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Thesis and Dissertation: Getting Started

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The resources in this section are designed to provide guidance for the first steps of the thesis or dissertation writing process. They offer tools to support the planning and managing of your project, including writing out your weekly schedule, outlining your goals, and organzing the various working elements of your project.

Weekly Goals Sheet (a.k.a. Life Map) [Word Doc]

This editable handout provides a place for you to fill in available time blocks on a weekly chart that will help you visualize the amount of time you have available to write. By using this chart, you will be able to work your writing goals into your schedule and put these goals into perspective with your day-to-day plans and responsibilities each week. This handout also contains a formula to help you determine the minimum number of pages you would need to write per day in order to complete your writing on time.

Setting a Production Schedule (Word Doc)

This editable handout can help you make sense of the various steps involved in the production of your thesis or dissertation and determine how long each step might take. A large part of this process involves (1) seeking out the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding specific document formatting requirements, (2) understanding research protocol limitations, (3) making note of deadlines, and (4) understanding your personal writing habits.

Creating a Roadmap (PDF)

Part of organizing your writing involves having a clear sense of how the different working parts relate to one another. Creating a roadmap for your dissertation early on can help you determine what the final document will include and how all the pieces are connected. This resource offers guidance on several approaches to creating a roadmap, including creating lists, maps, nut-shells, visuals, and different methods for outlining. It is important to remember that you can create more than one roadmap (or more than one type of roadmap) depending on how the different approaches discussed here meet your needs.

Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings? In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

Psst… there’s more (for free)

This post is part of our dissertation mini-course, which covers everything you need to get started with your dissertation, thesis or research project. 

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36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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How to write an undergraduate university dissertation

Writing a dissertation is a daunting task, but these tips will help you prepare for all the common challenges students face before deadline day.

Grace McCabe

Writing a dissertation is one of the most challenging aspects of university. However, it is the chance for students to demonstrate what they have learned during their degree and to explore a topic in depth.

In this article, we look at 10 top tips for writing a successful dissertation and break down how to write each section of a dissertation in detail.

10 tips for writing an undergraduate dissertation

1. Select an engaging topic Choose a subject that aligns with your interests and allows you to showcase the skills and knowledge you have acquired through your degree.

2. Research your supervisor Undergraduate students will often be assigned a supervisor based on their research specialisms. Do some research on your supervisor and make sure that they align with your dissertation goals.

3. Understand the dissertation structure Familiarise yourself with the structure (introduction, review of existing research, methodology, findings, results and conclusion). This will vary based on your subject.

4. Write a schedule As soon as you have finalised your topic and looked over the deadline, create a rough plan of how much work you have to do and create mini-deadlines along the way to make sure don’t find yourself having to write your entire dissertation in the final few weeks.

5. Determine requirements Ensure that you know which format your dissertation should be presented in. Check the word count and the referencing style.

6. Organise references from the beginning Maintain an alphabetically arranged reference list or bibliography in the designated style as you do your reading. This will make it a lot easier to finalise your references at the end.

7. Create a detailed plan Once you have done your initial research and have an idea of the shape your dissertation will take, write a detailed essay plan outlining your research questions, SMART objectives and dissertation structure.

8. Keep a dissertation journal Track your progress, record your research and your reading, and document challenges. This will be helpful as you discuss your work with your supervisor and organise your notes.

9. Schedule regular check-ins with your supervisor Make sure you stay in touch with your supervisor throughout the process, scheduling regular meetings and keeping good notes so you can update them on your progress.

10. Employ effective proofreading techniques Ask friends and family to help you proofread your work or use different fonts to help make the text look different. This will help you check for missing sections, grammatical mistakes and typos.

What is a dissertation?

A dissertation is a long piece of academic writing or a research project that you have to write as part of your undergraduate university degree.

It’s usually a long essay in which you explore your chosen topic, present your ideas and show that you understand and can apply what you’ve learned during your studies. Informally, the terms “dissertation” and “thesis” are often used interchangeably.

How do I select a dissertation topic?

First, choose a topic that you find interesting. You will be working on your dissertation for several months, so finding a research topic that you are passionate about and that demonstrates your strength in your subject is best. You want your topic to show all the skills you have developed during your degree. It would be a bonus if you can link your work to your chosen career path, but it’s not necessary.

Second, begin by exploring relevant literature in your field, including academic journals, books and articles. This will help you identify gaps in existing knowledge and areas that may need further exploration. You may not be able to think of a truly original piece of research, but it’s always good to know what has already been written about your chosen topic.

Consider the practical aspects of your chosen topic, ensuring that it is possible within the time frame and available resources. Assess the availability of data, research materials and the overall practicality of conducting the research.

When picking a dissertation topic, you also want to try to choose something that adds new ideas or perspectives to what’s already known in your field. As you narrow your focus, remember that a more targeted approach usually leads to a dissertation that’s easier to manage and has a bigger impact. Be ready to change your plans based on feedback and new information you discover during your research.

How to work with your dissertation supervisor?

Your supervisor is there to provide guidance on your chosen topic, direct your research efforts, and offer assistance and suggestions when you have queries. It’s crucial to establish a comfortable and open line of communication with them throughout the process. Their knowledge can greatly benefit your work. Keep them informed about your progress, seek their advice, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.

1. Keep them updated Regularly tell your supervisor how your work is going and if you’re having any problems. You can do this through emails, meetings or progress reports.

2. Plan meetings Schedule regular meetings with your supervisor. These can be in person or online. These are your time to discuss your progress and ask for help.

3. Share your writing Give your supervisor parts of your writing or an outline. This helps them see what you’re thinking so they can advise you on how to develop it.

5. Ask specific questions When you need help, ask specific questions instead of general ones. This makes it easier for your supervisor to help you.

6. Listen to feedback Be open to what your supervisor says. If they suggest changes, try to make them. It makes your dissertation better and shows you can work together.

7. Talk about problems If something is hard or you’re worried, talk to your supervisor about it. They can give you advice or tell you where to find help.

8. Take charge Be responsible for your work. Let your supervisor know if your plans change, and don’t wait if you need help urgently.

Remember, talking openly with your supervisor helps you both understand each other better, improves your dissertation and ensures that you get the support you need.

How to write a successful research piece at university How to choose a topic for your dissertation Tips for writing a convincing thesis

How do I plan my dissertation?

It’s important to start with a detailed plan that will serve as your road map throughout the entire process of writing your dissertation. As Jumana Labib, a master’s student at the University of Manchester  studying digital media, culture and society, suggests: “Pace yourself – definitely don’t leave the entire thing for the last few days or weeks.”

Decide what your research question or questions will be for your chosen topic.

Break that down into smaller SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) objectives.

Speak to your supervisor about any overlooked areas.

Create a breakdown of chapters using the structure listed below (for example, a methodology chapter).

Define objectives, key points and evidence for each chapter.

Define your research approach (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods).

Outline your research methods and analysis techniques.

Develop a timeline with regular moments for review and feedback.

Allocate time for revision, editing and breaks.

Consider any ethical considerations related to your research.

Stay organised and add to your references and bibliography throughout the process.

Remain flexible to possible reviews or changes as you go along.

A well thought-out plan not only makes the writing process more manageable but also increases the likelihood of producing a high-quality piece of research.

How to structure a dissertation?

The structure can depend on your field of study, but this is a rough outline for science and social science dissertations:

Introduce your topic.

Complete a source or literature review.

Describe your research methodology (including the methods for gathering and filtering information, analysis techniques, materials, tools or resources used, limitations of your method, and any considerations of reliability).

Summarise your findings.

Discuss the results and what they mean.

Conclude your point and explain how your work contributes to your field.

On the other hand, humanities and arts dissertations often take the form of an extended essay. This involves constructing an argument or exploring a particular theory or analysis through the analysis of primary and secondary sources. Your essay will be structured through chapters arranged around themes or case studies.

All dissertations include a title page, an abstract and a reference list. Some may also need a table of contents at the beginning. Always check with your university department for its dissertation guidelines, and check with your supervisor as you begin to plan your structure to ensure that you have the right layout.

How long is an undergraduate dissertation?

The length of an undergraduate dissertation can vary depending on the specific guidelines provided by your university and your subject department. However, in many cases, undergraduate dissertations are typically about 8,000 to 12,000 words in length.

“Eat away at it; try to write for at least 30 minutes every day, even if it feels relatively unproductive to you in the moment,” Jumana advises.

How do I add references to my dissertation?

References are the section of your dissertation where you acknowledge the sources you have quoted or referred to in your writing. It’s a way of supporting your ideas, evidencing what research you have used and avoiding plagiarism (claiming someone else’s work as your own), and giving credit to the original authors.

Referencing typically includes in-text citations and a reference list or bibliography with full source details. Different referencing styles exist, such as Harvard, APA and MLA, each favoured in specific fields. Your university will tell you the preferred style.

Using tools and guides provided by universities can make the referencing process more manageable, but be sure they are approved by your university before using any.

How do I write a bibliography or list my references for my dissertation?

The requirement of a bibliography depends on the style of referencing you need to use. Styles such as OSCOLA or Chicago may not require a separate bibliography. In these styles, full source information is often incorporated into footnotes throughout the piece, doing away with the need for a separate bibliography section.

Typically, reference lists or bibliographies are organised alphabetically based on the author’s last name. They usually include essential details about each source, providing a quick overview for readers who want more information. Some styles ask that you include references that you didn’t use in your final piece as they were still a part of the overall research.

It is important to maintain this list as soon as you start your research. As you complete your research, you can add more sources to your bibliography to ensure that you have a comprehensive list throughout the dissertation process.

How to proofread an undergraduate dissertation?

Throughout your dissertation writing, attention to detail will be your greatest asset. The best way to avoid making mistakes is to continuously proofread and edit your work.

Proofreading is a great way to catch any missing sections, grammatical errors or typos. There are many tips to help you proofread:

Ask someone to read your piece and highlight any mistakes they find.

Change the font so you notice any mistakes.

Format your piece as you go, headings and sections will make it easier to spot any problems.

Separate editing and proofreading. Editing is your chance to rewrite sections, add more detail or change any points. Proofreading should be where you get into the final touches, really polish what you have and make sure it’s ready to be submitted.

Stick to your citation style and make sure every resource listed in your dissertation is cited in the reference list or bibliography.

How to write a conclusion for my dissertation?

Writing a dissertation conclusion is your chance to leave the reader impressed by your work.

Start by summarising your findings, highlighting your key points and the outcome of your research. Refer back to the original research question or hypotheses to provide context to your conclusion.

You can then delve into whether you achieved the goals you set at the beginning and reflect on whether your research addressed the topic as expected. Make sure you link your findings to existing literature or sources you have included throughout your work and how your own research could contribute to your field.

Be honest about any limitations or issues you faced during your research and consider any questions that went unanswered that you would consider in the future. Make sure that your conclusion is clear and concise, and sum up the overall impact and importance of your work.

Remember, keep the tone confident and authoritative, avoiding the introduction of new information. This should simply be a summary of everything you have already said throughout the dissertation.

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Dissertation Strategies

What this handout is about.

This handout suggests strategies for developing healthy writing habits during your dissertation journey. These habits can help you maintain your writing momentum, overcome anxiety and procrastination, and foster wellbeing during one of the most challenging times in graduate school.

Tackling a giant project

Because dissertations are, of course, big projects, it’s no surprise that planning, writing, and revising one can pose some challenges! It can help to think of your dissertation as an expanded version of a long essay: at the end of the day, it is simply another piece of writing. You’ve written your way this far into your degree, so you’ve got the skills! You’ll develop a great deal of expertise on your topic, but you may still be a novice with this genre and writing at this length. Remember to give yourself some grace throughout the project. As you begin, it’s helpful to consider two overarching strategies throughout the process.

First, take stock of how you learn and your own writing processes. What strategies have worked and have not worked for you? Why? What kind of learner and writer are you? Capitalize on what’s working and experiment with new strategies when something’s not working. Keep in mind that trying out new strategies can take some trial-and-error, and it’s okay if a new strategy that you try doesn’t work for you. Consider why it may not have been the best for you, and use that reflection to consider other strategies that might be helpful to you.

Second, break the project into manageable chunks. At every stage of the process, try to identify specific tasks, set small, feasible goals, and have clear, concrete strategies for achieving each goal. Small victories can help you establish and maintain the momentum you need to keep yourself going.

