how to start thinking about your dissertation

• How to Start a Dissertation: a Guide for Students to Write a Good Work

Main Rules and Basic Principles to Start a Good Dissertation

Creating a dissertation is a quite complex process that requires a lot of time to find good literature sources, read tons of information about the chosen topic, get fresh ideas about your future research, think about questions you are going to review in your study. All students who graduate the university, are required to create this important and huge document that can be published after creating.

Our article will provide you with useful tips. You will know how to start your dissertation properly and how to make a clear plan for your future writing. We'll teach you how to search good sources. We will give you some good techniques for making this part interesting, and show you tips on starting a paper properly.

In the introduction of your dissertation, you have to show to readers the problem of your research and state question of your study. You need to have solid writing experience. It's important to start your document from an interesting point to get audience interest during reading your introduction. The dissertation is a very serious document that requires a lot of time, research, analysis, abilities to structure, evaluate and understand information, and good writing ability. In our guide, we will give you useful tips. You'll learn how to start dissertation and make a good and interesting document.

The successful document will:

• have a clear and bright title ;
• be planned and researched properly;
• prove a certain student has high level of knowledge;
• include such elements as critical evaluation, discussion, and analysis;
• contain properly cited sources;
• be outlined and structured properly according to academic rules;
• shows the teacher that student is able to use knowledge to create well-structured document.

10 Things you Should Keep in Mind Before Starting your Dissertation

If you are a student who is heading into the final year in fall, then you are thinking hard about the big project to fulfill. It is an undergraduate dissertation. Whether your proposal is submitted by the committee already or no, you understand that you have a hard issue to fulfill and spend many days and even weeks.

We have completed a list of important things you should follow:

• Start right after your proposal is accepted. It means you have to start even before the summer. There are always people that like to wait until the last minute, but most of them didn't get good grades.
• Meet your supervisor, try to respect their comments, feedback, and critique; remember these people are on your side to support you!
• If you feel that your current supervisor is not right, you can request to change. It is not a problem if you have legitimate reasons.
• Be prepared to fulfill a big job; you may be scared at some point, or you may feel you can do nothing - it is normal! All students have such messed feelings when developing their projects, and there are no doubts that you need to solve a lot of problems in the very beginning of your project. Getting degree is worth of trying!
• Have some rest: it's important to make your paper, but you need good rest to refresh your mind, so set your gaps to focus on pleasant things and enjoy your life!
• Don't forget about using technology. Creating your paper is not so difficult when you can find all the needed data online without going to the library and reading tons of books. You can type your document easily instead of rewriting and editing paper draft for million times. Don't forget to create a backup copy of the file!
• You'll think and talk about your assignment constantly. While you are going out with a group of friends, you'll discuss such things as finding great writing methodology, planning a preliminary draft for all chapters, choosing material for references and bibliography, and setting specific terms to finish everything within a deadline.
• Your family members won't be so interested in your project. They might discuss something with you, but in general, they quickly choose other topics to talk, but take it as a benefit to distract from your writing and clear your mind!
• When you put the final word, it's time to print out all pages. It's not a secret that it will cost you a lot. If you want good advice how to save money, you must avoid checking your document at the last moment. Set some time beforehand to check each and every page and section to correct mistakes. It is easier than proofreading a whole document within a day!
• When you hand your document in, you will understand that you have finished a huge task, now it's time to sleep, rest, and get a thought about next stage of your life related to your future career.

10 Tips You Need to Follow when Starting Your Dissertation

We know that it may seem hard to start when you have no idea how to do it, but here is a plan you should try to follow. You need to find a right approach. We suggest dividing all work into easy parts you can complete step by step. These are simple stages that will be helpful in making successful content.

• Define the area of your researching: brainstorm your ideas, write down each and every thought that comes into your head. It's an important step. On early stage of development your work, you need to understand what topic you have chosen and what problem you will highlight.
• Read and learn studies (similar dissertations) that already exist on the particular subject.
• Identify the key points of your future paper.
• Keep in mind that your work must answer a question you put in the beginning.
• Don't forget to make notes: do reference list and include there all books and website you use for writing.
• Define the method of research you will use in your future paper.
• Think what relevant arguments can support your thesis statement.
• Conduct the research and develop your schedule for creating parts of your future paper; dividing a big assignment into several smaller tasks will help you to make the process of writing more manageable and easier.
• It will be helpful for you to form a clear outline of each and every chapter before you start.
• Remember that it doesn't mean you must think about the task 24/7! Learn how to turn off your mind and just to have good rest; it is useful to do because you will start working with new energy after a break. Your nervous system will be thankful!

How to Create an Introduction to a Dissertation?

You should make this part after the entire document is finished, and without any doubt, you can make a rough copy of this part. During the writing process of paper, you may need to update and correct the introduction according to your work goals.

Remember the goals of the chapter! The introduction must explain the main aim of your work and prove to the audience why your research is so important. You should include thesis statement of your paper here. It's important to provide readers with a brief background where you need to put a short review of the literature to show readers what information is already known about the topic.

