A
dissertation is a lengthy academic assignment that constitutes almost 60
percent of a scholar’s coursework. And due to the fact that the modern world
requires people to multi-task, scholars face a severe time crunch while writing
their dissertation paper. In this article written by University experts,
students will get to know about the planning that is required to execute a
successful dissertation writing project.
The
stages of planning required for a successful dissertation project are –
·
Selecting a topic
·
Writing a dissertation proposal.
1. How to choose a topic?
Dissertation
writing is preceded by the above-mentioned stages. The most important stage of
these is the process of selecting a topic for the dissertation project.
Before
selecting a topic, students must know what a dissertation’s objective may be –
·
Reinvent the existing study in a
different situation
·
Explore an area that has not been
researched sufficiently
·
Contribute to a previous study
·
Review the knowledge provided by
previous works
·
Develop or test a method or
methodology
·
Analyze a research question as a
group or individually
·
Apply a theory or an idea to a
real world issue.
This
list does not end with these objectives. You must ask your department head
about the most appropriate research objective for your study.
Students
should follow these tips to select the most appropriate topic for their
dissertation –
a) You should be passionate
about the topic
The
most important aspect of a selected topic should be that the students are
passionate about it. They should be well-versed with the developments of the
topic and should have an opinion on them. The reason for choosing a topic that
you are passionate about is that you can write more in quantity as well as
quality because you have pre-existing knowledge of the issues.
b) Can you devote sufficient
time to the topic’s research?
This
is a vital factor when you consider an issue as the topic for your
dissertation. If your contribution to the topic requires you to spend
considerable time in its research, you must ensure that you devote that
required time to the research. If not, then you have to select a topic that
takes up less of your time.
c)
The
topic should be relevant
Always
choose a topic that is relevant to your coursework or discussions in class. It
is futile and illogical to write about the history of fossils if you are
pursuing a computer engineering course.
d) The topic should be original
or should contribute to the original
If
the topic is original, you have a competitive advantage over the other students
who are writing dissertation service. However,
if the issue of your topic has already been worked on, you should strive to
contribute to its significance by discovering unknown facts and theories. You
can even justify a hypothesis as it may be a breakthrough in the research of
the topic’s issue.
2. The development of a research
problem
Before
writing a dissertation, you should develop a research problem that guides your
paper to its logical conclusion. This research problem is to be developed
keeping these factors in mind –
·
The problem should discuss the
issue that you have set out to investigate or develop.
·
The problem should contain your
argument or thesis in detail.
·
The problem should set limits to
your arguments so that the amount of research is narrowed down to one
particular issue.
While dissertation writing service, you should
keep asking yourself the research problem and the answer must turn out to be
‘yes’ for you to continue. However, your research problem should be flexible
enough for it to be modified in the course of writing the paper. This is
because you may discover newer facts as you proceed and they may not
necessarily coincide with the problem. Therefore, you should always keep an
open mind while researching for a dissertation paper.
These
are examples of some problems. Students will also get to know how they fare as
research problems –
·
‘Public Transport in the USA’
Although
this research problem is valid, yet it is too vague for a dissertation. Also,
you do not have sufficient time to study the entire transport system of the USA
to write this paper.
·
‘An Investigation into the Link
between the Transport System and the Housing Scheme of the USA’
This
statement is a better research problem than the previous one because it defines
an argument for a dissertation – the link between the transport system and
housing scheme. However, the statement can still be more precise and focused.
·
‘An Investigation into the Link
between the Transport System and the Housing Scheme of the USA – An Insight
into the Suburban Areas in 1995’
This
statement is a further improvement on the previous one as it establishes the
limits for the dissertation. It also gives a time frame and a location for the
research. This narrows it down sufficiently for the scholar and makes the dissertation writing services process easier.
3. Writing a sample dissertation
proposal
Most
colleges and Universities have their own guidelines for writing various
dissertation papers. Some prefer students to write and submit a dissertation
proposal before writing their dissertation paper.
This
is an outline of a generic sample
dissertation proposal –
a) Introduction
The
Introduction of the dissertation proposal should consist of the background of
the issue, the statement of your research (thesis statement), the purpose and
significance of your study, the definitions of the terms used in the dissertation
and the delimitations of the topic.
b) Literature review
The
literature review of a dissertation proposal should consist of the theoretical
framework of the dissertation and a comprehensive review of previous work done
on the topic.
c)
Methodology
This
portion of the dissertation proposal should consist of the main body of the
dissertation paper. It must contain information about the research method used,
research questions asked, data collection methods used and how this data was
sorted, organized and analyzed.
d) Findings of the research
The
dissertation proposal should contain this section because it is the penultimate
section and it talks about your research’s findings. These results are vital in
proving your argument for the dissertation.
e) Conclusion and suggestions
for future research
The
final section of a dissertation proposal should be the conclusion passage in
which the topic is summarized, solutions are discussed and future research
recommendations are made.