Below, we discuss some possible strategies to keep you moving forward in the dissertation process.

Pre-dissertation planning strategies

Get familiar with the Graduate School’s Thesis and Dissertation Resources .

Learn how to use a citation-manager and a synthesis matrix to keep track of all of your source information.

Skim other dissertations from your department, program, and advisor. Enlist the help of a librarian or ask your advisor for a list of recent graduates whose work you can look up. Seeing what other people have done to earn their PhD can make the project much less abstract and daunting. A concrete sense of expectations will help you envision and plan. When you know what you’ll be doing, try to find a dissertation from your department that is similar enough that you can use it as a reference model when you run into concerns about formatting, structure, level of detail, etc.

Think carefully about your committee . Ideally, you’ll be able to select a group of people who work well with you and with each other. Consult with your advisor about who might be good collaborators for your project and who might not be the best fit. Consider what classes you’ve taken and how you “vibe” with those professors or those you’ve met outside of class. Try to learn what you can about how they’ve worked with other students. Ask about feedback style, turnaround time, level of involvement, etc., and imagine how that would work for you.

Sketch out a sensible drafting order for your project. Be open to writing chapters in “the wrong order” if it makes sense to start somewhere other than the beginning. You could begin with the section that seems easiest for you to write to gain momentum.

Design a productivity alliance with your advisor . Talk with them about potential projects and a reasonable timeline. Discuss how you’ll work together to keep your work moving forward. You might discuss having a standing meeting to discuss ideas or drafts or issues (bi-weekly? monthly?), your advisor’s preferences for drafts (rough? polished?), your preferences for what you’d like feedback on (early or late drafts?), reasonable turnaround time for feedback (a week? two?), and anything else you can think of to enter the collaboration mindfully.

Design a productivity alliance with your colleagues . Dissertation writing can be lonely, but writing with friends, meeting for updates over your beverage of choice, and scheduling non-working social times can help you maintain healthy energy. See our tips on accountability strategies for ideas to support each other.

Productivity strategies

Write when you’re most productive. When do you have the most energy? Focus? Creativity? When are you most able to concentrate, either because of your body rhythms or because there are fewer demands on your time? Once you determine the hours that are most productive for you (you may need to experiment at first), try to schedule those hours for dissertation work. See the collection of time management tools and planning calendars on the Learning Center’s Tips & Tools page to help you think through the possibilities. If at all possible, plan your work schedule, errands and chores so that you reserve your productive hours for the dissertation.

Put your writing time firmly on your calendar . Guard your writing time diligently. You’ll probably be invited to do other things during your productive writing times, but do your absolute best to say no and to offer alternatives. No one would hold it against you if you said no because you’re teaching a class at that time—and you wouldn’t feel guilty about saying no. Cultivating the same hard, guilt-free boundaries around your writing time will allow you preserve the time you need to get this thing done!

Develop habits that foster balance . You’ll have to work very hard to get this dissertation finished, but you can do that without sacrificing your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Think about how you can structure your work hours most efficiently so that you have time for a healthy non-work life. It can be something as small as limiting the time you spend chatting with fellow students to a few minutes instead of treating the office or lab as a space for extensive socializing. Also see above for protecting your time.

Write in spaces where you can be productive. Figure out where you work well and plan to be there during your dissertation work hours. Do you get more done on campus or at home? Do you prefer quiet and solitude, like in a library carrel? Do you prefer the buzz of background noise, like in a coffee shop? Are you aware of the UNC Libraries’ list of places to study ? If you get “stuck,” don’t be afraid to try a change of scenery. The variety may be just enough to get your brain going again.

Work where you feel comfortable . Wherever you work, make sure you have whatever lighting, furniture, and accessories you need to keep your posture and health in good order. The University Health and Safety office offers guidelines for healthy computer work . You’re more likely to spend time working in a space that doesn’t physically hurt you. Also consider how you could make your work space as inviting as possible. Some people find that it helps to have pictures of family and friends on their desk—sort of a silent “cheering section.” Some people work well with neutral colors around them, and others prefer bright colors that perk up the space. Some people like to put inspirational quotations in their workspace or encouraging notes from friends and family. You might try reconfiguring your work space to find a décor that helps you be productive.

Elicit helpful feedback from various people at various stages . You might be tempted to keep your writing to yourself until you think it’s brilliant, but you can lower the stakes tremendously if you make eliciting feedback a regular part of your writing process. Your friends can feel like a safer audience for ideas or drafts in their early stages. Someone outside your department may provide interesting perspectives from their discipline that spark your own thinking. See this handout on getting feedback for productive moments for feedback, the value of different kinds of feedback providers, and strategies for eliciting what’s most helpful to you. Make this a recurring part of your writing process. Schedule it to help you hit deadlines.

Change the writing task . When you don’t feel like writing, you can do something different or you can do something differently. Make a list of all the little things you need to do for a given section of the dissertation, no matter how small. Choose a task based on your energy level. Work on Grad School requirements: reformat margins, work on bibliography, and all that. Work on your acknowledgements. Remember all the people who have helped you and the great ideas they’ve helped you develop. You may feel more like working afterward. Write a part of your dissertation as a letter or email to a good friend who would care. Sometimes setting aside the academic prose and just writing it to a buddy can be liberating and help you get the ideas out there. You can make it sound smart later. Free-write about why you’re stuck, and perhaps even about how sick and tired you are of your dissertation/advisor/committee/etc. Venting can sometimes get you past the emotions of writer’s block and move you toward creative solutions. Open a separate document and write your thoughts on various things you’ve read. These may or may note be coherent, connected ideas, and they may or may not make it into your dissertation. They’re just notes that allow you to think things through and/or note what you want to revisit later, so it’s perfectly fine to have mistakes, weird organization, etc. Just let your mind wander on paper.

Develop habits that foster productivity and may help you develop a productive writing model for post-dissertation writing . Since dissertations are very long projects, cultivating habits that will help support your work is important. You might check out Helen Sword’s work on behavioral, artisanal, social, and emotional habits to help you get a sense of where you are in your current habits. You might try developing “rituals” of work that could help you get more done. Lighting incense, brewing a pot of a particular kind of tea, pulling out a favorite pen, and other ritualistic behaviors can signal your brain that “it is time to get down to business.” You can critically think about your work methods—not only about what you like to do, but also what actually helps you be productive. You may LOVE to listen to your favorite band while you write, for example, but if you wind up playing air guitar half the time instead of writing, it isn’t a habit worth keeping.

The point is, figure out what works for you and try to do it consistently. Your productive habits will reinforce themselves over time. If you find yourself in a situation, however, that doesn’t match your preferences, don’t let it stop you from working on your dissertation. Try to be flexible and open to experimenting. You might find some new favorites!

Motivational strategies

Schedule a regular activity with other people that involves your dissertation. Set up a coworking date with your accountability buddies so you can sit and write together. Organize a chapter swap. Make regular appointments with your advisor. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that you’ll feel good about showing up for–and will make you feel good about showing up for others.

Try writing in sprints . Many writers have discovered that the “Pomodoro technique” (writing for 25 minutes and taking a 5 minute break) boosts their productivity by helping them set small writing goals, focus intently for short periods, and give their brains frequent rests. See how one dissertation writer describes it in this blog post on the Pomodoro technique .

Quit while you’re ahead . Sometimes it helps to stop for the day when you’re on a roll. If you’ve got a great idea that you’re developing and you know where you want to go next, write “Next, I want to introduce x, y, and z and explain how they’re related—they all have the same characteristics of 1 and 2, and that clinches my theory of Q.” Then save the file and turn off the computer, or put down the notepad. When you come back tomorrow, you will already know what to say next–and all that will be left is to say it. Hopefully, the momentum will carry you forward.

Write your dissertation in single-space . When you need a boost, double space it and be impressed with how many pages you’ve written.

Set feasible goals–and celebrate the achievements! Setting and achieving smaller, more reasonable goals ( SMART goals ) gives you success, and that success can motivate you to focus on the next small step…and the next one.

Give yourself rewards along the way . When you meet a writing goal, reward yourself with something you normally wouldn’t have or do–this can be anything that will make you feel good about your accomplishment.

Make the act of writing be its own reward . For example, if you love a particular coffee drink from your favorite shop, save it as a special drink to enjoy during your writing time.

Try giving yourself “pre-wards” —positive experiences that help you feel refreshed and recharged for the next time you write. You don’t have to “earn” these with prior work, but you do have to commit to doing the work afterward.

Commit to doing something you don’t want to do if you don’t achieve your goal. Some people find themselves motivated to work harder when there’s a negative incentive. What would you most like to avoid? Watching a movie you hate? Donating to a cause you don’t support? Whatever it is, how can you ensure enforcement? Who can help you stay accountable?

Affective strategies

Build your confidence . It is not uncommon to feel “imposter phenomenon” during the course of writing your dissertation. If you start to feel this way, it can help to take a few minutes to remember every success you’ve had along the way. You’ve earned your place, and people have confidence in you for good reasons. It’s also helpful to remember that every one of the brilliant people around you is experiencing the same lack of confidence because you’re all in a new context with new tasks and new expectations. You’re not supposed to have it all figured out. You’re supposed to have uncertainties and questions and things to learn. Remember that they wouldn’t have accepted you to the program if they weren’t confident that you’d succeed. See our self-scripting handout for strategies to turn these affirmations into a self-script that you repeat whenever you’re experiencing doubts or other negative thoughts. You can do it!

Appreciate your successes . Not meeting a goal isn’t a failure–and it certainly doesn’t make you a failure. It’s an opportunity to figure out why you didn’t meet the goal. It might simply be that the goal wasn’t achievable in the first place. See the SMART goal handout and think through what you can adjust. Even if you meant to write 1500 words, focus on the success of writing 250 or 500 words that you didn’t have before.

Remember your “why.” There are a whole host of reasons why someone might decide to pursue a PhD, both personally and professionally. Reflecting on what is motivating to you can rekindle your sense of purpose and direction.

Get outside support . Sometimes it can be really helpful to get an outside perspective on your work and anxieties as a way of grounding yourself. Participating in groups like the Dissertation Support group through CAPS and the Dissertation Boot Camp can help you see that you’re not alone in the challenges. You might also choose to form your own writing support group with colleagues inside or outside your department.

Understand and manage your procrastination . When you’re writing a long dissertation, it can be easy to procrastinate! For instance, you might put off writing because the house “isn’t clean enough” or because you’re not in the right “space” (mentally or physically) to write, so you put off writing until the house is cleaned and everything is in its right place. You may have other ways of procrastinating. It can be helpful to be self-aware of when you’re procrastinating and to consider why you are procrastinating. It may be that you’re anxious about writing the perfect draft, for example, in which case you might consider: how can I focus on writing something that just makes progress as opposed to being “perfect”? There are lots of different ways of managing procrastination; one way is to make a schedule of all the things you already have to do (when you absolutely can’t write) to help you visualize those chunks of time when you can. See this handout on procrastination for more strategies and tools for managing procrastination.

Your topic, your advisor, and your committee: Making them work for you

By the time you’ve reached this stage, you have probably already defended a dissertation proposal, chosen an advisor, and begun working with a committee. Sometimes, however, those three elements can prove to be major external sources of frustration. So how can you manage them to help yourself be as productive as possible?

Managing your topic

Remember that your topic is not carved in stone . The research and writing plan suggested in your dissertation proposal was your best vision of the project at that time, but topics evolve as the research and writing progress. You might need to tweak your research question a bit to reduce or adjust the scope, you might pare down certain parts of the project or add others. You can discuss your thoughts on these adjustments with your advisor at your check ins.

Think about variables that could be cut down and how changes would affect the length, depth, breadth, and scholarly value of your study. Could you cut one or two experiments, case studies, regions, years, theorists, or chapters and still make a valuable contribution or, even more simply, just finish?

Talk to your advisor about any changes you might make . They may be quite sympathetic to your desire to shorten an unwieldy project and may offer suggestions.

Look at other dissertations from your department to get a sense of what the chapters should look like. Reverse-outline a few chapters so you can see if there’s a pattern of typical components and how information is sequenced. These can serve as models for your own dissertation. See this video on reverse outlining to see the technique.

Managing your advisor

Embrace your evolving status . At this stage in your graduate career, you should expect to assume some independence. By the time you finish your project, you will know more about your subject than your committee does. The student/teacher relationship you have with your advisor will necessarily change as you take this big step toward becoming their colleague.