The first paragraph of your paper is a “door” for people into thesis of your project. It must be clear and well-understandable even for a person that is not an expert in the particular field. We suggest reading successful masters dissertation introduction example to create your paragraph. The good idea is to read the finished introduction to your friend or relative and see if everything is understandable for them.

Here are some useful tips for making an introduction.

• it's good to bring an opening sentence that will grab the attention of your audience and make them read the whole work with interest;
• don't make this part large, but outline your work direction and argument;
• never put in introduction something that you're not going to deliver later in your work;
• make clear sentences and use an appropriate language and tone of your writing. It is quite important for the custom introduction of a dissertation.

Tips to Make a Proper Dissertation Introduction Structure

This part of your work explains to readers clearly what you're going to investigate and research.

Let's figure out the main goal of this part:

• Introducing to readers the subject of your document and describing a goal of your research.
• Grabbing audience's attention to involve people read your work.
• Convincing readers of the practical and scientific relevance of your paper.

So, how long should be an introduction - we recommend writing for about 5 - 7% of the entire paper length. We suggest searching for a good sample dissertation introduction chapter to understand what you must include in this paragraph.

Let's define how a dissertation introduction outline should look like:

• An indication of your problem. Explain why you are making certain research and why it's so important. Try to choose an interesting topic; this will encourage people to read a whole work.
• Describe a subject of your dissertation — define it directly and clear;
• Explain to readers practical use of your paper;
• Give a brief explanation of some important scientific works connected to your dissertation subject;
• Describe the main problem you are going to highlight in your work;
• Provide readers with a short list of your research methods.

For more effective writing, you can use this simple checklist for the introduction.

• You have limited your work's subject;
• You've proved the scientific importance of your paper;
• You've explained practical importance of work to readers;
• You've mentioned some articles connected to your paper's subject;
• The purpose and the problem statement are completed;
• You wrote a short description of the research design;
• You've written a brief overview of the document;
• Your dissertation introduction length is 5 - 7% of the entire document length.

Creating a Bright Dissertation: Qualified Help Online

Not all people have excellent writing abilities to creative writing. Are you still not sure how to make a bright introduction? If you don't have enough time to make this huge and significant work, then a good decision is to order your paper from a reliable and professional writing service.

Here are 5 reasons why you should choose writing company:

• You don't have enough time for writing this paper;
• You feel your writing skills are weak to make such important work;
• You must create it urgently within a short term;
• You are lazy to make this paper (yes, sometimes it happens!);
• You want your work to be perfect but you unsure if you will be able to create such work on your own.

Are you required to make bright and successful dissertation? A reliable writing service can do this job for you, so your main task here is to find a trustworthy company to assist. You won't need to spend sleepless nights struggling with your writing because service will create a perfect dissertation for you!

We hope our detailed guide helped you in creating this very important paper. We know sometimes not everything in your life goes smooth, but many students pass through this hard process, and you will do it too! Are you feel struggling with making your paper? Keep in mind it will be finished anyway, so work hard but don't forget about good rest. Believe in yourself and create successful dissertation with our help!

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How to Start Your Dissertation? Getting it Right First Time

Published by Carmen Troy at September 1st, 2021 , Revised On October 10, 2023

If you are unsure about how to start your dissertation and getting it right the first time then you have come to the right place.

All students must possess organisational and time management skills to write their dissertation projects to a high academic standard. Due to the heavy academic workload and personal obligations, many students get behind their work schedules. This results in poor quality of work and high-stress levels. It is vitally important to develop a detailed work plan to properly manage your time and complete each  part of your dissertation  by the deadline you set.

Dissertation Topic Planning

Before doing anything else, you should  choose a dissertation topic  that interests you. Your dissertation project will give you the opportunity to explore and research your chosen topic in depth. Generally, students make use of previous research studies and literature to find a topic that is interesting and manageable. When working on your  dissertation paper , it is imperative that you let your imagination and ideas flow freely. There is no denying the fact that a dissertation is hard work, but at the same time, it gives you the opportunity to achieve a unique academic milestone that could make a substantial difference to your professional career as well.

Choosing an intriguing yet rewarding topic is easier said than done. There are many important factors that need to be considered when deciding on the topic you wish to write about. You may search for an interesting and current research topic in our dissertation topic ideas library . If you are lucky enough, an  idea for a dissertation may pop into your mind without having to do a lot of research. However, generally, students have to spend a considerable amount of time and follow a systematic approach in their search for a suitable dissertation topic  or question.

Get Free Dissertation Writing Topic & Outline Service

It could be that you have too many ideas or too few, and therefore it is suggested to invest time and effort in background reading and thinking before reaching a decision about the topic.

Some Tips and Advice to Help You Start Your Dissertation

• If you have been assigned a  dissertation supervisor , talk to them at an early stage about the topic ideas floating in your mind. If possible, set up a meeting with them to discuss your ideas. In some academic institutions,  undergraduate students are actively discouraged from approaching members of the faculty. So check the procedures of your university before making such a move.
• Search  online libraries and   academic scholarly databases  to find useful articles and journals. You may need to do some desk based research to become familiar with the authentic search sources available on the internet.
• Draw upon your experience as a student, a patient, a member of a team, an employee, and so on.
• Read newspapers and magazines to find current issues in your area of study and develop your research topic from your reading and knowledge.

