Dissertation writing is an essential part of a student's academic journey. If you have reached the stage of writing a dissertation, that means it’s time for you to pull up your socks and work towards creating a fantastic dissertation.
"We are here to help you create a professional dissertation".
There are certain common problems that students face. Some of those problems include lack of research skills, lack of writing skills, lack of knowledge on format style, and, most of the time; it is procrastination.
"If you are also facing such issues, solutions are what you will find here. We assure you that if you follow the steps discussed below, you will surely achieve your goal." So, let's get started.
Step-1 Find the right topic for your Dissertation-
- It is important to pick the right topic because you will have to deal with it until the end.
- Choose wisely, like a topic that fits the bill. Jot down topics that you feel are relevant to your field of study is.
- Ask questions to yourself like what you can contribute to that topic, and how it is different from other familiar topics?
- The most important thing is to pick up a topic which is of interest as you will be handling it till the end, and it will be carried with you for your future prospects.
The topic you choose should justify the length of a standard dissertation. Your dissertation will become your face, so you need to pick a topic which you will be able to prove and justify.
Step-2 Be in touch with your advisor from the beginning-
The first thing is to be in sync with your advisor. If you are not able to connect with your advisor, then complications will happen, and it will affect your dissertation. You have to communicate regularly with your advisor. Discuss the topic well, and then shape it to bring a fine one. It is your dissertation, so the initial ideas should come from your end, and you should know how to state and then defend your points.
Step 3 Writing a Proposal-
It is going to reflect what your dissertation would look like, and how successful it will come out to be. The proposal should be straightforward and to the point. The points mentioned below are steps of how you have to present your proposal, and what all things you need to include in it.
- First is the title and then by whom it is being presented.
- Then comes objective. It is advisable to have 2 to 3 objectives in mind and present them in a narrowed form and not much briefed.
- Next is the part where you have to provide the details about the areas of study, sources of information, and schools of thought which you are going to use during your research stage. Providing references is optional as per the requirements.
- Research is the main section where you will be elaborating on the ideas of your research topic and outlining the area of your research.
- Next will be the methodology. If you use resources like published articles, or any questionnaires, or other such data, then you have to explain the methods by which you are collecting your research data.
- After you have explained the methods, then you need to put forward the Potential Outcomes of your research that you expect.
- Providing a timeframe is significant. It will explain how you are planning to move with your dissertation step by step.
Step 4 Conducting thorough research-
This stage is the most crucial stage of your dissertation. It will shape up the whole process and will help you develop product ideas. You have to be careful of not to waste your time on irrelevant data. Find resources that are apt as per your topic. Here are a few points which will surely help you complete your research on time.
- Prepare a timeline for the stages of research or as per what you have divided your topics. What amount of time you have to give towards research can only be planned by you. You can also take help from your advisor regarding the same.
- Finding the right places for research is a must. You can't afford to spend your time on resources that are not related to your topics or which will not help you in any manner towards dissertation development. One of the ways is to use Google Scholar, which will help you find the right and trustworthy academic sources.
- You need to make notes and organize your resources. It will help you to check out those resources at the right time. It will also help you save time, which we usually spend on searching for various pieces of information.
Step 5 Writing an Effective & Efficient Dissertation-
To write an efficient & effective dissertation, you have to take smart actions. Follow the steps given below, and you are good to go.
- Create an outline- You need to keep the standards of your discipline in mind while preparing an outline. The more detailed your outline will be, the easier things will come out for you. Check the guidelines provided by your department to know the procedure which you have to follow.
- The outline will have basics like an Introduction, then a short literature review, methodology, findings, and finally, a conclusion. The methodology should cover all the methods you are approaching so that things become more upfront.
- Divide a proper time for writing- In your whole day, you need to specify the timings, in which you will only write your dissertation. This will help you focus on your dissertation, and you will come into a habit of writing each day.
- Whenever you feel that you need a break, start working on tables, images, graphs, format, citations, etc. This will give you a break.
- Focus on Tenses and Voice while you write- If you keep on writing without paying attention, then it might become difficult for you to come back and revise everything. Take help from your advisor.
- Generally, in most cases, dissertations are written in active voice using the present tense. It gives an impact that you are directly engaging with your source materials and scholarship related to it.
- Avoid unprofessional language- Don't use words like "probably" or "maybe," because they will make your case look weak. Avoid usage of informal language, regionalized language, or contractions. Don't use it until it's essential.
- Always Cite your sources- If you forget to cite your sources, then it might lead you to plagiarism. This headache is not to be loaded. Citations also make your project look more real and credible. Keep citing your sources as soon as you write something while referring to a source. Don't think much before citing, as it's always better to cite, instead of getting into plagiarism.
- You are now set to prepare the first draft of your dissertation. Keep in mind to follow all the steps written above.
- Edit & Proofread your work- It is very important to check your writing on your own, before going for feedback. Let's talk about this briefly in the section below.
How to Proofread your Dissertation?
Well, now that you have the first draft in hand, make sure that it is thoroughly edited and proofread. But, this step needs time, so make sure to keep a gap in between the time slot for finishing up the write-up and final submission.
Edit
When we say editing, it is more likely to give a touch up to your writing. To check what's relevant & what's not. Go back to the beginning part, and start by removing unnecessary information, or adding the relevant one. Pay attention to what you have written and how the argument is coming out.
Check whether you have attached enough justifications for your arguments and if not, then add them right away. Logic should be taken care of. Don't get carried away with your explanations. They should be crisp and to the point. The crucial thing is to take care of the quality and not just quantity.
Proofread
After the editing part is done, it's time for you to check for errors like grammar, styling, formatting, and spelling. Read carefully or run software that can help you with such mistakes. Consult your advisor if you have any doubts. Even a minor mistake can become a bigger one. Be careful and proofread thoroughly.
Step 6- Final Step-
Get feedback:
You must get feedback on your draft before you submit it. Your advisor is the best person to do it. But, if you want, you can even consult a friend or a family member beforehand, who holds good knowledge over your discipline.
Conclusion:-
To make your dissertation look professional, it is important to keep a few points in mind. As discussed above, sparing time for editing & proofreading usually turns the light green. Below mentioned points will surely help you through while proofreading & editing:
- Proofread & Edit in small parts
- Check your format
- Delete unnecessary information
- Add on important points which you missed
- Check work consistency
- Use relevant tools for proofreading
- Check plagiarism
