FirstGen Guide: Introduction to Writing a Dissertation
Many who apply to university tend to look at their chosen course during the first year to determine whether the modules sufficiently interact with their interests and future ambitions. Later years should not be forgotten; you should know whether you will be expected to do a dissertation and keep this in mind throughout. It will always seem far away, but it is never too early to keep topics in consideration whilst exploring the areas you enjoy most in your education.
What is a dissertation?
A dissertation may sound strange if you lack individuals in your life who have experience with one. What does it truly encapsulate, and what will you be required to do? Using my university as a frame of reference, we are required to produce a research project with a word count of around 10,000. It is a piece of original thought on a topic we choose ourselves. The question we frame it around must be narrow enough to enable us to come to a clear conclusion by the end of the word limit. This is a very typical example, but you should have access to a course guide that will clarify if any of these points differ for you.
The dissertation is usually made up of a table of contents, an introduction and a conclusion, as well as three chapters to answer the core issues of the question; this structure helps to keep the piece coherent due to its length. For example, in a legal course, one chapter could focus on a critical analysis of the law involved in your topic, while another could look from a doctrinal perspective by comparing different jurisdictions and their law. Depending on the word count, and your topic, you may wish to include more chapters.
What is the process of writing a dissertation?
First, you must decide on a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed method. Each has its merits, and your chosen topic will work to guide you to the most appropriate choice. Humanities subjects may also find a theory and concept-based analysis the most appropriate style for their dissertation, lacking the need for a focus on one set of data or empirical research. The most important thing is to make sure your method fits your question.
The foundation of qualitative research is non-numerical information gathered through methods like participant observation, focus groups, and conversations. The choice to use a qualitative research design for your dissertation will be heavily influenced by the data you gather. For instance, depending on the focus of the study, a qualitative approach may be appropriate for dissertation research in the fields of psychology or education.
On the other side, quantitative dissertation research focuses on numbers. Candidates gather data that is simple to categorise and evaluate using quantitative research techniques. Depending on the nature of the research questions, quantitative research also fine-tunes particular research methods in addition to conventional statistical analysis. Researchers concentrate on using questionnaires and surveys, structured interviews and observations, data sets, and laboratory-based techniques to gather the actual data.
Models for mixed dissertation research are still relatively new but gaining popularity. A mixed-method strategy provides candidates with versatility and credibility for a number of reasons. It's a more all-encompassing approach that enables greater data collection and display optimisation. Most frequently, applicants will gather and organise their data using quantitative techniques first. After that, they will use qualitative analysis techniques to make sense of the data and present their findings. While using a mixed-method strategy allows you to gather and analyse a wider variety of data, you run the risk of expanding the scope of your dissertation research to the point where you are unable to draw clear, enduring conclusions. This is why it's crucial to establish your research objectives and plan early on in the dissertation writing process so that the methods you employ to collect data have been carefully considered.
The process will then require you to produce a dissertation proposal to help allocate you a suitable supervisor. At my university, we begin by writing and submitting our proposals. The writing process occurs after we finish our second year during the summer break. Due to the crossover between the first semester and the proposal deadline, it enabled us the opportunity to email any Professors to ask for guidance as to the sufficiency of our topic.
During this time, it is ideal to create a draft table of contents in order to familiarise yourself with your desired structure. This will allow you to become aware of the sort of questions you need to answer as well as the research you need to perform. Also, it helps you to understand the feasibility of answering what you need to answer within the specified word count.
Typically, it is between November and January that you will be required to have a draft chapter on hand for your supervisor. This is so feedback can be provided to enable much time to amend any issues way before the actual dissertation deadline. Make sure you are familiar with the deadline set within your course, be punctual, and make use of any opportunity for feedback before the deadline.
What is the role of a supervisor?
The supervisor is there to do just that, supervise you! They review drafts in relation to structure, persuasive arguments, and original thought rather than substantive content. They generally cannot provide you with a provisional mark, as they are not usually the ones to mark the end product. Their job is to provide feedback on ways to improve your writing. At my university, we meet our supervisor three times prior to the dissertation deadline. Depending on your university, that number may differ.
Your supervisor will likely be happy to answer any email queries you have, but they may be unable to perform any of their supervisorial role outside of the dissertation meetings. However, this depends on the university and the supervisor. Use this resource as much as your university guidelines will allow and take advantage of all opportunities to talk over your work and get a second opinion from a professional in this field.
Top Tips!
1. Choose a topic of particular interest to you- You will be expected to put in, depending on the word count at your university, around 250-400 hours into the research, planning and writing of the dissertation. Trust me, 300 hours will feel so much longer if you choose your topic based on what others have recommended rather than your actual interests.
2. Utilise your time with your supervisor- They are such a useful guide towards whether or not you are approaching the dissertation correctly in terms of question, structure and, depending on if you’re allocated a supervisor in the field you chose, substantive material. They are therefore an inherently vital tool when it comes to understanding what is required of you in line.
3. Perform research in the summer you write your proposal- Not only will this support you in deciding what question you wish to answer, but it supports you when the hectic life of a university student takes over and research becomes a difficult feat to achieve during term time. Although it is achievable to perform research during active semester time, doing just some within the summer will help alleviate any worries and issues relating to juggling your commitments.
4. Leave your introduction and conclusion to last- Writing your introduction first isn't always successful, and you might discover that at the start of the writing process, you don't know exactly what you are going to argue. This method also ensures that your conclusion fits your introduction. They shouldn’t be identical but should highlight the same main points.
5. Don’t feel too committed to your initial question and answer- This is a big one many supervisors and Professors will likely tell you. It is very likely that, during the performance of your research, you will find evidence that conflicts with your opinions and you may even find something that is more relevant but doesn’t fit neatly within the remit of your structure. It is okay to change! It is better that you change your opinion and redraft your answer than somehow force the research into the dissertation despite it having no place to be there.
6. Speak to people about the topic- I had no idea what topic I wanted to do until I had work experience at a law firm. It was there that I learned about data protection law. With the interest I had struck up, I decided to speak to my peers about the topic in order to gather thoughts. You never know where you will find inspiration!