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Ten things I wish I'd known before starting my dissertation

The sun is shining but many students won't see the daylight. Because it's that time of year again – dissertation time.

Luckily for me, my D-Day (dissertation hand-in day) has already been and gone. But I remember it well.

The 10,000-word spiral-bound paper squatted on my desk in various forms of completion was my Allied forces; the history department in-tray was my Normandy. And when Eisenhower talked about a "great crusade toward which we have striven these many months", he was bang on.

I remember first encountering the Undergraduate Dissertation Handbook, feeling my heart sink at how long the massive file took to download, and began to think about possible (but in hindsight, wildly over-ambitious) topics. Here's what I've learned since, and wish I'd known back then…

1 ) If your dissertation supervisor isn't right, change. Mine was brilliant. If you don't feel like they're giving you the right advice, request to swap to someone else – providing it's early on and your reason is valid, your department shouldn't have a problem with it. In my experience, it doesn't matter too much whether they're an expert on your topic. What counts is whether they're approachable, reliable, reassuring, give detailed feedback and don't mind the odd panicked email. They are your lifeline and your best chance of success.

2 ) If you mention working on your dissertation to family, friends or near-strangers, they will ask you what it's about, and they will be expecting a more impressive answer than you can give. So prepare for looks of confusion and disappointment. People anticipate grandeur in history dissertation topics – war, genocide, the formation of modern society. They don't think much of researching an obscure piece of 1970s disability legislation. But they're not the ones marking it.

3 ) If they ask follow-up questions, they're probably just being polite.

4 ) Do not ask friends how much work they've done. You'll end up paranoid – or they will. Either way, you don't have time for it.

5 ) There will be one day during the process when you will freak out, doubt your entire thesis and decide to start again from scratch. You might even come up with a new question and start working on it, depending on how long the breakdown lasts. You will at some point run out of steam and collapse in an exhausted, tear-stained heap. But unless there are serious flaws in your work (unlikely) and your supervisor recommends starting again (highly unlikely), don't do it. It's just panic, it'll pass.

6 ) A lot of the work you do will not make it into your dissertation. The first few days in archives, I felt like everything I was unearthing was a gem, and when I sat down to write, it seemed as if it was all gold. But a brutal editing down to the word count has left much of that early material at the wayside.

7 ) You will print like you have never printed before. If you're using a university or library printer, it will start to affect your weekly budget in a big way. If you're printing from your room, "paper jam" will come to be the most dreaded two words in the English language.

8 ) Your dissertation will interfere with whatever else you have going on – a social life, sporting commitments, societies, other essay demands. Don't even try and give up biscuits for Lent, they'll basically become their own food group when you're too busy to cook and desperate for sugar.

9 ) Your time is not your own. Even if you're super-organised, plan your time down to the last hour and don't have a single moment of deadline panic, you'll still find that thoughts of your dissertation will creep up on you when you least expect it. You'll fall asleep thinking about it, dream about it and wake up thinking about. You'll feel guilty when you're not working on it, and mired in self-doubt when you are.

10 ) Finishing it will be one of the best things you've ever done. It's worth the hard work to know you've completed what's likely to be your biggest, most important, single piece of work. Be proud of it.

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Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings? In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

Psst… there’s more (for free)

This post is part of our dissertation mini-course, which covers everything you need to get started with your dissertation, thesis or research project. 

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36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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Writing a First-Class Dissertation: An Introduction to the Series 

The Future Lawyer Weekly Update – w/c 4th November

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As part of the Law degree at university, some schools may require law students to complete a supervised or completely independent research project in your final year, often termed a dissertation. This is to test your research, problem solving ,  critical thinking and analysis skills. This also further tests your soft skills such as your ability to prioritise, plan effectively and manage time whilst working on a time-taking project.  I have created this five-part series as a guide  to writing and presenting a very high-quality dissertation.  Throughout this series, I intend to discuss various tips and strategies that worked for me whilst writing both my undergraduate and  masters  dissertation and getting a first. To this aim, I have classified all my strategies under four major headings: the planning stage, the research stage, the writing stage and the final stage. In this article, I discuss what a dissertation is, how it is structured and the process of choosing a topic.   

