The dissertation —also known as a thesis project in some countries and schools— is a research project mandatory for all students aiming to obtain a degree.
Students at undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, or PhD levels —and sometimes even high school students— are required to write one right before they finish their studies.
The objective of the dissertation is to give students an opportunity to show investigative and writing skills they've acquired throughout their years in school.
The dissertation has to be based on original research, which means no one can write a dissertation that already exists. You can use work from previous students as a frame of reference. But keep in mind that plagiarism is a big offense and can even result in expulsion from an institution.
Dissertations usually count with the following chapters:
- An introduction to your topic
- A literature review that surveys relevant sources
- An explanation of your methodology
- An overview of the results of your research
- A discussion of the results and their implications
- A conclusion that shows what your research has contributed
Continue reading to learn what exactly it is you should and shouldn't do when you're writing an academic paper like a dissertation. Keep in mind you can also do your dissertation with the help of a private tutor from Superprof.
Why is the dissertation important?
The dissertation paper is arguably the most important piece of work you'll turn in as a student. It's not an article, an essay, or a story. It is a research paper aimed to show what you've learned during your academic years.
Get a reputable dissertation coach here on Superprof.
Dissertations are not only useful to see the student's research skills. They're also used to grade other skills like grammar, language, editing, writing, the ability to solve problems or mistakes and the list goes on. The goal is for them to show everything they've learned in the program before they're given their degree.
The idea that the dissertation is only a project to see writing skills is false. It is a complete project that will allow you to shine and show everything you learned during your years in university.
It is important for everyone to at least once in their lives complete a dissertation project because it will teach them time management, project management, research skills, and much more.
For institutions —like a college, university, program, or institute— the dissertation is the proof they have to show how much people are learning during their years in that institution.
This is why it is important that you take the time to write a dissertation as seriously as possible. Usually, schools appoint each student with a tutor.
However, thesis tutors are usually busy with their classes, grading exams or papers, and they can't provide their students with the time they need.
If you feel like you could use more help from a tutor, you can consider hiring a private tutor from Superprof. If you work with a tutor that is dedicated to helping others with their dissertations, you'll get more attention and better guidance during the process.
A private tutor can help you come up with a proposal or topic, they can be a guide when you are collecting data or editing previous work, they can teach you how to keep a thesis journal, or help you develop a timeline of progress.
Tutors are going to show you all the mistakes you make and help you improve until you have the perfect paper. They'll make you use proper language, correct your grammar, develop every chapter, find references, and so on.
Keep in mind that a tutor won't do the work for you, they're just a guide you can use for support as you make sure you are doing the best work possible.
How long does it typically take to write a dissertation?
The time it takes to write a dissertation can vary depending on the title you are getting or the type of research you are doing. For example, if you are writing your undergrad dissertation, you will probably be able to finish it in one semester.
On the other hand, people doing their graduate or PhD dissertations usually take an entire academic year. The time of doing a thesis varies because the length and levels of difficulty are different.
This, however, doesn't mean that an undergraduate student can't take an entire academic year to do their thesis, or that a PhD student can't finish their dissertation in six months.
Keep in mind that writing a dissertation isn't just about writing. You also have to take into account the time you'll spend developing your thesis proposal, how long it will take to finish the research part, then take into account how long the writing process will take.
Within the writing process, you have a lot of things to consider and avoid. For instance, you need to write an abstract, an introduction, a conclusion, an analysis, a review of results, citations, notes, and so on. It is not like writing a quick article, this paper will define the end of your degree.
You'll also have to check for good references, word count, and grammar mistakes, be constantly editing your syntaxis, and be incredibly careful of false information, plagiarism, and many other small details.
Completing every chapter will take time and hard work but you have to trust that all your years in university have prepared you to complete a complicated paper like the dissertation.
Do's and don't's while writing a dissertation
What to do
While you're working on your dissertation there are a bunch of small details you have to pay attention to. For instance, you have to calculate how long it will take you to complete the research part of your project.
For example, if you are proving a thesis in chemistry, and you'll have to work in a lab; you'll have to calculate how long it'll take for results to start coming in.
On the other hand, if you are doing a thesis in academics you'll spend a lot of time researching and drowning in books at the library.
Once you have your proposal the best way of getting started is by organizing a timeline of goals and objectives. This way you can stay on track as you find obstacles and challenges along the way.
Another thing to do is to keep notes or a list with the data you recollect, the useful books you find, or any other thing you might want to use as a guide in the future.
Don't forget that you can always search for a private tutor specializing in dissertations right here on Superprof. Your tutor can help you stay on track, give you good advice when you're going through a rough patch with your research, and more.
What not to do
As much as students want to know what to do, some forget to ask what not to do, which is equally important. The first thing is to avoid procrastination.
Someone might become overconfident if they finish a stage or chapter ahead of time, and this can become problematic in the long run. For example, if you had planned to take three weeks to recollect data but it only takes you two weeks, don't stop or slow down only because you just saved yourself a week of work.
This is a common mistake, but only because one step took less time than planned doesn't mean that another step won't take more time than planned. If you are able to save time in the beginning, make sure you use it wisely.
Another common mistake is to get fixated on the hopes of getting results you're not getting. It is perfectly fine to have a thesis you couldn't prove, all you can do then is move on and make sure you discuss what went wrong during your analysis and conclusion.
What will you learn from writing a dissertation?
The objective of a dissertation is to teach the student how to carry out a long-term process, how to document it, and how to create a paper around it.
In academics, the dissertation is important because it allows students to materialize their ideas and it will prepare them for higher-level education.
Writing a dissertation will make you work on your research skills, your skills in developing ideas and projects, language skills, and much more. Having these skills will help you become an exceptional professional.
Don't forget you can always hire a tutor from Superprof to help you develop your dissertation on time. Tutors are great to help you take notes, distinguish false information, help you work well with the time you have, and more.
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