Contact a reliable online dissertation topic planning help service to get research topic ideas, dissertation plan, and perhaps help with your entire dissertation project .

Choosing the Best Dissertation Topic

Inspiration may come from different places when you are searching for a suitable topic of research. However, it is essential to  select a research problem that can be addressed in a timely and appropriate academic manner. Below are some questions that you should ask yourself before deciding on your  dissertation project :

• Keeping the time and resources available in consideration, would I be able to research the topic I have selected?
• Have I found existing literature within which I could locate my work?
• Would I be able to perform comparative and critical analysis with my chosen topic?
• Will my research topic keep me interested over the period of six to eight months?
• What  type of research I will have to base my dissertation on –  primary or secondary  – qualitative or quantitative?

Also Read:  Dissertation Help From UK’s Best Dissertation Writing Service

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Is Your Dissertation Topic too Broad?

You should avoid too broad a topic particularly if you have to work with time and resource constraints. Being overambitious will land you only in trouble. Thus, it is recommended that you address a small yet manageable question rather than completely failing to find the answer to a complex and confusing research question. The following approach of thinking can help you to narrow the focus of research.

• What type of data collection methods I will be able to deal with keeping the various project constraints in mind?
• Is there a particular data collection method that would help me to stay focused?
• How does the topic relate to my academic and professional ambitions?
• Is there enough literature  available on the topic?

If you are unable to start your dissertation due to your professional or work related commitments then you could get help from our expert dissertation writers. No matter how urgent or complex your requirements might be, we have subject specialists for every field of study.

Record Useful Information and Ideas

• You may find it helpful to record your ideas and useful/relevant information in a research notebook. Objectives of making a research notebook could vary from recording your initial ideas and observations to important points from literature and problems you faced during the research process .
• Make sure that you are keeping an accurate record of the referencing details of all reading material that you read as part of your preliminary desk based research.
• Become familiar with the referencing style that you are required to use for your  dissertation paper . This requirement is usually specified in the formatting guidelines and assessment criteria of your dissertation module.
• If possible, list all the reference resources in alphabetical order as a word file.
• You can also manage your references using any authentic software.

Also Read:  How PHD Thesis is Different to Graduate Level Dissertation

Read, Read and Read!!!

In order to score a high academic grade in your dissertation module, you will be required to do lots of reading. Explore the literature available on your chosen topic. Useful reading material generally includes but is not limited to the most  commonly employed research methods and methodologies , articles and journals published in online academic databases, research studies on a similar topic, and relevant textbooks and case studies.

As a rule of thumb, use at least 4 to 5 reference resources for every 1000 words you write for your dissertation paper. This means that a 10,000 long  dissertation project  will incorporate a minimum of 40 to 50 references.

Being Organised Helps

The process of research and  writing for a dissertation paper  is an evolving one. It will be useful to you if you can continuously take notes of ideas, useful online resources and observations during the preliminary research and data gathering process. Humanly, it may not be possible to remember all sources of information you came across.  Being organized and systematic in your planning and actions  can go a long towards turning your dissertation writing experience into a pleasant one.

Recording important information such as academic sources you found relevant/useful, references to follow up at a later stage, notes on journals and articles you read, and methods of collecting data can be helpful for you in accomplishing your personal development goals.

When is the Right Time to Start Your Dissertation or Thesis?

If you are undergraduate students  enrolled on a three or four-year degree, then you will be assigned the dissertation project during your second/third year. Graduate students, on the other hand, should check their course guidelines to know exactly when they will be required to submit their  dissertation project . As an educated guess, you should give yourself at least 6 full months to produce a dissertation paper to a high-quality standard.

Time Management and Planning Skills

Students should list down all critical stages of their dissertation project which is usually completed over a long period of time. The key is to break down your dissertation into small and manageable chunks and develop a plan to conclude a deadline for each section. This strategy will go a long way towards helping you to get your project done in a timely manner. It is pivotal that you develop a detailed plan of action or dissertation outline at an early stage and get your supervisor’s approval for it. If your project incorporates primary research, then you will need to develop an even more detailed schedule of activities, so you can identify the factors that could hinder your progress.

You will need to allocate a sufficient amount of time for the following activities:

• Finding the best dissertation topic
• Desk based research at an initial stage to find relevant academic sources
• Devising the aim and key objectives of your research
• Writing the introduction chapter
• Reviewing the literature available on your topic
• Develop  methodology framework and selecting the most appropriate methods
• Collection of primary data using questionnaires, surveys, and interviews
• Transcribing data
• Analysis of data using qualitative/quantitative analysis
• Writing the  discussion and  conclusion  sections
• In-text referencing and listing all reference resources used for your study
• Developing the  appendices section
• Proofreading and editing your work

If you now know how to start your dissertation then you might be interested in; How to Write First Class Dissertation Proposal.

