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This quote is most relevant to you
as an Honours or Masters student as it highlights that your dissertation will gradually emerge
through an unfolding process.
As such, it's vital that you write regularly,
from the start of your research project, in order to develop,
refine and have clarity about your ideas.
So here are Study
Smarter's three top tips for writing your dissertation
at UWA. Firstly, prepare to write by considering
what your dissertation should contain and by developing
your own writing style and writing habits.
Secondly, reflect on your current writing strategies
and consider techniques that may help you to overcome
writers' block. Finally, write
a better dissertation by remembering the important features of
academic writing, including clarity and precision.
Firstly, let's look
at what's contained within 'prepare to write'. In the first instance
it's important to consider what a dissertation is.
A dissertation is a structured piece of writing
that develops a clear argument in response to a central question
or proposition. This proposition will be discussed,
proven and defended throughout your dissertation.
A dissertation is an extended piece of work
usually divided into chapters which is the result of
extensive research. Your dissertation
provides evidence of your ability to carry out research
and generally it should make some contribution to knowledge.
This contribution may rest on the originality of your approach, the
interpretation of your findings and in some cases
the discovery of new facts. Throughout this screencast
the term dissertation refers to the piece of writing
you produce as a result of your research.
A dissertation may also be referred to as a thesis,
especially at the PhD level. However,
the term thesis also has another meaning - it refers to an argument that is put
forward
and defended. In this sense of the word,
Cantwell explains that a thesis represents the expression
of a singular and embracive idea that permeates
all aspects of the dissertation production.
There is no dissertation without an argument.
In speaking about this idea that Cantwell discusses,
we are also referring to a centrally expressed
research question. The research question
or hypotheses is the single most important reason for the existence of
your dissertation -
it will guide your research. The thesis
or argument put forward is your answer to the research question.
As this example shows, you can see the question
and the answer to the question that was contained within one
Honours dissertation. When preparing to write
it is useful to use your thesis as your central organising principle
or your research question can also be used in the early stages of the study
before any findings come to light. You can use your research question,
and later on your thesis, to guide your reading
and your writing. Your thesis
should appear throughout your dissertation -
it should permeate your whole study. It usually appears in your title
and is certainly contained within your abstract
It will feature
in your first chapter where the background to the study is described
and it will also reappear at the end of your dissertation.
It should inform the choices you make as well.
Your thesis will determine the framework for your literature review
and will inform the choices you make when collecting data.
Preparing to write
also requires you to develop good writing habits from the start.
You need to write regularly as research and writing
and changes in your thinking will certainly overlap.
You will also need to draft and redraft
each chapter several times in accordance with feedback
from your supervisor and as a result of your own
editing process. It is valuable to familiarise yourself
with good dissertations in your field and paying close attention
to aspects such as design, structure
and language will guide you particularly in the early stages of your research.
Examining other dissertations will not only enable you to determine
styles and conventions that are specific to your discipline,
but will also allow you to find examples of writing styles you like
and that will then allow you to adapt them so that eventually
you develop your own style guide to clearly communicate your research.
If you're finding it hard to find the right words to communicate your research,
sentence templates can also be found online.
The Academic Phrase Bank is just one of the sites
where you can find an array of phrases to assist you
in thinking about your writing and to use in your own work
wherever possible.
Reflecting on your current writing practices
allows you to acknowledge what you're doing, what you're not doing
and what you could possibly do better. Take some time to think about how often
you write.
Do you write every day, in the morning, at night, or
whenever you feel like it? Where do you write
and is this environment conducive to writing?
Do you take a structured approach to your writing or do you write freely
in an attempt to clarify your thinking?
Are your current approaches working well or do you need to try
new writing strategies? Many researchers
attempt to write regularly but claim they experience
writers' block. Writers tend to get blocked
when they believe they must work out exactly what they think
before writing and get stuck at that point
instead of using writing to sort out what they want to say.
It can also occur when writers struggle to work out a point logically
or scientifically or objectively and then get stuck at that point instead of
working it out with words.
People experience writers' block when they want to be sure before they write
rather than writing when they're not sure.
It is also common to experience writers' block
at the start of a research project, perhaps when you haven't found the answers yet
and find it hard to visualise the end of the project.
