Dissertation Writing

A dissertation is an extended piece of writing on a particular topic. It can be on any given subject, for example business, politics, biology or education. The dissertation is set by the department or chosen by the student him or herself. When researching and writing your dissertation you will need to look into some theory that has already been written about the particular topic. The dissertation is usually very long and should not be written in a hurry. You will need to take your time and get your information from the best sources available.

            Dissertations answer a particular research question and can either report on an empirical study or on a literature-based study; this means that it discusses the existing literature on a particular topic. There are two types of dissertation: one is theoretical and the other is empirical. Theoretical dissertations consider both prior work on the research area and the state of theory to assess how far it has advanced. Empirical dissertations investigate a topic, for example by collecting data about it or analyzing existing data.

         The dissertation can also be a literature review or it can discuss certain issues and problems in more detail.

            Theoretical dissertations are of interest to academics but will probably have little appeal for general readers. A purely theoretical dissertation, which presents new theory on its subject, is of interest only to other academics working within that particular discipline.

            A literature review, which summarizes the existing literature and shows how it relates to a particular problem or set of problems, may also be unappealing to academics who do not share an interest in the subject.

            Dissertations that discuss issues and problems are more likely to appeal because they often focus on real-world events such as political or social issues. They are likely to have more general appeal because they are less theoretical and deal with practical questions that people may be interested in.

            The real skill is in the presentation of your ideas and this will come from practice, which you can get by re-writing some existing pieces of work. When writing a dissertation it is important to make sure that you follow the style guide for your institution or department. You can find out more about this by looking at examples of dissertations written by other students in your department, which are often available on library shelves near to where they are studying; you should also speak with members of staff who could offer guidance.

            Dissertation writing can be a very daunting task: it is long and complex, and you need to apply your knowledge and skills within the discipline in which you are studying. You also need to consider how other people may react to what you have written so that they will understand your message clearly.

            If this sounds like hard work, that’s because it is. However, there are a number of steps you can take to make the task much less daunting and easier to manage.

            First of all, start early! If you have been given a deadline for your dissertation this does not mean start this as soon as possible – in fact, this is one area where procrastination is probably the wisest course of action. If you start early, and give yourself plenty of time to write your dissertation, not only will you reduce stress levels right at the outset (a major bonus) but also increase your chances of producing a good piece of work; writing in long frantic bursts simply does not work! This brings us on to another very important point – do not write your dissertation in one long rush! It is much better if you write it over a period of time, with plenty of breaks, so that you can return to it refreshed. No-one has ever written an excellent dissertation in one go – this just does not happen. If you try and do this, you will end up with a lot of poor quality work and you will probably not finish either. So, if it is possible, spread your dissertation writing over several months.

This should give you a bit more info on a dissertation! If you need help completing your dissertation GPAsmashers.com should be your first destination! Our experts can complete your dissertation in record time.