  As stated  before, a dissertation is usually a research project, a topic either chosen by you or chosen from a range of topics,  which usually lasts between 4 to 6 months, depending on the program (LLB or LLM). Depending on the institution, the length of a general dissertation or research project may vary between 5 000  words to 15 000 words. An undergraduate law dissertation usually varies between 10 000 to 12 000 words, while the masters dissertation ranges between 10 000 to 15 000 words.   This  expected  length is enough evidence of  the type of coverage you should be aiming for on your dissertation, as well as the nature of  your  dissertation’s content .  If done properly, apart from attaining a  first-class  mark, the dissertation is an entire experience which allows you really delve into a law topic or area in more depth and analysis.   

  C hoosing a Topic   

In my experience, this was perhaps the hardest and most exhausting part of my dissertation , especially from my undergraduate dissertation.  There’s a wealth of areas of law that you would have studied right from your first year to the final year. For me, it was quite challenging  trying to sift through all these areas, particularly the area I’d enjoyed and  choosing a topic or even an idea that I’d wanted to build up from and actually write a dissertation on.   

    Choose an area of law  that interests you.  This is most likely something you’d hear quite a lot during the early stages of your dissertation or even before you dive into your first ‘dissertation’ lecture. It is very important to choose an area that you’re interested in or that you find very fascinating as this would determine the pace  and effort you put into researching and writing. You do not want to find yourself stuck with a topic you have zero interest in as there may be no motivation to  properly delve into the topic with as much depth as it requires.  Doing this requires a lot of reading and researching. This could range from researching current legal news or developments, a new area of law or an a rea that is newly developing, or any changes or development to case law.  I’d recommend creating a list of the  areas of law you’d enjoyed throughout from your first to second year. Additionally, you could also just create a general list of areas of law you’re interested in, regardless of whether you’d studied it at university or not.  From here, you can now write out topics you’ve covered that you find interesting  or topics under these areas that you may consider writing your dissertation.  This would give you an idea on  the particular issue or problem you’d want to uncover within the topic you’ve chosen.   

  Research . One key tip whilst researching is opening up your mind and thinking outside the box. While thinking about my dissertation topic, I’d done a module in my second year called ‘Law and Society’, this introduced me to the idea of the liberal legal subject in Law. This was my starting point for my dissertation as I’d connected this with ‘reasonableness’ in law  and drawn this to certain  principles in jurisprudence. I’d also carried out research on this possible line of thought and realised it was possible to  discuss the ‘loss of control defence’  from criminal law  and ‘gender’ all under the heading of reasonableness ( t he short story of how I’d chosen my topic). My realisation here was that I was able to  merge different areas of law whilst researching for my dissertation topic.   

  Ask Questions.  Don’t be afraid to  meet your tutor or lecturers and ask questions about the idea you have for your dissertation.  Be intentional in who you approach and the manner you ask questions relating to your potential topics.  Ask open questions that allow the person you’re asking form an opinion or to allow you see the approach with which they analyse and think about the question.  No question is too ‘silly’ or ‘irrelevant’ as you never know, some of your dying questions may end up forming a part of your research objectives.  And  who knows , the p rofessor  you’ve met may end up becoming your supervisor!   

  Understand  what is expected and required from you  when writing  a dissertation.  This is  also highly  important when choosing a topic .  This would allow you determine the approach you want to take with the various possible topic options. You can decide to discuss broadly on the area with a  real-life  situation as your case study.  Alternatively,  you could decide to use a piece of legislation  or case law to draw out reasons and arguments why your chosen topic is relevant enough to be researched on. The approach you take is highly dependent on your level of understanding of the dissertation expectations  and what you personally want to achieve. Think about who your audience is. Who are your target readers? What do you want them to take out of reading your dissertation?   

  In the next part of this series, I  will  discuss the ‘planning stage’, what to expect and know from this stage and my approach to this stage of my dissertation.   

Article by Oluwabunmi Adaramola. 

Oluwabunmi Adaramola

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How to write an undergraduate university dissertation

Writing a dissertation is a daunting task, but these tips will help you prepare for all the common challenges students face before deadline day.

Grace McCabe

Writing a dissertation is one of the most challenging aspects of university. However, it is the chance for students to demonstrate what they have learned during their degree and to explore a topic in depth.

