How to Plan Your Dissertation
This is perhaps the greatest challenge that you are going to face as an undergraduate and it is not going to be easy. However, at the end of this article, it will be an easy task for every student because the process will be broken down into bits and pieces. We are about taking you by the hands and leading you through the entire process in one fell swoop.
Your Field of interest
Every student has his or her strengths and weaknesses. The first step in the right direction is the choice of the subject for your dissertation. It is important that a subject that you have the strongest bias for. This will make it easy during the research process because you are on familiar terrain. The fact that you are in love with the subject will be your staying power during the time for research.
If you are given a topic by your supervisor, then make sure you understand every word of the question and the role they are meant to play. That will give room for a soft landing in case you have your doubts on any aspect of the question.
Your approach
Now that you have settled the case of the title to use, the next thing that you should think of is the approach that you are going to use to get the results that are demanded from you by your department. You need a title if you have chosen the subject on your own. The approach that you are going to adopt will determine the suitable title that you will use.
If you are not sure of the right title at this stage of the writing, it is advised that you take a working title. You can get a few titles and run through them with your supervisor before you make your final pick.
Your outline
Your outline will determine what you will make out of your paper at the end of the day. It is advised that you devote time to making out your outline because it will serve as the rock on which your final work will be built. In general, your outline should consist of the following divisions:
- Introduction
- Main body
- Conclusion
It is expected of every student to break the main areas into micro-units that will add flesh to the body of your work.
Your list of sources
Do not wait until after the writing to start including your references. Immediately you access the work of any author, note them somewhere on a sheet of paper. You must put everything in place that will help beat the issue of plagiarism. When you note down each source, it will be difficult to leave any of them out in the final analysis. You can as well start the compilation of your bibliography at this stage. It will help ease the burden on you.
Review and adjust your plan
It will be wise if you carry out the review and adjustment of your plans as you finish with each chapter or section instead of waiting until the last minute. This will help in reducing the bottlenecks that usually come when you want to review the large volume of work. When a new focus comes up, it will be easy to adjust your plan.
Final thought
If you take to the tips above on how to effectively plan your dissertation, the success that will bring the best out of your work will be achieved on a platter of a diamond. You will be proud of your grades because it will give value to the efforts that you put into your work.