Many degree programs require the submission of an academic writing work known as a dissertation or thesis—learn more about how to do this well by examining these seven main topics.
When it comes to writing your dissertation, it’s critical that you devote enough time to preparing and arranging your work.
Whatever emotions you experience during the process of writing an essay—from choosing your topic to coming up with a catchy title—you can count on them all.
You may use these tips regardless of whether you’re preparing for a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral dissertation.
Selecting a study subject is an important first step.
As a learning development consultant at the University of Leicester’s Learning Institute, Dr. Alex Patel stresses the importance of choosing a research topic that interests and matters to you personally as well as professionally.
As an academic skills development officer at the University of Leeds, Michelle Schneider describes the dissertation as an opportunity to “showcase your views and ideas, research an issue in more detail, and consolidate existing knowledge.” To keep yourself going, choose a subject you’re passionate about.
If you’re having trouble coming up with one, research course materials, academic journals, newspapers, and other media sources might give you some ideas for your dissertation topic if you’re having trouble coming up with one.
While working with your supervisor, Alex advises that you establish a specific topic or research question, benefiting from their knowledge of the study subject, relevant methodologies, and what is possible within your timetable.
Think about why you want to handle the subject you’ve picked. Once you have summarized them, think about how your results relate back to your rationale for why this is an important subject or topic.
2. Make sure you know what you’re expected to do before you get started.
There are a number of resources available to students at the University of Plymouth, including ethics guidelines, module handbooks, and reference style guides. These resources can help you avoid making costly mistakes. Make sure you know what’s expected of you before you start planning. If you don’t know, you should.
an example of academic writing in your field
The number of words
When and where do you have to hand in your thesis?
The following are some of the kinds of questions that Alex suggests students consider posing to the authors of other dissertations or academic publications in their field:
What is the format of a dissertation?
What kinds of materials are utilized in this project?
What is the purpose of these sources?
What methods of investigation are considered the most suitable?
Finally, Alex suggests that you and your supervisor might work together to build a common understanding of what a dissertation is.
Have a specific aim and a well-defined organization in place.
Once you’ve decided on a topic, Christie recommends that you begin writing a dissertation proposal. Your introduction, literature review, and methodology will be easier to complete if you show how your study field is relevant. “The objective and method of your study are stated in your dissertation proposal.”
Your chances of making a powerful and logical argument rise if you stick to a strategy and don’t get carried away with your studies. If you know where you’re going with your thoughts, you’ll never go off course and only bring up pertinent topics.
While it’s possible to change your strategy, you’ll need a new title, headers, and content if the direction changes. With the guidance of your supervisor, you may make sure that your updated dissertation strategy or structure is logical.
In order to meet the submission deadline, Christie advises that you take into account time for:
Research and reading
An analysis of the data gathered
Reorganizing and reorganizing
revising one’s work
proofreading
printing and binding services.
As Alex points out, this methodical approach can pay off in the end. He also advocates using Gantt charts to organize your research and writing process.
If you’re doing anything, jot down your thoughts in a journal.
When you first started, aim for a goal of a thousand words per week, since this may be both motivating and productive. Can you utilize a meeting with your supervisor as a good deadline? “
Begin writing as soon as possible, and let the act of writing serve as a means to gaining a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Once a part is finished, double-check that you’ve covered what you wanted to. All of them should have a specific purpose and connect to the rest of the materials in a natural way.
As you work to build the story, your analysis and interpretation, as well as your focus, will shift.According to Alex, “editing may be the beginning of your work, not the finish.”
You should back up periodically, take notes, and keep a detailed record of your sources.
‘Keeping note of everything you’ve read and where it came from will save you hours of effort later on,’ Christie explains. If you have a library full of books and journal articles stuffed into folders, it’s nearly impossible to remember where an idea came from.
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In the fifth step, keep asking questions.
Maintaining an open mind and critical spirit is essential throughout the dissertation writing process, says Alex, whether you’re critiquing yourself or someone else’s research.
Ask yourself whether there are any viable alternatives to the explanation or interpretation that you’ve come to believe in and why, and if so, what those alternatives are. ‘
You’ll also have to provide the reader an explanation of why you came to that conclusion. Authors often assume that their arguments are self-evident, but this is not always the case for readers who are learning about a new idea. In order to get credit for a good argument, an assessor must be able to demonstrate how you came to a specific conclusion.
While preparing a bibliography, the exact spelling of names and theories should also be taken into consideration.
When it comes to editing, don’t underestimate it!
In order to generate a well-structured, cohesive, and polished piece of work, you must go through a rigorous editing process. It is essential that you provide enough time to revise and reread, as well as to ensure that you have followed the correct reference style while creating an academic paper.
The Art of Editing study guide from the University of Leicester outlines a five-step dissertation writing process and offers further suggestions on what could be included at each level.
The reader may assume that a writer is ignorant of important ideas and studies in their field if you don’t mention any of them or provide relevant citations to back up your key points.
Savor the accomplishment.
Even if things don’t go as planned, don’t freak out if you’ve been efficient with your time and followed a strategy. Remember that your dissertation subject was picked after considerable deliberation, so disregard any unreasonable notions about starting over from scratch.
“Your dissertation is an opportunity to investigate, develop knowledge, and solve an important topic within your subject,” adds Alex, so stay focused on your goal and you may be happy with your work.
Eventually, your dissertation will be one of your finest accomplishments. A dissertation that is well-written and well-presented will be a source of pride for you, says Christie.
