Thursday 10 November 2016

Professional 20 Useful Tips for Dissertation Writing by Ph.D. Qualified Academic Experts in UK, USA & Australia



Writing the dissertation remains the most fundamental duty of all the postgraduate and doctorate level students. It is an independent learning project which can vary diversely in scope and nature. Most of the students find this dissertation writing as one of the most complicated tasks in their whole academic life. Considering the large spectrum of the academic world, truly it is the most challenging task.

A dissertation has profound importance in the academic life. It is known to help the students to identify their own areas of interest and explore it in-depth. As dissertation is carried out on an individual basis, it evaluates the students’ perseverance skills to manage a task from beginning till end. Ultimately, this experience of producing knowledge will help them in their professional life. 



But despite the students receiving significant support from their professors, still they find the task too intimidating. So here we provide 20 useful tips for these students who are embarking on the task to write their dissertation on their own. All these tips are provided by Ph.D. qualified academic experts with profound experience in dissertation writing experience.

1.   Write sooner
The whole dissertation writing task seems to be a never-ending task due to its gigantic size and importance. It is a daunting work that is reviewed meticulously by the examining committee. So, it is necessary to research comprehensively to develop a strong dissertation. But many times, the students provide so much time into research and studying that they get very less time to write. Though the empty paper or blank screen often makes them feel miserable but once they start writing everything seems to get going. It is often stated that once the students starts writing their ideas, direction and productivity shapes up. They might not have the strongest argument when they begin but gradually they themselves can determine how to deal with the issues once they start writing.

2.   Write continually
Writing continuously does not signify that the students should not take any break from writing but it states that they should not bring the task to a grinding halt. The whole project needs to move continuously which will keep the mind working. Sometimes when the students take a complete break from their writing task and involve them in other jobs, their mind gets completely deviated. It is very hard to concentrate on the work again. 

3.   Write to rewrite
Most of the students create the first draft of the dissertation and submit the same draft. But it is not possible to create an impeccable document in the first attempt. The students should not make their first draft the final one rather they should make up their minds to rewrite the whole document at least twice. When they are rewriting, the students become more engaged. This time they can alter the poorly framed sentences, make their arguments stronger and replace poor word choices. Rewriting will always make the whole dissertation much effective.

4.   Determine your thesis and methodology accurately
The thesis and methodology should be decided before the students start working with their dissertation. But there are many instances that the writers feel the need to change their thesis and methodology after they proceed with their work. In both the scenarios, the dissertation help experts comment that the students need to form a strong thesis and device an appropriate methodology to authenticate it. It is possible only when the students spend adequate time formulating them. 

5.   Move to next section if you get stuck
Sometimes the students get stuck in some section of the dissertation. It is quite normal. But most of the students get nervous when they cannot proceed with their work. In these circumstances, they should try to move on to the next section which will help them to mitigate the anxieties as well as avoid the writer’s block. When they will come back to the same section after completing the remaining portion of the dissertation, they can approach with a fresh perspective. 

6.   Control your urges
Every time the students get stuck in some section, they tend to lose their attention and interest in their work. Sometimes they find the whole task quite tedious and the students try to stop their work completely. As the dissertation makes them busy for at least one week, the students do not get ample time for their relaxation. In these situations, they need to control all their urges. In some moments, the students get desperate to take breaks. They should try to control their urges and keep the momentum going. This persistence will help to complete the difficult portions of the dissertation.

7.   Strive for excellence
A dissertation is the first independent task of the students. All the students aspire to impress the examiners’ committee with their efforts and impeccable content. The examiners always value the quality of the write-up over quantity. Along with the strongest arguments, they also provide significant importance to the presentation and analytical skills of the student. Hence, as a postgraduate student, they should always strive for excellence which will also help them in their professional life.

8.   Take important notes
 All the students need to consult a variety of resources to prepare their dissertation. They should always take adequate notes from the sources which they use. During dissertation writing, there are two main advantages of taking notes. It helps to save time as they no longer need to search the same again when they need to revisit the sources and it also helps them to prepare their bibliographic information to avoid unnecessary plagiarism. Every university, especially in the western world, strictly deals with every case of plagiarism. So, taking notes is very important.

9.   Read during the breaks
Writing continuously often deteriorates the quality of the content. It is important to keep short breaks from writing and devote the time in reading related articles and information about the topic. This reading not only helps them to get new ideas and arguments but it also rejuvenates them and acts as a stimulus to start the task again. So, all the students who are preparing their dissertation must take a break to read at least after every two hours.

10.              Prepare a routine
With the dissertation, the students also need to accomplish different other tasks. Though the dissertation deserves the primary importance from the students, still they should not ignore other subjects as well. Therefore, it is important to maintain a study routine. Some student also finds it monotonous to work with the same dissertation day after day. Experts note that four to five hours time every day at dissertation is enough. The students can spend the rest of the time completing their other obligations. 