Revisit the alliance . If the interaction with your advisor isn’t matching the original agreement or the original plan isn’t working as well as it could, schedule a conversation to revisit and redesign your working relationship in a way that could work for both of you.

Be specific in your feedback requests . Tell your advisor what kind of feedback would be most helpful to you. Sometimes an advisor can be giving unhelpful or discouraging feedback without realizing it. They might make extensive sentence-level edits when you really need conceptual feedback, or vice-versa, if you only ask generally for feedback. Letting your advisor know, very specifically, what kinds of responses will be helpful to you at different stages of the writing process can help your advisor know how to help you.

Don’t hide . Advisors can be most helpful if they know what you are working on, what problems you are experiencing, and what progress you have made. If you haven’t made the progress you were hoping for, it only makes it worse if you avoid talking to them. You rob yourself of their expertise and support, and you might start a spiral of guilt, shame, and avoidance. Even if it’s difficult, it may be better to be candid about your struggles.

Talk to other students who have the same advisor . You may find that they have developed strategies for working with your advisor that could help you communicate more effectively with them.

If you have recurring problems communicating with your advisor , you can make a change. You could change advisors completely, but a less dramatic option might be to find another committee member who might be willing to serve as a “secondary advisor” and give you the kinds of feedback and support that you may need.

Managing your committee

Design the alliance . Talk with your committee members about how much they’d like to be involved in your writing process, whether they’d like to see chapter drafts or the complete draft, how frequently they’d like to meet (or not), etc. Your advisor can guide you on how committees usually work, but think carefully about how you’d like the relationship to function too.

Keep in regular contact with your committee , even if they don’t want to see your work until it has been approved by your advisor. Let them know about fellowships you receive, fruitful research excursions, the directions your thinking is taking, and the plans you have for completion. In short, keep them aware that you are working hard and making progress. Also, look for other ways to get facetime with your committee even if it’s not a one-on-one meeting. Things like speaking with them at department events, going to colloquiums or other events they organize and/or attend regularly can help you develop a relationship that could lead to other introductions and collaborations as your career progresses.

Share your struggles . Too often, we only talk to our professors when we’re making progress and hide from them the rest of the time. If you share your frustrations or setbacks with a knowledgeable committee member, they might offer some very helpful suggestions for overcoming the obstacles you face—after all, your committee members have all written major research projects before, and they have probably solved similar problems in their own work.

Stay true to yourself . Sometimes, you just don’t entirely gel with your committee, but that’s okay. It’s important not to get too hung up on how your committee does (or doesn’t) relate to you. Keep your eye on the finish line and keep moving forward.

Helpful websites:

Graduate School Diversity Initiatives : Groups and events to support the success of students identifying with an affinity group.

Graduate School Career Well : Extensive professional development resources related to writing, research, networking, job search, etc.

CAPS Therapy Groups : CAPS offers a variety of support groups, including a dissertation support group.

Advice on Research and Writing : Lots of links on writing, public speaking, dissertation management, burnout, and more.

How to be a Good Graduate Student: Marie DesJardins’ essay talks about several phases of the graduate experience, including the dissertation. She discusses some helpful hints for staying motivated and doing consistent work.

Preparing Future Faculty : This page, a joint project of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the Council of Graduate Schools, and the Pew Charitable Trusts, explains the Preparing Future Faculty Programs and includes links and suggestions that may help graduate students and their advisors think constructively about the process of graduate education as a step toward faculty responsibilities.

Dissertation Tips : Kjell Erik Rudestam, Ph.D. and Rae Newton, Ph.D., authors of Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process.

The ABD Survival Guide Newsletter : Information about the ABD Survival Guide newsletter (which is free) and other services from E-Coach (many of which are not free).

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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What Is a Dissertation? | 5 Essential Questions to Get Started

Published on 26 March 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 5 May 2022.

A dissertation is a large research project undertaken at the end of a degree. It involves in-depth consideration of a problem or question chosen by the student. It is usually the largest (and final) piece of written work produced during a degree.

The length and structure of a dissertation vary widely depending on the level and field of study. However, there are some key questions that can help you understand the requirements and get started on your dissertation project.

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Table of contents

When and why do you have to write a dissertation, who will supervise your dissertation, what type of research will you do, how should your dissertation be structured, what formatting and referencing rules do you have to follow, frequently asked questions about dissertations.

A dissertation, sometimes called a thesis, comes at the end of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. It is a larger project than the other essays you’ve written, requiring a higher word count and a greater depth of research.

You’ll generally work on your dissertation during the final year of your degree, over a longer period than you would take for a standard essay . For example, the dissertation might be your main focus for the last six months of your degree.

Why is the dissertation important?

The dissertation is a test of your capacity for independent research. You are given a lot of autonomy in writing your dissertation: you come up with your own ideas, conduct your own research, and write and structure the text by yourself.

This means that it is an important preparation for your future, whether you continue in academia or not: it teaches you to manage your own time, generate original ideas, and work independently.

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During the planning and writing of your dissertation, you’ll work with a supervisor from your department. The supervisor’s job is to give you feedback and advice throughout the process.

The dissertation supervisor is often assigned by the department, but you might be allowed to indicate preferences or approach potential supervisors. If so, try to pick someone who is familiar with your chosen topic, whom you get along with on a personal level, and whose feedback you’ve found useful in the past.

How will your supervisor help you?

Your supervisor is there to guide you through the dissertation project, but you’re still working independently. They can give feedback on your ideas, but not come up with ideas for you.

You may need to take the initiative to request an initial meeting with your supervisor. Then you can plan out your future meetings and set reasonable deadlines for things like completion of data collection, a structure outline, a first chapter, a first draft, and so on.

Make sure to prepare in advance for your meetings. Formulate your ideas as fully as you can, and determine where exactly you’re having difficulties so you can ask your supervisor for specific advice.

Your approach to your dissertation will vary depending on your field of study. The first thing to consider is whether you will do empirical research , which involves collecting original data, or non-empirical research , which involves analysing sources.

Empirical dissertations (sciences)

An empirical dissertation focuses on collecting and analysing original data. You’ll usually write this type of dissertation if you are studying a subject in the sciences or social sciences.

• What are airline workers’ attitudes towards the challenges posed for their industry by climate change?
• How effective is cognitive behavioural therapy in treating depression in young adults?
• What are the short-term health effects of switching from smoking cigarettes to e-cigarettes?

There are many different empirical research methods you can use to answer these questions – for example, experiments , observations, surveys , and interviews.

When doing empirical research, you need to consider things like the variables you will investigate, the reliability and validity of your measurements, and your sampling method . The aim is to produce robust, reproducible scientific knowledge.

Non-empirical dissertations (arts and humanities)

A non-empirical dissertation works with existing research or other texts, presenting original analysis, critique and argumentation, but no original data. This approach is typical of arts and humanities subjects.

• What attitudes did commentators in the British press take towards the French Revolution in 1789–1792?
• How do the themes of gender and inheritance intersect in Shakespeare’s Macbeth ?
• How did Plato’s Republic and Thomas More’s Utopia influence nineteenth century utopian socialist thought?

The first steps in this type of dissertation are to decide on your topic and begin collecting your primary and secondary sources .

Primary sources are the direct objects of your research. They give you first-hand evidence about your subject. Examples of primary sources include novels, artworks and historical documents.

Secondary sources provide information that informs your analysis. They describe, interpret, or evaluate information from primary sources. For example, you might consider previous analyses of the novel or author you are working on, or theoretical texts that you plan to apply to your primary sources.

Dissertations are divided into chapters and sections. Empirical dissertations usually follow a standard structure, while non-empirical dissertations are more flexible.

Structure of an empirical dissertation

Empirical dissertations generally include these chapters:

• Introduction : An explanation of your topic and the research question(s) you want to answer.
• Literature review : A survey and evaluation of previous research on your topic.
• Methodology : An explanation of how you collected and analysed your data.
• Results : A brief description of what you found.
• Discussion : Interpretation of what these results reveal.
• Conclusion : Answers to your research question(s) and summary of what your findings contribute to knowledge in your field.

Sometimes the order or naming of chapters might be slightly different, but all of the above information must be included in order to produce thorough, valid scientific research.

Other dissertation structures

If your dissertation doesn’t involve data collection, your structure is more flexible. You can think of it like an extended essay – the text should be logically organised in a way that serves your argument:

• Introduction: An explanation of your topic and the question(s) you want to answer.
• Main body: The development of your analysis, usually divided into 2–4 chapters.
• Conclusion: Answers to your research question(s) and summary of what your analysis contributes to knowledge in your field.

The chapters of the main body can be organised around different themes, time periods, or texts. Below you can see some example structures for dissertations in different subjects.

• Political philosophy

This example, on the topic of the British press’s coverage of the French Revolution, shows how you might structure each chapter around a specific theme.

This example, on the topic of Plato’s and More’s influences on utopian socialist thought, shows a different approach to dividing the chapters by theme.

This example, a master’s dissertation on the topic of how writers respond to persecution, shows how you can also use section headings within each chapter. Each of the three chapters deals with a specific text, while the sections are organised thematically.

Like other academic texts, it’s important that your dissertation follows the formatting guidelines set out by your university. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.

Formatting guidelines concern things like:

• line spacing
• page numbers
• punctuation
• title pages
• presentation of tables and figures

If you’re unsure about the formatting requirements, check with your supervisor or department. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.

How will you reference your sources?

Referencing means properly listing the sources you cite and refer to in your dissertation, so that the reader can find them. This avoids plagiarism by acknowledging where you’ve used the work of others.

Keep track of everything you read as you prepare your dissertation. The key information to note down for a reference is:

• The publication date
• Page numbers for the parts you refer to (especially when using direct quotes)

Different referencing styles each have their own specific rules for how to reference. The most commonly used styles in UK universities are listed below.

You can use the free APA Reference Generator to automatically create and store your references.

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The words ‘ dissertation ’ and ‘thesis’ both refer to a large written research project undertaken to complete a degree, but they are used differently depending on the country:

• In the UK, you write a dissertation at the end of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and you write a thesis to complete a PhD.
• In the US, it’s the other way around: you may write a thesis at the end of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and you write a dissertation to complete a PhD.

The main difference is in terms of scale – a dissertation is usually much longer than the other essays you complete during your degree.

Another key difference is that you are given much more independence when working on a dissertation. You choose your own dissertation topic , and you have to conduct the research and write the dissertation yourself (with some assistance from your supervisor).

Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education:

• An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000–15,000 words
• A master’s dissertation is typically 12,000–50,000 words
• A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000–100,000 words

However, none of these are strict guidelines – your word count may be lower or higher than the numbers stated here. Always check the guidelines provided by your university to determine how long your own dissertation should be.

At the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the dissertation is usually the main focus of your final year. You might work on it (alongside other classes) for the entirety of the final year, or for the last six months. This includes formulating an idea, doing the research, and writing up.

A PhD thesis takes a longer time, as the thesis is the main focus of the degree. A PhD thesis might be being formulated and worked on for the whole four years of the degree program. The writing process alone can take around 18 months.

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7 steps to writing a dissertation

While you may be experienced in revising and writing essays, your dissertation requires careful planning, extensive research, and time management to succeed

Your dissertation is a key part of your degree course and a testament to your ability to conduct research, analyse data, and write a clear argument. Dissertations can be challenging, but they are also rewarding experiences that allow you to explore a topic in-depth and make a significant contribution to your field of study.

To achieve your academic goals, it is important to act on feedback, use your supervision time to your advantage, and demonstrate a strong knowledge of your subject. Whether you're writing an undergraduate, Masters , or PhD dissertation, these seven steps can help you stay on track.

1. Choose your topic wisely

Selecting the right topic is the foundation of a successful dissertation. It is important to choose a topic that is:

• Relevant to your academic discipline and interests. This will ensure that you are passionate about your topic and have the necessary background knowledge to conduct meaningful research.
• Intriguing and thought-provoking . A well-chosen topic will inspire you to ask interesting questions and develop original insights.
• Specific enough to allow for in-depth analysis, yet broad enough to provide enough research material. A topic that is too narrow may be difficult to research or produce meaningful findings, while a topic that is too broad may be difficult to cover in the allowed time and word count.

