Academic writing is a challenging endeavor, and writing a dissertation - for some, their first experience writing at this level - is no easy task.
As a bachelor's and master's student, you likely had to submit a dissertation to complete those sections of study, but writing your final paper for your doctorate represents a whole new level of research and writing.
How should a prospective doctoral student approach this task? Is there a specific sequence of steps or procedures to follow? What about the format: How should your work be presented?
What is a dissertation?
A dissertation is an essay that delves deep into research and provides much more detailed information. Unlike theses, which generally must be written at the end of each academic term, a dissertation can be written at any point in your academic career.
Scholars who have completed their bachelor's and master's theses may think that a dissertation is a piece of cake - they already have practice researching and writing about a particular topic, but a dissertation is much more challenging, complex, and demanding.
It also reveals much more about you than you might think.
A well-researched paper on a topic that represents a gap in knowledge shows that you are able to identify a need, conduct independent research, analyze the results, and present them in an organized, logical manner.
These qualities, which you tacitly demonstrate with your work, increase your employability and show your competence and perseverance in your field.
It may have taken you months of research and many sleepless nights to put all your discoveries into a coherent narrative, but the significance of your work-academically, professionally, and personally-is unsurpassed.
That's an open question (let us know what you think in the comments below), but one thing is for sure: there is no better challenge for you to complete your academic career.
The challenges of writing a dissertation
Unlike writing an essay for a lecture or a thesis, writing a dissertation requires a much higher level of planning, much more thorough research, and focused writing skills - right down to the words you choose to use.
You'll also need to adhere to your university's guidelines to ensure your work isn't rejected.
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is time, or rather, the idea of infinite time.
Writing a dissertation generally takes a lot of time. You have to research to find a topic, then conduct "experiments" and analyze the results; you have to write about the whole thing and include references, appendices and, of course, a title page.
Universities can allow up to a year for all this work, but they set firm deadlines for completion. If the deadline is months away, you may feel that you have a lot of time that could be better spent on other activities.
Consider how much work you need to do: Find a topic (read the available literature), come up with your research question, formulate a hypothesis, figure out how to arrive at results that support your argument, conduct the research, analyze your results, and finally summarize everything in a well-formatted, easy-to-read report, always keeping in mind the specified word count.
Is the nature of your topic such that you can rely solely on primary research, or do you need to rely only on secondary sources? Is your research qualitative or quantitative - will you use visual representations - tables, charts, and graphs - in your written work?
The type of data you collect, how you collect it, and your methods of analysis can affect how you structure your report and how much time you have to write it.
You may be familiar with the wording and expectations from previous papers, but for your dissertation, your university likely has specific guidelines that you must adhere to.
Deficiencies in the structuring, formatting, and layout of your document can lead to rejection of your work; this is true even for things as trivial as including irrelevant results in the wrong chapter of your dissertation.
It is best to read your university's guidelines thoroughly before you start working on your dissertation, and consult your advisor if you are unsure how to proceed.
Writing your dissertation proposal
Your dissertation proposal is intended to convince your advisor and/or committee members that your research is worthwhile.
The most effective way to make your case is to demonstrate that your proposed work is relevant to the academic community and makes a significant contribution to your field of study.
If your university requires such a proposal, be sure to outline why you want to investigate this particular topic, what your research objectives are, what hypotheses you are testing, and how you plan to find the answers.
The weightiest parts of your dissertation.
Data collection, research, and analysis are arguably the most important parts of the work required for a quality dissertation, so it is crucial that you find up-to-date reference material on your topic.
You will not be able to review all of the literature on your topic within the allotted time frame. So, once you have a good overview of previous research on your topic and any gaps or limitations you have found, you can consider this part of your assignment complete.
The preparation of your dissertation
When you think of the monumental task ahead of you, you may long for the old days when writing a paper with references was all that was required of you.
Unlike these relatively short works, a dissertation is a formal academic document that reflects the characteristics of many books - novels as well as technical manuals.
Proofreading and editing your dissertation.
Every writer knows that his or her work must undergo rigorous review before publication; your dissertation is no exception.
As soon as you write each chapter, you might be tempted to revise it immediately, but experts recommend giving your brain some space between writing your dissertation and checking it for content, accuracy, and format.
Set your finished work aside for a few days to let the tunnel vision subside. Then you can review it with fresh, critical eyes.
Your academic success and career depend on your ability to talk about any aspect of your chosen field that appeals to you.
Finally, your future depends on how well you present your original work.
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