Free to start · no card

Dissertation Tracker

A dissertation progress tracker that starts with the right chapters for your subject, tracks every chapter's word count against your hand-in date, and coaches you chapter by chapter. Free to start.

Start my dissertation tracker, freeHow it works ↓

🎓 A coach, not a ghostwriter: the writing stays yours.

An example of the tracker

Undergraduate dissertation · example

Social media use and sleep in first-year students

Complete

60%

Words

4,500

Due

Apr 30

  • IntroductionDone
    1,000 / 1,000
  • Literature reviewRevising
    2,300 / 2,500
  • MethodologyDrafting
    1,200 / 1,500
  • FindingsNot started
    0 / 2,500

Everything for your dissertation in one place

  • The right structure from day one

    Scientific, qualitative, themed chapters, literature-based or PhD by publication: your dissertation tracker starts with the chapters your subject expects.

  • Dissertation progress you can see

    Every chapter's status and word count, your overall percentage, and the words a day that get you to your hand-in date with time to revise.

  • Hand-in date to milestones

    Proposal, ethics, a first draft of each chapter, full draft to your supervisor, revisions and proofreading, all dated back from your deadline.

  • Bring your draft with you

    Import what you've written from Word or PDF into any chapter, keep notes and sources beside it, and download the whole dissertation as a PDF.

  • Plan and review each chapter

    Plan my Literature review, Methodology or Findings for your topic, then get coached feedback on your own draft against your university's rules.

  • An honest AI declaration

    An AI-use log records the help you used, so the AI declaration many universities now ask for takes a minute and stays truthful.

How it works

  1. 1

    Set up in a minute

    Tell us your title, degree, submission date, word count and how your dissertation is structured. We suggest chapters and a timeline back from your deadline.

  2. 2

    Write chapter by chapter

    Plan each chapter, write or import your draft, keep notes beside it and get coached feedback. Word counts and progress update by themselves.

  3. 3

    Share and submit

    Send your supervisor a private link for comments, keep an honest AI-use declaration, and download the finished work as a PDF or Word file.

Dissertation structures the tracker sets up for you

Dissertations look different in different subjects. Pick yours at setup and the tracker suggests the chapters and word split; rename, add, remove or reorder any of them later.

  • Scientific / data

    Sciences, psychology, business, education. You collect and analyse data. Starts with: Introduction, Literature review, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion.

  • Qualitative

    Interviews, focus groups, case studies. Your findings are themes. Starts with: Introduction, Literature review, Methodology, Findings, Discussion, Conclusion.

  • Themed chapters

    History, English, philosophy, law, arts. Each chapter argues one part of your case. Starts with: Introduction, First theme, Second theme, Third theme, Conclusion.

  • Literature-based

    No new data: a review and analysis of published research. Starts with: Introduction, Review methodology, Themes in the literature, Critical analysis, Discussion, Conclusion.

  • PhD by publication

    Mostly PhDs: your papers are the main chapters. Starts with: Introduction, Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3, General discussion, Conclusion.

  • Just one part

    Only working on one chapter, e.g. your literature review. Add more any time. Starts with: Literature review.

Free to start. Thesis Premium for the pro tools.

What the free dissertation tracker and Thesis Premium include
FeatureFreeThesis Premium
Chapters, word counts, timeline and milestones✓✓
Writing area with autosave, notes, and import from Word or PDF✓✓
Chapter plans, research structures and your university's handbook rules✓✓
AI-use log and declaration, PDF download✓✓
Projects at a time1Up to 10
Chapter coach: plans and draft reviews5 a day100 a day
Editable Word download—✓
Supervisor link: progress, drafts and comments—✓
Daily word target, writing streak, progress graph, meeting notes—✓
Start freeSee Thesis Premium prices

Dissertation Tracker FAQs

What is a dissertation tracker?

A dissertation tracker shows where your whole dissertation stands: each chapter's status and word count, your progress against the total, and dated milestones back from your hand-in date, so you can see early if you're falling behind.

Is this dissertation progress tracker free?

Yes. The free plan includes one dissertation with chapters, word counts, the timeline, the writing area, imports, notes, a PDF download, the AI-use log and 5 chapter-coach sessions a day. Thesis Premium adds up to 10 projects, 100 coach sessions a day, Word download, a supervisor link and progress tracking.

Is a dissertation the same as a thesis?

It depends on the country. In the UK and Australia a dissertation is usually an undergraduate or master's project and a thesis is a PhD; in the US and Canada it's the other way round. The tracker works the same for both and uses whichever word you choose.

Can I track only one chapter, like my literature review?

Yes. Choose "Just one part" at setup and the tracker starts with only that chapter. You can add the rest later if you want.

Can my supervisor see my dissertation progress?

On Thesis Premium you can send your supervisor a private link to your progress and milestones, and choose to let them read your drafts and comment on each chapter. Your notes always stay private.

Writing a master's or PhD thesis?

See the thesis tracker for long projects: PhD milestones, thesis by publication and up to 10 projects. Read more →

More for your dissertation: the dissertation timeline maker, thesis statement generator, research question generator, literature review generator and citation generator.

Keep going

Your next step

🧰 Browse all tools and exam plans

Free exam study plans: College & university tools · SAT & ACT Prep · SAT practice test · ACT practice test · PSAT practice test · GRE practice test · GMAT practice test · SAT study plan · ACT study plan · MCAT study schedule · LSAT study schedule · GRE study plan · NCLEX study plan · USMLE Step 1 study schedule · Revision timetable (GCSE, A-level)