How To Write A Dissertation: Expert Tips from Dissertation Writers

Are you a final year undergraduate, master's, or PhD level student? Do you know 'how to write a dissertation?'. In Layman terms the word "Dissertation" basically means a significant research-based project that any student might undertake as per the university's guidelines during their coursework. To earn certain degree certificates, university students are required to submit a dissertation in the last semester of their respective programs. Once a student submits and successfully defend his/her dissertation topic in front of the jury, they become eligible to be awarded their degree certificates.

With this blog, The Student Helpline will help you learn everything you need to know about writing a dissertation. From the basic dissertation structure to the tips on how to write a dissertation, one-by-one we will cover everything in detail. Keep reading.

What Is a Dissertation?

A dissertation is a detailed study based on the specific research conducted by the students in their 3-5 years of degree programs. A dissertation is prepared to demonstrate a student's research skills and expertise in a certain domain of the subject undertaken by the student. So, basically a dissertation is a kind of a problem statement, that needs to be analyzed properly. It includes a lot of statistical and theoretical data, critical analysis of various aspects of the problem statement, and arguments researched by the student, proving their understanding and contribution to the field of research.

The most common misconception about a dissertation is that dissertations are prepared only by PhD students, which is wrong. A bachelors' and a masters' student too can write a dissertation. However, the overall scope, depth of research, expectations and outcomes will vary depending on the degree level.

What Is the Purpose of Writing a Dissertation?

Writing a dissertation for the sake of earning the degree is not the overall purpose of this process. What the jury members of the dissertation review team really want to see is that whether the student has a good understanding of the core subject or not, and to what extents does the student is willing to contribute to the academic community.

Other than fulfilling the academic requirements, a dissertation usually tests -

1. Student's ability to conduct the in-depth research
2. Overall ability of a student to contribute or add something valuable to their field of study.
3. Critical-thinking skills, deep-analytical skills, data interpretation skills and information retrieval skills.
4. Skills to present their ideas and arguments clearly and boldly.
5. Problem-solving skills to overcome the issues in their field of study.
6. Proving that the student is well prepared to be eligible for a higher level degree.

What Is the Structure of a Dissertation?

The only way to pass an undergraduate, postgraduate or a PhD degree is by submitting a well-structured dissertation. As the saying goes, first impression is the last impression, the very first thing that will capture the dissertation review committee's attention is the overall structure and the formatting of your dissertation. Below is ideal the structure that students must follow (unless specific guidelines are provided) to prepare a good dissertation, take a look -

1. Title Page
2. Acknowledgment and Declaration
3. Abstract
4. Content Table
5. Introduction
6. Literature Review
7. Research Methodology
8. Results
9. Discussion
10. Conclusion
11. References
12. Appendices

Now, let us one-by-one discuss each section in detail.

Title Page

The title page or the cover page of a dissertation usually includes dissertation title, researcher's name, advisor's name, department's name, university's name along with the logo, program name, and the final submission date.

Make sure to check with your university, for some universities do mention the guidelines on how to prepare a title page including details like margin, spacing and font-size.

Acknowledgement And Declaration

The acknowledgement and declaration page is usually placed between the title page and the abstract of the dissertation. In this section, students give credit to everyone who permitted them to work on a dissertation topic and thank every individual who assisted them in completing their research. Students usually thank supervisors, funding bodies, other Subject Matter Experts, family and friends.

In the declarations part, students generally state that their project is entirely their own piece of work, and nothing about their project has been taken or stolen from other published works, other than the work that has been cited in the dissertation.

Abstract

An abstract is one of the most significant part of the dissertation. This section for the very first time, establishes what your dissertation is all about, describing what methods you've used, what results you've got, basically providing a short-description of your dissertation. Although the word limit for this section is less than 500 words, make sure you're thorough with the university guidelines, before writing this section.

Content Table

A content table is like any other list of table that you've seen or made while writing your assignments. The main purpose of this table is to chronologically arrange all the heading and sub-headings of your dissertation along with their respective page numbers, so that it becomes easier for the review team to examine and navigate through the dissertation.

