Glossary of a dissertation

A dissertation is a long piece of essay like document required to be produced by students or researchers at the conclusion of any academic discipline. The main motive behind assigning a dissertation or a thesis is to assess the knowledge of a candidate in a particular field of study. Writing an impeccable dissertation is the desire of all the students. But it is often considered a cumbersome task among students to accomplish a perfect dissertation.

A perfect dissertation is an amalgamation of appropriate amount of information supplemented by relevant facts and datasets, further supported by vital references. All these combined, results in an outstanding piece of work. But how to include all these features while writing a dissertation remains the biggest challenge.

The main base for writing an excellent dissertation is sufficient and high quality resource material to write about. It involves exhaustive research and reading. A dissertation has to be authentic and original in every aspect. Writing a good dissertation is not sufficient in today’s fast changing nature of education. A dissertation should be infallible and must stand out. It should reflect the candidate’s prophecy and expertise in the respective subject matter, along with being equally engaging and interesting. The real test of perfect dissertation is one when a reader interestingly reads the entire document form cover to cover. But how to make dissertation interesting enough?

A dissertation is just a long form of essay and thus requires word play. The use of fluid language and good vocabulary are main pillars to give a strong foundation to your dissertation. One must use strong and interesting phases and words to keep the reader engaging. One must also not shy away from using technical words in order to give emphasis at relevant places. Good choice of word is a sign of a creative writer and one must bring that writer out while writing a dissertation.

Therefore, when a dissertation includes use of technical or subject-related terms, a glossary becomes crucial to be included in the dissertation. Though it is not a mandatory aspect of writing a dissertation or a thesis but inclusion of a glossary reflects the precision and professionalism of the writer.

What is a Glossary?

A glossary, in simple terms, is a detailed list of all the technical and subject-related terms used in the entire document. It is created to help the reader (belonging to any subject-background) to easily comprehend the dissertation or thesis. A glossary acts as a tool that enables the reader to enjoy the dissertation without getting stuck anywhere.

A glossary is kind of a miniature version of a dictionary that a writer creates in order to felicitate reading for his/her potential reader. It aims to supplement the entire document. A glossary contains all the important or subject-related words used in the dissertation that require analysis or explanation. It is in form of a list, similar to the table of contents. Along with containing the important terms, it also contains their brief explanation.

If a dissertation is too technical in nature or contains a number of subject-related words, a glossary becomes crucially important and thus inevitable to be included. A well-curated glossary is a sign of a well-written and thought out dissertation. It highlights the writer’s ability to make the dissertation an easy read for the reader.   

How to Write a Perfect Glossary?

Glossary is that step of the process of writing a dissertation that comes in the last. Though it might be a concluding step but it holds quite importance for the entire piece of work. A well-curated glossary is a value-addition to the entire dissertation. It brings out the professional attribute of the dissertation.

Here, we provide you with a step by step guide on how to accomplish the task of writing a well-sorted glossary:

• The process of writing a glossary begins with one’s through reading of his/her own dissertation. Read the document multiple times and scoop out the unfamiliar or technical terms. Read from the perspective of a novice. Do not consider your reader to be an omniscient. Do not leave the terms that might sound easy to you. Think from the reader’s prospective. Try and make your document as readable and comprehensive as possible.
• Once the terms to be added in the glossary are selected, note them down. Read them again. Now, write a brief explanation to each and every term. It should be noted that the explanation should be short and crisp. Do not indulge in explaining in detail. Remember that your reader just needs an idea, not a thesis on that term. Do not copy any phrases or sentences from your dissertation. Glossary words must be explained in your own words. Use simple definitions. Do not over emphasize on any specific term or phrase.
• Another important point to note is not to use any acronym or an abbreviated word or phrase in the glossary. Remember, glossary is to simplify the main text of the dissertation. All the terms must be used in complete expanded form. Do not put any data, image, and graph in the glossary. They are inappropriate to be used in the glossary. Keep the list as simple as it could be. Do not overload with irrelevant and inappropriate information.
• Next important step includes formatting the glossary. Formatting is a crucial step as it ensures a smooth flow of the glossary. As mentioned above, a glossary is the miniature version of a dictionary and is similarly formatted. List all the terms in a glossary in alphabetical order. It makes it easy for the reader to comprehend. Using sufficient spacing in between the lines to keep the glossary tidy. If a term or a phrase requires detailed explanation, do it by using bullet pointers. It gives a clean look to the library and does not look heavy to the reader.
• Use bold or italics to highlight any important term. Bold or italics could also be used in the explanation to add emphasis to a point. One important thing to remember is that do not use any quotation or citation in the glossary. It makes the glossary quite lengthy and thus makes the entire document bulky.
• Some of the terms that require instant explanation may be included in the main text by giving their respective explanation in the footnotes. One can highlight and number such terms and give their explanation at the bottom of the page.
• A glossary must come at the end or at beginning of the main text of the document. It is generally included after the appendices or the table of content. A glossary can never be put anywhere in between the main text of the dissertation.

Other features not to be confused with Glossary

There are other dimensions involved while writing a dissertation or a thesis. Some of these dimensions look similar to the glossary and thus might create some confusion. But it is to be noted here that all these aspects are quite distinct from each other and thus serve completely different purpose in a dissertation. We have curated a list of such aspects that might look similar to a glossary but are completely different.

• Appendices: Appendices are a non-mandatory yet an important part of a dissertation. It is a space that you maintain as a part of your dissertation to include all the material used in any possible way. An appendix is basically a log of various resources that one might have used in the dissertation. An appendix generally includes references, detailed interviews, samples, tables, charts, et al and all the other things that are vital to the dissertation. Appendices help the reader to refer to any detailed aspect of the reference made in the dissertation.
• Table of Content: It is an index to the entire document of dissertation. It contains the list of all the articles in chronological order as they are to appear in the dissertation. It helps the reader navigate smoothly through the dissertation. A table of content, in general, includes the list of the chapters as they would appear and other articles like the bibliography page, the acknowledgement page, and likewise.
• List of Abbreviations: It is a list comprising of the expanded forms of the words which might have been used in the text in their respective abbreviated form. It helps the reader to refer to this list in case of any confusion or clarification related to any abbreviated word. However, there are certain rules involved while using acronyms as part of the text. It is a general practice to use the word in its full form for the very first time and then giving its acronym in the parenthesis for further usage. This enables the reader to easily comprehend through the text.

Finding the Right Guidance:

Accomplishing the task of writing an excellent piece of dissertation is a cumbersome job. Many students find it time consuming and difficult to produce a dissertation that would help to fetch maximum scores. And here comes the role of UK Dissertation Help. We are the leading service provider in the field of education.

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