Plan, write and submit your dissertation week by week, as your own work
A project system for one of the biggest pieces of independent work you will do: a clear question, chapter word budgets, a back-planned timeline, a weekly pace check and a file for every next step.
- Dissertation Command Centre workbook: 11 sheets, from chapter plan and sprint log to literature matrix, supervisor log, feedback tracker and a traffic-light dashboard with 3 charts
- Word Budget and Timeline Calculator: chapter budgets, hours, back-planned milestones and a fits-or-not verdict at your real writing speed
- 5 fillable PDFs and 5 Word templates: question funnel, supervisor record, method and ethics worksheet, proposal, consent and data plan, 34 messages
- A 9,600-word guide with 21 figures following one student, Tom, through a 15,000-word dissertation
The Dissertation and Thesis System · Bodhih Pro Kits · 300 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do I plan a dissertation so I finish on time?
Narrow your topic to one answerable question, split your word limit into chapter budgets, measure your real writing speed, and back-plan milestones from the deadline while protecting three to four editing weeks. Then write in short, logged sessions and check your pace every Friday. The Dissertation and Thesis System from Bodhih Training gives you the workbook, forms and templates for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to plan a dissertation: timeline, word count by chapter and pace.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
The deadline feels far away until it does not
A dissertation is too big to hold in your head and too long to finish in a burst. Without weekly numbers, drift stays invisible until there is no time left to fix it.
A subject, not a question
Broad topics produce endless reading and data that cannot answer anything. Many students lose weeks before they notice the question has no edges.
Supervision that runs on luck
Meetings without agendas, feedback you cannot read the next day and actions nobody wrote down. Both sides end up frustrated.
Sixty PDFs and no argument
Highlighting is not recording. When it is time to write, the literature review becomes a list of summaries and every citation means reopening a paper.
Integrity worries in the age of AI
Rules on AI tools differ by university and module. It is easy to slip into using them in ways your policy does not allow, or to cite a source an assistant invented.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine it is a Friday afternoon in the middle of your dissertation. You open one dashboard and see, in a few seconds, how many words you have drafted against plan, how many you need each week from here, which chapter is at risk and what your supervisor is waiting for. Nothing is a surprise, because you have been looking every Friday.
As you log tonight's session on the Sprints sheet, notice how small it is: date, chapter, minutes, words. That minute is what lets the workbook show your real pace, and it is what lets you go into your next supervisor meeting with numbers rather than apologies.
When the first big batch of feedback arrives, you will already know what to do with it: type each comment into the Feedback sheet, mark what must be fixed first, and work from argument down to commas. When your interviews collide with extra shifts, you will have an if-then plan ready on a card.
Whether you start with the question funnel tonight or set up your Settings sheet tomorrow morning, the first hour is mapped for you, step by step, and every step names the file and the first thing to type.
21 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Dissertation and Thesis System (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: your dissertation map
Your first hour, your first week, every stage with the file to open, a 30/60/90-day plan and how to brand the templates in five minutes.
Dissertation Command Centre workbook
Settings-driven master workbook: chapter plan and word budgets, writing sprint log, weekly pace, literature matrix, supervisor log, feedback tracker, risk and ethics register, submission checklist and a dashboard with traffic lights and three charts.
Word Budget and Timeline Calculator
Turns your word limit, deadline and real writing speed into chapter budgets, hours, sessions, back-planned milestones and a fits-or-not verdict, with what-if scenarios.
Topic and research question funnel
Three-page fillable worksheet that narrows an interest into a focused, answerable, feasible research question, scores three versions and runs the 'so what' test.
Supervisor meeting record
Two-page fillable record for every supervision: preparation and agenda before, feedback and actions during, and the same-day summary after. One copy per meeting.
Methodology choice and ethics readiness worksheet
Three-page fillable worksheet: match your question to a method, check data, access and analysis, run an ethics readiness checklist and draft a six-question data plan.
Weekly writing sprint review
Two-page fillable Friday review: this week's numbers from the Dashboard, what worked, one change, next week's five sessions and if-then plans for likely obstacles.
Revision, submission and viva prep checklist
Three-page fillable checklist for the last weeks: revise in layers, run the submission checks, and prepare a four-sentence summary and answers to 20 typical viva questions.
Proposal, supervision agreement and chapter templates
A research proposal template with word guides, a one-page supervision agreement to discuss with your supervisor, and skeletons for all six chapters plus front and back matter.
Dissertation message library
34 ready-to-edit emails and messages for supervisors, participants and gatekeepers, university offices, peers, work and home, and the hard moments.
Participant information, consent and data plan templates
Ready-to-adapt participant information sheet, consent form, debrief and withdrawal note, and a seven-question data management plan, in plain words for your ethics application.
Worked example pack: Tom's 15,000-word dissertation
The kit's forms and sheets completed for one illustrative composite case, from question funnel and supervision agreement to word budget, matrix, ethics, sprint review, feedback triage, risks and the week-13 decision.