Useful Reading Material

• Moore, N. (2000). How to do research. The complete guide to designing and managing research projects . 3rd ed., London, Facet Publishing, chapters 1&2 – objectives and planning
• Rowntree, D. (1998). Learn how to study . 4th ed., London, Warner place, chapter 9 – writing notes
• Seale, C. (2006). Researching society and culture . London, Sage, chapter 7 – planning
• Thomas, G. (2009). How to do Your Research Project . Sage, Los Angeles.
• Walliman, N. (2011). Your Research Project . Sage Publications, London.
• Winkler, A. & McCuin-Metherill, J. (2011). Writing the Research Paper . Thomson Wadsworth, Boston.

If you are still unsure about how to start your dissertation and choose a research topic that would make the process easier for you then you might want to take a look at our dissertation topic and outline service which is designed to help you jump start your dissertation project. Or learn more about our dissertation services if you wish to obtain help with the whole dissertation paper or individual chapters.

Frequenlty Asked Questions

How to start writing a dissertation.

To start writing a dissertation, begin with a clear research question, outline your chapters, gather relevant sources, and establish a writing schedule for consistent progress. Don’t forget to seek guidance from your advisor throughout the process.

You May Also Like

Want to smooth your research process? Then, learn how to write a thesis or dissertation questionnaire to achieve your research objectives.

Not sure how to write dissertation title page? All dissertations must have a dissertation title page where necessary information should be clearly presented

Here are the steps to make a theoretical framework for dissertation. You can define, discuss and evaluate theories relevant to the research problem.

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How to Choose a Dissertation Topic – 9 Steps

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Choosing a dissertation topic is really difficult.

When I had to choose dissertation topic I agonized for weeks.

And I’ve supervised over 50 students’ dissertations across undergraduate, masters and PhD levels. All of my students agonized over their topics, too.

So you’re not alone in your struggle.

The below tips for choosing a dissertation topic are the ones I wish I was given when I was in the process of looking for a suitable topic.

If only I’d known these points, I would have saved a lot of time and stress for myself. So if these tips only help one person out, I’ll be happy.

These tips really work for just about anybody. They’re particularly useful for undergraduate and Masters level students who are writing dissertations. But, I’m sure most doctoral students will also find these points relevant, too. Especially tips 1 – 3.

Here are my tips on how to choose a dissertation topic – I hope they come in handy, and good luck on your research journey!

Read Also: 25 Sociology Dissertation Ideas

1. It Doesn’t have to be Unique (Yet).

This is the one piece of advice I wish I had gotten when I was choosing my dissertation topic.

Many students feel like they need to find a unique topic that will blow their markers away.

I was this student.

I thought that I had to choose a topic and idea that was going to make a unique contribution to knowledge. I thought I had to discover something, or, at the very least, choose a topic that no one has ever done before.

So here’s what I wish someone had told me:

It doesn’t matter if other people have done the same topic as you.

Don’t even let it phase you for a moment if someone else has chosen your topic. Just choose whatever topic you want.

Well, because your unique contribution doesn’t come at the start. It comes at the end!

You’ll find a way to make a unique contribution after you have completed your literature review . There is always time and space to find a new angle or different way of doing the topic than other people.

So, don’t choose your topic because it’s unique or different.

Then … how should you choose your topic? Points 2 and 3 give you some tips…

2. Make it Relevant to your Career Goals.

The first thing I recommend to all my students is to consider how their topic can help progress their careers.

When giving guidance to my students, I ask them these three questions:

• a) What sort of specialization do you want in your career? If you’re studying teaching, your questions might be: do you want to be a specialized literacy teacher? do you want to be an expert on behavior management? Do you want to be specialized in play-based learning ?
• b) How do you want to differentiate yourself from your competition? Your dissertation topic is going to be the topic you ‘sell’ as your area of expertise in future job interviews. If you want to get a great job, choose a topic that really stands out in the marketplace. Have a think right now for yourself: what areas of your industry are booming? For example, would it be better to specialize in coal or solar panels? Which one would be best to talk about in a job interview in the 21 st Century?
• c) Do you want to be a research pro? Most of my students don’t want to be researchers as a career. They do their dissertations to prove mastery of their topic – that’s all. The research is a means to an end. But, if you think you want to go on to do the next level degree (a PhD one day?) then you’ll want to focus on having a high quality methodology, not just an interesting topic.

So, have a think now: is there a topic that will help you get to where you plan on going? What expert knowledge do you want to be able to ‘sell’ in a future interview?

3. Ensure it’s Interesting to You.

You’re going to be wedded to your chosen for a long time. And by the end of this journey you’re going to hate it.

To make your life easier, choose a topic you’re interested in.

Here’s two ways of approaching this:

Choose a Topic you Think About a Lot.

Choose a dissertation topic that you find yourself talking about, complaining about or raving about to your parents. Choose something that makes you angry, inspired or intrigued.

For the next week or so, I recommend taking notes whenever you find yourself thinking idly about something. Is that something you’ve thought about a lot?

