibliography. Be sure to check with them to see which one is most acceptable.  

Appendices

If you have any extra information like diagrams that don't really belong inside the body of the paper but you want to include them, they will go in the Appendix. Illustrations, tables or anything of this nature will go in this section. 

Now that you have the parts of your PhD dissertation, it is a good idea to find out how the professor wants you to write it. You will have to write within some type of style and there will be specific guidelines. As an example, if you are writing a paper in psychology, chances are your dissertation will need to be in APA style and it will be in 12 point, Times New.