Dissertation Writing Tips

1
Dissertation Writing Tips
Writing a dissertation may be your final step to
a long academic career. The process is seldom
looked upon with great anticipation and
excitement. In many ways it is comparable to
writing a book. It is a self-directed process
without weekly deadlines, meetings, discussion
groups, or assignments. It is the longest writing
task you have undertaken, and you are on your
own. A sigh of relief is expelled once you send
it to a dissertation editing service but it is a
long journey to that point.
2
How To Write A Dissertation
How do you write a successful dissertation? A
better question to ask is how to be successful in
writing your dissertation. The first question is
directed toward content while the second is
directed toward the process. You will be spending
a lot of time with your topic so that should be
your starting point. Choose a topic that moves
you. You will rely on this push for the days when
you dont want to work on the paper. Your
enthusiasm for the topic will offset your lack of
motivation on those days.
3
There is no right and wrong method to writing
your paper. Most students start at the beginning
with an introduction and write each section
sequentially. Others who have spent the time to
outline and organization their research can start
with the research findings and work backwards to
the introduction. Your approach will depend on
your own organization skills and writing
preferences. For example, key points you wish to
include in your introduction will depend upon
what your results are. These points are commonly
unknown at an early stage.
4
The Dissertation Broken Into Percentages
How to do Your Research Project by Gary Thomas
(London Sage, 2009) breaks down the amount of
work to devote to each dissertation section as
Introduction 5, Literature Review 30, Design
and Methodology 15, Findings 15, Analysis and
Discussion 30 and the Conclusion 5. The key is
to outline your paper and fill in each section
with a general purpose or focal point. You will
be able to refine and add more detail later. By
starting with an initial plan and adding detail
as you progress, you are able to maintain an
overall perspective of how an individual section
fits into the entire puzzle.
5
Whether you call it time management, designated
block of time, or occupational flow, set yourself
deadlines and stick to them.  The best way for
planning long-range goals, like writing your
dissertation, is to work backwards. Start by
noting the deadline. List steps needed to achieve
a completed dissertation by this deadline date.
Be specific when do you need to defend your
paper when do you need to have met interviewee
1, 2, and 3 when must you present to your
advisory board etc. Next, take each milestone in
the previous step and list the actions you need
to undertake to achieve the milestone. Next, use
a monthly planner or calendar to plot dates for
each action item.
Time management and priorities must go hand in
hand. With no immediate deadlines, your
dissertation may sit on the shelf for something
with a more pressing deadlines such as grading
papers, family requirements, or second job. Time
becomes a problem for some with fellowships or
grants because there is no daily structure.
Without self-imposed time management, days become
weeks. Time slips away. The key is to be able to
create urgency on demand so your mind feels you
need to keep striving to accomplish the next step.
6
Learn to say no. You made your academic
commitment with much pre-thought so dont dismiss
it so quickly for every invitation to guest
lecture or attend a conference. The same applies
to your social network. When you are writing,
researching, or planning your dissertation, turn
off phone alerts and email to cut down on the
number of distractions. You must view your
dissertation work as work. Pretend you are
being paid to work for someone else, on their
dime.
7
Jerry Seinfelds maintain The chain
secret
Getting in the habit of working on your
dissertation on a daily basis is perhaps the
biggest tip you can act on. Jerry Seinfields
secret was to never break the chain dont miss a
single day. Daily work on your dissertation also
keeps it fresh in your mind, enabling your
subconscious to create ideas when you are not
actively thinking about your research. Make a
detailed list of all the little things that need
to get done for each section of your
dissertation. If you find today that you are just
not in the writing mood, you can attack this
to-do list and take are of photocopying specific
articles or checking citations.
Finally, find time for relaxation techniques like
yoga, walks, or meditation to recharge.
Dissertation, research, and interviews can be
mentally draining. Reward yourself for meeting
goals and deadlines. It could be something simple
as coffee with a friend or renting a movie. Daily
rewards are also motivating. Remember being able
to go out to play after your homework was done in
elementary school?
8
Writing your dissertation is a time-consuming
commitment. The famous proverb is that no one
plans to fail they just fail to plan. Dont fall
victim to this during your most important
academic hour. Good luck! And please reach out
to us for any advice or help, even if its not
related to services we offer. We built Gramlee to
help people.
Contact Us
sales_at_gramlee.com
www.gramlee.com
1 503-946-6535