Planning Your Dissertation Writing and Its Basic Components

Your dissertation is probably the most crucial and challenging piece of writing in your university life. Even though it’s a highly demanding task, it’s not so frightening if you plan it properly. Appropriate preparation for your project writing can help you manage your time and save you a lot of energy.

How to Plan Your Dissertation Writing Process

1. Think of the area of your interest.

What was the most interesting subject during your course? Select the topic you would like to investigate and then make sure that there is enough literature to support your personal research.

2. Choose the methodology.

There are a lot of ways to carry out research. For example, you can extend a recently introduced study or criticize it; you can analyze some phenomena with the help of an existing approach or put your own theory into practice. Do what is interesting for you!

3. Come up with a title and outline a plan.

Create a title that presents the main idea of your paper. Then create the structure of your research that should in general consist of an introduction, a main body (the research itself) and a conclusion. Do not afraid to change it during your research.

4. Find the right sources.

Search for materials that will serve as the basis of your research. The literature review is an important part of your work so it’s better to type up the bibliography from an early stage.

5. Consult with your supervisor.

Your supervisor is your best friend for the period of the writing. He or she will give you valuable advice, suggest literature and provide inspiration for writing your paper.

What Are the Basic Components of a Dissertation?

Once you have come up with the topic and plan for your paper, it’s high time to start conducting your research. There is a standard structure and you should follow it. The components can vary but the basic parts include:

• Title page that presents the topic
• Abstract that briefly summarizes your research
• Contents page with the structure of the research
• Introduction that presents the topic and explains your choice
• Literature review that analyzes what we know and points out problems
• Methodology that describes the methods you used to conduct the research
• Results that show your findings
• Discussion in which you place your research within the scientific knowledge
• Conclusions that sum up the main points of your research
• References in which you list the sources you used
• Appendices with additional data such as figures, tables, surveys and the like.

Writing Guide