How to write a university dissertation

Talking through your revised dissertation plan or structure with your supervisor can help you stay focused on the research, and determine if it's logical. As you consider what needs to be achieved by the submission deadline, Christie recommends that you factor in time for:. This careful approach can be rewarded by the end result, suggests Alexandra, who also recommends Gantt charts as a useful tool for planning the research and writing process for some writers. When you are ready to begin writing, aim for a suitable target, for example 1, words each week, as this can be both motivating and productive.

Start writing straight away, and use the writing process as a tool to help you better understand the topic.

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Check that you've addressed everything you want to cover once a section is complete. Each should serve its own particular function, linking well with the rest of the content. Editing can be the beginning, not the endpoint of your writing,' says Alexandra. You should frequently back up, make research notes and maintain a comprehensive list of your sources. Alexandra's colleague, Marta Ulanicka, also a learning development adviser at Leicester, stresses the importance of maintaining a questioning and critical mindset throughout the dissertation process - both in relation to your own work and findings, as well as those of others.

You will also need to explain your reasoning to the reader. An assessor cannot give you the credit for forming a strong argument unless you provide evidence of how you reached a particular conclusion. As well as ensuring your bibliography contains plenty of references, make sure you've paid attention to the correct spelling of names and theories.

A thorough editing process is vital to ensuring that you produce a well-structured, coherent and polished piece of work. Leave yourself sufficient time to engage with your writing at a number of levels - from reassessing the logic of the whole piece, to proofreading, to checking that you have paid attention to aspects such as the correct spelling of names and theories and the required referencing format.

As well as ensuring your main argument is supported by relevant citations, make it clear to the reader that you are aware of the contributions of the most influential theories and research within your topic.

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This is because not doing so might make a writer appear ill-informed. If you've used your time efficiently and adhered to a plan, even if things don't go exactly how you envisaged, there's no need to panic.

Writing a dissertation — University of Leicester

Remember, you've chosen your dissertation topic after careful consideration, so ignore any irrational thoughts about possibly starting again from scratch. Ultimately, your dissertation will become one of your greatest-ever achievements. Jobs and work experience Postgraduate study Careers advice Applying for university. Search graduate jobs Job profiles Work experience and internships Employer profiles What job would suit me?

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On this page Choose your research topic carefully Check what's required of you Have a clear goal and structure Write as you go Continue to question Don't underestimate the editing stage Enjoy the achievement. Writing a dissertation Articles T L D R off on A successful dissertation needs careful planning and resourcing before you even start to write.

Checklist Guide Picking your topic: Many dissertations can run into trouble simply because the topic has not been chosen carefully. If you have decided that a dissertation is for you then it helps to pick an area that is of genuine interest to you.

Final Comments

Remember, you will have to live with this project for a whole academic year so you will need to get on well with it. Having a passion for your topic will help sustain your interest over the course of your research, especially towards the end when you may be flagging and losing motivation. In many ways picking a dissertation topic is like choosing a romantic partner, going for one that looks pretty on the face of it may go disastrously wrong when a few weeks into the relationship you find that you actually have nothing in common, nothing to talk about and are desperate to break-up.

It is very tempting, when coming up with a dissertation topic, to go a little crazy and try and include everything that you are interested in, this is a clear recipe for disaster. A dissertation is not your life's work, even a , word PhD thesis is nowhere near everything that you will ever be able to say on a topic.

One of the secrets to a successful dissertation is knowing how to limit the scope of the project so that you maintain control and keep your research focused. Consider, for example, a dissertation on cats. You may be very keen on cats and excited about every aspect of their lives.

With this in mind you decide on a dissertation project entitled "Cats of the world a study of their lives and behaviour". You begin your research by typing "cats" into Google and immediately break the internet. You visit the library and search for every book and article they have on cats and return home with a mountain of textbooks that you have no chance of reading in the time available and so you give up and go and attempt something more doable like iron your socks.

How to write a dissertation

Establish a research focus and methodology: As with any task deciding exactly what needs to be done, how, when, with what and in what order is vital to the successful completion of an academic dissertation. There are a number of possible research foci and approaches that can help you structure a successful piece of research and selecting the one or ones most appropriate to your topic can mean the difference between a tightly argued and well-presented dissertation and a messy collection of randomly selected information on a vague theme.

Consider these for instance: The question — what problem are you trying to tackle? So, returning to our cat project example, rather than attempting a dissertation on the almost impossible topic of "Cats in the World" you could narrow the topic and bring the research into greater focus with a title like this: In writing up your dissertation the same advice apply as that given in the essay writing section of this web site. In brief you need organise your work in this way: