Dissertation and research project Gantt chart template
A master’s or honours dissertation usually takes one or two semesters; this template plans one in 19 weeks, from research questions to submission. It allows three weeks for the literature review, four for ethics approval, about four for data collection and one for supervisor feedback, the stages that most often run late. A PhD thesis uses the same structure over years.
- Proposal
- Topic & research questions
- Literature review
- Methodology
- Proposal approved
- Research
- Ethics approval
- Data collection
- Data analysis
- Writing
- Draft chapters
- Supervisor feedback
- Revisions
- Submission 🎓
This is the actual template. Durations count working days; weekends are skipped. Drag any bar to reshape it once it’s open.
When to use it
- Your department wants a Gantt chart in the dissertation proposal or research plan.
- You have one semester and want to check that ethics, fieldwork and writing fit before you commit to a method.
- You supervise students and want them planning backwards from the submission date.
- A grant application or progress report on a small funded study asks for a timeline.
What’s in it
- 01
Proposal
Topic and research questions, a literature review of about three weeks, and methodology, ending at Proposal approved at the start of week five. The reading overlaps the other two because it shapes them: what you read changes the questions, and the questions decide the method.
- 02
Research
Ethics approval (four weeks), data collection (about four weeks), then analysis, which overlaps the end of collection so you can start cleaning or coding early data. If your study involves people, most universities won’t let you recruit or collect anything until ethics is granted, so this one bar holds up everything after it. Projects using only published or secondary data may need a lighter review; check with your department before deleting the bar.
- 03
Writing
Drafting starts around week 12, while analysis is still going, since the literature review and methodology chapters can be written early. Then a week for supervisor feedback, a week and a half of revisions, and Submission at about week 19. The three days between revisions and submission are for formatting, references and the upload rules, which always take longer than planned.
Adapting it to your project
Look up the ethics committee dates
Tell your supervisor the feedback week
Plan fieldwork around your participants
Start from the deadline
Questions
What goes in a dissertation Gantt chart?
The main stages with dates: topic and research questions, literature review, methodology, proposal approval, ethics approval if you need it, data collection, analysis, drafting chapters, supervisor feedback, revisions and submission. Many departments also want key meetings and deadlines shown as milestones.
How long does it take to write a dissertation?
It varies by level and country. Undergraduate and master’s dissertations usually take one or two semesters, roughly three to nine months, which is where this 19-week template sits. A PhD thesis typically takes three to four years full-time, or longer part-time. Your programme handbook is the best guide.
How do I get the Gantt chart into my proposal document?
Export it as a PDF. It fits one A4 page, portrait or landscape, and it’s vector, so it stays crisp when printed. Word, Google Docs and LaTeX can all include a PDF page as a figure or appendix.
Related
Start your research project plan
Open it, drag the bars onto your real dates and rename anything that doesn’t fit. Sign up when you want to keep it.