Writing a Dissertation/Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is much more difficult to write than an essay, simply because of the length of the work. Although similar to an essay, a dissertation or thesis has a beginning, a middle and an end and an argument throughout. Given that the work may be between 15,000 and 20,000 words it can be difficult to keep ‘hold’ of the work and to ensure that it does not veer off into various unhelpful directions. Your argument needs to be taut, to be strong throughout, and you need to make sure that any references you make to other authors, scientists, etc., are carefully and methodically recorded and then listed in your bibliography.
Be very careful with the grammar in your work. This is not an essay and you are expected to produce something which is of a very high academic standard. Slang or informal words will make your English look slapdash and give the impression that you don’t know when it is appropriate to use different types of words. It is always advisable to use some kind of online computer package to both spell and grammar check your work. Obviously, you are bright enough to be writing a dissertation or thesis, so you don’t want to let yourself down by having fundamental errors of grammar present in your work.
As a final note, you should always ensure that your work is well presented, according to the rules that have been set by your academic establishment. Failure to do this will simply result in your being marked down, due to lack of attention to detail. In addition, if it looks like it was just thrown together at the last minute; your readers are likely to be more critical.
Bookmark this post
