Purpose Statement – How Does It Differ In Journal Articles And Dissertations?

Purpose statement – an important and very effective part of any research. This statement is not just a statement consisting of a couple of sentences. It is a statement that captures your reader’s attention. Together with the research questions and problem statement, this statement makes your dissertation or journal article complete. So, do you know how to write these important couple of sentences? Do you know the differences you have to keep in mind when writing this statement in a journal article or a dissertation?

It is very strange to hear that you are totally unaware of the answers to these questions. However, worry not because today’s article is here to give you an idea of writing this statement. I will describe the difference between writing this statement in a journal article and a dissertation. Along with this, there will also be a mention of the steps you need to follow when writing this statement. So, let’s get started with today’s discussion.

What is a purpose statement? Explain with importance?

A purpose statement or sometimes called a statement of purpose is a part of the bigger picture called alignment. It is a declarative statement where you make sure that all parts of your study are going in the right direction and are leading to the research question answers. It is important to note that mentioning the research methods is another key part of this statement. Hence, a comprehensive definition of a purpose statement is as follows:

“A statement which guides the research process, describes the expected outcome, and explains the means for collecting data related to the research problem is called statement of purpose.”

As far as the importance of this statement is concerned, keep in mind that this statement sets the path for your research. It tells you how to move forward and achieve the research aims and objectives and answer the research questions.

Differences in purpose statements of journal articles and dissertation

After reading the information above, you have got a good idea of the meaning of this statement and its importance in research. However, writing this statement takes some skills. The reason is that it follows a structure and way of writing in the case of journal articles and dissertations. There exists some differences that you must know before writing this important statement. Hence, a brief description of those differences is as follows:

Length of statement

The first difference lies in the length of the statement. The purpose statement is often a half page in length in a dissertation. It means it could be somewhere between 200 to 300 words. This much length is necessary because a dissertation is a lengthy writing project and takes a lot of struggle to write. However, in the case of a journal article, the length is shorter than the dissertation. As the number of pages on a journal article is limited, so the length of the purpose statement should not be more than 100 to 150 words. You can also get masters dissertation help if you don’t know the exact length of purpose statement.

The difference in components

In a journal article, the researcher does not go deep into this statement. He just states the purpose and scope of the article, and that is it. A deeper explanation of the purpose is related to the dissertation. The researcher here explains the four following components:

• The motivation that drives you to write this dissertation
• The importance of the research that you are planning to carry out
• The research questions that you are going to address 
• List of methods you are going to apply to answer the questions

The difference in the focus

The focus of the purpose statement is very important when writing it. As an article of 10 to 15 pages, the journal article focuses only on the main points and lets the readers know those points. You can say that the statement of purpose of an article is its crux. At the same time, the focus of this statement in the case of a dissertation is not narrow. It talks about the purpose, scope, and research methods in detail and broadly. A statement of purpose in a dissertation focuses on explaining the objectives of the dissertation.

Steps for writing a good purpose statement

Knowing the differences in the statements of purpose of journal articles and dissertations is not enough. You also need to know the most important steps that are required to write a good statement of purpose. Hence, a brief description of all the steps is as follows:

Be explicit about your statement

You do not want your readers to wander around the dissertation and find the statement of purpose. Also, you do not want them to make assumptions about the purpose of your journal article. So, the first step in writing this statement is to be explicit. Start your statement with the statement, “The purpose of this study …” Following this way; you will be able to communicate the purpose of your dissertation or journal better.

Stay aligned

The second step is to stay aligned with your research when writing a purpose statement. What does the word alignment mean? It means that your statement must be in accordance with the research questions, the title of the dissertation, and the problem statement. Many students face difficulty in alignment. I recommend taking a blank page and writing the questions, title, and problem statement and then composing the purpose of the statement for such students.

Have a clear problem statement

Purpose and problem statements go hand in hand. In order to craft a compelling purpose statement, you must have a clear problem statement. The reason is that the purpose of your study is to explain the problem and research it. Therefore, the statement of purpose is dependent on the clarity of the problem statement.

Conclusion

You might have found it hard to compose a good purpose statement as a student. However, by reading the differences and the steps to writing this statement above, I assure you that you will not find yourself in a difficult position again. So, read the information above carefully and craft this most important statement.