dissertation writing guide

dissertation writing guide

Effective Strategies for Writing a Dissertation

1. Introduction

We all know that writing must be of a certain standard to be a vehicle for academic communication. What is less obvious is the fact that the writing for a thesis/dissertation is, in essence, an attempt to communicate to an audience (usually only the supervisor/s), the ideas and intellectual content of a piece of research – in the form of a document written in the target language. In view of modern attitudes to thesis/dissertation assessment, it can increase the likelihood of success if students consider the writing as an integral part of the whole research process and a task on its own, and not just an appendage to the research.

Students attempting to produce high-quality theses/dissertations are also frequently disappointed with the finished product for broadly similar reasons. Their disappointment is often rather acute when one takes into account the considerable amount of effort put into the work, as they are confronted with a completed document that is not sufficient reward for their investment of time and analysis. In recognition of the value of thesis/dissertation writing as a mode of student learning, this paper seeks to assist students to improve the quality of their theses/dissertations and hence their overall learning experience.

For the teacher or administrator at upper secondary level or above, the most common source of dissatisfaction with the writing of theses/dissertations concerns failure on the part of the student to present the work as a report of an inquiry into a defined problem or a series of problems. This marks an important contrast with essay type writing which they invariably have had more experience of. An essay indicates an exploratory, speculative thrusting into a topic, whereas a thesis/dissertation ought to be an account of a work of an empirical or theoretical nature trying to address a specific issue. The second frequent cause of disappointment is connected to this, and it is the absence of clear and well-thought-out presentation which derives from misunderstanding of the complex and iterative nature of writing as part of the research process. Finally, teachers and administrators are often disappointed with sections of writing which do not conform to standards of acceptable academic literacy and discourse.

Educational institutions, corporations, and various government institutions are becoming increasingly interested in the quality of written or spoken language produced by students, employees, and members of the community. The reasons for this interest are complex, but essentially they are interested in the ability of the individual to communicate messages effectively. An obvious manifestation of this interest is the large number of people at all levels who are writing a thesis or dissertation in partial fulfillment of some academic qualification. Unfortunately, in many instances, the product written by students in terms of a thesis/dissertation is of low quality. This is due to a number of factors.

2. Choosing a Research Topic

An exciting topic interests you and sustains your effort in the coming months. Oftentimes you are advised that the best topic is one you are deeply interested in. This is certainly true. But just as important, the topic must be one that is useful and meaningful; it must generate insights and provide answers, not just idle speculation or inconclusive opinion. The topic must be manageable in size and scope; you are not going to write a doctoral dissertation on a topic which can only be supported by a million dollar NASA grant. A good research topic is one that is neither too broad nor too narrow. Too broad a topic is unmanageable, e.g. “The American Civil War”. Too narrow a topic will not provide enough literature to cite, e.g. “The role of glue in the American Civil War”. Before you settle on a specific topic, you should have a preliminary discussion with your thesis adviser on what would constitute a suitable M.A. or Ph.D. level project on this topic. Note that many research ideas or topics are too large to be completed in one graduate career. If you embark on this sort of project it is possible to scale it down to a manageable size, or it can be an ongoing project over several years.

3. Conducting a Literature Review

Your review should enable the reader to understand your position, reasoning, and depth of knowledge on your topic matter. This, in turn, can provide a platform for the reader to engage with and make judgments on your work. Developing the awareness of what knowledge is and is not known can clarify your research objectives and, in turn, provide a more concise and focused thesis.

In essence, the literature review sets the historical context of your thesis and provides the reader with a ‘window’ to your chosen topic. At this stage, it is important to map out for yourself the general and specific areas of knowledge on the topic. What are the key sources, ideas, and concepts? What are the major theories, models, and methods? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the sources?

Without a doubt, the literature review is the most daunting chapter to write of a dissertation. It is far from straightforward and can become overwhelming to know where to begin. It is for this reason that we shall look at the best approach to take in tackling the literature review, whilst bearing in mind that this is your first major exercise in in-depth researching in an academic context.

4. Developing a Methodology

The Method chapter typically includes sections such as Participants, Materials, and Procedure. The first of these – particularly for students conducting small scale investigations – often involves the use of existing data from newly published or unpublished sources. This has a major bearing on the way the chapter is written. The basic premise is to choose a systematic approach to sampling a large or small population, so the results can be reliably generalized to that population. This choice may be influenced by time, money, and the nature of the information. Given the acknowledged limitations, you can report on the implications of your decision for the method and whether or not it has achieved the desired level of generalization. A common pitfall is to repeat this process several times in the Method section in an essay, which can give an impression that data is lacking or conflicting. If you decide to do a primarily theoretical dissertation, it is almost certain that your research will be entirely literature-based. This is likely to be the methodology of theoretical analysis: selection and discussion of theoretical material and descriptive material, in context, and detailed comparison of theories in terms of their applicability. Step one is to know what your data will be used for. Step two is to make the best of the available data, trialling and evaluation (i.e. cognitive mapping, expert focus, groups, case studies etc.). Step three is the most difficult – be clear and precise, but be prepared your data. Regardless of the route you choose, you should give clear, well-reasoned justification for your decision. This will involve a consideration of the practicalities of your research. A time-frame for research is also likely to give details of where and when the sample will be obtained.

5. Writing and Formatting the Dissertation

The hardest intellectual work is in front of you, and the most important – writing the paper. There are a few common mistakes PhD students make in this final stage. Some of the most common are the same mistakes that plagued the writer in the proposal. If you made it this far, you are at least on the right track. The final paper is a culmination of all your hard work. The first mistake is taking an allochronic rather than a synchronic approach to the paper. This means the writer produces a paper based on their research, not from an argument and empirical data. AHHH, forget about cleaning the house, having a night out, and even catching up on the last month of Eastenders (or whatever you watch, I’m totally behind the times). YOU MUST BE RUTHLESS WITH YOUR TIME. This is your last chance to get that PhD… forget about the last couple years of agony and just do it. Believe me, it’s hard to get back into after any substantial amount of time off. As the paper is probably the easiest of the lot. You know what you have to do, and you just have to do it. This is your last chance to get feedback from your advisor before the paper is submitted and the PhD is awarded. Without their support, satisfaction both from within and from others on completion of the PhD will be less than satisfying.