In this article, we look at 10 top tips for writing a successful dissertation and break down how to write each section of a dissertation in detail.

10 tips for writing an undergraduate dissertation

1. Select an engaging topic Choose a subject that aligns with your interests and allows you to showcase the skills and knowledge you have acquired through your degree.

2. Research your supervisor Undergraduate students will often be assigned a supervisor based on their research specialisms. Do some research on your supervisor and make sure that they align with your dissertation goals.

3. Understand the dissertation structure Familiarise yourself with the structure (introduction, review of existing research, methodology, findings, results and conclusion). This will vary based on your subject.

4. Write a schedule As soon as you have finalised your topic and looked over the deadline, create a rough plan of how much work you have to do and create mini-deadlines along the way to make sure don’t find yourself having to write your entire dissertation in the final few weeks.

5. Determine requirements Ensure that you know which format your dissertation should be presented in. Check the word count and the referencing style.

6. Organise references from the beginning Maintain an alphabetically arranged reference list or bibliography in the designated style as you do your reading. This will make it a lot easier to finalise your references at the end.

7. Create a detailed plan Once you have done your initial research and have an idea of the shape your dissertation will take, write a detailed essay plan outlining your research questions, SMART objectives and dissertation structure.

8. Keep a dissertation journal Track your progress, record your research and your reading, and document challenges. This will be helpful as you discuss your work with your supervisor and organise your notes.

9. Schedule regular check-ins with your supervisor Make sure you stay in touch with your supervisor throughout the process, scheduling regular meetings and keeping good notes so you can update them on your progress.

10. Employ effective proofreading techniques Ask friends and family to help you proofread your work or use different fonts to help make the text look different. This will help you check for missing sections, grammatical mistakes and typos.

What is a dissertation?

A dissertation is a long piece of academic writing or a research project that you have to write as part of your undergraduate university degree.

It’s usually a long essay in which you explore your chosen topic, present your ideas and show that you understand and can apply what you’ve learned during your studies. Informally, the terms “dissertation” and “thesis” are often used interchangeably.

How do I select a dissertation topic?

First, choose a topic that you find interesting. You will be working on your dissertation for several months, so finding a research topic that you are passionate about and that demonstrates your strength in your subject is best. You want your topic to show all the skills you have developed during your degree. It would be a bonus if you can link your work to your chosen career path, but it’s not necessary.

Second, begin by exploring relevant literature in your field, including academic journals, books and articles. This will help you identify gaps in existing knowledge and areas that may need further exploration. You may not be able to think of a truly original piece of research, but it’s always good to know what has already been written about your chosen topic.

Consider the practical aspects of your chosen topic, ensuring that it is possible within the time frame and available resources. Assess the availability of data, research materials and the overall practicality of conducting the research.

When picking a dissertation topic, you also want to try to choose something that adds new ideas or perspectives to what’s already known in your field. As you narrow your focus, remember that a more targeted approach usually leads to a dissertation that’s easier to manage and has a bigger impact. Be ready to change your plans based on feedback and new information you discover during your research.

How to work with your dissertation supervisor?

Your supervisor is there to provide guidance on your chosen topic, direct your research efforts, and offer assistance and suggestions when you have queries. It’s crucial to establish a comfortable and open line of communication with them throughout the process. Their knowledge can greatly benefit your work. Keep them informed about your progress, seek their advice, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.

1. Keep them updated Regularly tell your supervisor how your work is going and if you’re having any problems. You can do this through emails, meetings or progress reports.

2. Plan meetings Schedule regular meetings with your supervisor. These can be in person or online. These are your time to discuss your progress and ask for help.

3. Share your writing Give your supervisor parts of your writing or an outline. This helps them see what you’re thinking so they can advise you on how to develop it.

5. Ask specific questions When you need help, ask specific questions instead of general ones. This makes it easier for your supervisor to help you.

6. Listen to feedback Be open to what your supervisor says. If they suggest changes, try to make them. It makes your dissertation better and shows you can work together.

7. Talk about problems If something is hard or you’re worried, talk to your supervisor about it. They can give you advice or tell you where to find help.

8. Take charge Be responsible for your work. Let your supervisor know if your plans change, and don’t wait if you need help urgently.

Remember, talking openly with your supervisor helps you both understand each other better, improves your dissertation and ensures that you get the support you need.

