Thesis
Thesis & Dissertation
Research timeline, chapter tracker, literature matrix and a monthly writing tracker.
- Research Timeline1 page
- Chapter Tracker2 pages
- Literature Review Matrix6 pages
- Writing Trackerevery month
Study
Dissertation Planner for your thesis, chapter by chapter
A thesis and PhD planner with a research timeline, chapter tracker, literature review matrix, a monthly writing tracker, supervisor meeting notes and project pages.
A dissertation planner with a research timeline, a chapter tracker with word counts and supervisor feedback, a literature review matrix, a monthly writing tracker, project planners and 24 meeting-note pages for supervisor meetings, plus goals and monthly reviews. It starts this month and runs for 12 months by default.
- 146 linked pages in the sample
- Free preview before you pay
- $12 once, or unlimited on Pro
Real pages from this dissertation planner
Rendered by the same engine that builds yours, in the Dark Academia theme for iPad portrait.
What's inside
The pages, section by section.
Each section gets its own side tab. You can switch any of them off, or add sections from other planners, in the builder.
Work
Projects & Meetings
Project planners and meeting notes.
- Project Planner8 pages
- Meeting Notes24 pages
Goals
Goals
Goal planners, vision board and reviews.
- Vision Board1 page
- Goal Planner4 pages
- Quarterly Reset4 pages
- Year in Review1 page
Review
Monthly Reviews
A reflection page at the end of each month.
- Monthly Reviewevery month
Plus the linked calendar every planner has
Cover and contents · 2 pages
A cover with your name and a linked contents page that every tab returns to.
Year overview · 1 page
The whole year on one page. Tap any date to open it.
Year goals · 1 page
Your goals and their milestones in one place, filled in by the AI if you use it.
Monthly calendars · every month
A month grid with a focus list and notes. Every date links to its day or week.
Weekly pages · every week
One page per week with your weekly goal actions and priorities.
Notes · 20 pages
Lined, dotted, grid or blank pages. You choose how many, up to 100.
The sample above comes to 146 pages over 12 months. Yours changes with the months, sections and notes pages you choose.
Who it's for
Who reaches for this one
- Undergraduate and master's students writing a dissertation
- PhD candidates planning a thesis
- Researchers writing a long report or book
AI goal planning
Goals people plan with it
Type a goal like one of these and the AI breaks it into a milestone for each month and a small action for each week, then prints them on your month and week pages. You read and edit every line before you download.
Your goal
Submit my dissertation by May
12 monthly milestonesWeekly actionsA motto each monthYour goal
Write 500 words every weekday
12 monthly milestonesWeekly actionsA motto each monthYour goal
Finish the literature review by March
12 monthly milestonesWeekly actionsA motto each month
Guide
How to use a dissertation planner
A dissertation is a long project with a fixed deadline and many moving parts: reading, data, chapters and supervisor feedback. A dissertation planner breaks it into chapters and months, and keeps a steady record of how much writing actually gets done.
Sketch the timeline backwards
On the research timeline, write each phase on a row (proposal, ethics, data collection, analysis, each chapter, editing) and shade the months it should run, working back from submission.
Set a target for every chapter
The chapter tracker has a target and current word count, a stage (outline, draft, revised, final), supervisor feedback and a due date for each chapter.
Build a literature matrix as you read
For each source, note the author and year, method, key findings and which chapter it belongs in. Writing the literature review is much faster from a matrix.
Track writing every day
The monthly writing tracker has rows for words written, hours writing and reading, plus a grid where each square is 1,000 words.
Prepare for supervisor meetings
Use a meeting notes page before each meeting for your questions, and after it for the actions you agreed.
Review monthly
Compare the month's writing with the timeline. If a phase is slipping, move it now, not in the final month.
What to include in a dissertation planner
A thesis planner needs to show the whole project and the daily writing that moves it forward. This one includes:
Calendar
Weekly and monthly pages
Dated month calendars from the month you start and a weekly page in vertical columns for every week, with your goal actions. It runs 12 months by default; choose 18 for a longer project.
Thesis
Thesis & Dissertation
A research timeline, two chapter trackers, six literature review matrix pages and a writing tracker for every month.
- Research Timeline · 1 page
- Chapter Tracker · 2 pages
- Literature Review Matrix · 6 pages
- Writing Tracker · every month
Work
Projects & Meetings
Eight project planners for phases like data collection, and 24 meeting-note pages for supervisor meetings.
- Project Planner · 8 pages
- Meeting Notes · 24 pages
Goals
Goals
Goal planners, a vision board and quarterly resets for milestones like the proposal, first full draft and submission.
- Vision Board · 1 page
- Goal Planner · 4 pages
- Quarterly Reset · 4 pages
- Year in Review · 1 page
Review
Monthly Reviews
A monthly review to check progress against the timeline.