Consider your career goals and what topics are relevant to the field you hope to work in after graduation. It's also important to be open to change, as it's common for students to modify their dissertation topic as they explore the subject more.

Once you have identified a potential topic, seek guidance from your supervisor. They can help you to refine your choice, identify relevant sources, and develop a research plan.

2. Check what's required of you

Read your marking criteria carefully. It is also important to consult the module guidelines and follow the instructions on any additional parts to your main assignment, such as a project plan, literature review or a critical reflection.

Neal Bamford, associate lecturer at London Metropolitan University, reports that his marking process always begins by 'distilling criteria to what students need to provide and how many marks this is worth.'

'Several dissertations I mark don't include a project plan in their submission. This is worth 20% of the overall mark, so students lose out on a significant portion of their grade'.

Before you begin to plan, make sure you understand what's expected of you. Find out:

• what academic writing looks like in your discipline
• the word count
• when and where you must submit your dissertation.

3. Conduct in-depth research

Research at this stage in the process is often referred to as a literature review. This is where you are expected to gather relevant sources, articles, and studies from libraries, and online academic resources to identify the existing research on your topic and to develop your own research questions.

'Form your own opinion and argue for it using research. A history of the topic is always helpful, as it shows that you understand how things got to this point in time,' says Neal.

Be sure to take careful notes on each source and organise them for easy reference. You need to critically evaluate and analyse the sources to ensure their credibility and relevance to your research. This will be helpful when citing your sources in the writing stage.

Don't forget to seek guidance from your advisor throughout the research process. They can provide you with valuable feedback, relevant sources, and support.

4. Develop a strong thesis statement

A well-defined thesis statement is a roadmap for your dissertation. It should concisely state your main argument or research question and provide a clear direction for your paper. Your thesis statement will guide your entire writing process, so take the time to fully understand it before you begin to write.

When writing a thesis statement:

• Be specific and focused - avoid broad or vague statements.
• Remember that your thesis needs to be arguable - it should be a statement that can be supported or proved false with evidence.
• Make sure your thesis is realistic - you need to be able to research and write about it in the allotted time and space.

Once you have a draft of your thesis statement, share it with your supervisor and other trusted peers. They can provide you with feedback and help you to refine your statement.

If your research disproves your original statement, it can be a disappointing experience. However, it is important to remember that this is a normal part of the research process.

'Many of my students believe that if they don't find the answer they're expecting, then their work is worthless,' says Neal.

'This is not the case. You don't have to find the answer to produce valuable research. Documenting your process and conclusions, even if they are inconclusive, can help others to avoid repeating your work and may lead to new approaches.'

5. Proofread and edit

After working on your dissertation for such a long time, it can be tempting to end the process once you have finished writing, but proofreading is an essential step in ensuring that it is polished and error-free.

To help with the proofreading process:

• Read your dissertation aloud . This can help you to catch errors that you might miss when reading silently.
• Change your environment to see your work with fresh eyes.
• Focus on one thing at a time such as grammar, spelling, or punctuation to avoid getting overwhelmed.

To edit your dissertation, begin by reviewing its overall structure and flow. Make sure that your arguments are well-organised and that your ideas are presented in a logical order.

Next, check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation carefully. You can use a grammar checker, but it is important to proofread your work yourself to identify stylistic or subject-specific errors.

'Make sure you understand the reference style your university prefers. Formatting and labelling of images, tables etc. is vitally important and will be marked,' says Neal.

You should also ensure that your dissertation is formatted using the correct font, font size, margins, and line spacing.

6. Seek feedback and finalise

Once you have made your final revisions, seek feedback from your advisor or board members.

To get the most out of your feedback, be specific about what you are looking for. For example, you might ask for feedback on the overall structure and flow of your dissertation, the strength of your arguments, or the clarity of your writing.

Be open to feedback, even if it's negative. Remember that your advisor is there to help you improve your work, so it's important to take the time to understand and implement the feedback you receive.

Once you have addressed all the feedback, you can prepare your final submission. It's important to follow the guidelines carefully before submitting. Be sure to hand in your dissertation on time, as late submissions may be penalised or even rejected.

Online hand in is the most common method of dissertation submission, and you will typically need to upload a PDF file to an online portal. Follow the instructions carefully - you may need to provide additional information, such as your student ID number or the title of your dissertation.

Some institutions still require dissertations to be submitted in hard copy. If this is the case, you will need to submit a bound copy of your dissertation to your department office. You may also need to pay the binding fee.

Be sure to check with your advisor or department office for specific instructions on how to submit your dissertation in hard copy. You may have to submit multiple copies of your dissertation, and you be required to to include a title page, abstract, and table of contents.

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A Step-By-Step Guide to Write the Perfect Dissertation

“A dissertation or a thesis is a long piece of academic writing based on comprehensive research.”

The significance of dissertation writing in the world of academia is unparalleled. A good dissertation paper needs months of research and marks the end of your respected academic journey. It is considered the most effective form of writing in academia and perhaps the longest piece of academic writing you will ever have to complete.

This thorough step-by-step guide on how to write a dissertation will serve as a tool to help you with the task at hand, whether you are an undergraduate student or a Masters or PhD student working on your dissertation project. This guide provides detailed information about how to write the different chapters of a dissertation, such as a problem statement , conceptual framework , introduction , literature review, methodology , discussion , findings , conclusion , title page , acknowledgements , etc.

What is a Dissertation? – Definition

Before we list the stages of writing a dissertation, we should look at what a dissertation is.

The Cambridge dictionary states that a dissertation is a long piece of writing on a particular subject, especially one that is done to receive a degree at college or university, but that is just the tip of the iceberg because a dissertation project has a lot more meaning and context.

To understand a dissertation’s definition, one must have the capability to understand what an essay is. A dissertation is like an extended essay that includes research and information at a much deeper level. Despite the few similarities, there are many differences between an essay and a dissertation.

Another term that people confuse with a dissertation is a thesis. Let's look at the differences between the two terms.

What is the Difference Between a Dissertation and a Thesis?

Dissertation and thesis are used interchangeably worldwide (and may vary between universities and regions), but the key difference is when they are completed. The thesis is a project that marks the end of a degree program, whereas the dissertation project can occur during the degree. Hanno Krieger (Researchgate, 2014) explained the difference between a dissertation and a thesis as follows:

“Thesis is the written form of research work to claim an academic degree, like PhD thesis, postgraduate thesis, and undergraduate thesis. On the other hand, a dissertation is only another expression of the written research work, similar to an essay. So the thesis is the more general expression.

In the end, it does not matter whether it is a bachelor's, master or PhD dissertation one is working on because the structure and the steps of conducting research are pretty much identical. However, doctoral-level dissertation papers are much more complicated and detailed.

Problems Students Face When Writing a Dissertation

You can expect to encounter some troubles if you don’t yet know the steps to write a dissertation. Even the smartest students are overwhelmed by the complexity of writing a dissertation.

A dissertation project is different from any essay paper you have ever committed to because of the details of planning, research and writing it involves. One can expect rewarding results at the end of the process if the correct guidelines are followed. Still, as indicated previously, there will be multiple challenges to deal with before reaching that milestone.

The three most significant problems students face when working on a dissertation project are the following.

Poor Project Planning

Delaying to start working on the dissertation project is the most common problem. Students think they have sufficient time to complete the paper and are finding ways to write a dissertation in a week, delaying the start to the point where they start stressing out about the looming deadline. When the planning is poor, students are always looking for ways to write their dissertations in the last few days. Although it is possible, it does have effects on the quality of the paper.

Inadequate Research Skills

The writing process becomes a huge problem if one has the required academic research experience. Professional dissertation writing goes well beyond collecting a few relevant reference resources.

You need to do both primary and secondary research for your paper. Depending on the dissertation’s topic and the academic qualification you are a candidate for, you may be required to base your dissertation paper on primary research.

In addition to secondary data, you will also need to collect data from the specified participants and test the hypothesis . The practice of primary collection is time-consuming since all the data must be analysed in detail before results can be withdrawn.

Failure to Meet the Strict Academic Writing Standards

Research is a crucial business everywhere. Failure to follow the language, style, structure, and formatting guidelines provided by your department or institution when writing the dissertation paper can worsen matters. It is recommended to read the dissertation handbook before starting the write-up thoroughly.

Steps of Writing a Dissertation

For those stressing out about developing an extensive paper capable of filling a gap in research whilst adding value to the existing academic literature—conducting exhaustive research and analysis—and professionally using the knowledge gained throughout their degree program, there is still good news in all the chaos.

We have put together a guide that will show you how to start your dissertation and complete it carefully from one stage to the next.

Find an Interesting and Manageable Dissertation Topic

A clearly defined topic is a prerequisite for any successful independent research project. An engaging yet manageable research topic can produce an original piece of research that results in a higher academic score.

Unlike essays or assignments, when working on their thesis or dissertation project, students get to choose their topic of research.

You should follow the tips to choose the correct topic for your research to avoid problems later. Your chosen dissertation topic should be narrow enough, allowing you to collect the required secondary and primary data relatively quickly.

Understandably, many people take a lot of time to search for the topic, and a significant amount of research time is spent on it. You should talk to your supervisor or check out the intriguing database of ResearchProspect’s free topics for your dissertation.

Alternatively, consider reading newspapers, academic journals, articles, course materials, and other media to identify relevant issues to your study area and find some inspiration to get going.

You should work closely with your supervisor to agree to a narrowed but clear research plan.Here is what Michelle Schneider, learning adviser at the University of Leeds, had to say about picking the research topics,

“Picking something you’re genuinely interested in will keep you motivated. Consider why it’s important to tackle your chosen topic," Michelle added.

Develop a First-Class Dissertation Proposal.

Once the research topic has been selected, you can develop a solid dissertation proposal . The research proposal allows you to convince your supervisor or the committee members of the significance of your dissertation.

Through the proposal, you will be expected to prove that your work will significantly value the academic and scientific communities by addressing complex and provocative research questions .

Dissertation proposals are much shorter but follow a similar structure to an extensive dissertation paper. If the proposal is optional in your university, you should still create one outline of the critical points that the actual dissertation paper will cover. To get a better understanding of dissertation proposals, you can also check the publicly available samples of dissertation proposals .

Typical contents of the dissertation paper are as follows;

• A brief rationale for the problem your dissertation paper will investigate.
• The hypothesis you will be testing.
• Research objectives you wish to address.
• How will you contribute to the knowledge of the scientific and academic community?
• How will you find answers to the critical research question(s)?
• What research approach will you adopt?
• What kind of population of interest would you like to generalise your result(s) to (especially in the case of quantitative research)?
• What sampling technique(s) would you employ, and why would you not use other methods?
• What ethical considerations have you taken to gather data?
• Who are the stakeholders in your research are/might be?
• What are the future implications and limitations you see in your research?

Let’s review the structure of the dissertation. Keep the format of your proposal simple. Keeping it simple keeps your readers will remain engaged. The following are the fundamental focal points that must be included:

Title of your dissertation: Dissertation titles should be 12 words in length. The focus of your research should be identifiable from your research topic.

Research aim: The overall purpose of your study should be clearly stated in terms of the broad statements of the desired outcomes in the Research aim. Try and paint the picture of your research, emphasising what you wish to achieve as a researcher.

Research objectives: The key research questions you wish to address as part of the project should be listed. Narrow down the focus of your research and aim for at most four objectives. Your research objectives should be linked with the aim of the study or a hypothesis.

Literature review: Consult with your supervisor to check if you are required to use any specific academic sources as part of the literature review process. If that is not the case, find out the most relevant theories, journals, books, schools of thought, and publications that will be used to construct arguments in your literature research.Remember that the literature review is all about giving credit to other authors’ works on a similar topic

Research methods and techniques: Depending on your dissertation topic, you might be required to conduct empirical research to satisfy the study’s objectives. Empirical research uses primary data such as questionnaires, interview data, and surveys to collect.

On the other hand, if your dissertation is based on secondary (non-empirical) data, you can stick to the existing literature in your area of study. Clearly state the merits of your chosen research methods under the methodology section.

Expected results: As you explore the research topic and analyse the data in the previously published papers, you will begin to build your expectations around the study’s potential outcomes. List those expectations here.

Project timeline: Let the readers know exactly how you plan to complete all the dissertation project parts within the timeframe allowed. You should learn more about Microsoft Project and Gantt Charts to create easy-to-follow and high-level project timelines and schedules.

