Monday 21-10-2024 - 12:26

If you are a third year, you might be considering the mammoth task that is writing your final dissertation. For me, this task seemed huge and daunting: 10,000 words, independent research, being original, nuanced, articulate. Every time I began to think about it, I became overwhelmed and pushed it to the back of my mind. ‘That can be a problem for future-me.’ However, as somebody who was a third year student and who has experienced the frenzy of writing a diss, I want to share my tips and advice for those of you who are going into your final year and facing this challenge. 

 

Choosing your topic 

To hit the ground running, consider: 

What aspect of your course have you found most interesting? 

Can you apply this to an original study that brings value to your field?

For me, I really enjoyed modules about feminist and gender theory, so I applied it to two books from the same author that I enjoyed reading. I began skimming some articles that wrote directly about my chosen texts to familiarise myself with the surrounding discourse. This allowed me to directly propose my question to my supervisor early in the year, where I had pointed me in the direction of useful theory to get me started.

 

Making use of university resources  

Make use of subject specific resources on ‘Library and Learning Services,’ as it directs you to journals that apply to your course, allowing you to narrow down your search, and save yourself reading things that aren’t actually applicable to you. Also, request articles or books you don’t have access to! The library staff are brilliant, and can get you almost any text if you request it online or at the Catalyst Help Desk. 

Secondly, do not hesitate to pester your supervisor. Have loads of meetings and keep a consistent correspondence with them throughout. I made the mistake of simply charging onwards without any help, determined to get it written and completed ASAP. However, continuous discussion about your ideas with an expert opens up new avenues and points you to more sophisticated secondary sources. Keep sending them drafts of your chapters and sections as you go along and meet up to discuss your corrections so that you can make full sense of them.

 

Organising your research

Everyone has a different approach to writing. Personally, I struggle to do my research at the same time as my writing, so I like to plan what I’m going to talk about in my chapter and find a few secondary texts to read in depth. Take your time with the reading part! I know, the impulse is to want to get words on a page, but taking the time to understand what you’re reading will make this smoother in the long run. I begin with two essays that talk about my text directly, and two critical theory texts that apply theoretically; you can organise this in a table, mind map, linear notes, or whatever you prefer. Trust me, I know this can be a frustrating and gruelling process, reading long texts, only to extract a handful of critical quotes – but it is best to approach your writing with a comprehensive understanding of your topic. Then when you have done the bulk of the writing, you can fill it in with further research.

 

Managing your time 

The dissertation is a huge task and seems so overwhelming. However, I managed my time with this by thinking of it as 3 essays or tasks to be completed over 8 months. Don’t tell yourself, ‘it’s ages away, I have loads of time,’ procrastination will only make it more difficult. It’s a largely independent project, so you will need to give yourself deadlines for each section and give yourself enough time for editing and proofreading at the end. Don’t obsess over each sentence, as being too detail-oriented in your initial draft can be time consuming and frustrating. Just make a start, don’t stress (easier said than done, I know), and you will redraft later on. 

 

Proofreading – A Few Tips

• Don’t do all your proofreading in one sitting, or you will get burnt out and miss important things. Break it up into sections and take regular breaks. 
• Check your presentation – font theme, size, referencing (online guides are ideal for this), layout, etc. Make use of the spell check functions on words but don’t be too reliant on it. 
• I find that it's helpful to change your font when proofreading. If you’ve been staring at twenty pages of ‘Times New Roman,’ everything will start to look the same. Alternatively, print it out and proofread it on a physical copy. This way, you can highlight any errors and give your brain a break from staring at the screen. 
• It’s hard to detect when your sentences are becoming too long or if your ideas are well articulated when writing. Reading your dissertation out loud is an effective way to combat this.
• Use an online plagiarism scanner to make sure your work is entirely your own. 

 

Final words

Whilst a dissertation is not easy, it’s an opportunity to write about something you really care about. It can be an interesting and fun challenge that will develop your writing, analytical skills and stand as testament to all the work you have done throughout your degree. As someone who is a slow reader and writer, I can assure you, it’s not that bad so don’t panic! I really enjoyed writing about something that I came up with myself. You’ll do great!