As part of my doctorate program I have run into several books which have provided some wonderful help and here’s a link to one of them.

Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation: Invisible Rules for Success

Here’s an excerpt out of the book which helps frame the idea of writing a dissertation.

At this time we have sufficient information to document our growing understanding of some of the differences and similarities between term papers and dissertations. In addition to the insights we have developed from these brief analyses, there are several other related issues which become noteworthy in our comparison.

Dissertation vs long term paper

• When writing a dissertation, you are expected to “break some new ground.” You are expected to contribute to the evolving knowledge base of a discipline through your dissertation. In a term paper you may explore
  some areas in depth; there is little need to determine if others have gone this route before. In fact, everyone in your class may be writing on the same topic. In writing your dissertation, you conduct an intensive data
  search, insuring that the project you are mounting is different from what has “already been done.” You will bring a new perspective. You will study with new lenses, becoming aware of different phenomena. Your study will contribute to the expanding literature in your field.
• When you write a term paper, you are aware of a professor’s biases and you probably deal with these in the writing of your paper. When writing your dissertation you have many more readers of your work—potentially
  readers with different, conflicting theoretical orientations. It will be essential for you to deal with this potential conflict, discussing competing theories and ideas. Ultimately, your interpretation of your data will need to reflect an understanding of multiple viewpoints.
• In contrast to your term papers, which probably drew on sources recommended by your professor, your dissertation will reflect your resourcefulness at identifying pertinent sources. In fact, in the process of
  writing your dissertation, you become the expert, in contrast to your term papers where your professor typically was more knowledgeable than you on the topic.
• A term paper is returned to the student, with no record of that paper remaining at the institution. Certainly it is not freely available to those within and outside the university. Your dissertation, however, will be available to the entire academic community through Dissertation Abstracts International and through Interlibrary loan, for example.
• It is very important to acknowledge that your relationships with the members of your dissertation committee will influence the progress you make. While a course has a fixed conclusion date, your dissertation does not.
• When writing term papers, you wrote independently. Writing your dissertation requires collaboration with your committee.
• A term paper is a one-shot deal, usually. You turn in the paper, it is read and evaluated, and sometimes returned with a grade and/or comments. With a dissertation, typically there are numerous drafts. No longer is it acceptable to get a passing grade or helpful comments. Now you need to respond to those comments. These remarks and questions become directions for improving your text, as well as guidelines for future drafts
  and future parts of your dissertation. Your dissertation is a work in progress. Your committee’s input seeks to promote the possibility of attaining some level of perfection.
• In contrast to a term paper, which usually must be completed within the time-frame of a one-semester course, your dissertation has no such time limits. One of the distinguishing characteristics of a dissertation is that it goes through multiple drafts before it finally receives the approval of the committee. In fact, frequently there is a “dissertation proposal,” which needs to be approved prior to the initiation of the dissertation research project. This proposal then serves as a start for the dissertation, which is revised to document the actual study.
• A dissertation is frequently developed chapter by chapter, or chapter part by chapter part, with the student gradually working towards completing the total document while receiving comments along the way. Term papers are usually submitted for evaluation in their entirety.
• While writing a term paper is a fairly private experience, with the professors typically being the sole readers of your paper, your dissertation becomes a public document. Others may engage you in conversation about
  your study. Those on your committee will talk with you about your work. Your program peers will talk with you about your progress and your findings. And you will identify conferences and journals sponsored by your professional organizations as settings where your ideas may be shared as well.
• Friends and associates outside of your program will ask about your progress in completing your dissertation. With little understanding of what it means to write a dissertation, their inquiries, while well-intentioned, may
  create unwanted pressure. The number of times they inquire about your dissertation will exceed the number of times when they asked about a term paper.
• When friends hear that you are working on a dissertation, they may engage you in an extended conversation about your topic, an unusual occurrence when you are writing a term paper. They may offer their own insights,
  which, although unsolicited, may become useful in the process of completing your dissertation.