- Monthly Review · every month
Every section can be switched off in the builder, and sections from other planners can be added.
Digital vs printable dissertation planner
A digital dissertation planner sits on the same tablet as your PDFs and reading, so you can note a source in the literature matrix while you read it. It works well on e-ink tablets for long reading sessions.
A printable version suits people who want the timeline and chapter tracker on the wall above the desk. Print those on A4 or US Letter and keep the rest digital.
- Digital sizes
- iPad portrait, iPad landscape, Android portrait, Android landscape, E-ink
- Printable sizes
- A5 print, A4 print, Letter print, Half letter
An example week in a dissertation planner
One goal, followed through a single week. The milestone and weekly actions are the kind of lines the AI goal step writes onto your month and week pages; the daily notes are what you add by hand.
Goal
Write 500 words every weekday
Milestone for January
Literature review chapter at first-draft stage
This week's actions
- 500 words before lunch, Monday to Friday
- Add five sources to the literature matrix
- Send the draft outline to my supervisor
- Monday620 words. Writing tracker updated; coloured the first square of the month.
- Tuesday410 words. Added three sources to the matrix, tagged for chapter 2.
- WednesdaySupervisor meeting. Notes: narrow the second theme. Two actions written down.
- Thursday550 words. Chapter tracker: chapter 2 at 3,200 of 8,000 words.
- Friday500 words. Week total 2,080. Outline sent to supervisor.
Formats
Download it for your device.
Every format is included in the price. Switch between them and download again whenever you like.
iPad — Portrait
GoodNotes, Notability, Noteshelf, Xodo, Collanote, ZoomNotes
iPad — Landscape
GoodNotes, Notability, Noteshelf, Xodo
Android tablet — Portrait
Samsung Notes, Penly, Flexcil, Xodo, Noteshelf
Android tablet — Landscape
Samsung Notes, Penly, Flexcil, Xodo
E-ink tablet
reMarkable, Kindle Scribe, Boox, Supernote
Printable — A5
Print at home or at a print shop, fits A5 binders
Printable — A4
Print at home on standard A4 paper
Printable — US Letter
Print at home on US Letter paper
Printable — Half Letter
Fits Happy Planner classic and half-letter discs
Theme
Starts in this look.
Dark Academia
Dark mode with warm brown leather and old-library gold.
Prefer something else? Pick from 13 themes, including dark mode and an e-ink theme, and change the accent colour.
See all themesDoes it work for a PhD?
Yes. Choose 18 months for a longer stretch, or build a new planner each year. The literature matrix, chapter tracker and supervisor meeting notes work for any length of thesis.
Can it help with referencing?
It isn't a reference manager. The literature review matrix is for planning: who said what, which method, and which chapter it belongs in. Keep full references in a tool like Zotero or your university's recommended software.
Is there a free dissertation planner?
You can build this dissertation planner and flip through every page in your browser for free, with a watermark. The tabs and links work in the preview, so you can check the layout before you pay. The clean PDF is $12 once, or included in Pro at $49 a year for unlimited planners. There is no free download of the full planner.
Does it work with GoodNotes, Notability, Samsung Notes and e-ink tablets?
Yes. Download the iPad size for GoodNotes, Notability, Noteshelf, Xodo, Collanote or ZoomNotes; the Android size for Samsung Notes, Penly, Flexcil or Xodo; or the E-ink size for reMarkable, Kindle Scribe, Boox and Supernote. The links work in any app that follows PDF links, usually in read mode rather than pen mode. Every size is included in the price.
Can I print the dissertation planner?
Yes. Choose A5, A4, US Letter or Half Letter in the builder for a printable PDF with a wider inner margin for hole punching. Printable and digital sizes come with the same purchase, so you can use the dissertation planner on a tablet and print the pages you want on paper.
When does the dissertation planner start, and how long is it?
It starts in the current month and runs for 12 months by default, so you don't pay for months that have already gone. In the builder you can choose any start month and year, a length of 3, 6, 12 or 18 months, and Monday or Sunday weeks. Or switch to undated and write the dates in yourself.
Does the AI fill in the dissertation planner for me?
Only the goal parts, and only if you want it to. Type up to six goals and the AI writes a milestone for each month and a short action for each week onto your month and week pages, plus a motto for each month. You can edit every line before you download. Everything else, from the calendar pages to the trackers, is yours to fill in by hand. You can try it 3 times a day without an account.
How many pages is the dissertation planner?
With the default settings it comes to about 165 pages. That includes 12 month pages, 53 weekly pages, the Thesis & Dissertation, Projects & Meetings, Goals and Monthly Reviews pages and 20 notes pages. Switching off daily pages or sections makes it shorter, and the builder shows the total as you change things.
Make it yours in about a minute.
Set your dates, device and goals, flip through the preview free, and pay only when it's right.
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