Or, Choose a Topic by Looking over Past Assessment Tasks.

Another way of approaching the search for an interesting topic is to look over past assignments.

What assessment task have you done in the past few years that gripped you? Which one did you enjoy the most when you were studying it?

Zoom in on that topic and see if you can turn it into a dissertation.

Bonus tip: If you found a topic that was based on a previous assessment task, see if you can convince the person who taught that subject to be your dissertation supervisor.

4. Keep it Simple.

Too often, students want to choose a topic that is complex and complicated. They come up with a long, detailed research question (usually with the help of their professor) that, really, is hard to understand!

The best strategy is to come up with a topic that is really, really straightforward. At least, the topic should start as simple and straightforward.

Your topic is going to grow and expand into a monster. It’ll be hard to tame and control. You’ll be following random tangents down rabbit holes that end up being dead-ends. You’ll research aspects of the topic and realize it was a completely pointless exercise.

The way to minimize the crazy growth of your research project is to simplify it right from the start. Make it a really simple idea.

For example, I had a student who wanted to research:

“How big is the gap in mathematics outcomes between children from middle-class and working-class backgrounds by age 16?”

I would think that this topic may be achievable by a top academic with a sizeable research grant, but my student was completing a 10,000 word dissertation for graduating her Bachelor of Arts with Honours.

After several agonizing research meetings, we peeled it back over and again until we ended up with something much simpler and more specific:

“What are teachers’ opinions of the impact of poverty on learning?”

Why is this simpler and more specific?

Well, with the second study, my student has a clear focus group (teachers) and an achievable methodology (interviews). This will be far simpler than somehow conducting tests on 16-year old children, getting a significant amount of children to participate in the study, and then dissecting their mathematics test results by income level.

Instead, we aimed small and simple to ensure the task itself was achievable.

We’re not here to win a Nobel prize. You can do that with your multi-million-dollar post-doctoral research grant. Get your degree first.

5. Ensure it’s Achievable.

This piece of advice builds on the previous advice, to “keep it simple”.

Keeping it simple means making sure you have a clear, small-scale focus.

Esuring the project is achievable means choosing a methodology that won’t break you.

Small Scale Qualitative Studies are Achievable for Anyone

I always suggest to my Undergraduate and Masters level students to aim for a small scale study with no more than 20 research participants.

Now, I know there will be many of you out there who want to do quantitative research studies. And in reality, you can do a quantitative study with a small group of students. These usually involve quantitative action research case studies.

If you’re set on a quantitative study, that’s fine. But find a supervisor with the right experience.

Personally, I usually recommend a qualitative focus group analysis for anyone doing their first dissertation.

The biggest mistake you can make is biting off more than you can chew.

Small scale qualitative studies are the easiest option . They can be achieved within your time frame. And you can certainly still get a very high grade.

So, let’s take the example of the previous research question, which we changed from:

For the first study, you will have to develop skills in quantitative data analysis , find a sizeable cohort of students, get permission from their parents, get special permission to study children you’re your university ethics committee, develop a quality testing mechanism, pilot the test, conduct the test, analyze the data, then interpret it.

For the second study, you will not have to develop complex mathematical skills, bother with getting permission to research children, or deal with the rigor of quantitative analysis.

In other words, you will be able to bypass many hurdles you may face.

That’s the benefit of a small-scale qualitative study. It’s a nice easy first dissertation methodology. You can do it and do it well.

I know my position is controversial, but hey … I’m here to tell you how to avoid problems, not to stand on a soapbox.

Consider Textual Analysis, Semiotic Analysis or Secondary Research

Finding people to interview, survey or participate in your study in any way at all can be intimidating.

I find it interesting and really fulfilling. But I understand if you think it’s too much for you at this point in time.

If you don’t want to have to go out and find research participants for your study, I recommend one of these types of study:

• Textual Analysis : you can look at policy documents or newspaper articles and analyze their ideological positioning , for example;
• Semiotic Analysis : The quintessential semiotic analysis is the analysis of advertising images or movies and the examination of the ways they depict people of different races, social classes or genders;
• Secondary Research: Look over other people’s research and try to identify themes across a range of research studies.

Now, these three different methodologies are far outside of the scope of this discussion, but consult with your dissertation supervisor if you’re overwhelmed by the idea of conducting research with real human beings. One of these three methodologies may help you bypass that process, and make the dissertation feel more achievable for you.

6. Search Online for Inspiration

If you’re still struggling to choose a dissertation topic,  go online to get inspiration!

There’s a few ways you can do this. Here’s a few good ones:

a) Google Previous Dissertation Topics

Many universities upload their students’ dissertations onto an online repository. This means there are a ton of open, free to access databases of previous students’ dissertations all over the internet.

Simply google “Dissertation” + “pdf” + a topic you’re interested in. If you’re a masters student, you can do “masters dissertation” + “pdf” + the topic; and if you’re an undegrad, then simply do “undergraduate dissertation” + “pdf” + the topic;. Simple!

Up will pop a ton of dissertations that you can instantly download to check out previous students’ successful dissertation topics.

