A dissertation is a research project completed as part of an undergraduate or post graduate degree. It is submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification and helps in presenting the authors research and findings.
Unfortunately, selecting a dissertation is often a daunting task for many students. In the following article we are going to be exploring tips to learn how to start a dissertation.
Choose your researching topic
It’s vital that your research topic is something you find engaging and meaningful. If you are struggling with ideas you can research course material to find inspiration for your dissertation. You need to consider why it’s important to tackle the topic you have chosen.
Once you have summarized your findings think about how they link back to your justification of why this is an important question or topic.
Check what’s required of you
As you are checking what is required of you the first thing you should find is how a thesis is structured. This will help you find out what academic writing in your discipline looks like together with the required word count.
You are required to know what sources are used, what forms of analysis are perceived appropriate and where to submit your dissertation. You may also consider developing a shared understanding of what a dissertation is.
Have a clear goal and structure
Setting clear goals and sticking to a plan will help you remain focused. You need to stick to a plan to keep you from getting overambitious with your research. This increase your chance of developing a strong and coherent argument
Knowing the direction your ideas are headed will ensure you remain on track and only relevant points are made. The plan may change but your goals and structure should always remain in place. Talking through your revised dissertation plan will help keep you focused on the research.
Write as you go
When you feel ready to begin writing, it is good to aim for a suitable target. This can be both motivating and productive. Then you can begin writing and use the writing process as a tool to understand the topic. You can now check that you have covered everything that you intended to cover once a section is complete.
Each section should serve its own particular function while linking well with the rest of the content. Your writing should help you make sense of the topic as you try to develop the narrative. In the process, your understanding improves, your analysis, interpretation and emphasis will change. Editing can be the beginning and not the end of your writing.
Continue to question
How convinced are you by a particular explanation? These are the sorts of questions you need to ask yourself in this stage. You need a questioning and critical mindset throughout the dissertation writing process, both in relation to your own work and findings as well as of others.
The editing stage
A thorough editing process is vital to ensuring you produce a well-structured, coherent and polished piece of work. From reassessing the logic of the whole piece, to proofreading, to checking that you paid attention to all aspects and the required format. In addition to ensuring your main argument is supported by relevant citations. It also make it clear to the reader that you’re aware of the contributions of the most influential research.
Enjoy the achievement
After you finish writing your dissertation you need to compliment yourself for your dedication. You made a plan that you followed, used your time effectively to the end and completed on time.
Final Take
Stated in our article above are a few of the best dissertation writing tips. They can be used to help in writing your undergraduate dissertation or for dissertation writing advice.