How to write a successful research piece at university How to choose a topic for your dissertation Tips for writing a convincing thesis

How do I plan my dissertation?

It’s important to start with a detailed plan that will serve as your road map throughout the entire process of writing your dissertation. As Jumana Labib, a master’s student at the University of Manchester  studying digital media, culture and society, suggests: “Pace yourself – definitely don’t leave the entire thing for the last few days or weeks.”

Decide what your research question or questions will be for your chosen topic.

Break that down into smaller SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) objectives.

Speak to your supervisor about any overlooked areas.

Create a breakdown of chapters using the structure listed below (for example, a methodology chapter).

Define objectives, key points and evidence for each chapter.

Define your research approach (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods).

Outline your research methods and analysis techniques.

Develop a timeline with regular moments for review and feedback.

Allocate time for revision, editing and breaks.

Consider any ethical considerations related to your research.

Stay organised and add to your references and bibliography throughout the process.

Remain flexible to possible reviews or changes as you go along.

A well thought-out plan not only makes the writing process more manageable but also increases the likelihood of producing a high-quality piece of research.

How to structure a dissertation?

The structure can depend on your field of study, but this is a rough outline for science and social science dissertations:

Introduce your topic.

Complete a source or literature review.

Describe your research methodology (including the methods for gathering and filtering information, analysis techniques, materials, tools or resources used, limitations of your method, and any considerations of reliability).

Summarise your findings.

Discuss the results and what they mean.

Conclude your point and explain how your work contributes to your field.

On the other hand, humanities and arts dissertations often take the form of an extended essay. This involves constructing an argument or exploring a particular theory or analysis through the analysis of primary and secondary sources. Your essay will be structured through chapters arranged around themes or case studies.

All dissertations include a title page, an abstract and a reference list. Some may also need a table of contents at the beginning. Always check with your university department for its dissertation guidelines, and check with your supervisor as you begin to plan your structure to ensure that you have the right layout.

How long is an undergraduate dissertation?

The length of an undergraduate dissertation can vary depending on the specific guidelines provided by your university and your subject department. However, in many cases, undergraduate dissertations are typically about 8,000 to 12,000 words in length.

“Eat away at it; try to write for at least 30 minutes every day, even if it feels relatively unproductive to you in the moment,” Jumana advises.

How do I add references to my dissertation?

References are the section of your dissertation where you acknowledge the sources you have quoted or referred to in your writing. It’s a way of supporting your ideas, evidencing what research you have used and avoiding plagiarism (claiming someone else’s work as your own), and giving credit to the original authors.

Referencing typically includes in-text citations and a reference list or bibliography with full source details. Different referencing styles exist, such as Harvard, APA and MLA, each favoured in specific fields. Your university will tell you the preferred style.

Using tools and guides provided by universities can make the referencing process more manageable, but be sure they are approved by your university before using any.

How do I write a bibliography or list my references for my dissertation?

The requirement of a bibliography depends on the style of referencing you need to use. Styles such as OSCOLA or Chicago may not require a separate bibliography. In these styles, full source information is often incorporated into footnotes throughout the piece, doing away with the need for a separate bibliography section.

Typically, reference lists or bibliographies are organised alphabetically based on the author’s last name. They usually include essential details about each source, providing a quick overview for readers who want more information. Some styles ask that you include references that you didn’t use in your final piece as they were still a part of the overall research.

It is important to maintain this list as soon as you start your research. As you complete your research, you can add more sources to your bibliography to ensure that you have a comprehensive list throughout the dissertation process.

How to proofread an undergraduate dissertation?

Throughout your dissertation writing, attention to detail will be your greatest asset. The best way to avoid making mistakes is to continuously proofread and edit your work.

Proofreading is a great way to catch any missing sections, grammatical errors or typos. There are many tips to help you proofread:

Ask someone to read your piece and highlight any mistakes they find.

Change the font so you notice any mistakes.

Format your piece as you go, headings and sections will make it easier to spot any problems.

Separate editing and proofreading. Editing is your chance to rewrite sections, add more detail or change any points. Proofreading should be where you get into the final touches, really polish what you have and make sure it’s ready to be submitted.

Stick to your citation style and make sure every resource listed in your dissertation is cited in the reference list or bibliography.

