dissertation writing strategies

dissertation writing strategies

Effective Strategies for Writing a Dissertation

1. Choosing a Research Topic

A research endeavor is only as successful as the plan that guides it. Often, if a dissertation is not progressing smoothly, the best thing to do is take a step back and return to the original research proposal. Your research’s stated objectives and the criteria used to ensure its successful completion. At this point, it is a good idea to re-evaluate the research question or topic. Is it still an original topic when compared to the ongoing research within your area? Is it a worthwhile topic to research? You may find it beneficial to read the article on “The Mark of a Good Question.” Now, you must be wondering why it is so important to create a good research topic? After meeting with others, it is time to begin narrowing down your topic. Begin considering your topic in terms of it being a hypothesis: If I do ________ then what will I find? It is important to have your hypothesis reflect a realistic goal, whereby completion of the research will provide an answer or data which informs you more about the issue at hand. Coming up with a hypothetical statement is not always clear-cut, and it will depend on the type of research you are conducting. Nonetheless, having a clear direction on where you aim to move with your research can save much time and confusion later.

2. Developing a Clear Research Question

The next stage is to clarify the area of focus. The tutee might have an idea of what they want to study, but it might be too general, or it might be influenced by the thoughts of others. Opening research questions often begin with words such as “what,” “who,” “how,” or “why.” Discussing these with the tutee may help them to better understand the perspective they want to take in their research. For example, a tutee studying social work might begin with an idea influenced by a family member who works as a social worker. Further exploration may help the tutee to develop ideas or questions that are related to their own interests and experience. This is an important point as researchers who feel personally invested in their topic are more likely to produce a good piece of work. A research question must be something the researcher is interested in, and it must be relevant to others who are not involved in the research. This is important for motivation and also for producing work that can be assessed and evaluated.

Developing a clear research question is a complex exercise. It involves a process of identifying a topic, choosing an area of focus, and thinking about the appropriate level of specificity. The tutor’s first role is to help the tutee identify a topic area significantly enough so that they can develop initial ideas about the area. A common mistake in research is beginning with thoughts that are too broad and then narrowing the focus into a specific research question that is manageable within a dissertation. An example of a broad research topic might be “factors influencing child poverty.” A narrow focus would be “factors influencing the success of young black males from lone parent families in inner city London schools.” It is important to help the tutee realize that starting with a broad topic leads to a more difficult and time-consuming process of narrowing the focus. A narrow focus enables the researcher to determine clear boundaries for their study.

3. Creating a Structured Outline

The first step in creating your plan is to decide which planning method suits you the best. You might like to create a concept map or a diagram to help you visualize the project. Alternatively, you might prefer to write out your plan. While some people advocate the use of note cards and pinning them on the wall – or having a giant pinboard. The aim of this exercise is to brew up ideas for your overall project. The end result will be a comprehensive plan and a list of content for the various sections, which will save enormous amounts of time and energy in the future. As an added tip, it’s often best to start at the end. This way you make sure it’s perfectly clear in your mind what the dissertation entails, while your ideas are still fresh.

This is where you transform your fantastic idea into a concrete paper. A well-thought-out plan can save you from having to do a significant amount of reorganizing when the first draft is completed. Moreover, it will enable you to focus on the dissertation in manageable, bite-sized pieces.

4. Conducting Thorough Literature Review

At the second stage, you should aim to search for literature that is relevant to your defined topic. This is done via identifying keywords and phrases and trying to locate resources which relate to your topic area. This could be done via the use of electronic databases available from your own institution or at an external institution. As well as trying to locate internet sources, it is essential to refer to print-based resources such as academic journals or textbooks which may contain valuable information not available through other means. At this stage, it would be very useful to keep a record of all relevant resources found by developing a comprehensive bibliography.

To define your topic, you should be clear about what you are aiming to discuss in your dissertation. Therefore, by identifying the key themes within your topic of study and trying to relate it to a specific research question, you should be able to develop a clear idea in terms of what you are looking for when you start searching the literature.

One of the essential components of a dissertation or a thesis is the literature review. The main aim of the literature review is to provide an overview of the significant literature linked with the dissertation topic. By doing so, the researcher aims to draw a picture of the current “state of knowledge” in the chosen topic area by identifying key findings in the available literature and suggesting the need for further research in the form of identifying a “gap” in the current knowledge. To effectively conduct a literature review, the researcher should take a structured approach which essentially adheres to the following four stages: defining the topic, searching the literature, evaluating the literature, and writing the review.

5. Implementing Efficient Writing and Revision Techniques

When it comes to sitting down to write a dissertation, you may feel that you have it in you to sit down and write for extended periods of time. In reality though, things are unlikely to go this smoothly! You should aim to write in short bursts, perhaps by setting yourself a target of concluding a section or writing for a predetermined length of time. You may have heard of procrastination, and this is something that a lot of people fall victim to when writing a dissertation. It is a dangerous game, and instead of saying “I’ll start at 5,” and then it becoming 8pm, followed by “I have to start first thing tomorrow” and you end up starting days after what you originally intended. Try setting yourself achievable targets in terms of writing, so if you plan to write an introduction to your chapter today, this is achievable so you will have less reason to put it off. This will result in accumulation of small amounts of work, something that crafting a dissertation thrives on! Always keep a pen and paper to hand. You will find that ideas and conclusions on certain areas of your dissertation will come during times when you are not expecting it. You should always jot these down, as it can be increasingly frustrating to forget a great idea. When writing, it is best to read over what you have done every couple of days. This is in order to keep your ideas fresh and maintain a strong focus on what you’re trying to get across. A strong knowledge of what is to be conveyed will produce higher quality writing. By sticking to these guidelines, the time taken to build a concise and professional-looking dissertation will no doubt be greatly reduced!