Introduction

Introduction basically briefly summarizes the importance, scope, overall background, and the objectives of the research conducted by the student. This draft is just like an extended version of the abstract section where everything is explained in a more detailed manner. Introduction majorly can include several sub-headings, each explaining a different aspect of the dissertation.

Literature Review

The literature review section of a dissertation is deemed to be the most important section since it tells the reader/reviewer as in why this project was chosen, on what grounds the outcomes of the project was evaluated, comparative analysis of the research topic with any previously existing or related projects and hypothesis. This section provides a detailed explanation of the subject matter, discussing the problem in hand via case studies and relevant facts and figures.

If the chosen topic or area of study has already been under research and practical implementation then the student must also explain what unique steps and ideas make their dissertation more credible and valuable as compared to the already existing one.

Research Methodology

The methodology section of the dissertation is where your work walks the talk. This section tells the reader/reviewer how you designed the process to conduct your research, what tools you've used to collect data, represent the said data and field test your data. So, basically in methodology section you tell your reader what measures you've taken to push the limitations barrier in order to retrieve factual data that justifies your arguments in the form of charts, graphs and figures.

This purpose of incorporating this section is to evaluate whether your ways of conducting research are credible or not, since all the information and the methods to extract those information you've used are directly linked to your dissertation outcomes.

Results

The results section is what the reviewer is most interested about and curious for, since in this section the overall outcome of the problem statement is explained in detail. And by in detail, it doesn't mean that you have to write long paragraphs for the same, every piece of information that you include in the results section should be concise, appropriate (targeting the problem in hand) and must be supported with enough evidence and data to ensure authenticity and reliability.

Every singleton data, data that was expected but didn't occur, the mean deviations from the expected analysis, everything should be included in this section.

Discussion

Usually the discussion part and the result section are combined together and presented as a single section. However, you must follow the guidelines that have been given to you.

In this section students are expected to summarize their research findings in a way that it smartly connects with the problem statement in hand, and any previous research done in the same field. Your data and your findings should answer the original problem statement that you've mentioned in the introduction. And to top it all, you must also mention how does the research findings affect and impact the real-life scenarios.

Conclusion

Every dissertation document comprises of 'N' numbers of tabular data, graphs, fact and figures, in this section students must pin-point and connect those relevant datasets that are effective and have been field tested, with the actual problem statement. This way it becomes easier for the reviewer to judge your outcomes.

The basic purpose of this section is to align your work and recommend the findings of your work to future academicians, encouraging them to add more value to this area of study in possible.

*Please note in some cases the conclusion and the recommendations sections are presently separately.

References

Referencing is perhaps the most important part of compiling the entire the dissertation. To avoid plagiarism, referencing is done, where actual sources are cited in a particular section, following a particular referencing style. Make sure that you use a common citation style throughout the document that has been instructed to you by your university.

Usually the most accepted and commonly used citation styles are Harvard Style, American Psychology Association (APA) Style, Modern Language Association (MLA) Style and Chicago Style.

Appendices

An appendix is basically a section that encompasses data, tables and information that are too long to process, which if included in any other section will hamper the overall readability and ethnicity of the document.

Statistics and information like public surveys, polls, interview Q&As and more are included and referred in this section, making it easier for a reviewer to co-relate and pin-point the relevant information if and when needed.

The Importance of Topic Selection and Advisor Feedbacks in Dissertation Writing

Writing a dissertation is much like going on a trekking journey with your dissertation advisor being the trekking expert, guiding you throughout your journey. Just like selecting the most appropriate trekking destination is crucial for beginning a trek, similarly, while writing a dissertation, the most important step is choosing the right dissertation topic.

Try understanding it this way, for a professional trekker choosing the toughest peak makes sense, but for a first-timer it doesn't. Similarly, you need to select a dissertation topic that you can complete, with less hurdles along the way, for only then you will be able to cherish its outcomes.