How to write a conclusion for my dissertation?

Writing a dissertation conclusion is your chance to leave the reader impressed by your work.

Start by summarising your findings, highlighting your key points and the outcome of your research. Refer back to the original research question or hypotheses to provide context to your conclusion.

You can then delve into whether you achieved the goals you set at the beginning and reflect on whether your research addressed the topic as expected. Make sure you link your findings to existing literature or sources you have included throughout your work and how your own research could contribute to your field.

Be honest about any limitations or issues you faced during your research and consider any questions that went unanswered that you would consider in the future. Make sure that your conclusion is clear and concise, and sum up the overall impact and importance of your work.

Remember, keep the tone confident and authoritative, avoiding the introduction of new information. This should simply be a summary of everything you have already said throughout the dissertation.

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Dissertation Tips

Planning your final year project

Explore what you need to do for your dissertation and how to make the most of your time

You usually need to write a dissertation or research project in your final year. This is a major piece of work that is typically between 5,000 and 12,000 words.

You'll need to spend time preparing, researching and writing your dissertation. Most subjects encourage you to start your dissertation research before the end of your second year. You should start thinking about dissertation ideas before you leave university for the summer.

How dissertations are different to other assignments

Cottrell (2003, p. 201) describes the differences between dissertations and other university written assignments by comparing dissertations to reports. A dissertation may have many features of a report (including an abstract) and usually requires continuous prose in most sections. Both require analytical and critical reading and writing, and new material or approaches that you've created to test out theories, hypotheses or methodologies.

Cottrell explains the differences between dissertations and other academic assignments as:

• Independence in respect of the nature and scope of the work.
• Personal commitment and involvement in the task.
• Time and task management to structure progress.
• Self-management and motivation to keep going.
• Literature searches are more extensive.
• Presentation; grammar, punctuation, binding all need time and attention to detail.

Whilst these clearly apply to other forms of written assignment, it is the extent, scope and depth that characterise a typical dissertation.

What does the dissertation process typically include?

Barnes (1995, p. 117) offers a possible sequence of activities to produce a dissertation:

• Decide on a topic that interests you.
• Try several working titles.
• Formulate your main research question and working title.
• Discuss the ethics and methodology of your research with a lecturer.
• Set up the project; making appointments to interview (if appropriate).
• Gather and analyse the data.
• Construct a timeline for writing and editing a basic draft.
• Check with a critical friend/colleague or supervisor.
• Write final draft and proofread.
• Print final copy and submit in time.

There are variations to this sequence, dependent on the exact nature of your subject and any specific decisions made by your department or faculty. It's useful to draw up a timeline based on your project. This could be in the form of a Gant chart, especially useful for business projects.

What help is available?

Consider the resources for your course and department. Published details of your dissertation requirements probably include guidance on structure, presentation, your academic teaching team, and specific arrangements for supervision.

Your faculty librarian can help you with aspects of research including sourcing primary literature and referencing. Read more at the library website .

The Academic Skills Unit (ASK) can offer you additional support through group or 1:1 tutorial sessions on subjects like critical thinking, writing, note-taking techniques and time-management.

Cottrell, S. (2003). The Study Skills Handbook (2nd ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Barnes, R. (1995). Successful Study for Degrees (2nd ed.). London: Routledge

Download our dissertation introduction revision sheet

Download this page as a PDF for your dissertation revision notes.

Top tips for dissertations

These tips are general pointers that will apply to most dissertations. For more discipline-specific advice it is essential to consult course and unit handbooks and your assigned dissertation supervisor, as well as attending any lectures and seminars on research and dissertations.

1. Start early

Start thinking early about possible topics, and read through departmental guidelines carefully. Good dissertation choices usually arise from lots of reading, talking and thinking about areas of your subject that you find interesting. You can change your mind several times before finalising your aims. Keep your supervisor informed.

2. Record your sources

Keep full records of all your reading. Referencing tends to be marked very strictly in dissertations, and you can save yourself a lot of time and effort if you assemble the reference list / bibliography as you read, rather than leaving it until the very end of the process. (You can easily delete any sources that you do not ultimately use.)

3. Be realistic

Don’t be too ambitious. It’s usually better to research one very specific idea thoroughly than to attempt to tackle a big theme (or many ideas) and not be able to treat it (or them) in depth.