Another benefit of doing this is that you’ll be able to view and model the structure that previous students have used as well. This can be super beneficial for you early on!

b) Look at Recent Articles Published in Journals focused on your Topic

If you scroll through the recent issues of journals in your topic, you’ll find a range of research topic ideas.

To get access to top journals in your topic, simply google “Scholarly Journal” + your topic. For example, I am a professor in education. So I’d google “Scholarly journal” + “Education”.

The homepages for a ton of journals will pop up in the Google search. Quickly scan through the recent issues of those journals to see if any ideas will pop up that interest you!

c) If you’re Studying Education or Teaching, Check Here

Lastly, a quick plug for another post I’ve written for dissertation students:

• 51+ Dissertation Ideas for Education students .

Go check that out if you want to write a dissertation on the ‘education’ topic.

7. Trust your Dissertation Supervisor

Your dissertation supervisor will have walked many students just like you through the research process before.

Look, I know many dissertation supervisors can be disappointingly aloof and disconnected from your research. And relationships can get very frosty with your supervisors indeed.

Trust your supervisor. They make recommendations for a reason. They know how to navigate the dissertation writing process. If your supervisor makes a recommendation, strong – very strongly – consider it.

Your supervisor also has expertise in one area of research or another. Take advantage of their expertise. Be flexible and let them sway you down certain paths. You need a knowledgeable partner in the research process.

So, trust your supervisor. You need their expertise more than you know.

8. Come up with 3-5 Ideas and Bring them to your Supervisor for Feedback

Your initial dissertation topic ideas will probably need a lot of refinement.

The person who will help you to refine your topic will be your dissertation supervisor. Their main job, unfortunately, is to curb your enthusiasm. It’s to show you what problems you’ll face if you follow certain paths and recommend alterations to ensure your topic is achievable.

So, approach your supervisor with your 3-5 top ideas and watch them do their magic. They should advise you on how to turn your ideas into reality.

Your ideas can be specific or broad – really, it doesn’t matter because you’ll walk out of your supervision meeting with a lot of changed ideas. It doesn’t need to be set in stone.

You could, for example, go up to your supervisor and say something like:

• “I’m interested in Erikson’s theory of development. Do you have any suggestions of how I can use Erikson’s ideas for a dissertation?”
• “I’m really into conservative politics. What ideas do you have for an achievable topic?”
• Any other ideas…

They’ll help you shape and mold your topic into something achievable.

9. Lastly, Stick to your Choice

When I did my dissertation, I questioned my topic daily: I’d always be thinking up new, better ideas for my dissertation!

But once you’re locked in, it’s hard to change your mind. You’re going to get ethics permission to conduct your study, not anyone else’s!

So, my advice is simple:

Once you’ve chosen your topic, commit.

If you’re desperate to do another topic, fine, do another degree. If you’re doing your Master’s right now, bank those other ideas for a potential PhD down the track.

But once you’ve made your choice, really … you’ve got to commit, block out all your regrets and dig in.

Don’t worry about your friends who chose a dissertation topic that is better than yours. Stay in your lane, be content with your topic, and create a great product.

Writing a dissertation is an exercise in being practical more than anything. That start from the very first choice: choosing a dissertation topic that’s achievable and good for your career, and will also put you on the path for top marks.

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Dissertations and major projects

• Introduction

What does a dissertation look like?

Finding a topic, going from a topic to a question, dissertation presentations.

• Researching your dissertation
• Managing your data
• Writing up your dissertation

Useful links for dissertations and major projects

• Study Advice Helping students to achieve study success with guides, video tutorials, seminars and appointments.
• Maths Support A guide to Maths Support resources which may help if you're finding any mathematical or statistical topic difficult during the transition to University study.
• Academic writing LibGuide Expert guidance on punctuation, grammar, writing style and proof-reading.
• Guide to citing references Includes guidance on why, when and how to use references correctly in your academic writing.
• The Final Chapter An excellent guide from the University of Leeds on all aspects of research projects
• Royal Literary Fund: Writing a Literature Review A guide to writing literature reviews from the Royal Literary Fund
• Academic Phrasebank Use this site for examples of linking phrases and ways to refer to sources.

It's natural to feel slightly directionless at the start of any dissertation or major project because you are not sure what to research or how to find the information you need. Start early and allow yourself some time for reading around topics that interest you and scoping out the kinds of sources that are available. This initial reading, thinking and planning time is really valuable and will provide a good basis for focusing your ideas into a research question.

The guidance on this page gives strategies for identifying a topic, refining this into a clearer research question, and starting to plan how you will answer it.    

At one level all dissertations ask you to do broadly the same things:

• Formulate a clear question that your dissertation seeks to answer
• Review the relevant literature in your field
• Engage in independent thought and research
• Explain and justify whatever methods you use
• Present your findings clearly and demonstrate how they relate to your original question

Finding the topic and question for your dissertation can take longer than you think. You shouldn't feel worried if you don't hit on the ideal topic straight away… you have enough time to be creative and enjoy exploring your subject. At this stage no ideas are barred!