Tips for selecting a dissertation topic for students -

1. Understand your program requirements
2. Brainstorm ideas
3. Identify your interests and review any existing literature
4. Look for gaps in the current research
5. Access feasibility in terms of time, management, resources, limitations and overall scope
6. Define your problem statement and evaluate its relevancy
7. Seek regular feedback from your advisor

Now, that you've selected a dissertation topic keeping the pointers above into consideration, get it approved by your advisor as soon as possible. But before getting your topic approved make sure that you've shared your ideas and vision with them. Getting regular feedbacks from your advisor is crucial and should be practiced throughout the dissertation writing process.

Understand it this way, it is next to impossible to conquer a challenging trek without the help of an expert. You need proper guidance and assistance along the way, and this is where your advisor can play a huge role in your success. So, always keep your advisor in the loop, for their opinion and inputs will only add more value to your dissertation.

Types of Dissertation Research Methodologies

Now that you know what a research methodology actually is, let us discuss about its various types. When writing a dissertation, mainly 3 types of research methodologies are used i.e. quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method. Below is a brief description of all three types of research methodologies, take a look:

1. Quantitative Research Methodology: Thoroughly analyzed and processed numerical (quantitative) data derived from experiments and surveys using meaningful tables, graphs, and charts.
2. Qualitative Research Methodology: This type of research methodology is widely used to study human behavior and hidden patterns using methods like case studies, interviews, and ethnography observations.
3. Mixed-Method Research Methodology: Using both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies in one research topic is known as mixed-method research methodology, for example starting with an interview to gain qualitative insights and then designing a questionnaire to collect quantitative pieces of evidence.

What Should Be the Length of a Dissertation?

A dissertation usually runs between 100-300 pages or 10,000 words to over 1,00,000 words. However, the exact length of a dissertation depends on factors like academic discipline, research topic, institution, and the degree level you belong to. Every degree level and academic discipline have their own demands and so, it becomes really important to carefully go through the dissertation guidelines provided by the university. Also, make sure that you adhere to all the specific detailing and formatting rules specified to you in the respective university guidelines.

8 Tips for Writing a Winning Dissertation

As mentioned above, writing a dissertation and submitting a flawless piece of work are two different things. A flawless dissertation requires proper planning and needs to be on-point throughout.

Following are the top 8 tips for writing a good dissertation, check out:

1. Plan well in advance -
   Always start early and keep the plan clear in your mind. Before starting, create a detailed research plan.
2. Stay Focused throughout the process -
   Keep the dissertation focused on the main research question. Try not to deviate from the real goal. Choosing the topic/area of study that is feasible and have practical implementations.
3. Thorough review of the existing study & choose the research methodology wisely-
   Always do an in-depth review of the already existing research to avoid conflict of interests. This part will help you overall to structure your research, eliminating things that have already been covered and that have been disproved by other academicians. Analyze the dissertation type and research methodology required.
4. Use clear and concise writing style -
   Make the dissertation simple, understandable, readable and concise as much as possible.
5. Proofread and keep your advisor posted -
   Always proofread and revise the dissertation multiple times to avoid mistakes. You can also ask for your peers and supervisor to review your dissertation. Getting a different outlook and feedback never hurts.
6. Do a detailed data validation, Grammar, Formatting & Citation checks -
   Make sure that you cross-verify every data across the sources you've placed in your references. Also, make sure you check for and eliminate all the grammatical and formatting discrepancies throughout the dissertation. Adhering to the citations and formatting guidelines given by the university.
7. Stay motivated and stress-free -
   Break your dissertation into smaller parts to make it manageable. It will help you stay motivated and stress-free. Take necessary breaks and don't overload yourself.
8. Prepare a strong defense -
   Consider all the counter questions that the review committee might ask you, and prepare a clear and concise presentation and try practicing it in your free time.

Skills Required to Write a Good Dissertation

Preparing a dissertation is a lengthy, demanding, and difficult task for students. Without certain skills, students are more likely to fail a dissertation.

