Tungsten substituted barium titanate ceramics, of the composition BaTi(0.85)W(0.15)O(3), were prepared using solid-state reaction technique at various heating rates in the range of 1-20 degrees C/min. XRD analysis confirms the formation of the compound having pervoskite structure. Scanning electron micrographs have been used to investigate the grain morphology of the synthesized samples and the density of the studied samples has been determined. Dielectric constant and polarization parameters increase as the heating rate is increased upto 8 degrees C/min, beyond which these parameters decrease. The dielectric loss decreases as the heating rate is increased. The studied specimens show diffuse phase transitions and the diffusivity increases with increasing heating rate. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.