4. Know what you want to say

To help you focus your thoughts and devise hypotheses, research questions and objectives, think of answers to this question: what would you like your readers to understand by the end of the dissertation?

5. Save your work

A dissertation is a major undertaking. Create a timetable that allows you to meet deadlines without putting yourself under unnecessary pressure. Make back-up copies of your drafts as you go.

6. List your objectives

Create clear research objectives and then choose appropriate methods that will (hopefully!) enable you to meet those objectives. You could even draw up a table for yourself to link each objective to possible methods.

7. Think ahead

Before selecting particular research methods, think carefully about how you will analyse (i.e. get results and meaning from) the data that you want your methods to give you. If, for example, you think that interviews might be a suitable method for one or more of your objectives, stop and think about how you are going to summarise and present interview data.

8. Back up your decisions

You should be able to justify every choice you make in your dissertation. There should be good, academic reasons for your choice of focus, of reading, of methodology, and of analytical techniques. Know why you did things the way you did, and make sure your reader knows why too.

9. Don't worry if your results aren't what you expected

Don’t worry if you don’t find out what you thought you would. Unexpected results are normally just as valuable as (and sometimes more valuable than) those you anticipated.

10. Be aware of your research limits

Remember to consider the limitations of your research. You are expected to think carefully and write fluently about the reliability and validity of your findings.

11. Plan your time

Plan for plenty of time to edit and proofread your drafts, and remember to allow time for binding, if that is a requirement.

12. Feel good

Feel proud of yourself. This will probably be your first ‘publication’, and one day a future student may well read and reference your work for their dissertation.

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7 steps to writing a dissertation

While you may be experienced in revising and writing essays, your dissertation requires careful planning, extensive research, and time management to succeed

Your dissertation is a key part of your degree course and a testament to your ability to conduct research, analyse data, and write a clear argument. Dissertations can be challenging, but they are also rewarding experiences that allow you to explore a topic in-depth and make a significant contribution to your field of study.

To achieve your academic goals, it is important to act on feedback, use your supervision time to your advantage, and demonstrate a strong knowledge of your subject. Whether you're writing an undergraduate, Masters , or PhD dissertation, these seven steps can help you stay on track.

1. Choose your topic wisely

Selecting the right topic is the foundation of a successful dissertation. It is important to choose a topic that is:

• Relevant to your academic discipline and interests. This will ensure that you are passionate about your topic and have the necessary background knowledge to conduct meaningful research.
• Intriguing and thought-provoking . A well-chosen topic will inspire you to ask interesting questions and develop original insights.
• Specific enough to allow for in-depth analysis, yet broad enough to provide enough research material. A topic that is too narrow may be difficult to research or produce meaningful findings, while a topic that is too broad may be difficult to cover in the allowed time and word count.

Consider your career goals and what topics are relevant to the field you hope to work in after graduation. It's also important to be open to change, as it's common for students to modify their dissertation topic as they explore the subject more.

Once you have identified a potential topic, seek guidance from your supervisor. They can help you to refine your choice, identify relevant sources, and develop a research plan.

2. Check what's required of you

Read your marking criteria carefully. It is also important to consult the module guidelines and follow the instructions on any additional parts to your main assignment, such as a project plan, literature review or a critical reflection.

Neal Bamford, associate lecturer at London Metropolitan University, reports that his marking process always begins by 'distilling criteria to what students need to provide and how many marks this is worth.'

'Several dissertations I mark don't include a project plan in their submission. This is worth 20% of the overall mark, so students lose out on a significant portion of their grade'.

Before you begin to plan, make sure you understand what's expected of you. Find out:

• what academic writing looks like in your discipline
• the word count
• when and where you must submit your dissertation.

3. Conduct in-depth research

Research at this stage in the process is often referred to as a literature review. This is where you are expected to gather relevant sources, articles, and studies from libraries, and online academic resources to identify the existing research on your topic and to develop your own research questions.

'Form your own opinion and argue for it using research. A history of the topic is always helpful, as it shows that you understand how things got to this point in time,' says Neal.

Be sure to take careful notes on each source and organise them for easy reference. You need to critically evaluate and analyse the sources to ensure their credibility and relevance to your research. This will be helpful when citing your sources in the writing stage.

