Doing a Dissertation

Before you start

What do you think are the purposes of writing a dissertation? What do you think are the main differences between this and a coursework essay?

Where to start
I enjoy doing the background reading and research into my chosen topic. However because of this I find it difficult to focus and I tend to read lots of things that I think are potentially useful but turn out to be peripheral to the dissertation. In order for your original idea to grow into a dissertation or thesis, you need to enter a process where thinking, reading, writing and speaking are all interconnected and ongoing.

Turning an Idea into a Topic

I had already decided what I wanted to write about before coming to UCE. In fact, my topic was my reason for coming to the course in the first place. Ideas usually stem from something that has caught your attention during the course or in some other context. The idea may be in the form of a question or may be something that has struck you as being odd or just interesting. You now need to interrogate your idea. you could ask yourself questions such as: What inspired your idea initially? What particularly interests you about this subject? What sort of things do you want to find out? How is it relevant to what youve been studying? How is it relevant to you personally? Is it a topic worth writing about?

Starting to Write
I am not ruthless enough with my reading and consequently waste a lot of time reading things that I have found interesting but not directly relevant Once youve chosen your topic, you need to find out all you can about it. You will probably know quite a bit already and have some idea of which aspect you want to explore further. Using the set of questions above as a useful frame, write out what you already know and understand and what you still need/want to find out. This way you actually get started on the writing without worrying too much about all that reading. The reading will come!

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Doing the Research

One of the biggest difficulties is combining your research with your writing. In other words, you need to do both together rather than one after the other. If you provide yourself with very close questions relating to your topic, it is much easier to control the reading and/or the fieldwork. For instance, look at the topic below and consider the questions suggested. The Rights of Gypsies under English and Brazilian law Why is it worth considering this topic? Who else has considered this topic? What do people understand by the concept of 'rights'? What do I understand by the concept of 'rights'? What do people mean by the term 'gypsies'? What do I mean by the term 'gypsies'? How do gypsies interact with mainstream society in England & Brazil? How do gypsies perceive themselves? How are they perceived by the mainstream? What are the similarities and differences between England and Brazil in this matter? How can one inform the other? What is to be learned from looking at all these questions?

Keeping Going
I also find that I sit in front of the computer for a while writing but then have to treat myself to a long break. However the long breaks start to add up and it ends up that I have to do some work to have a break from my break. Keeping going is very hard and different people have different ways of dealing with this. Giving yourself targets can be helpful as this can break up the overall task into more manageable units.

Practical Tips
1. Make a list of questions youve thought of relating to the topic you've chosen to research (This list will change and may shrink or expand as you read and research more). Make a note next to each question as to why you think it is relevant. Use your reading to help you clarify and refine your questions. Make a note of sources and page references used in this process including a comment about how/why they were useful. (Don't copy out large chunks of information - you'll probably never use it as such and it's a waste of time). 2. Write a statement of relevance and intent think about why this topic worth talking about. Why are you asking the questions you are? How does it fit in with other work written on the area? This will later form the basis of an introductory chapter. 3. Organise your questions into thematic units. These will/may comprise your chapters.

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4. Work on your chapters starting with whichever one you like (you can reorganise later) and deal with the question(s) you've asked. This may entail fieldwork, data collection, observations, etc. It will certainly involve closer reading, analysis of your data (whatever it is) and interpretation of what you have found. (During this stage your questions will become clearer and your ability to evaluate what you're reading will become greater.) 5. Work on your concluding chapter. What does it all mean? Does it change anything? Does it indicate anything? How does it add to your (and our) understanding? 6. Work on your introductory chapter. (NB You've already got the basis for it at Stage 2) Make sure you give an overview of research relevant to the topic. Show what your questions are, how you came to ask them and how they are relevant. Indicate the structure and direction of your dissertation and explain why you've done it as you have. 7. Read the whole thing through, making sure that you've got introductory and concluding paragraphs/sections for each chapter. These should link the chapters together in some way so that the end of one section links up to the beginning of the next. 8. Write your bibliography - make sure that all references and footnotes are properly listed in it. (Be sure to give yourself enough time to do this. It tends to take longer than you expect!) 9. Make sure you've numbered your pages and written on double spacing. (Your department may have a house style they prefer) 10. Write your abstract. Think of this as an advertisement - a way to 'sell' your dissertation. It must give enough away to whet the appetite of the reader and to provide an overview of what you've written. Look at other abstracts to give you an idea of how much to include. 11. Find out how many copies you need to make and submit accordingly.

Presentation Reminders
General Format medium word processed layout 1.5 - double spaced Cover Page Title Author Degree Programme Statement Date First Pages Declaration Word Count Table of Contents

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Abstract Acknowledgements Main Text Chapter headings Section headings Citations and References In-text referencing - Harvard system

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