4. Tips for effective dissertation
planning and research
Students
should follow these helpful tips for effective dissertation planning and
research before writing their dissertation paper –
a) Create a research plan
This
is exactly like creating an outline for anything that you work on. A research
plan will help you in establishing small deadlines within which you can
complete certain portions of your dissertation’s research. For example, you can
allot 3 to 4 hours for the creation of a thesis statement and 5 to 6 hours
(maybe even 1 or 2 days) for the research of particular facts that would
support an argument of yours.
b) Be realistic in your planning
It
is vital that you do not overestimate your capabilities because no result is
more demoralizing than failing to meet your own expectations. Here is how you
can be realistic in your planning –
·
Effectively estimate the time that
may be taken up for a particular portion of the research
·
Devote sufficient time to the
planning of your research
·
Ensure that you spend sufficient
time reworking your plan if you feel that you are lagging behind
·
Editing and correcting takes
considerable time. Make sure you save enough time for these actions
·
Focus on one task at a time
·
Make clear and achievable
objectives for every week
·
Do not stop doing your regular
everyday tasks. Take time out for leisure activities as well
·
Allocate sufficient time for
travelling to any place that aids in your research
·
Set appropriate timings for you to
start or stop the task of researching for your paper
·
Set yourself rewards when you meet
each task’s deadline.
The planning for your research should also
include the listing of the equipment that will be necessary to carry out the
tasks.
c) Cite your sources from the beginning
Many
students leave the task of citing the various sources for the end. This leads
to the omission of some of these sources which may result the student to be
charged with plagiarism. The best preventive measure to avoid
d) Coordinate with your supervisor
Never
hesitate to ask your supervisor for assistance. Supervisors are the best people
to help you in planning for your dissertation. Ensure that you carry out the
following tasks for a better understanding of your dissertation –
·
Clear all your doubts with your
supervisor. Ask him/her any question that might have cropped up in your mind
regarding the research or writing of your dissertation.
·
If you get stuck in a portion of
the dissertation, do not hesitate to seek the help of your supervisor. They are
present for precisely these situations.
·
Bring specific and relevant
questions to the supervisor because they will solve your issue more efficiently
if they receive a specific question.
e) Identify and eliminate
procrastination factors
Students
tend to get carried away and think that they have more than sufficient time for
the completion of their dissertation papers. The following symptoms of
procrastination have to be identified at the earliest and eliminated
immediately after identification to ensure the timely completion of your
dissertation –
·
Personal problems
·
Difficulty in concentrating
·
Loss of motivation
·
Negative beliefs
·
Deterred by the size and scale of
the task
·
Poor time management
·
Perfectionism
·
Feeling under pressure to succeed.
5. Tips to write your dissertation
better
The
dissertation paper might well be your lengthiest academic work, and students do
get flustered with the scale of the task. However, there are measures by which
you can make dissertation writing less daunting -
·
Always write down your ideas as
you develop them. Writing them down saves you from troubling your brain cells
in recalling them. It also helps in selecting the best content from all the
ideas.
·
It is not necessary to start your
dissertation with the Introduction. It is also not mandatory to write the paper
in logical order. Write the portion that is most comfortable for you. This
could be the methodology or literature review or any other portion. Similarly,
if you wish to write in logical order to maintain a flow in your ideas, you
should do it. Write the way that is most appropriate for your skill set.
·
Each chapter of your dissertation
paper should be treated as separate essays. They should each have an
introduction, body and a conclusion for a clear and concise explanation of the
ideas and concepts that are present.
·
You can metaphorically assume your
dissertation’s main argument to be a free-flowing river and the other
supporting arguments to be tributaries to this river. In this way, the supporting
ideas can have their separate content but they will all contribute to the main
argument as tributaries contribute to the main river.
·
After writing a chapter, read it,
modify it once and then move on to the next chapter or portion of your
dissertation. In this way, you will prevent yourself from being tied down to
just one portion of your entire dissertation.
·
Ensure that you write the
references to your sources of information completely and relevantly from the
beginning.
·
Be conscious about your word count.
Do not write any irrelevant material. It is easier to revisit the source of
information through the reference to add content rather than remove some
portions from your paper that you have toiled hard to write.
Thus,
students will be more equipped to plan for the research, planning and writing
of their dissertation paper after reading this article. The tips for planning
and best dissertation writing services paper have been efficient for numerous students and
are based on personal experiences of past scholars.