• Something you've always wondered about
• Lecture notes and old essays
• Flicking through current journals
• Media / news items
• Things you disagree with
• A hunch that you have… is it true?
• Controversies / new areas in your subject
• Talking with friends

Thinking outside your subject area may also help – are there any current affairs issues or controversies that you can apply your subject to?

It's never too early to start thinking of ideas. Keep them in one place -  start an ideas book or a box file to keep any notes or articles you find that might be useful.

• Starting research for your dissertation (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Starting research for your dissertation (transcript) Read the transcript.

A dissertation question is not the same as a topic…it has to be phrased so that it can be answered in a specific and focused way . There are various ways that you can get from your topic to a question:

• Do some reading around your topic – are there any gaps in current research that could provide a question?
• If you usually write too much – think smaller and focus on one narrow aspect of your topic.
• If you usually don't write enough – think bigger and link some related areas of your topic together.

It is a good idea before you make any final decisions to discuss your choice of question with your supervisor, as they will have the academic experience to know what kinds of questions will be manageable, and which will need more refining.

Before settling on a question – ask yourself:

• "Will it keep me interested for a long period?"
• "Can I answer it with the time and resources I have?"
• "Is there someone who can supervise me and can I get on with them?"
• "Do I have some idea of how to go about answering it?"
• Defining your research question (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Defining your research question (transcript) Read the transcript.

• explain why your chosen topic is interesting;
• show how it fits into the context of your course generally;
• try out your plan for how to tackle the research.

Remember that you're not presenting the end result of your research, but work-in-progress. Think about including some questions for your audience to encourage useful feedback.

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Evaluating information, managing information.

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Dissertations & Theses

Explore tools and support to help you complete your dissertation or thesis.

• Dissertations & Theses
• Newcastle University
• Academic Skills Kit

What is a dissertation or thesis?

A dissertation is an extended piece of academic writing on a question or problem related to particular subject. Usually done at the end of an undergraduate or master’s degree, this type of research project can take several months to complete.

A thesis is usually completed as part of a PhD. While similar in nature to a dissertation, a thesis is a longer project that tackles a question or problem in-depth and will take a number of years to write and research.

Whether you’re beginning a dissertation, or embarking on your PhD thesis, you’ll find it can be a different challenge to other assignments you’ve completed. These projects require you to bring together all the skills that you will have developed in your studies including: finding and evaluating literature, critical analysis, developing an argument, academic writing and referencing.

Your dissertation or thesis might also include things that you have not done before, for example developing a research question, analysing data or writing an abstract.

Process of writing a dissertation or thesis

Dissertations and theses are long and complicated projects. The processes you need to go through are likely to be iterative, non-linear and dynamic. However, it can be helpful to start by breaking the project down into the different stages, and approach each section of the planning, researching and writing process in turn. You then need to bring the stages together into a single piece of research.

A dissertation or thesis is an excellent opportunity for you to immerse yourself in your subject and a topic that you are passionate about. On the other hand, if you’re allocated a project, you’ll need to make the research your own and learn to understand why it’s worthwhile.

Your project proposal allows you to explore these initial research ideas, identify your aims, think around the context of your potential research and get ahead of any pitfalls by thinking about the feasibility and limitations involved.

Thinking about what you want to achieve with your research at this stage, will help inform how you approach your project.

Research Proposal Planning Tool

Literature review.

The nature of the research you do will likely depend on your subject area and research question. This may involve conducting interviews, gathering statistics, carrying out experiments or exploring texts and documents.  Most dissertations and theses will, however, involve a literature review as part of the research process.

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review sets the scene for your work. It places your research in context, and shows how it relates to and builds upon the work of others. It’s also your chance to tell people why your work matters, why it’s relevant, and how it contributes original research to your field.

In your literature review, you’ll discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the information you’ve found, and describe why you think it’s important. You might also want to discuss gaps in the literature that your own research will attempt to fill.

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Literature Searching and Reading

Compiling a literature review involves rigorous literature searching, critical reading of information and combining ideas and research from different sources. You’ll need to develop an effective search strategy to ensure you find all the key information relevant to your topic. 

New research is published every day, and your work is likely to take you down paths you hadn’t thought about initially so you’ll need to frequently return to and adapt your search, and then update your literature review as you go. As part of your search strategy, it's important that you consider how you'll keep your research up to date, and how you'll manage all the information you'll find.

There are different types of literature review too, so check with your supervisor to make sure you know what is expected. If you’ve been asked to take a systematic approach, our systematic review guide can help you understand the systematic process.

Search strategy planning tool

Build your search strategy with our Search Planner tool. **Online planner**

Finding Information

Discover tips and advice for starting your search, selecting information types and using advanced search techniques.

Systematic Review guide

Find out about the systematic process and types of systematic review.

Mapping the literature

Downloadable resource to help you get an overview of your literature review reading. **PDF Download**

Three domains of critical reading study guide

A downloadable resource to guide your literature review reading. **PDF download**

An audio-visual guide to in-depth critical reading, for literature reviews. **Guide with audio**

Discover ways to critically evaluate the information you find.