In instances such as these researchers should use writing
as the engine to their thinking. They should integrate
writing into their thinking and learning and try to use writing to solve their
problems or clarify
their ideas. Here are some strategies for overcoming writers' block.
Most of them are self-explanatory, however, if you haven't heard of free
writing before
it simply means that you write for a set time, for instance five minutes,
and you don't stop - you just keep writing. You write whatever comes into your head
in relation to your research and you don't have to stick to a single topic.
Generative writing it's a little different in that you try to stick to a
single topic,
possibly a topic that has resulted from your free writing.
Outlining is another strategy you might try.
It's useful to outline what you want to say by breaking down your writing
into just the main points - these may be presented as subheadings.
It's a lot easier to fill in missing parts than stare at a blank screen.
Making connections between writing sessions is also useful
because it involves setting yourself specific writing tasks for your next session.
This then helps you to focus quicker the next time you go to write.
Develop a writing strategy that works for you.
Try some of the strategies suggested until you feel you have a range of strategies
that work best for you.
Each time you write consider the purpose of your writing session.
Are you writing to warm up?
Are you writing to develop your thinking, to complete a chapter
or perhaps for some other reason?
You can also remain focused but asking yourself the following types of
questions.
These sort of questions can also be used as prompts for mind maps
or lists to develop ideas for content for each chapter of your dissertation.
The following quotes represent typical examiners' comments
for dissertations that are rated highly.
It is evident from these comments that a key aspect of an
excellent dissertation, alongside good research,
is clear, logical, precise writing.
You should aim for a dissertation that is easy to read,
interesting and intellectually rigorous.
Examiners don't watch you undertake your research and
all they have to go on is your dissertation,
so it's essential that your writing is cohesive,
logical, analytical, relevant
and hopefully a pleasure to read. And remember,
the purpose of your dissertation is to convince your reader that
the conclusion you reach, on the basis of the evidence you present,
is acceptable and satisfying.
This can only be achieved through good academic writing.
Good academic writing should be precise and clear.
While there will no doubt be complexity in your ideas,
the manner in which you communicate your research should be simple.
An effective structure with clear illustrations will ensure that your
logic and evidence are convincing
and easy to comprehend. It is also vital that you carefully
edit your work as problems relating to poor spelling,
poor grammar and poor referencing are exceedingly annoying for examiners.
Readers also like sentences that are brief and precise.
Take a moment to read this sentence and consider what could be done to make it
briefer and more precise.
If you look at Example B you'll notice that the long sentence in the first
example has been split
into three shorter sentences so each focus
on a single point. These briefer sentences
make the writing more precise and the content
is a lot easier to digest.
In addition to avoiding sentences that are too long
you should also avoid sentences that unnecessarily wordy.
In this example the first sentence has a long lead
that doesn't really get you anywhere, The second sentence
is more concise yet it still conveys the same meaning.
Incomplete sentences make it difficult for the reader to follow your logic.
In this example it is unclear what the word 'it'
is referring to at the start of the second sentence.
Avoid using pronouns at the start of a sentence
unless the noun it is referring to is at the end of the sentence preceding it.
Sentences with multiple meanings or interpretations
should also be avoided. The first sentence needs to be more specific
and the word 'chilled' should be avoided
as it is quite ambiguous. The second sentence,
"Patient 3 had an incurable disease",
leaves the reader asking what disease? Don't leave your reader
asking such questions. In addition to clear sentences,
clear, focused writing has a clear paragraph structure.
Paragraphs break up the information you want to present to your reader,
structuring it in such a way that it guides your reader
through a series of ideas.
Ensure your paragraphs contain a structured group of sentences that
all pertain to the same topic
This topic should be introduced in the first sentence of the paragraph
and elaborated on in the sentences that follow.
When editing your writing, try summarising the topic of each paragraph in the
margins.
See if your ideas follow a logical progression
and if the link between paragraphs are clear.
We hope you've enjoyed this StudySmarter screencast
and remember you can write a better dissertation
by preparing to write and writing regularly,
being aware of and using strategies that help you to overcome
writers' block,
and engaging in good academic writing
that is clear, logical and precise.