References: The academic sources used to gather information for the proposed paper will be listed under this section using the appropriate referencing style. Ask your supervisor which referencing style you are supposed to follow.

The proposals we write have:

• Precision and Clarity
• Zero Plagiarism
• High-level Encryption
• Authentic Sources

Investigation, Research and Data Collection

This is the most critical stage of the dissertation writing process. One should use up-to-date and relevant academic sources that are likely to jeopardise hard work.

Finding relevant and highly authentic reference resources is the key to succeeding in the dissertation project, so it is advised to take your time with this process. Here are some of the things that should be considered when conducting research.

dissertation project, so it is advised to take your time with this process. Here are some of the things that should be considered when conducting research.

You cannot read everything related to your topic. Although the practice of reading as much material as possible during this stage is rewarding, it is also imperative to understand that it is impossible to read everything that concerns your research.

This is true, especially for undergraduate and master’s level dissertations that must be delivered within a specific timeframe. So, it is important to know when to stop! Once the previous research and the associated limitations are well understood, it is time to move on.

However, review at least the salient research and work done in your area. By salient, we mean research done by pioneers of your field. For instance, if your topic relates to linguistics and you haven’t familiarised yourself with relevant research conducted by, say, Chomsky (the father of linguistics), your readers may find your lack of knowledge disconcerting.

So, to come off as genuinely knowledgeable in your own field, at least don’t forget to read essential works in the field/topic!

Use an Authentic Research database to Find References.

Most students start the reference material-finding process with desk-based research. However, this research method has its own limitation because it is a well-known fact that the internet is full of bogus information and fake information spreads fasters on the internet than truth does .

So, it is important to pick your reference material from reliable resources such as Google Scholar , Researchgate, Ibibio and Bartleby . Wikipedia is not considered a reliable academic source in the academic world, so it is recommended to refrain from citing Wikipedia content.Never underrate the importance of the actual library. The supporting staff at a university library can be of great help when it comes to finding exciting and reliable publications.

Record as you learn

All information and impressions should be recorded as notes using online tools such as Evernote to make sure everything is clear. You want to retain an important piece of information you had planned to present as an argument in the dissertation paper.

Write a Flawless Dissertation

Start to write a fantastic dissertation immediately once your proposal has been accepted and all the necessary desk-based research has been conducted. Now we will look at the different chapters of a dissertation in detail. You can also check out the samples of dissertation chapters to fully understand the format and structures of the various chapters.

Dissertation Introduction Chapter

The introduction chapter of the dissertation paper provides the background, problem statement and research questions. Here, you will inform the readers why it was important for this research to be conducted and which key research question(s) you expect to answer at the end of the study.

Definitions of all the terms and phrases in the project are provided in this first chapter of the dissertation paper. The research aim and objectives remain unchanged from the proposal paper and are expected to be listed under this section.

Dissertation Literature Review Chapter

This chapter allows you to demonstrate to your readers that you have done sufficient research on the chosen topic and understand previous similar studies’ findings. Any research limitations that your research incorporates are expected to be discussed in this section.

And make sure to summarise the viewpoints and findings of other researchers in the dissertation literature review chapter. Show the readers that there is a research gap in the existing work and your job is relevant to it to justify your research value.

Dissertation Methodology

The methodology chapter of the dissertation provides insight into the methods employed to collect data from various resources and flows naturally from the literature review chapter.Simply put, you will be expected to explain what you did and how you did it, helping the readers understand that your research is valid and reliable. When writing the methodology chapter for the dissertation, make sure to emphasise the following points:

• The type of research performed by the researcher
• Methods employed to gather and filter information
• Techniques that were chosen for analysis
• Materials, tools and resources used to conduct research (typically for empirical research dissertations)
• Limitations of your chosen methods
• Reliability and validity of your measuring tools and instruments (e.g. a survey questionnaire) are also typically mentioned within the mythology section. If you used a pre-existing data collection tool, cite its reliability/validity estimates here, too.Make use of the past tense when writing the methodology chapter.

Dissertation Findings

The key results of your research are presented in the dissertation findings chapter . It gives authors the ability to validate their own intellectual and analytical skills

Dissertation Conclusion

Cap off your dissertation paper with a study summary and a brief report of the findings. In the concluding chapter , you will be expected to demonstrate how your research will provide value to other academics in your area of study and its implications.It is recommended to include a short ‘recommendations’ section that will elaborate on the purpose and need for future research to elucidate the topic further.

Follow the referencing style following the requirements of your academic degree or field of study. Make sure to list every academic source used with a proper in-text citation. It is important to give credit to other authors’ ideas and concepts.

Note: Keep in mind whether you are creating a reference list or a bibliography. The former includes information about all the various sources you referred to, read from or took inspiration from for your own study. However, the latter contains things you used and those you only read but didn’t cite in your dissertation.

Proofread, Edit and Improve – Don’t Risk Months of Hard Work.

Experts recommend completing the total dissertation before starting to proofread and edit your work. You need to refresh your focus and reboot your creative brain before returning to another critical stage.

Leave space of at least a few days between the writing and the editing steps so when you get back to the desk, you can recognise your grammar, spelling and factual errors when you get back to the desk.

It is crucial to consider this period to ensure the final work is polished, coherent, well-structured and free of any structural or factual flaws. Daniel Higginbotham from Prospects UK states that:

“Leave yourself sufficient time to engage with your writing at several levels – from reassessing the logic of the whole piece to proofreading to checking you’ve paid attention to aspects such as the correct spelling of names and theories and the required referencing format.”

What is the Difference Between Editing and Proofreading?

Editing means that you are focusing on the essence of your dissertation paper. In contrast, proofreading is the process of reviewing the final draft piece to ensure accuracy and consistency in formatting, spelling, facts, punctuation, and grammar.

Editing: Prepare your work for submission by condensing, correcting and modifying (where necessary). When reviewing the paper, make sure that there are coherence and consistency between the arguments you presented.

If an information gap has been identified, fill that with an appropriate piece of information gathered during the research process. It is easy to lose sight of the original purpose if you become over-involved when writing.

Cut out the unwanted text and refine it, so your paper’s content is to the point and concise.Proofreading: Start proofreading your paper to identify formatting, structural, grammar, punctuation and referencing flaws. Read every single sentence of the paper no matter how tired you are because a few puerile mistakes can compromise your months of hard work.

Many students struggle with the editing and proofreading stages due to their lack of attention to detail. Consult a skilled dissertation editor if you are unable to find your flaws. You may want to invest in a professional dissertation editing and proofreading service to improve the piece’s quality to First Class.

Tips for Writing a Dissertation

Communication with supervisor – get feedback.

Communicate regularly with your supervisor to produce a first-class dissertation paper. Request them to comprehensively review the contents of your dissertation paper before final submission.

Their constructive criticism and feedback concerning different study areas will help you improve your piece’s overall quality. Keep your supervisor updated about your research progress and discuss any problems that you come up against.

Organising your Time

A dissertation is a lengthy project spanning over a period of months to years, and therefore it is important to avoid procrastination. Stay focused, and manage your time efficiently. Here are some time management tips for writing your dissertation to help you make the most of your time as you research and write.

• Don’t be discouraged by the inherently slow nature of dissertation work, particularly in the initial stages.
• Set clear goals and work out your research and write up a plan accordingly.
• Allow sufficient time to incorporate feedback from your supervisor.
• Leave enough time for editing, improving, proofreading, and formatting the paper according to your school’s guidelines. This is where you break or make your grade.
• Work a certain number of hours on your paper daily.
• Create a worksheet for your week.
• Work on your dissertation for time periods as brief as 45 minutes or less.
• Stick to the strategic dissertation timeline, so you don’t have to do the catchup work.
• Meet your goals by prioritising your dissertation work.
• Strike a balance between being overly organised and needing to be more organised.
• Limit activities other than dissertation writing and your most necessary obligations.
• Keep ‘tangent’ and ‘for the book’ files.
• Create lists to help you manage your tasks.
• Have ‘filler’ tasks to do when you feel burned out or in need of intellectual rest.
• Keep a dissertation journal.
• Pretend that you are working in a more structured work world.
• Limit your usage of email and personal electronic devices.
• Utilise and build on your past work when you write your dissertation.
• Break large tasks into small manageable ones.
• Seek advice from others, and do not be afraid to ask for help.

Dissertation Examples

Here are some samples of a dissertation to inspire you to write mind-blowing dissertations and to help bring all the above-mentioned guidelines home.

DE MONTFORT University Leicester – Examples of recent dissertations

Dissertation Research in Education: Dissertations (Examples)

How Long is a Dissertation?

The entire dissertation writing process is complicated and spans over a period of months to years, depending on whether you are an undergraduate, master’s, or PhD candidate. Marcus Beck, a PhD candidate, conducted fundamental research a few years ago, research that didn’t have much to do with his research but returned answers to some niggling questions every student has about the average length of a dissertation.

A software program specifically designed for this purpose helped Beck to access the university’s electronic database to uncover facts on dissertation length.

The above illustration shows how the results of his small study were a little unsurprising. Social sciences and humanities disciplines such as anthropology, politics, and literature had the longest dissertations, with some PhD dissertations comprising 150,000 words or more.Engineering and scientific disciplines, on the other hand, were considerably shorter. PhD-level dissertations generally don’t have a predefined length as they will vary with your research topic. Ask your school about this requirement if you are unsure about it from the start.

Focus more on the quality of content rather than the number of pages.

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Phrases to Avoid

No matter the style or structure you follow, it is best to keep your language simple. Avoid the use of buzzwords and jargon.

A Word on Stealing Content (Plagiarism)

Very straightforward advice to all students, DO NOT PLAGIARISE. Plagiarism is a serious offence. You will be penalised heavily if you are caught plagiarising. Don’t risk years of hard work, as many students in the past have lost their degrees for plagiarising. Here are some tips to help you make sure you don’t get caught.

• Copying and pasting from an academic source is an unforgivable sin. Rephrasing text retrieved from another source also falls under plagiarism; it’s called paraphrasing. Summarising another’s idea(s) word-to-word, paraphrasing, and copy-pasting are the three primary forms plagiarism can take.
• If you must directly copy full sentences from another source because they fill the bill, always enclose them inside quotation marks and acknowledge the writer’s work with in-text citations.

Are you struggling to find inspiration to get going? Still, trying to figure out where to begin? Is the deadline getting closer? Don’t be overwhelmed! ResearchProspect dissertation writing services have helped thousands of students achieve desired outcomes. Click here to get help from writers holding either a master's or PhD degree from a reputed UK university.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a dissertation include.

A dissertation has main chapters and parts that support them. The main parts are:

• Introduction
• Literature review
• Research Methodology
• Your conclusion

Other parts are the abstract, references, appendices etc. We can supply a full dissertation or specific parts of one.

What is the difference between research and a dissertation?

A research paper is a sort of academic writing that consists of the study, source assessment, critical thinking, organisation, and composition, as opposed to a thesis or dissertation, which is a lengthy academic document that often serves as the final project for a university degree.

Can I edit and proofread my dissertation myself?

Of course, you can do proofreading and editing of your dissertation. There are certain rules to follow that have been discussed above. However, finding mistakes in something that you have written yourself can be complicated for some people. It is advisable to take professional help in the matter.

What If I only have difficulty writing a specific chapter of the dissertation?

ResearchProspect ensures customer satisfaction by addressing all relevant issues. We provide dissertation chapter-writing services to students if they need help completing a specific chapter. It could be any chapter from the introduction, literature review, and methodology to the discussion and conclusion.

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Are you looking for intriguing and trending dissertation topics? Get inspired by our list of free dissertation topics on all subjects.

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How to Write a Dissertation: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2023-2024 | Help You Need!

Mastering Dissertation Writing: A Concise Guide

1: personal interest, 2: contribution to the field, 3: ensuring feasibility, tips for choosing a dissertation topic, reflect on your academic journey, seek guidance from experts, immerse yourself in extensive reading, considering the relevance and feasibility of your topic, identifying existing research, establishing the research gap, evaluating methodologies and findings, tips on how to write a dissertation literature review, identifying purpose and objectives, guiding literature selection and organization, providing a framework for data collection and analysis, generating meaningful findings and conclusions, guidelines for formulating a research question: a roadmap to dissertation success, quantitative research, qualitative research, mixed methods, tips for collecting and analyzing data: empowering your dissertation with robust insights, structuring your dissertation chapters, tips for effective writing and organization, improve clarity and coherence, eliminate grammatical and structural errors, enhance academic tone and style, take a break, check for consistency, seek feedback, use editing tools, edit in stages.

