Dissertation and Thesis Planner

Who this is for

A long piece of writing broken into chapters you can see the end of. List your own chapters, set a word target for each, record the words written, and the sheet works out how far through each one you are and how long is left.

Undergraduates and postgraduates writing a dissertation or thesis, and anyone working on a long report or extended project with a supervisor and a submission date.

What this helps you track

• The chapters as your own structure has them, not a template's
• The word target you set for each, and the words actually written
• How far through each chapter you are, as a percentage
• A deadline per chapter with the days left before it
• Supervision meetings: when they happened and what was agreed

How to use it

1. Write the working title, your supervisor and the submission date at the top.
2. List your chapters in the first table — the ones your project actually has, in the order you intend to write them.
3. Set a word target for each chapter so the targets add up to something near your total. These are your figures; nothing is suggested here.
4. Update the words-written column as you go. The percentage, the days left and the totals are worked out in the browser version and the workbook.
5. Record each supervision meeting with the date, what was discussed and what was agreed, so nothing depends on remembering a conversation.
6. Review the whole sheet at each meeting: the chapters furthest from their target are the honest agenda.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What if my word targets change?

They will. Change them — the percentages and totals follow. Keeping the targets current is more useful than defending the ones you set in the first week.

Does a percentage of words written mean the chapter is that finished?

No. It means that proportion of the words you planned exist. Redrafting can take a chapter backwards, and a complete chapter can come in short.

Why record supervision meetings here?

Because what was agreed in a meeting usually decides the next month's work, and it is easier to act on when it sits beside the chapter it affects.

Can I use it for something other than a dissertation?

Yes. Any long written piece divided into parts with word counts and deadlines — a report, a portfolio, a book — works the same way; call the chapters whatever you call them.