Explore methods for effectively managing your documents and references.

Discover simple ways to keep up to date with information in your field.

Structuring a literature review

Explore different methods on how to structure your literature review.

Dissertation Structure

As this will be one of the longest academic documents you'll create, it can be helpful to start thinking about the overall shape of your dissertation early on, considering how many chapters there will be and how they'll relate to each other. This will be a provisional guide at first but having an idea of the structure can give you a way forward, help you to stay focused, and help manage your word count.

Where to go for support

You will be given a supervisor for your dissertation or thesis by your academic school or institute. Your supervisor is there to give you advice and guidance about all aspects of your research project.

There is also support and advice available to you at each stage of your project from the services below:

University Library

For advice on planning your search strategy, finding and evaluating information, and managing your references.

Academic Skills Team

For help with managing your project, academic writing strategies, critiquing and reviewing literature, and developing a clear authorial voice.

Support for undergraduates and postgraduates with SPSS and data analysis.

Recommended books and e-books

For further reading related to dissertations and projects, browse our specially curated list of resources.

• Applying to Uni

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How To Start Your Dissertation: 10 Top Tips

Posted by Leonie | Mar 18, 2015 | | 0 -->

As one group of students celebrate handing in their dissertations, another are preparing to march in to battle. 

If you’re heading into your final year this September, you’re probably already thinking about the big D.

Whether you’ve already submitted a proposal, or have no clue what you’ll write 10,000 words about, you know you’ve got a mammoth task ahead.

To help ease some of your woes, we’ve compiled a list of all the things we wish we knew before we started writing. 

1. Start early

You should begin working on your dissertation as soon as your proposal is accepted.

That might be before the summer break or much later in the year, but either way, you’ll need as much time as you can get.

Some people who wait until after Christmas to start theirs didn’t get the grades they hoped for.

2. Get to know your supervisor

They will be an invaluable source of information, inspiration and support.

Respect their feedback, and take any criticism on the chin; they’re on your side.

And don’t forget to thank them in the acknowledgements! 

3. Seek alternative supervision if appropriate

Don't feel bad if you think your supervisor isn't right for you.

It happens more often than you think, and it's best if you can find someone who you get along with and will help you achieve your goal.

You can request to change to somebody else, and as long as your reasons are legitimate, this should be perfectly fine.

4. Don't bottle things up

And threaten to start all over again. Or quit altogether.

Your dissertation will be the most important thing you have ever done (academically speaking) and it’s really stressful!

Just remember that these reactions are perfectly healthy, and that junk food and an evening in front of Netflix is the ultimate cure. 

5. Make use of technology

The internet has tons of excellent resources, there are great apps for organising your time and when you need a break, YouTube will provide cat videos galore.

But that isn't to say your computer crash, the printer will jam and you’ll get headaches from staring at screens.

Prepare for every eventuality; keep secure backups of all your work in Dropbox or Google Drive , insure your laptop and buy extra supplies of printer ink!

6. Try not to let it take over your life

When you’re not working on it, you’ll be thinking about it or talking about. And you will definitely dream about it. 

However, don't let it become the only thing going on in your life. Make sure you take regular breaks to recharge, and get out of the house at least once every day.

7. Stay healthy

If you don’t prepare in advance, it’s really easy to let it all go.

Eat vegetables, try to get enough sleep, drink lots of water and don’t ever feel guilty about taking a day off.

Everyone needs a rest, so look after yourself as best you can - it's a long road ahead.

8. Beware social situations

Your family and non-student friends will feign interest but would probably rather talk about anything else. 

That might sound harsh but it actually lets you escape the dissertation for a while, so you might as well embrace it!

9. Save money for printing and binding

Unfortunately this is just a cost that has to be eaten, and there isn't really anything you can do about it.

However, make sure you have enough ready in the kitty for when the time comes, so you don't end up in a last minute panic, having to ask to borrow the money from others, etc.

10. It's all worth it in the end

When you finally hand in your dissertation, you should be really proud of what you’ve achieved and celebrate accordingly!

Or sleep for a week.

Whatever you decide to do, give yourself a big pat on the back - you've worked hard and deserve to let your hair down!

Further information

For more tips and advice on postgraduate study, please see:

• Taught Masters Degree
• Research Masters Degree
• Research vs Taught Masters
• Writing a PhD research proposal
• Choosing a PhD supervisor

If you have any comments, suggestions or questions about my post, please leave your message below.

About The Author

Naomi Lofts

Going through school and applying to university myself in 2002, I know how difficult it can be to make the right choices regarding your academic journey, especially when you're uncertain of where you want to be in the future.

Student Underground was created to provide reassurance to those students currently going through this period, as well as an outlet for sharing extra, up-to-date advice on a range of further and higher education topics.

These include choosing GCSEs and A levels, filling out the UCAS application form, taking a gap year, postgraduate study options, starting a business and more.

We hope you find it useful, and if you have any feedback, please leave a comment or email us directly at: [email protected]. Thank you,

Naomi Lofts,

Managing Director

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