How To Start Writing A Dissertation

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Whether you're writing an undergraduate or postgraduate proposal, it's vital you check your course and institution requirements prior to submission, since the word count and format can vary between universities.

According to usual practice, you'll likely be assigned a supervisor from your subject area, who'll guide you throughout the dissertation writing process.

It should provide a ‘backdrop’ to your more specific research by exploring the background to the wider subject area.

You should also lay out your main thesis/hypothesis here, and explain why you feel that research into this area is important.

It could be that you identify one particularly interesting study, but realise that its findings are outdated, or are not easily applicable to modern times.

You may decide that you want to investigate whether the findings would be the same in more recent research.Depending upon whether your course is of a scientific or mathematical nature, meaning that you are likely to be dealing with experiments providing you with definitive results and quantitative analysis; or a more theoretical nature, meaning that your research will mainly be qualitative; your hypothesis will be proven or disproven throughout the course of your dissertation.The first step in creating your dissertation proposal should be planning its structure.The more reading that you do, the more you should be able to refine your research questions.If you aim to address an area that is too broad, you will risk generalisation and run out of space in your word count.Like the dissertation itself, your proposal will require an introduction, a main section and a conclusion.As a brief guide: This is where you will need to introduce your topic.You might even find that your original research question changes - it may be that you decide that there is not enough evidence to support your original line of argument, or that your chosen topic is too broad and requires further refinement.Either way, make certain to hold regular meetings with your supervisor, to adhere carefully to your university’s regulations and to list the sources that you come across as you do your research, to make sure that they are ready to be included in your bibliography at the end of your work.Producing a coherent dissertation proposal helps you to communicate with your supervisor the aims and objectives for your research, and the methods you intend to use in making an assessment of your topic.Your supervisor may then present you with a critical evaluation of your proposal, highlighting areas in which they foresee difficulty, ethical concerns, or lack of transparency.