• 1)      What is the Typical Word Count for a Dissertation?
• 2)      Can I Use Published Journal Articles as Research Topics for My Dissertation?
• 3)      How Long Does It Take to Write a Dissertation?
• 4)      How Should I Organize the Dissertation Chapters?
• 5)      How Can I Ensure the Quality of My Dissertation?

Delve into the captivating world of dissertations, where the term ‘dissertātiō’ from ancient Greek reveals its true essence as a ‘path of discourse.’ Embarking on this intellectual journey, much like the legendary voyages of the past, you’ll traverse the realms of academia, engaging in profound discussions that expand the tapestry of knowledge. Your dissertation becomes an epic quest, untangling new insights, challenging prevailing theories, and leaving an indelible mark on the ever-evolving landscape of scholarship. Welcome to the grand odyssey of dissertation writing, a voyage of intellectual exploration like no other.

In this all-encompassing guide, the dissertation writing services offer valuable assistance to individuals seeking to select captivating topics and receive useful tips for a successful research start. The guide delves into the significance of a well-defined research objective , elucidating its role in shaping the overall structure and coherence of the dissertation. Prospective learners are invited to embark on an exciting journey of mastering dissertation writing, supported by the expert guidance provided.

Selecting the Appropriate Topic for Your Dissertation.

Embarking on the journey of writing a doctoral dissertation is a monumental task, and the first critical step is selecting the right topic. Your dissertation’s success hinges on this pivotal decision, as it not only shapes the entire research process but also leaves a lasting impact on your academic journey. In this blog, we’ll explore the significance of choosing the i deal topic for your dissertation and the reasons why it plays a vital role in shaping the trajectory of your study.

One of the primary factors in selecting the right dissertation topic is personal interest. When you’re passionate about a subject, the research process becomes more than just a scholarly pursuit; it turns into an exciting and fulfilling adventure. Immersing yourself in a topic you genuinely care about fosters motivation, ensuring that you stay committed and driven throughout the entire journey of exploration and discovery. So, take a moment to reflect on your interests and identify the areas that spark your curiosity and enthusiasm.

Your dissertation presents a unique opportunity to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in your field of study. Choosing a topic that addresses a research gap or explores an uncharted territory allows you to make a meaningful impact on the academic community . By delving into unexplored realms or shedding new light on existing theories, you can leave a lasting legacy in your area of expertise. As you ponder your options, consider how your research can add value and push the boundaries of your field.

While the allure of an ambitious and grandiose topic may be enticing, it’s crucial to assess the practicality and feasibility of your chosen subject. Time constraints, available resources, and the scope of your study must all be considered to ensure a successful research endeavor. Opt for a well-defined and focused topic that aligns with the timeframe and resources at your disposal . This approach not only streamlines the research process but also enhances its effectiveness and potential for impactful findings.

Selecting the right topic for your dissertation is an essential foundation for a successful academic journey. By honing in on your personal interests, seeking opportunities to contribute to your field, and ensuring the feasibility of your chosen subject, you set the stage for a compelling and impactful research endeavor. With your curiosity ignited and a clear path ahead, you are ready to take on the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead in this academic odyssey. In the upcoming parts of this blog series, we will delve further into the dissertation writing process, guiding you through each step as you progress toward achieving academic excellence. Stay tuned for more insights and tips to unlock the full potential of your dissertation!

Crafting the perfect Ph.D. dissertation topic that aligns with your passions and aspirations is a pivotal step in your academic journey. To guide you through this crucial process, here are some valuable tips:

• Brainstorm Ideas: Begin by engaging in a fruitful brainstorming session, drawing inspiration from your field of study, coursework, and personal experiences. Take note of current trends, challenges, and knowledge gaps within your discipline, and explore how you can contribute fresh insights to the existing body of knowledge.
• Narrow Down Your Focus: From the list of potential topics you’ve generated, focus on refining your ideas into a specific research question or problem. A well-defined and narrowed focus will facilitate in-depth analysis and make your research journey more manageable and purposeful.
• Seek Expert Advice: Consult with your academic advisor, professors, and fellow peers to seek their expert advice. Their invaluable insights and experiences within the field can offer you guidance and direction as you shape your dissertation topic.
• Assess Available Resources: Ensure to consider the availability of essential resources, such as data, literature, and research tools, required for your chosen topic. Having access to the right resources will support the robustness and credibility of your research.
• Conduct a Comprehensive Literature Review: Embark on a thorough review of existing literature relevant to your potential topics. This exploration will help you identify gaps in knowledge, understand the current state of research, and refine your research question to make it more relevant and impactful.

By applying these effective tips, you’ll be well on your way to selecting a dissertation topic that not only ignites your intellectual curiosity but also contributes meaningfully to the academic landscape in your chosen field. In the upcoming sections of this blog series, we’ll delve further into the dissertation writing process, equipping you with essential insights and tools for success. Stay tuned to unlock the potential of your dissertation journey!

Refining Your Research Interests.

Embarking on your academic writing journey begins with the pivotal task of selecting a research interest that aligns with your passions. By identifying these interests, you lay the foundation for an engaging and fulfilling research process that keeps you motivated throughout. To help you discover your research interests, consider the following tips:

Take a moment to ponder your academic experiences and the subjects that have truly captivated your interest. Think about the courses that sparked your curiosity and those where you found yourself going beyond the required readings. Additionally, consider the areas in which you excelled consistently, as they may hold clues to your innate interests.

Don’t hesitate to seek advice from your professors, academic advisors, and other experts in your field. Their wealth of knowledge and experience can provide valuable insights and suggestions. Engage in meaningful discussions with them about your interests, as this can lead to greater clarity and a more defined research direction.

Expand your knowledge by delving into a wide range of scholarly articles, books, and other relevant materials within your field. Reading extensively exposes you to various research areas and opens doors to potential dissertation topics. Let the wealth of information inspire and guide you towards discovering what truly ignites your intellectual curiosity.

By using these insightful tips, you’ll be better equipped to narrow down your research interest, setting the stage for a rewarding academic journey ahead.

With your research interests in focus, the next crucial step is to assess the relevance and feasibility of your chosen topic. This evaluation will ensure that your dissertation makes a meaningful contribution to your field while remaining achievable within the practical constraints of your research journey. Let’s delve into the essential factors to consider:

• Relevance: A compelling dissertation topic should resonate with current trends and discussions in your field of study. It should address a specific gap in existing literature or offer a fresh perspective on a well-studied subject. By aligning your research with ongoing debates, you position yourself as an active contributor to the academic discourse, driving progress and innovation.
• Feasibility: As you venture into your research, carefully assess the feasibility of your chosen topic. Consider the availability of essential resources, including data, research materials, and support. Moreover, keep in mind any ethical considerations that may arise in the course of your research. Ensuring that you have access to the necessary tools and resources is vital for conducting a well-rounded and credible investigation.
• Manageability: A well-defined and narrow topic is the key to a manageable dissertation. Avoid the pitfalls of a broad or overly ambitious subject, as it may lead to an overwhelming volume of research. By maintaining a focused approach, you can delve deep into your research, providing comprehensive insights and maintaining coherence throughout your work.

Balancing the relevance and feasibility of your topic is the cornerstone of a successful dissertation. By considering these essential factors , you set the stage for a research journey that not only excites your intellectual curiosity but also demonstrates your expertise and commitment to your field.

Conducting a Literature Review: Its Significance and Importance.

A literature review plays a pivotal role in every dissertation or research paper. It entails a comprehensive analysis and critical examination of existing literature and research pertinent to your chosen topic. Mastering the art of crafting a literature review for your dissertation holds immense importance as it establishes the background and context of your study, identifies gaps in current knowledge, and justifies the necessity of your research. Moreover, it allows you to showcase your expertise and comprehension of the subject matter and the current state of research in your field.

Outlined below are the key reasons why a literature review is an indispensable component of your dissertation:

The literature review facilitates the exploration and evaluation of relevant studies, books, articles, and various information sources already available on your selected topic. By delving into this wealth of knowledge, you gain insights into the existing research landscape and build a foundation for your investigation.

Through a meticulous review of the existing literature, you can discern gaps or unanswered questions within the current knowledge. This process helps you precisely define the scope and objectives of your research, shedding light on how your study will contribute to enriching and advancing the existing body of knowledge in your field.

An integral aspect of the literature review is the critical evaluation of the methodologies employed in previous studies and the findings they have yielded. This exercise equips you with a deeper understanding of the strengths and limitations of existing research, thereby informing your own research design and approach.

By recognizing the significance of a well-structured literature review, you equip yourself with the tools to showcase your scholarly prowess and make a compelling case for the importance of your research.

Conducting an effective literature review is a vital aspect of your dissertation writing process. To ensure a successful literature review, consider the following essential tips:

• Start Early: Begin your literature review as early as possible in your research journey. Starting early allows you sufficient time for comprehensive research, thorough analysis, and proper synthesis of the literature.
• Define Your Search Strategy: Clearly articulate your research question or objectives to guide your search for relevant literature. Utilize appropriate keywords , databases, and other search tools to identify scholarly sources that align with your research focus.
• Be Selective and Critical: Exercise discernment when selecting sources for your literature review. Prioritize reliable, credible, and peer-reviewed materials that directly relate to your research topic. Furthermore, adopt a critical approach to evaluating each source, considering its strengths and weaknesses in contributing to your overall study.
• Organize Your Sources: Develop a systematic approach for organizing and managing the sources you find. Implement citation management tools, such as EndNote or Zotero, to effectively track and maintain your references in a structured manner.
• Analyze and Synthesize the Literature: Thoroughly analyze the key findings, methodologies, and arguments presented in the literature you’ve gathered. Seek out common themes, controversies, and gaps in the research, which will aid in forming a coherent narrative for your literature review.
• Document Your Sources: Keep meticulous notes throughout the literature review process, documenting all the essential details of each source. Properly cite all the sources you include in your literature review, adhering to the required citation style (e.g., APA or MLA) to ensure accuracy and consistency.

By incorporating these valuable tips into your literature review process, you lay a solid foundation for crafting a well-structured and insightful dissertation .

Formulating a Research Question.

A robust research question forms the very bedrock of a successful dissertation. Whether you’re contemplating buying a dissertation online or embarking on the writing journey yourself, having a clear, concise, and specific research question is paramount. This pivotal question should address a gap or problem in the existing literature , while also piquing your curiosity and aligning with the essence of your field of study. The research question will serve as your compass, guiding your study, shaping the trajectory of your research, and ultimately influencing the outcome of your work.

The Significance of a Research Question

A well-crafted research question helps to identify the purpose and objectives of your research project. By clearly articulating what you aim to achieve, you can stay focused and ensure that your study remains on track throughout its course.

Your research question acts as a guiding force in selecting and organizing relevant literature. It steers you towards sources that contribute directly to answering your question, allowing you to build a comprehensive understanding of the topic and its existing knowledge.

With a distinct research question in place, you can create a structured framework for data collection and analysis. This framework ensures that you gather relevant and meaningful data , thereby enhancing the validity and reliability of your findings.

A well-formulated research question sets the stage for generating meaningful findings and conclusions. As you delve into your research, your question serves as a compass, guiding your exploration, and leading to insights that contribute to your field’s body of knowledge.

Formulating a compelling research question is a critical step in the dissertation writing process. It serves as the cornerstone of your study, providing direction , focus, and purpose. By crafting a research question that addresses gaps in the literature and aligns with your passion for the subject, you embark on a journey of academic exploration that promises to leave a lasting impact on your field of study.

When it comes to writing a dissertation proposal and formulating a research question, adhering to these essential guidelines from our thesis writing service can be instrumental in ensuring your academic success:

• Be Specific: Craft a research question that delves into a specific aspect or issue within your field of study. Avoid broad or vague inquiries, as they may hinder focused and manageable research proposals. Precision is key to honing in on the heart of your investigation.
• Be Clear and Concise: Clarity is paramount in formulating your research question. Ensure that your question is straightforward and easy to comprehend. Steer clear of jargon or technical language that may confuse readers and instead opt for a clear and accessible wording.
• Be Original: Pursue a research question that offers new insights and contributes to the existing body of literature. Evade topics that have already undergone extensive research or lack novelty. By exploring uncharted territory, you can pave the way for novel discoveries and enrich your field of study.
• Be Feasible: Keep practicality in mind while formulating your research question. Consider the availability of resources, time constraints , and ethical considerations that may influence your study. Opt for a question that is feasible and can be adequately addressed within the limitations of your research.
• Be Relevant: Choose a research question that aligns with your field of study and resonates with your academic and career goals. Opt for a question that holds personal meaning for you and bears implications for future research or practical applications.