Don't forget to seek guidance from your advisor throughout the research process. They can provide you with valuable feedback, relevant sources, and support.

4. Develop a strong thesis statement

A well-defined thesis statement is a roadmap for your dissertation. It should concisely state your main argument or research question and provide a clear direction for your paper. Your thesis statement will guide your entire writing process, so take the time to fully understand it before you begin to write.

When writing a thesis statement:

• Be specific and focused - avoid broad or vague statements.
• Remember that your thesis needs to be arguable - it should be a statement that can be supported or proved false with evidence.
• Make sure your thesis is realistic - you need to be able to research and write about it in the allotted time and space.

Once you have a draft of your thesis statement, share it with your supervisor and other trusted peers. They can provide you with feedback and help you to refine your statement.

If your research disproves your original statement, it can be a disappointing experience. However, it is important to remember that this is a normal part of the research process.

'Many of my students believe that if they don't find the answer they're expecting, then their work is worthless,' says Neal.

'This is not the case. You don't have to find the answer to produce valuable research. Documenting your process and conclusions, even if they are inconclusive, can help others to avoid repeating your work and may lead to new approaches.'

5. Proofread and edit

After working on your dissertation for such a long time, it can be tempting to end the process once you have finished writing, but proofreading is an essential step in ensuring that it is polished and error-free.

To help with the proofreading process:

• Read your dissertation aloud . This can help you to catch errors that you might miss when reading silently.
• Change your environment to see your work with fresh eyes.
• Focus on one thing at a time such as grammar, spelling, or punctuation to avoid getting overwhelmed.

To edit your dissertation, begin by reviewing its overall structure and flow. Make sure that your arguments are well-organised and that your ideas are presented in a logical order.

Next, check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation carefully. You can use a grammar checker, but it is important to proofread your work yourself to identify stylistic or subject-specific errors.

'Make sure you understand the reference style your university prefers. Formatting and labelling of images, tables etc. is vitally important and will be marked,' says Neal.

You should also ensure that your dissertation is formatted using the correct font, font size, margins, and line spacing.

6. Seek feedback and finalise

Once you have made your final revisions, seek feedback from your advisor or board members.

To get the most out of your feedback, be specific about what you are looking for. For example, you might ask for feedback on the overall structure and flow of your dissertation, the strength of your arguments, or the clarity of your writing.

Be open to feedback, even if it's negative. Remember that your advisor is there to help you improve your work, so it's important to take the time to understand and implement the feedback you receive.

Once you have addressed all the feedback, you can prepare your final submission. It's important to follow the guidelines carefully before submitting. Be sure to hand in your dissertation on time, as late submissions may be penalised or even rejected.

Online hand in is the most common method of dissertation submission, and you will typically need to upload a PDF file to an online portal. Follow the instructions carefully - you may need to provide additional information, such as your student ID number or the title of your dissertation.

Some institutions still require dissertations to be submitted in hard copy. If this is the case, you will need to submit a bound copy of your dissertation to your department office. You may also need to pay the binding fee.

Be sure to check with your advisor or department office for specific instructions on how to submit your dissertation in hard copy. You may have to submit multiple copies of your dissertation, and you be required to to include a title page, abstract, and table of contents.

Find out more

• Read our 5 ways to manage student stress .
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• Consider our 7 time management tips for students .

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How to Improve Your Dissertation From a 2:1 (B) to a 1st (A) Grade

Achieving a First Class mark on a dissertation is slightly more difficult than it is for shorter assignments. This is simply due to the complexity of the dissertation compared to most types of coursework. However, the greater length of time that students have to complete a dissertation means that a First Class is definitely achievable. With some attention to the following details, you can increase your chances of moving from a 2:1 to a First.

First Class Dissertation

Be innovative.

You can set yourself up for earning a first by developing an original and innovative research plan from the start. The best dissertations demonstrate creative, independent thinking. Remember that the dissertation is often viewed as a starting point to a more advanced research career, so proving your ability for original thinking is a great way to show your potential to examiners.

