General Dissertation Tips/Resources

Hi.

I have a 10,000 word dissertation in for the first semester. Personally I find it quite nice to have the freedom to pick your own topic, and I like the challenge of doing something you have so much say over, putting your own stamp or take on something (...with evidence).

However despite my enthusiasm, It is something new to me and therefore would like to get peoples tips on all things dissertation! I'm planning to just do as much each day, reference it with the Havard system, and just try and find as much evidence as possible.

Obviously, hind sight is a wonderful thing, so just wondered those who have done dissertations, what did they find useful, and what would they do differently in retrospect.

My specific field is Business and ICT, but I'd like to know peoples thoughts on;

-Finding a topic (I'm just at the stage of mind mapping my personal interests and things at the moment)
-Writing style
-Research methods - primary/secondary
-Format - intro/middle/conclusion etc.

and any other just general tips.

Personally I thought there would be plenty of websites designated for dissertation help and tips, however a quick google resulted in many people wanting to do my dissertation for money. So if anyone has any good resources I'd really appreciate them.

Thanks,
Matt x

Reply 1

TheOneWho

This could probably go in the dissertation thread. I'll try to answer some of your questions even though I'm currently doing my dissertation just now.

Finding a topic
Definitely pick something that is interesting to you.
Try and come up with something original if you can.
Think of your potential supervisors, that can make or break a topic idea.

Writing style
Write how you like to. Everyone has a different style. I prefer the more fluid and concise style while some prefer the flowery style.

Formatting
Your department should discuss this with you as they all have their own guidelines and requirements.

Research methods
These will depend entirely on your topic. Once you've figured out your research objectives it should become clear to you what you need to do to get your data.