Crafting a compelling research question is a vital step in developing your dissertation proposal. By adhering to these guidelines, you lay a strong foundation for an impactful and purposeful research journey.

Collecting and Analyzing Data.

After carefully selecting your dissertation topic and formulating the research questions, the next significant phase is gathering and analyzing data. This critical stage plays a pivotal role as it provides the essential evidence and information necessary to address your research questions and make valuable contributions to the existing knowledge within your field . To ensure a successful data gathering and analysis process, consider the following key considerations:

• Research Methodologies: Begin by selecting the most appropriate research methodology that aligns with your research questions and objectives. Different methodologies cater to varying data types and research goals.
• Data Collection: Implement the chosen research methodology to collect relevant data. Depending on your study’s nature, data can be gathered through surveys, interviews, experiments, observations, or by accessing existing datasets.
• Data Organization: Once collected, meticulously organize the data to ensure clarity and ease of analysis. Employ data management techniques, such as coding or categorization, to facilitate efficient data interpretation.
• Data Analysis: Employ suitable analytical methods to process and make sense of the gathered data. Depending on your research design, this may involve statistical analysis for quantitative data or thematic analysis for qualitative data.
• Interpretation and Findings: Carefully interpret the results of your data analysis, drawing meaningful insights that directly address your research questions. These findings will form the foundation of your dissertation’s conclusions.

Gathering and analyzing data stand as the cornerstone of your dissertation research. This crucial stage equips you with the evidence required to substantiate your research inquiries and make a valuable impact in your field of study. By employing the appropriate research methodologies, efficiently organizing your data, and conducting thorough analysis, you set the stage for a robust and impactful dissertation.

Selecting the Appropriate Research Methodology

In the journey of dissertation research, after meticulously formulating research questions and embarking on the crucial phase of gathering and analyzing data, one key aspect that significantly influences the quality and depth of your study is selecting the appropriate research methodology. Understanding the nature of your research questions and aligning them with the most suitable methodology is essential for generating robust and meaningful findings. Let’s explore the various research methodologies and their distinctive applications:

Quantitative research methodologies are best suited for research questions that require numerical data and statistical analysis to draw concrete conclusions. This approach entails the systematic collection of data through surveys, experiments, or by accessing existing datasets. By employing statistical techniques, such as regression analysis, correlation, and inferential statistics , researchers can discern patterns, trends, and relationships within the data. Quantitative research provides valuable insights into the prevalence of specific phenomena and allows for generalizability of results to larger populations.

When your research questions aim to delve into subjective experiences, opinions, and meanings, qualitative research methodologies are the ideal choice. Common methods utilized in qualitative research include interviews, focus groups, observations, and content analysis. Researchers immerse themselves in the rich and nuanced narratives of participants , capturing the intricacies of their perspectives. Data gathered in qualitative research is then analyzed through coding and thematic analysis, unearthing recurring themes and patterns. Qualitative research enables a profound understanding of complex human behaviors, motivations, and perceptions.

Certain research questions call for a comprehensive approach that encompasses both quantitative and qualitative data. Mixed methods studies ingeniously blend numerical data with descriptive narratives, offering a more holistic understanding of the research topic. By combining statistical analysis with the exploration of subjective experiences, researchers can gain diverse perspectives and enrich their findings. Mixed methods studies allow for triangulation , wherein data from different sources are compared, enhancing the validity and credibility of research outcomes.

Selecting the appropriate research methodology is an art that demands a thorough understanding of your research questions and the intricacies of each approach. By aligning your chosen methodology with the nature of your study, you empower your research to yield comprehensive and insightful findings.

As you venture deeper into your dissertation research journey, the pivotal stage of collecting and analyzing data emerges as a cornerstone for generating meaningful and impactful findings. To ensure the success of this critical phase, consider the following essential tips:

• Plan Ahead: Chart your course with a meticulously crafted data collection plan. Outline the specific methods you will employ, the desired sample size, and a well-structured timeline for data collection. A comprehensive plan ensures a systematic and organized approach to gathering data.
• Ensure Validity and Reliability: Maximize the credibility of your research by using established research instruments and methodologies. Prioritize the validity and reliability of your data collection tools to ensure the accuracy and consistency of your results. Conduct pilot testing and seek expert review to identify and rectify any potential issues.
• Ethical Considerations: Uphold the ethical integrity of your research by adhering to guidelines and regulations. Ensure that your data collection methods respect the rights and welfare of participants. Obtain informed consent and take measures to protect the privacy and confidentiality of individuals involved in your study.
• Organize and Manage Data: Implement an efficient system for organizing and managing the vast volume of data you collect. Whether utilizing spreadsheets, databases, or specialized software, a well-structured approach will streamline data categorization and retrieval, making the analysis process more seamless.
• Analyze Data Using Appropriate Techniques: Tailor your data analysis techniques to align with your research questions and data type. Employ relevant statistical tests, content analysis, or thematic coding to extract valuable insights from your data. A thoughtfully chosen analysis approach enhances the depth and validity of your findings.

Mastering the art of collecting and analyzing data is a critical skill in your journey toward crafting a compelling dissertation. By planning ahead, ensuring validity and reliability, respecting ethical considerations, and employing appropriate analysis techniques, you equip yourself to generate robust and impactful research outcomes.

Writing Your Dissertation.

With your topic carefully selected and thorough research conducted, the momentous task of writing your dissertation awaits. This pivotal section will not only provide essential guidance on structuring your dissertation chapters but also offer invaluable tips for effective writing and seamless organization, propelling you towards academic excellence.

• Introduction: Set the foundation for your dissertation with an engaging introduction. Paint a clear picture of your research topic, elucidate the purpose of your study, and emphasize its significance in the broader context. Your introduction should captivate readers and provide a roadmap for the captivating journey that lies ahead.
• Literature Review: Immerse yourself in the vast ocean of existing literature related to your research topic. In this chapter, critically review and analyze relevant studies, theories, and scholarly works. Demonstrate your thorough understanding of the current state of knowledge in your field and identify the gaps your research aims to fill.
• Methodology: Shed light on the research methods and procedures you skillfully employed to conduct your study. Detail the approach you took for data collection, explain the rationale behind your choices, and highlight the strategies you employed to ensure the validity and reliability of your findings. Ethical considerations should be transparently addressed, showcasing your commitment to conducting responsible research.
• Results: Embrace the moment of revelation as you present your hard-earned findings in this chapter. Utilize clear and concise language, accompanied by tables, graphs, and visual aids to vividly illustrate your data. Allow your results to speak for themselves, unveiling the rich tapestry of knowledge you have woven through your meticulous research .
• Discussion: Engage in a thought-provoking discourse as you interpret your results within the broader context of existing literature. Explore the implications of your findings, acknowledging any limitations, and charting the course for future research avenues. An honest and robust discussion breathes life into your dissertation, showcasing your capacity to navigate complex intellectual terrain.
• Conclusion: As the curtains draw close on your dissertation, let your conclusion be a triumphant crescendo. Summarize your research journey, reiterating the significance of your study’s contributions to the field. Reflect on the knowledge you have unearthed and present a compelling call to action for further exploration. This concluding chapter should leave a lasting impact on readers, solidifying your place in the realm of scholarly discourse.
• Clarity and Coherence: Strive for clarity and coherence in your writing, allowing your ideas to flow seamlessly. Use precise language to communicate your arguments effectively, avoiding unnecessary jargon or verbosity.
• Logical Structure: Organize your dissertation chapters in a logical progression, ensuring a smooth and coherent flow of information. Use informative headings and subheadings to guide readers through your work with ease.
• Revise and Revamp: Revise your writing diligently , polishing your prose and refining your arguments. Seek feedback from peers, mentors, or dissertation advisors to enhance the quality of your work.
• Time Management: Manage your time efficiently throughout the dissertation writing process. Set realistic goals and establish a writing schedule to maintain consistent progress and minimize last-minute rushes.
• Seek Professional Assistance: If you find yourself overwhelmed or short on time, don’t hesitate to seek professional assistance. Our dissertation writing services are here to support you, alleviating the burden and ensuring your dissertation meets the highest standards.

As you embark on the formidable task of writing your dissertation, remember that you are embarking on a remarkable journey of academic growth and exploration. By following the guidelines for structuring your dissertation chapters and embracing the tips for effective writing and organization, you are poised to craft a scholarly masterpiece. This dissertation will not only contribute to your field of study but also reflect your passion for knowledge and dedication to intellectual excellence.

Editing and Proofreading: Polishing Your Dissertation to Perfection

Congratulations on nearing the completion of your dissertation—a laborious journey of months of intense research, writing, and revisions. As you stand at the threshold of submission, one crucial step remains: the comprehensive editing and proofreading process. This final phase is not to be underestimated, as it holds the key to t ransforming your dissertation into a polished, professional, and error-free masterpiece. Let’s explore why editing and proofreading are of paramount importance and delve into essential tips to ensure your dissertation shines with brilliance.

The Significance of Editing and Proofreading

A dissertation is the culmination of months, if not years, of rigorous research, analysis, and intellectual pursuit. As you approach the final stage of your academic journey, the significance of editing and proofreading cannot be overstated. This critical phase is the key to unlocking the full potential of your dissertation, transforming it into a polished and impeccable work of scholarly brilliance . Let us delve into the profound importance of editing and proofreading and how they elevate your dissertation to perfection.

At the heart of effective editing lies the art of refining clarity and coherence. As you revisit and revise your work, you wield the power to fine-tune your ideas, ensuring they are presented with precision and impact. This process not only clarifies your thoughts but also enhances the overall flow and readability of your dissertation. Readers are drawn into a seamless journey from start to finish, captivated by the lucidity with which your ideas unfold.

In the pursuit of clarity, ask yourself:

• Are my arguments presented concisely and convincingly?
• Have I articulated complex concepts in a way that is accessible to readers?
• Are the connections between different sections and chapters seamless?

Proofreading, akin to a vigilant gatekeeper, stands guard against the intrusion of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors that may have inadvertently found their way into your work. This critical review serves as a safeguard, ensuring the accuracy and correctness of every word and sentence. Beyond the realm of language, proofreading also addresses structural inconsistencies or formatting issues that may have eluded your attention during the writing process.

In your quest for flawless precision, consider:

• Have I meticulously reviewed each sentence for grammatical accuracy?
• Are all spellings and punctuation marks meticulously verified?
• Does the overall structure adhere to the requirements of academic writing?

Your dissertation serves as a testament to your intellectual rigor and scholarly prowess. A thorough review of your work provides an opportunity to refine the academic tone and style of your writing. Conforming to the prescribed standards and conventions of your field imparts a sense of professionalism and cohesion, elevating your dissertation to the highest echelons of academic excellence.

To enhance academic tone and style, contemplate:

• Does my writing reflect a formal and authoritative tone befitting scholarly discourse?
• Have I adhered to the specific style guide recommended by my academic institution?
• Is the citation and referencing consistent and in accordance with the established norms?

As you embark on the formidable task of editing and proofreading, embrace this moment with unwavering dedication and pride. Your commitment to refining clarity, eradicating errors, and enhancing academic style demonstrates your unwavering pursuit of excellence . Embrace the role of an astute editor and meticulous proofreader as you meticulously fine-tune every aspect of your dissertation. The result will be a work that stands as a testament to your intellectual prowess and scholarly achievements.

Tips for Polishing Your Dissertation

As you stand on the precipice of completing your dissertation, the prospect of editing and proofreading may seem both daunting and exhilarating. This pivotal phase is where your work evolves from a draft into a refined masterpiece. With unwavering commitment, we unveil essential tips to breathe life into your dissertation, ensuring it exudes academic brilliance and resonates with readers.