11.             Maintain a healthy lifestyle
When the mind and body functions in complete harmony, a person becomes the most productive. Most of the times, the students do not realize the importance of a healthy lifestyle especially when they are preparing their dissertation. They tend to ignore their regular meals and at least 8 hours of sleep every day. It is noted that people who don’t exercise regularly, do not eat healthily or don’t get adequate sleep and exhibit low energy and motivation. The students need to maintain long periods of sustained concentration which is not possible when they have a healthy lifestyle.

12.             Avoid multi-tasking
Sometimes the students set aside chunks of time for research and planning while they are writing the dissertation. But they tend to spend this time doing something else. It is important to take a disciplined approach at least in the days when a student is indulged in dissertation writing. They should avoid doing multiple tasks at the same time. The human brain can concentrate on only one issue at a time. Switching tasks or constantly toggling between the events can reduce the effectiveness of brain. Various researches also have shown that multi-tasking is a cognitive impossibility. Hence, the students should try to remain undistracted at least for two hours on the same thing. 

13.             Prepare an intriguing introduction
The introduction is the most important part of every write-up. The dissertation is no exception. Every student should try to capture the interest of the reader with a gripping introduction. The examiners tend to develop an idea of the whole paper through the introduction itself. So, the students must put their entire endeavor to impress the examiner with a relevant and strong introduction. However, it is a bad strategy to begin dissertation writing with the introduction. It should only be attempted after the student has developed sufficient knowledge about the topic.

14.             Use a writing pad
Many students complain that they cannot compose all their thoughts when they are writing in their laptops. It is a common problem faced by the students. In these situations, they can keep a writing pad with themselves. Pushing back the keyboard and writing the arguments in the paper before putting them in the word document will help to shape the sentences in a better way. It also helps to stimulate the mind. Sometimes they can write a few bullet points or draw a diagram, sketch the outline on the paper which in turn will help them to prepare their dissertation.

15.             Go for a short walk
Many scientists confirm that walking for a short while especially within the lap of nature augments creativity. Taking a break and going for a short walk can always help the students who are burdened with the task of writing the dissertation. Going for a walk resembles a change in the ambience which always mitigates the mind and reduces the anxiety associated with writing a dissertation. It will act as a stimulus for those who are engaged in this long research task. It is always advised to walk for at least 15 minutes during the afternoon.

16.             Get a capture journal
The human mind is very unpredictable. No one knows when an idea will pop up in the mind. So, it is necessary to carry a small notebook in which the students can note down the ideas as it is quite possible that if they fail to keep a note of it, they can forget to incorporate the same argument in the dissertation. These days, it has become very easy for the students as they can store their ideas in the smartphone by using the voice memo or the notepad feature. 

17.             Take opinion from others
Some students do not want to share their ideas with other student which is not a wise step. Rather they should discuss their dissertation topic with their fiends, tutors and professors who can help them writing their research paper. Talking to others will refine the thinking of the students. It also helps to know about different sources of information that may be the student was not aware of. Moreover, the tutors who have profound knowledge in this field can help to refine the arguments and make them stronger.

18.             Learn how to read
Writing a dissertation involves boundless reading and researching. The students consult books, articles, journals, various educational blogs and websites. But reading everything (though increases knowledge) is not effective. In order to save time and to take a more effective approach that would help the students to prepare their dissertation, it is necessary to identify the best sources of information. Before reading the book, the students must have a look at its index. Does it contain the necessary chapter or information?  If not, they should refer to other books. The students need to finish the dissertation on time and hence they should learn how to read.

19.             Set deadlines
The dissertation needs to be finished and submitted within the deadline. But most of the students are not confident in maintaining the time-frame given by the examiner committee. So, to complete the dissertation, it is important to break the whole task into segments each of them assigned with an own deadline. When the whole work is broken into definite fragments, it is easier to manage and to keep up the momentum. But if the students feel completely helpless with their dissertation, they can approach the dissertation services that are available.

20.             Take productive breaks
Everyone needs a break from their usual tasks. Some use them for listening to music while some are interested in playing games. Rather than turning towards aimless entertainment, it is important to take productive breaks. Regular breaks are important as the students who work continuously exhibit diminished productivity. But rather than watching a video on the internet, they can spend the time reading a book from the shelf. May be reorganizing the desk or a small chat with the parents can also help them. Productive breaks always develop confidence whereas unproductive breaks can cause complete detachment from the dissertation. 

These are the 20 tips that will help the students while they are writing their dissertation. But any student who finds this dissertation task too hard can take professional assistance services. Ph.D. qualified writers can prepare an impeccable dissertation for you within the deadline.