Tips for completing your dissertation
Introduction
Whether you are just starting your dissertation or getting ready to submit it, here are some useful tips to help you on your way.
Preparing for your dissertation
Start small
Start by deciding which topic you will be concentrating on. Take inspiration from some of the topics covered in previous modules or consider aligning your subject area with something you enjoy.
Read to refine your topic area
Once you have decided on a general topic area, you can use the literature to refine your focus. Reading will tell you what has already been written on the topic and help you to identify any gaps in the literature that you can concentrate on.
For example, you may be interested in how social media impacts mental health. Through reading, you might identify that the literature does not really discuss how social media impacts the mental health of the elderly. You might then decide to focus your topic on this gap in the literature.
Organising your time
Plan how you will be using your time up until your deadline. Factor in the time it will take to research, collect data, write up and edit your work as well as the time you will need for your other modules and commitments.
Create a schedule that outlines all the tasks that you need to complete and the time that it will take to complete this. This will allow you to review your progress and adjust your timings if needed.
Planning what you wish to discuss
While you may have been able to jump straight into writing your previous assignments without planning, this approach may not work for your dissertation. Spend some time developing a detailed plan that outlines all that you will be covering before you start writing. This will help you to ensure that you have covered all that is required whilst preventing you from going off topic.
Writing up your dissertation
Justifying your work
It is not enough just to state what you are doing; you also need to justify why you are doing it in that way. This justification often involves you using other literature to support your approach. For example, in your methodology, it is not enough just to state that you will be conducting interviews. You must also explain why that method was the most appropriate method for the topic being researched.
Writing critically
Critical writing is essential for your dissertation. It is not enough to just describe the literature or your results. You need to be able to critique the work of the existing literature and arguments on your topic areas as well as critique your own findings and assess the implications of your own work.
Follow a structure
Look out for any guidance that outlines the structure of your dissertation and stick as closely as you can to this structure. If you are following a traditional structure (Literature review, Methodology, Results/Findings, Discussion), check out a recording of our Structuring a dissertation workshop that breaks down what to include in each chapter.
Refining your dissertation
Editing and proofreading
Dedicate time for proofreading your work before your submission. You should be checking that your work makes sense, it is concise and to the point and that it is structured in a logical way.
Ask members of your family or friends to read over your work and comment on the clarity of your ideas. Whilst they may not be subject specialists, they should be able to understand the general idea of your work and point out any grammar or spelling mistakes.
Formatting your work
Check back to the guidelines to see if there is any specific guidance on how your work should be presented. Areas such as font, font size, table of contents and line spacing can all be checked and finalised once you have finished writing, just be sure to give yourself enough time to do so.