Before immersing yourself in the editing and proofreading process, grant yourself the gift of time. Step back from your dissertation for a few days or weeks, allowing your mind to rejuvenate. This brief respite bestows upon you a fresh perspective, akin to a painter taking a step back to behold their canvas from afar. As you return with a renewed gaze, you will spot areas for improvement with a critical eye, fine-tuning your work with newfound clarity.

During your meticulous review, pay heed to the symphony of consistency that binds your dissertation. Harmonize formatting, citation style, and terminology throughout your work, ensuring an elegant and professional presentation. Just as a conductor orchestrates every note , your adherence to uniform rules and conventions will fortify the coherence of your dissertation, elevating it to a harmonious whole.

In the grand theater of dissertation refinement, the stage belongs to the spoken word. Engage in the art of reading your dissertation aloud, for it unveils nuances that written text may conceal. As you resonate with your own words, identify any awkward phrasing , unclear sentences, or grammatical errors. This transformative practice empowers you to sculpt your prose with the eloquence it deserves.

Embrace the counsel of kindred spirits on this scholarly quest. Seek the valuable feedback of trusted friends, colleagues, or mentors. Fresh eyes bring forth new perspectives, catching errors and offering insightful suggestions for improvement that may have eluded your view. Embrace constructive critique as a beacon guiding your dissertation to even greater heights.

Enter the digital realm armed with potent allies: grammar checkers and plagiarism detectors. These technological marvels stand by your side, identifying common errors and ensuring the authenticity of your work. However, wield these tools with caution, for human discernment remains your ultimate guardian of quality.

Divide and conquer the task of editing into manageable stages, for a systematic approach yields bountiful rewards. Focus on one aspect at a time, be it grammar , sentence structure, or content flow. By immersing yourself in each facet, you unearth hidden gems and refine your work with unwavering precision.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1)      What is the Typical Word Count for a Dissertation?

A: The word count of a dissertation can vary depending on your academic institution and the guidelines set forth by your program or department. Typically, a doctoral dissertation is expected to be a substantial piece of work, often ranging from 70,000 to 100,000 words. However, it is crucial to consult your academic advisor or refer to your program’s guidelines to determine the exact word count requirements. Adhering to the specified word limit is essential to meet the academic standards and expectations of your institution.

2)      Can I Use Published Journal Articles as Research Topics for My Dissertation?

A: Yes, incorporating published journal articles as research topics for your dissertation is a common and credible practice. When developing your dissertation proposal, reviewing relevant articles that align with your research interests and objectives can be beneficial. Journal articles provide existing research, methodologies, and findings that can serve as valuable starting points for your study. However, proper attribution and referencing of the articles you use are vital to maintain academic integrity and avoid plagiarism. Remember, while journal articles offer a foundation, your dissertation should extend the research by contributing your original insights and addressing gaps in the existing literature.

3)      How Long Does It Take to Write a Dissertation?

A: The time required to write a dissertation can vary significantly based on individual circumstances, research complexity, and other factors. Generally, completing a dissertation can take several months to a year or more. The process involves comprehensive research, data collection, analysis, and meticulous writing. It is essential to plan ahead, establish a realistic timeline , and remain committed to your research objectives. Additionally, seeking guidance and support from your academic advisor and peers can contribute to a smoother and more efficient dissertation writing journey.

4)      How Should I Organize the Dissertation Chapters?

A: Organizing the dissertation chapters is crucial for presenting your research coherently and logically. While the specific structure may vary based on your field and research topic, a common format includes the following chapters:

• Introduction: Sets the stage by introducing the research problem, objectives, and significance of the study.
• Literature Review: Surveys existing research to provide context and demonstrate your understanding of the subject.
• Methodology: Describes the research design, data collection methods, and analysis techniques used in your study.
• Results: Presents the findings of your research in a clear and organized manner, often using tables and graphs.
• Discussion: Analyzes and interprets the results, relating them to the existing literature and addressing research questions.
• Conclusion: Summarizes your research, highlights contributions, and offers suggestions for future studies.

5)      How Can I Ensure the Quality of My Dissertation?

A: Ensuring the quality of your dissertation requires careful planning, rigorous research, and meticulous writing. Consider these tips to enhance the quality of your work:

• Begin early and establish a realistic timeline.
• Seek feedback from advisors, peers, or experts in your field.
• Use reliable sources and properly cite all references.
• Edit and proofread your work thoroughly to eliminate errors.
• Stay focused on your research objectives and maintain a clear and coherent narrative throughout your dissertation.

Remember, a successful dissertation is the result of dedication, perseverance, and a genuine passion for your research topic. Embrace the journey, and let your dissertation be a testament to your academic excellence and contribution to knowledge in your field.

In conclusion, the journey of dissertation writing is a transformative odyssey that challenges scholars to delve deep into the realms of their chosen fields. It is a process that demands dedication, passion, and resilience, as well as a keen eye for detail and academic integrity. Scholars embarking on this voyage can find invaluable support and guidance from GradeSmiths , a trusted provider of Professional Essay Writing & Editing Services that also excels in crafting dissertations. With GradeSmiths by their side, scholars can navigate the intricate waters of academic writing with confidence, knowing they have a reliable ally to help steer their work towards excellence.

From the inception of choosing a compelling research topic to navigating the seas of data analysis and crafting well-structured chapters, GradeSmiths ensures that each step of the dissertation writing process is meticulously attended to. Through thorough literature reviews, scholars gain a profound understanding of existing research, identifying gaps that beckon exploration and propelling their work into uncharted territories. The expertise of GradeSmiths’ skilled editors and writers ensures that every dissertation is polished to perfection, enhancing clarity, coherence, and academic tone—turning it into a scholarly masterpiece.

As scholars cast their dissertations upon the vast ocean of academia, GradeSmiths remains a steadfast companion, symbolizing not an end but a new beginning. It represents the birth of ideas that spark further inquiry, the formation of connections that transcend disciplines, and the commitment to lifelong learning. With GradeSmiths’ unwavering support, scholars can embrace the spirit of discovery, venturing forth with a sense of purpose and a passion for creating a better world through knowledge and innovation. The transformative power of writing a dissertation is amplified with GradeSmiths, propelling scholars towards academic brilliance and making their scholarly endeavors shine brightly on the horizon of academia.

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9 Tips on Writing a Dissertation

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Writing a dissertation is a mandated part of any course you do for any degree, including bachelor's, master's and PhD. Creating the perfect dissertation and contributing to the field of research through your thesis is a long, meticulous process. And mind you, this process can get stressful and overwhelming without proper planning. Dissertation writing can become a pain if you need help staying motivated.

To help you create the most effective strategy and use your time well, we will offer you ten tried and tested tips on writing a dissertation. These tips will help you stay motivated and complete the work more efficiently and smoothly. We would suggest you take notes effectively before writing a dissertation.

1. Start early

The biggest mistake you can make while writing a dissertation is miscalculating the time it will take. You might feel like you finish it quickly whenever you want, but writing an insightful, accurately researched dissertation takes time. So, to ensure you have enough time to work on it, it is wise to start your dissertation early. Typically you will be required to do the following while writing a thesis: 

• Writing work
• Extensive research
• Data collection
• Data analysis and much more

To make sure the thesis is up to the mark, you must give yourself enough time to do all of it. Procrastination in this can add to the stress at the last minute and force you to compromise the quality of your data and content. 

2. Understand the requirements

Every institution has its own set of requirements and guidelines regarding dissertations. The requirements can vary significantly from one academic institution to another. So, before you start working on your dissertation, it is important that you fully understand what is required of you. The basic requirements of writing your thesis can include: 

• A clear research question or Hypothesis
• Comprehensive literature reviews 
• A pre-decided methodology 
• Evidence-based analysis of the collected data
• Logical structuring of the thesis

By understanding these requirements, you can ensure you are structuring your thesis correctly. This small step can save you hours of rework and stress that comes from it. You can also borrow samples of dissertations from your institution's library to understand the structuring better and ensure your thesis meets all the requirements.

3. Develop a clear outline.

Outlines are the skeleton of long-form content. A clear outline can make the writing process smoother and more objective. Starting your thesis randomly can look tempting, but by doing so, you might feel completely overwhelmed and lost in the middle of it. With an outline, you might understand what direction you are going towards and what point you are trying to justify. 

So, start with a clear, concise outline while writing a dissertation. This will help you ensure you write what's necessary, make quantifiable progress and avoid accidentally writing what doesn't count. 

4. Use the right tools

Writing a dissertation doesn't mean you have to do everything by yourself. With the advancement of technology, there are now many tools that can help you while writing a dissertation. There are numerous tools that can help you perfect the very basics of your thesis including: 

• Quillbot - Paraphrase
• Grammarly and Hemingway Editor - Check grammar
• Microsoft OneNote and Evernote - Organise your documents
• MS word or Google Docs - Generate tables of contents
• Zotero and Adobe Acrobat Pro - Accurately index your pages, and much more! 

These tools can help you save energy on tedious tasks and redirect it towards improving the quality of your work. Find out what tools you can use and learn how to use them before you start writing a dissertation so you can make the most of them. 

5. Plan your time 

It is great if you are starting early while writing a dissertation. But now, you must utilise the time most effectively to ensure you complete your dissertation. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses realistically can help you manage your time better and in a way that fits you. Divide your dissertation-writing period into smaller segments according to the steps you must follow. Set manageable deadlines and focus on completing one target at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed since it can lead to procrastination. 

On the other days, there will be days when you will not feel inspired to write or need a break from everything, and that is okay. So be kind to yourself and include some pauses in your plan!  

6. Write regularly

To effectively write a dissertation for college , it's essential to establish both a consistent writing routine and a willingness to work through multiple drafts. Writing regularly ensures:

• Steady progress
• Quality maintenance 
• Allocating specific time slots
• Adhering to a stable schedule 
• Fostering discipline
• Minimizing procrastination

Embracing the iterative process of drafting allows you to generate ideas without fixating on perfection initially. By focusing on getting your thoughts down and then revising and refining through multiple drafts, you can ultimately produce a meticulously crafted dissertation that addresses any weaknesses or errors in your research.

7. Seek feedback

Working in complete isolation can pave the way for a biased research paper since it's only human to give in to your biases. To avoid such happenings and get fresh perspectives regularly, you must seek feedback from your supervisor, mentor, and peers. You can arrange with your supervisor to send them your work after finishing each chapter. They can then review it and give you feedback on what needs improvement. You can also assemble a support group for writing a dissertation with your peers where everyone gives each other feedback and hypes each other up when there is a lack of motivation. 

8. Revise and proofread meticulously

While writing a dissertation, making sure the final product is free of mistakes, errors, and loopholes is essential. So, naturally, your dissertation will take plenty of revision and proofreading before you can submit it. If you skip this step, it is obvious that your thesis will have a lot of errors that will eventually make it look unprofessional and thus unreliable. Strategise your revision and proofreading plan. Go through your content after the completion of every chapter. For proofreading, you can also take the help of your peers, a professional or even a friend who has some experience in proofreading already. This can help you find your mistakes and resolve them faster. 

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9. Take care of your mental health 

Don't forget to take care of your mental health while working on your dissertation. Writing a dissertation can be stressful. But that doesn't mean you let it consume you and hyper-focus on it so much that you forget basic tasks like eating and sleeping. Take breaks while you work, feed yourself nourishing meals, take walks and make sure to talk to your loved ones once in a while.

Achieving perfection while writing a dissertation can be very tempting for university students. However, it is important to remember that no dissertation is perfect. Your dissertation is supposed to have limitations. However, to have a great thesis, you can ensure your paper is structured, accurate, and well-researched, which can be achieved only with a well-planned strategy. And while doing so, make sure you also take care of your and maybe benefit from essential services for students to make your other tasks in life easier! 

Frequently Asked Questions

How to write a dissertation, who writes a dissertation, can you use quillbot for paraphrasing in your dissertation, how long does it take to write a dissertation, why is writing a dissertation hard.

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While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.  

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence) 

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.  

Arguable thesis with analytical claim 

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.  

Arguable thesis with normative claim 

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.  

Questions to ask about your thesis 

• Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?  
• Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?  
• Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?  
• Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?  
• Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
• picture_as_pdf Thesis

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Consider this, I scored over 40 on verbal, on the graduate management admission test (i.e., admission test for MBA), which places me at the 83 percentile. In other words, my english is above par. Yet, my revision was filled with comments and adjustments that made my text a lot more clear to the reader. My revision was also ready two days early, which was a pleasant surprise.

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