what is dissertation writing

what is dissertation writing

The Importance of Dissertation Writing

1. Introduction

Academic writing is a critical, evaluative, constructive, and formative way of students’ learning. It develops internal discipline and the ability to construct a clearly reasonable argument in written work. Doing a dissertation, which is a complex and extensive piece of research, is also a type of academic writing. At the start, it may seem to be a daunting task. However, with well-thought-out planning, a focused approach, and with your supervisor being there to guide you, it can be made achievable and can prove to be an enriching experience. In fact, the experience of writing a dissertation will enable you to define, undertake, and review a piece of research that’s relevant to your field of interest. This experience is far more valuable than gaining a good grade. Having good academic writing skills will also prove to be useful after you’ve completed your dissertation. After completing your formal education, you will enter the world of work where you will be required to write letters, memos, and produce written reports. No matter what career you plan in the future, you can’t afford to ignore the importance of a dissertation. Now, writing a dissertation or thesis is not just your everyday writing of essays, and as such, it needs writing and editing skills too. These are built upon good grammar, the right words, and sentence structure, or in other words, how you put your written work across. In line with what was mentioned earlier on how the dissertation experience can be valuable and change the way you view your academic work, the writing experience will change your perception in writing as you are forced to make on-the-spot decisions and check up on previous grammar and editing skills that you have self-taught during the years.

2. Choosing a Dissertation Topic

The choice of topic could mean the difference between success and failure for a dissertation. An intriguing topic can stimulate you to write an exciting, in-depth dissertation; whereas a dull or overly technical topic might cause you to lose interest early on. Having to write a dissertation proposal depends upon the university or institution that you’re attending. Even if a dissertation proposal isn’t a requirement, however, it’s a very useful exercise (and is certainly going to impress your supervisor, especially if it’s not part of your assessment). On some courses the research proposal is assessed and forms part of your final dissertation submission. If this is the case, it’s vital that you follow the correct format and submit your work on time. Mostly, a dissertation proposal has a 500 or 1,000 word limit, but you must check what your course specifically requires.

Once you have found a suitable and approved supervisor, you will need to decide what you are going to write about. Sometimes it will be possible to choose from a list of suggested topics – if this is the case, the section on Researching Ethnic Minorities is worth reading. If on the other hand, you have free rein over your choice of topic, this can be both a blessing and a curse.

3. Conducting Research and Gathering Data

To complete a dissertation, it is essential to write it effectively. There are a number of aspects that an individual is supposed to realize as they complete a dissertation, one of the main facets of this happens to be the word choice. This cannot be emphasized enough, be very careful when choosing your words, making sure that you fully space out the argument throughout the dissertation to the reader, breaking down arguments with clear and concise points. This will optimize the understanding for the reader, thus increasing the chances of gaining a higher mark. The next point to mention with regards to the writing of the dissertation would be the structure in which the dissertation is written. This is crucial to a good piece of writing. If there is an intelligent and logical structure to the dissertation, then there is more chance of the reader being captivated. Therefore, first and foremost plan what you are going to write, mapping it out with headings, sub-headings, and bullet points. Then when it comes to writing, make sure that you provide substantive information under each heading, this will avoid the reader becoming bored or confused. If the information is structured and well laid out, it will be easier to understand and more interesting to read. This then has positive effects on the mark that the dissertation will receive. Last but not least, it is important to maintain a high level of critical thinking throughout the dissertation. This will establish a range of arguments that will distinguish strengths and weaknesses in different theories. It shows that you are thinking in depth about the topic and taking on various points of view. When you postulate an argument, think why it is better than the next, contemplate the assumptions that you are making and question the evidence that has been employed. If a high level critical approach is maintained throughout the dissertation, there is a large chance of the work being of high quality and also distinctive. This will put your work in a positive light and will show markers that you have put in extra effort and achieved high standards from conducting research and gathering data, to the final piece of writing.

4. Writing and Structuring Your Dissertation

Much like an essay, a dissertation is a long piece of writing which is used to express ideas or findings in a more detailed, logical way. A lot of the same rules also apply. When writing a dissertation, there is a possibility that many students may get stuck – be it at the research stage, forming a hypothesis, coming up with the exact research question, or interpreting results. The best way to tackle this is to create a plan. This needn’t be a rigid plan – there are many models to how to design a research project or dissertation and ‘planning’ varies. We will match our dissertation structure to your work preferences or language and cultural context. But a plan is vital. This is your base – without it, you are (or will become) directionless. And a weak plan will mean a weak dissertation.

5. Conclusion

The data collected help conclude the present scenario with proof of the existence of an informal hiring system, a vague performance appraisal system, lack of training and development systems, with the motivation revolving only around promotion and transfer. Since career development strategies are the planned efforts on the part of an organization to increase employee competence, preparation for future work opportunities, self-development, and implementation of a diversity of programs and policies encouraging individual career development, which should be the focal point in this dissertation, it does not give a clear picture of the career development strategy that should be followed to offset the current scenario.

Although the research study theme is quite relevant to the problems of career development strategies within organizations, the data collected does not help in concluding the specific career development strategy. The data collected only present the current status of career or, to be more specific, the predicament of the Himalayan Bank Limited staff. The piece of writing, particularly the situation analysis chapter, helps visualize the current organizational environment.