Dynamical Dissertation Tips!

09/10/2018

Let's be honest, doing a dissertation is stressful. Even the idea of writing 15,000 words alone does make it sound daunting I have to admit and work. But it is definitely possible to balance everything and you should always tell yourself that there is hope. Don't think about the word count, all of the extra assignments and the tasks you have to do at work, just keep going at it. At the end, there is a reason for doing a Master's which is to gain an advanced critical thinking with what you are learning and knowing the context deeper, rather than just knowing the facts.

So recently, I submitted a 15,000 word dissertation for my Master's in Criminal Psychology. Truth is, I didn't even do a dissertation when I studied for my Bachelors. Instead I did a really difficult a law exam, so this is new to me, so that's why along the way I've picked up some essentials for writing a good dissertation which I'll share with you all.

1. Do not panic! -This is key! I mean I sometimes think too much and procrastinate, but don't let this get to you, otherwise you will lose complete focus!

2. Do your writing in steps. I highly don't recommend writing your chapters in a rush and sending it off to your supervisor. Not only will they be upset, but it will be a complete waste of time starting again. What you need to do is, set a target to when you want to send your chapters to your tutor as this will be a big motivation and give you a clear focus to write. You should aim to write at least 500-1000 words every day and once you reach let's say 3,000 words, read what you've written thoroughly and try to add in sub-headings and know what you are arguing for in your specific chapter. This is to get your writing in a logical structure.

3. Know what you're writing about! And I say this because sometimes in a chapter, you can go off a tangent where you end up writing something which is irrelevant to your argument. So make sure you solemnly focus on your topic.

4. After sending your chapter to your tutor, have some time to yourself! A guilty pleasure of a day where you can watch your favourite movie, binge on a series and relaxing treats are the one! And don't forget to spend some time with your friends and loved ones!

5. Don't write an introduction and conclusion first. Save that till the end. I whole heartly follow this because it's not logical to write an introduction when you haven't understood the whole topic of your dissertation and the chapters. Thus, it’s a lot easier to get everything down and at the end write what you will speak about at the beginning and conclude with a strong opinion and recommendations of improvement, so that the reader and your tutor will get a clear understanding.

6. Once everything is completed, then we are looking at binding the dissertation to make it look not just pretty but professional. Sort of like a book. Don't forget to check your university's guidelines.

You can get dissertation binding done in any printing service store, your own university's library service or how I did it is to get it done in Ryman Stationery store, which is everywhere in the UK and local. I found that it is cost-effective and it was ready within an hour or two which is convenient. But make sure to print the document first, so that you will save printing charges and also the process will be quicker.

I hope these tips will help, but if you have any more ideas then feel free to go on the "Get in touch" page to tweet me or send an inquiry.

Good luck!