Official Dissertation Thread - 2011-2012

Hi everyone!
I dont know if anyone can shed any light on this (until I can get to speak to my elusive supervisor) but does anyone know the general protocol for what happens AFTER the dissertation is handed in? Are people generally expected to hang around for a weeks after or are we "free to go"? Only asking because my submission deadline is halfway through summer term with nothing scheduled after, AND I've been offered a dream job in Italy starting the week after subs. If anyone has any widsom to impart here I'll be forever grateful!

I got some work experience (hopefully) with my supervisor doing DNA stuff I asked him last year and he said yes but not spoke to him since about it but id give me the 3months min for a job doing that which is required, and take part in a writing competition and I got a holiday booked in july with the bf and a couple of weddings one my cousins and my friends as well I'd like a career in research I may look at doing the NHS STP in genetics which is a science training program then doing a PhD a couple of years later

And you consider me your cheerleader as well

Oooh that's a pretty awesome opportunity! Good that you're relaxing over the summer as well though You've got a pretty good plan there as well! (Whereas I change my mind every 5 seconds )

Yep got the summer planned which will hopefully help me get a job come september

Got a huge day ahead tomorrow on doing introduction and hopefully some more results I got to get introduction finished this week and results should have my stats analysis sorted as well

Luckily I type faster then I write so wont take as long failing its not done aquetly tomorrow it'll be all day thursday although i got an appointment set up and i need to go to it.

Reinforcing my previous comment I think you'll find it has sex with me

hi struggling with how to talk about my dissertation,

how do i talk about theories in the lit review relating them to a topic, if there is no previous research linking the two together?

Right so intersemester break and right now this is the state of the dissertation:

Targetted word count (by this point in time): 5100
Current word count: 1605

Hopefully i can get to at least 4000 by the end of the week? Anyone think it is actually manageable?

Depending on your other commitments, it should definitely be doable. I wrote my entire 10,000 word dissertation in around a week - I spent a while researching and thinking about my argument first, of course, but the actual writing process was quite swift.

Thanks for that, I'm quite amazed you could do it in a week though. I have done most of my research and reading, but I haven't looked at it before christmas and stopped halfway through my lit review (which is not a move I would recommend)

In a very short period of time editing I have got my word count up already by 60 words. but I have just come across a superscript b in one of my equations and at no point do I choose to explain what it is other than to say it is a constant that does not very with time. looked through my synopsis that I submitted before christmas and the superscript does not feature in it anywhere either. I'm going to have to do some investigating before I can do much else now...

Also, I would warn against over editing things. A friend of mine spent nearly 10 weeks editing her dissertation! She must have been so sick of it. I think you run the risk of taking the best bits out, as you are too close to the work. You need to be able to take a step back and then to be sensible with your editing.

Is anyone currrently doing an English Literature dissertation? If so, what on and how are you structuring it?