AI prompt pack for dissertation work
27 tool-agnostic prompts that make an assistant question and check your thinking, never write for you, grouped by stage, each with what to paste in and what to check, plus integrity rules and a use log.
Numbers that matter
The 14 numbers the Dissertation Command Centre calculates: plain-words definition, formula, where it lives and what to do if it moves.
Decision card and mistakes to avoid
12 if-then decisions for the moments dissertations go wrong, plus 13 common mistakes and what to do instead.
Referencing workflow quick reference
The five-step capture, check, note, cite and spot-check workflow, how the main referencing style families differ, what needs a citation, and when to quote, paraphrase or summarise.
Dissertation rules by country: correct at November 2026
Dated reference: contract cheating laws, similarity rules, research ethics frameworks, data protection laws and referencing editions for the UK, Ireland, Australia, India and the US, with where to check.
Wall planner and sprint cards (print pack)
Five printable pages: a 24-week wall planner, chapter word-budget thermometers, eight writing sprint cards, if-then and meeting prep cards, and a seven-day submission countdown.
24-week dissertation calendar plan
Milestones, fortnightly supervisor agendas and a Friday review every week for a 24-week dissertation. Starts Monday 11 January 2027; shift events in your calendar to match your own dates.
Dissertation task board (import file)
42 tasks with stage, week, the kit file to open and a 'done when' test, ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 21 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 70 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner
- Best for
- Bachelor's and master's dissertations, honours theses, capstone and research projects
A dissertation is a project you can manage
Why a dissertation is a project, the ten stages, how the tools fit together and the one rule that does not bend.
Choosing a topic and a question you can finish
The five-step question funnel from interest to a focused, answerable, feasible question, with Tom's and Priya's examples.
Working with your supervisor
Agendas, meeting records, same-day summaries and an action log that make supervision work for both of you.
The proposal, the word budget and the back-planned timeline
Turning a word limit into chapter budgets and a deadline into back-planned milestones that fit your real speed.
Reading with purpose: search, matrix and synthesis
Searching with a plan, screening fast, recording each source once in a matrix and synthesising by theme.
Choosing your methodology and getting ethics approval
Matching method to question, checking data, access and analysis, and preparing a clean ethics application and data plan.
Writing sprints: drafting chapter by chapter
Short, regular, logged writing sessions with if-then plans, and how Tom recovered from a three-week slump.
Analysis, findings and discussion
Organising findings by question, evidencing every claim and connecting each finding to the literature.
Referencing, integrity and AI
A capture, cite and check referencing workflow, academic integrity in practice, and where AI may and may not help.
Feedback, revision and submission
Logging and triaging feedback, revising from big to small, and submitting early after testing the portal.
The viva, the presentation and what comes after
Knowing your oral format, the four-sentence summary, predicted questions, rehearsal and what to do after submission.
Tom's twenty-four weeks
Tom's week-13 numbers, what he did next, and the three habits to keep.
Numbers that matter, in plain words
Plain definitions of the ten dashboard numbers, with Tom's values.
Six rules for AI in your dissertation
Six rules for using AI in a dissertation without breaking integrity rules.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
Start here
- Start here: your dissertation map (first hour, first week, every stage with the file to open, 30/60/90-day plan, Brand it in five minutes)
Workbooks
- Dissertation Command Centre workbook: 11 sheets including Settings, Plan, Sprints, Weekly Pace, Literature, Supervisor Log, Feedback, Risks and Ethics, Submission and a Dashboard with 18 metrics, traffic lights and 3 charts
- Word Budget and Timeline Calculator: 6 sheets (Start here, Inputs, Budget, Check, Milestones, Scenarios)
Fillable PDF forms
- Topic and research question funnel (3 pages)
- Supervisor meeting record (2 pages)
- Methodology choice and ethics readiness worksheet (3 pages)
- Weekly writing sprint review (2 pages)
- Revision, submission and viva prep checklist (3 pages, with 20 typical questions)
Word templates
- Proposal, supervision agreement and chapter templates
- Dissertation message library (34 emails and messages)
- Participant information, consent and data plan templates
- Worked example pack: Tom's 15,000-word dissertation
- AI prompt pack for dissertation work (27 prompts, integrity rules and a use log)
Cheat sheets
- Numbers that matter (14 numbers with formulas)
- Decision card and mistakes to avoid
- Referencing workflow quick reference
- Dissertation rules by country, correct at November 2026
Print pack
- Wall planner and sprint cards (5 pages: 24-week planner, word-budget thermometers, sprint cards, if-then and meeting prep cards, submission countdown)
Calendar and import
- 24-week dissertation calendar plan (54 events)
- Dissertation task board import file (42 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira)
E-book
- The Dissertation and Thesis System e-book: 10 chapters, 21 figures and Tom's worked example throughout
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- You will be able to turn a broad interest into a focused research question you can answer in your words and weeks
- You will be able to split your word limit into chapter budgets and check that your plan fits your real writing speed
- You will be able to run supervisor meetings with agendas, records and logged actions
- You will be able to record and synthesise sources in a literature matrix instead of a folder of PDFs
- You will be able to choose a method that fits your question and prepare a clean ethics application and data plan
- You will be able to see your pace every Friday and act on drift early
- You will be able to triage feedback, revise in layers and submit early
- You will be able to use AI tools only within your university's policy, and declare that use correctly