The following skills are required to prepare and pass a dissertation to earn the final degree:

• Research Skills: Ability to identify the right sources for the study.
• Critical Thinking: Ability to analyze the data deeply and evaluate perspective to create arguments.
• Time Management: Ability to manage time efficiently throughout the research
• Analytical Skills: Ability to analyze and make conclusions from the data presented
• Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to identify and solve problems during the research
• Communication Skills: Ability to present ideas and study clearly before the committee
• Technical Skills: Ability to use statistical and data analysis tools and software correctly.

5 Common Mistakes to Avoid While Writing a Dissertation

The 5 most common mistakes that students should avoid while writing a dissertation are -

1. Poor topic selection -
   Not selecting an appropriate topic, may cause problems in the future. Try to avoid picking topics that requires access to private and classified resources.
2. Lack of focus -
   Don't lose track of the main research question. Always stay focused and prepare a dissertation around the main topic only. Keep yourself motivated enough, take necessary breaks but do not lose track of your progress.
3. Neglecting the literature review and lacking clarity -
   Not thoroughly reviewing the already existing literature review can lead to repetitive study. Make sure that your literature review does not include grammatical errors and inaccurate referencing.
4. Weak Analysis -
   Don't just present the data and sources. Present strong arguments throughout the dissertation that will help build trust and reliability.
5. Ignoring Feedback -
   Not considering feedback from the supervisors can lead to a lack of improvement. Always look for feedbacks and opportunities to improve your dissertation.

Dissertation vs Thesis: Key Differences Explained

The key differences between a dissertation and a thesis is that a thesis is majorly focused on synthesizing existing knowledge whereas a dissertation focusses more on adding more value to a field of study.

In the table given below take a look at the other key parameters that make them different from one another to understand better -

Who Can Write Your Dissertation Efficiently?

Writing a dissertation can be a very tiring and time-consuming task. Besides, it requires a lot of focus and dedication to prepare an efficient dissertation to earn the final degree. Even a tiny mistake can lead to a dissertation failure. Therefore, it is always advised to prepare a dissertation with professional assistance.

The Student Helpline is one of the leading Dissertation writing services in India with over 5000+ satisfied students and a 4.9/5 Google ranking. Contact TSH today for the best Dissertation writing help.

FAQs About How to Write a Dissertation

Why is it called defending a dissertation?

While preparing a dissertation, the students answer the research questions and provide sources and evidence to support their study in the particular subject. Therefore, it is often called defending a dissertation.

Are students allowed to submit multiple drafts?

Yes, students are allowed to submit multiple drafts before submitting the final dissertation. Advisors give feedback and provide scope for improvement in the draft submitted to help students identify mistakes and make an error-free final dissertation.

Is 2 months enough to write a dissertation?

Completing a dissertation in 2 months can be a daunting task considering the deep research and accuracy of the study required. However, it is not impossible if the students are highly focused and good at time management.

Does a dissertation need a hypothesis?

Not every dissertation needs a hypothesis. However, dissertations in more technical fields of research must have a hypothesis to guide the audience about what they can expect from it.

How long can a dissertation last?

Depending on the field of study and the university enrolled, a dissertation can last from 10,000 to over 1,00,000 words and can be around 100 to 300 pages in a book-bound form.

How to cite a dissertation?

In APA format, mention the Author's last name, Initials. (year). Dissertation title (Publication No.) [Type of Dissertation/thesis, University Name]. Database Name.

Can one fail a dissertation?

Yes, if the research quality, writing skills, or defense does not meet the set requirements, students can fail their dissertation, resulting in losing a doctoral or PhD degree.

Is funding available for my research project?

Indeed, many government as well as private organizations do provide funding for the research project. This funding covers experiments, studies, investigations, etc. conducted in the particular field of research.

Can I turn in my draft for review before I defend it?

Yes, it is highly recommended to submit the draft of the research as it allows the committee to provide feedback, resulting in an error-free final dissertation submission.

What does an excellent collaboration between a student and an advisor look like?

Regular planned meetings, mutual respect, and a partnership where both parties are equally motivated for the research and contribute to the field.