Academic writing is like no other, it is an exacting proposition that takes patience and skill. For many, structuring a dissertation especially if it is their first time, can be a real challenge.
If you are an undergraduate or graduate, it is likely that you will need to present a thesis, however a final dissertation proposal and treatise for a doctoral degree takes research methodology to a whole new level. For this you will need all the tips for writing a dissertation that you can get.
For starters, if you are a future PhD student, you may be wondering how to approach structuring a dissertation proposal.
Keep reading for invaluable tips for dissertation writing.
What is a Dissertation?
In a nutshell, a dissertation is an essay that uses precise and in-depth research methodology.
Unlike a thesis which is required at the end stage of a higher education qualification, dissertations can be written at any time during a student’s academic career. Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably.
Students who have already completed a Bachelor’s degree thesis often make the mistake of thinking a doctoral dissertation will be a breeze. The latter is indeed more complex, but also extremely exciting and rewarding.
Structuring a dissertation on a topic that contains a gap within an existing body of knowledge will demonstrate your ability to identify a need, exercise good research methodology, analyse your findings and then present them in an orderly manner.
Find out everything you need to know about dissertation writing in one article.
The Challenges of Writing a Dissertation or Dissertation Proposal
Writing a doctoral thesis not only requires writing skills and excellent research methodology, but it also requires a high degree of planning.
Your first step is to make sure that you follow the guidelines requested by your university.
One of the biggest hurdles you are likely to face is time, or its perceived lack thereof.
In general, dissertations are time-consuming. In summary, there’s a topic to identify, research and experiments to conducted and results to be analysed. There’s also the entire process to report on as well as references, appendices and a title page to be included.
Most universities will allow a year’s deadline. One of the best tips for dissertation writing is to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you have an abundance of time.
When it comes to dissertation anxiety, poor planning is the number one culprit.
Once you have read through all the existing literature and decided on a topic, formulate your research question and hypothesis. Next, consider the research methodology you will use to obtain the results you need for your argument. Once the results are analysed they should be written into a narrative that is within the prescribed word count.
Other hurdles can include a lack of skill when it comes to research methodology, how to construct your narrative, your dissertation proposal and of course, how to write the overall body of work.
One of the best tips for writing a dissertation includes making sure that your document is formatted, structured and styled in the correct way. Failing to do so could result in it being rejected.
Writing and Structuring a Dissertation
Your dissertation proposal is meant to convince your supervisor that your research methodology is sound.
The best way to argue this case to prove that your dissertation proposal will be helpful to the academic community and add value to your field.
If your university requires a dissertation proposal be sure to convey the reasons for your investigation as well as your objectives and hypotheses. Finally, you will need to disclose your research methodology.
Before you begin structuring a dissertation, you will need to complete a literature review in order to find a topic.
The structure of your dissertation proposal should include the following:
- The title of the dissertation
- The literature that was consulted
- The proposed research methods and techniques
- The anticipated results
- A timeline
- Academic sources and references
Once you have the go-ahead, you’ll be set to begin working in earnest.
The Most Substantial Part of Your Dissertation
One of the best tips for writing a dissertation is to find recent reference material for your topic. This is critical for the important jobs of research, data collection and analysis.
It’s not likely that you will be able to plough through all of the literature on your chosen, but once you have a good idea of the gaps and limitations within your topic, consider that task complete.
Critical chapters to be included in your dissertation should include:
- A section for the literature review, written in past tense.
- A section for research methodology.
- A chapter on findings chapter, written in past tense.
- A chapter for discussion.
Tip: One of the best tips for dissertation writing is make notes as you go through each stage which will help you to focus on the questions that your research intends to answer.
Get advice on how to choose your dissertation topic.
Fleshing Out Your Dissertation
Remember that there will be days when the monumental task ahead of you will seem impossible. This is normal. One of the best tips for dissertation writing is simply don’t give up!
By contrast to the relatively short works you may have experience with, a dissertation is a formal academic document that is not unlike a book or technical novel.
Apart from revealing your hypothesis, research methodology, data analysis and conclusion, your dissertation should include:
- A title page.
- A page for acknowledgements that recognises professional and personal sources.
- An abstract: this is a summary that highlights the problems and questions surrounding the topic.
- A table of contents
- your literature review, research methodology and findings as well as discussion chapters that follow the order of the table of contents.
- A conclusion
- A reference list that cites your sources
- Appendices: an inclusion of results that are not directly relevant to your hypothesis
A Word on Abstracts
Some universities request that students write a chapter that introduces their dissertation, while other institutions ask for an abstract. Tips for writing a dissertation include knowing the difference between these two.
An introduction will provide background information about your topic, and problem statement and will list your research questions, along with any of your reasons for conducting the research in the first place.
On the other hand, an abstract is your entire dissertation in only 300 words or less.
Regardless of whether your institution requires one or the other, make sure that every chapter includes all of the required information. You could even write these chapters last as long as they preface the main body of work upon collation.
Find out more about how to write a research methodology section.
Proofing and Editing Your Dissertation
All writing should undergo rigorous scrutiny before it can be published, the same can be said for your dissertation.
Once you have written your chapters, it may be tempting to proof it immediately but the experts say that it is recommended to give your brain some distance before reviewing it for accuracy, format and of course, flow.
One of the wisest tips for writing a dissertation is to set your work aside for a couple of days so that the tunnel vision effect can subside. After this, you can review it with fresh eyes.
At this point, besides your formatting and content, make sure you are on the lookout for spelling and grammar errors. Check for gaps in the narrative, factual errors and anything else that could put your work in danger of being rejected.
Achieving all of this means that you ensure adequate time to plan your work.
Once you are satisfied with your proofreading, it will be time to edit your writing. Editing requires that you remove unnecessary phrases and words. It also makes your writing leaner, less cluttered and easier to understand.
A good idea is to entrust your manuscript to a writing service that specialises in dissertation work for proofreading and editing.
Editing services provide a critical set of eyes for the writer’s work and are also able to check it for originality and inadvertent plagiarism which should be taken very seriously and avoided at all costs.
It may not be necessary to engage a third-party service to examine your whole paper, but your future academic success and career will depend on your ability to discourse in your chosen field.
Ultimately, your future career could be impacted by how well you present your dissertation.
For more information on how to present your research and findings, click here.
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