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Second Look: Research Integrity in Practice
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentStudy Skills & Learning Strategies
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentAcademic Reading Drill
Take the assessment →JobularyIf-then plans that make habits stick (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 2
Your supervisor guides; you lead. They will help you shape a question, point you to literature and methods, warn you about risks, read drafts within agreed limits, and tell you honestly whether work is on track. They will not set your weekly targets, chase you for drafts, fix your grammar line by line, or write any part of your dissertation. Most universities set out the responsibilities of both sides in a code of practice for supervision: find yours and read it once. It is usually shorter than you fear. The single biggest change you can make is to treat each meeting as a short, prepared working session with a written outcome. That is what the kit's supervisor tools are for.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | A blank Gantt chart template | Word budgets, measured speed and a fits-or-not verdict, with back-planned milestones |
| Progress tracking | A word-count goal in your head | A sprint log, weekly pace view and traffic-light dashboard |
| Literature | Folders of highlighted PDFs | A literature matrix that sorts into themes and a gap statement |
| Supervision | Advice to 'communicate well' | An agreement, meeting record, agenda and summary emails and an action log |
| Ethics | Generic advice | A readiness checklist, participant and consent templates, a data plan and a dated country sheet |
| AI and integrity | Silence, or tools that write for you | Clear rules, prompts that question rather than write, and a use log for declaration |
Made for you if…
- Undergraduates starting a final-year dissertation, project or honours thesis
- Master's students writing a 10,000 to 20,000-word dissertation, often alongside work
- Students who are already behind and want an honest picture and a recovery plan
- PhD students and early-career researchers who want a planning system for a single study or chapter
- Supervisors who want to give students a shared way to plan and report progress
- Student society officers running dissertation support sessions
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone looking for someone or something to write their dissertation: this kit teaches planning, method and writing, and never writes for you
- Students who need subject content or statistics tuition: pair this kit with your module materials and methods textbooks
- A full doctoral programme plan: the PhD Research Manager Kit covers multi-year doctoral work
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Make this the week your dissertation becomes a plan
Open the Start-here map, type three dates into Settings and log your first session. Whether you begin with the question funnel tonight or the calculator tomorrow, you will know your next step, and the work stays entirely your own.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
What buyers say
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Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
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Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
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Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The Dissertation and Thesis System: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkWill this kit write any of my dissertation?
No. It teaches planning, method and writing, and gives you tools to manage the project. Every word you submit must be your own. The AI prompt pack is designed so an assistant asks you questions rather than writing, and only within your university's policy.
How do I plan a dissertation timeline?
Start from the deadline and work backwards: keep three to four weeks for revision, add a buffer week, and set dates for ethics, data collection, analysis and a full draft. The calculator does the arithmetic and tells you whether the plan fits your real writing speed.
How many words should each chapter be?
Your handbook and supervisor decide. A common starting split for an empirical dissertation is about 10% introduction, 25% literature review, 15% methodology, 25% findings, 15% discussion and 10% conclusion. Type your own shares into the Plan sheet and the budgets update.
Does it work in my country?
The method works anywhere. The dated cheat sheet covers contract cheating laws, research ethics frameworks and data protection laws for the UK, Ireland, Australia, India and the US as at November 2026. Your university's regulations always apply, and laws change, so check the official sources.
Can I use this with my students or study group?
Yes, within your own teaching or study group under the personal licence, for example to run a planning session. Each student should use their own copy of the workbook. Department, society and multi-user licences are available from solutions@bodhih.com.
I am already behind. Is it too late?
Usually not. Enter what you have, read the pace ratio and the words needed per week, and run the Scenarios sheet. The Decision Card tells you what to change first, and the message library has an email for telling your supervisor early.
Do I need Excel?
No. The workbooks open in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice. The forms fill in any form-friendly PDF reader, and the Word templates open in Word or Google Docs.
How can I measure my starting point?
If you want a check before you begin, the AssessAll assessments Second Look: Research Integrity in Practice, Study Skills & Learning Strategies and Academic Reading Drill measure research integrity judgement, study habits and academic reading. They are optional and separate from the kit.
How do I turn this into a development plan?
Use your Friday reviews to pick one habit to build, such as a fixed morning session. Jobulary's guide to if-then plans shows how to make habits like that stick at work and in study.
Is the ethics and data content legal advice?
No. It is educational and helps you organise your application. Your ethics committee, your university's policies and your local data protection law decide what you must do.
How much does The Dissertation and Thesis System cost?
₹999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $29 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
