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Dissertation Writing Guide

Dissertations are structured rather differently from essays and are more akin to academic books (though, not textbooks). This guide provides useful guidance and tips to help with writing a dissertation.

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Dissertation Writing Guide

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  1. Dissertation Writing Guide

  2. Remember these key things when trying to find suitable dissertation topics: • Write a list of subjects and topics that you feel are interesting • This could include subjects you’ve already looked at in your studies • or it could be something you’ve never studied but want to • Do some research to see whether your ideas are worth writing about • A good way to do this is to find out what’s been done before • If it’s been written about before it probably has merit • However, think about how you might tackle it differently • Bear in mind that you’ll need to find a supervisor • You might need to think laterally on your chosen topic to tailor it towards attracting a tutor

  3. What a good title will do: • It needs to demand attention • Give a reason for someone to continue, to take an interest, to read your work • Think of it as a single sentence summary of your work • A strong title will actually enable people to find your work and use it in future • A good dissertation title can be used by the marker as an early indication of the depth and breadth of your research • A broader working title will allow a little flexibility in your research • Once your work is finished you can tighten up your title and make it more catchy

  4. What makes a good dissertation abstract: • A good abstract will add no new information, but will simply summarise the dissertation • It will use an introduction/body/conclusion structure, which presents the dissertation’s purpose, results, conclusions, and recommendations To write an effective dissertation abstract, follow these steps: • Re-read your dissertation with abstracting in mind. Look for these main parts: • Purpose, methods, scope, results, conclusions, recommendations • Use your table of contents and headings as a guide to writing your abstract • The introduction and summary are good places to start • They generally cover what the dissertation emphasises • Write a rough draft abstract without looking back at the dissertation again • Don’t just copy key sentences. You need to summarise the information in a new way • Revise the rough draft to correct weaknesses in organisation, improve transitions and remove unnecessary information

  5. A literature review aims to evaluate the existing research and develop key themes: • Books and journal articles will all have a ‘references’ section. Use these to snowball your sources • The structure of a literature review is crucial. A typical structure is: • Introduction: Reiterate the aims and objectives of the study. Give a short summary of your literature review. • Body: Discuss what you have read and how it relates to your research. Critically evaluate your sources. • Conclusion: Summarise main points and most important findings. Highlight gaps in the literature. • References • Make sure your sources are well-referenced throughout your dissertation • Different subjects will require different referencing types. Check with your tutor or course guide about which one you should be using • Proofread • Print a copy and read it out loud • Compare your work with your original aims • Don’t be afraid to cut parts out or rewrite sections • It’s also a great idea to have other people to proofread your work

  6. There are two main types of research and three main types of research analysis: • Primary research relates to the collection of primary (new) data, or in history, use of sources written at the time • Secondary research relates to the use and re-examination of data that has already been published • Quantitative research uses statistical, mathematical and computational programmes to produce specific results • Qualitative research seeks to ask ‘why’ and ‘how’ something has happened • A mixed methodology features aspects of each or all of the above techniques Which approach you use depends upon the subject matter. The methodology section will explain why you have chosen to adopt the approach you are using. Whichever approach you use it is important that you justify your decision and that you do so via reference to existing academic works

  7. Draw together the various strands that you have discussed: • The conclusion is the final part of your dissertation that will be read fully by your lecturer or marker, so it’s important to finish on a high note • You need to draw together the various strands that you have discussed in the main body of your text • Depending on the subject you may need to offer recommendations for improvements to a service area or suggest related areas that would benefit from further study • Mention the limitations of your study which will contextualise it • Don’t dwell on limitations though as the conclusion should showcase what you did well • Don’t forget to reference in your conclusion • Think of the conclusion as a mirror of the introduction. Where the introduction says what the dissertation does, the conclusion says what has been done

  8. View examples, guides and more at UKDiss.com

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