Many students think that the
dissertation is a large road block to earning their desired degree.
Their line of thinking is understandable, considering that a
dissertation may contain around tens of thousands of words. They may
think that dissertation writing could be the largest single academic
writing project they would undertake. They may think that their
writing and research skills are not enough to pass this degree
hurdle.
On the other hand, dissertation writing
could be fairly easy. Simply put, students must not think of the
dissertation as road block, but the road itself that paves the way to
their degrees. They just need to follow some pointers that they would
find helpful during the dissertation process.
- A dissertation cannot stand without a topic. Selecting the right topic is the first and the most vital step in the dissertation process. A topic becomes only right if it meets these criteria:
- It is within the scope of the student’s field of study;
- It has never been tackled, at least within the academe;
- The student has a potent interest in taking it up;
- The student has prior knowledge about it; and
- There are available sources of information for research purposes.
- After selecting the topic, the student must identify all the possible tasks involved in dissertation writing. To remove the sense of “a long dissertation,” the student could divide it into smaller parts. He could treat a task as a single part, or group several activities into one. The student should assign a time frame for each part, the duration of which depends on the complexity of involved tasks. The plan should involve only achievable tasks.
- The dissertation plan is useless if not followed. The student should stick to the plan, modifying it if only necessary.
- The student should organize his information and ideas by creating an outline. The outline should be structured according to dissertation format prescribed by the student’s professor. This outline should serve as the guide when the student starts writing his dissertation.
- There may be things related to UK dissertations that only other people has deep knowledge of. Thus, it is recommended that he seek advice from these people. They could advise the student on how to write the contents or where to research pertinent information.
- One good way to write a quality dissertation is to learn from examples. A student may grab a dissertation example and learn from it.
- Once the student finished writing his dissertation, it is advisable to have it reviewed and proofread. It may still contain grammar and content mistakes, which could only be spotted and corrected by reviewing and proofreading the dissertation.