Be Critical

The difference between a 2:1 dissertation and a first class dissertation is often the degree of critical thinking that it demonstrates. You should show an ability to think beyond common knowledge and deduce conclusions through insightful and analytical applications of theory. Although this may seem challenging, it is a skill that you will naturally develop from a wide reading of journal articles in your field. You can also enhance your ability for critical writing by discussing your ideas in seminars and conferences.

Create a Complex Argument – One of the best ways to convey your critical thinking abilities is by creating a complex but coherent argument. This involves combining multiple strands of established ideas to develop a highly specific analytical framework. You should be able to clearly define your overarching philosophy and methodology, and consider how this relates to various theoretical trends in your field. You should avoid convoluted arguments that include too many different ideas; instead, choose two or three complementary approaches and combine them to create a unique viewpoint on your subject.

Use Obscure Source Material

A good way to impress examiners and move from a 2:1 to a first class dissertation is to locate and make use of relatively unknown source material. This can take the form of primary sources obtained from historical archives and research laboratories or lesser-used secondary sources that you might secure through interlibrary loans. Using these materials will demonstrate your dedication to your research and your ability to judge the value of comparatively obscure sources.

Include Tables, Figures and Appendices

A First Class dissertation will include relevant tables, figures and data sets. These can provide essential information to support your overall argument. It is usually best to include these in an appendix at the end of your dissertation so that you can refer to the data multiple times throughout the work.

Write several drafts of your first class dissertation

Finally, be sure to write several drafts of your dissertation so that you can refine it to the level necessary to achieve a First. Often students will receive a 2:1 simply because they overlooked small typographical errors or clumsily written expression. By rewriting the dissertation several times you will be able to eliminate unnecessary phrases and increase its overall clarity. It will also give you more chances to receive feedback from tutors, which is essential if you want to move from a 2:1 to a first class dissertation!

Further Reading:

• Thinking Critically
• Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process.

First class dissertation is not easy to complete – it required skill, time and determination. If you need a first class dissertation, but struggle to complete it – our dissertation editing and improvement service can be a solution for you.

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Dissertations 1: getting started: starting your dissertation.

• Starting Your Dissertation
• Choosing A Topic and Researching
• Devising An Approach/Method
• Thinking Of A Title
• Writing A Proposal

What is a Dissertation?

A dissertation is a research project completed as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. Typically, a dissertation will enable you to present your findings in response to a question that you propose yourself. It is probably the longest piece of academic work you will produce. At undergraduate level, word count requirements can range anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 words while a Masters level dissertation can be 10,000 to 15,000 words long! 

Why are you required to write a dissertation? 

A dissertation is a core requirement of most university degrees. 

The dissertation will enhance your employability. For instance, you will develop transferable skills in inter-personal communication, data collection and analysis, report writing and effective time-management.  

While it is demanding, writing a dissertation is your chance to explore, in depth, a topic that interests you. Therefore, ensuring you choose a topic you are passionate about will make your experience more rewarding and even enjoyable! 

Supervision Advice

A supervisor will be assigned to you to assist with guidance on how to prepare, produce and improve your dissertation.  

The supervisor’s role is to: 

Assist in the organisation of the project in the early stages of preparation 

Advise you on the feasibility of what you plan to do 

Advise on methods and ethics of your research  

The supervisor is not expected to: 

Proofread your work 

Provide you with a topic or research question 

Direct the research  

Ensure that a dissertation is of sufficient quality to pass: this is your responsibility 

To get the best out of your time with your supervisor, you should: 

Check formal requirements early 

Check arrangements for supervisions and how your supervisor likes to work 

Organise regular supervision meetings and prepare work for each one 

Let your supervisor know how you work best 

Using Dissertation Marking Criteria

Your dissertation, like your previous assessments, will be marked against a set of assessment criteria which is published in your module or course handbook and posted on Blackboard.  

Assessment criteria are intended to: 

Ensure you meet the learning outcomes. 

Help you understand how your work is assessed. 

Allow tutors to focus their feedback. They will let you know what you are doing well and what needs improvement. 

Dissertation assessment criteria usually specifies what the tutor expects in terms of: 

Clarity: have you expressed your ideas clearly? 

Relevance: does your work fit into/fill a gap in existing research/literature on similar topics? 

Originality: does it offer a fresh perspective on a topic? 

Meeting course requirements: does it meet the word count / deadlines, for example? 

Before starting your dissertation, it is essential that you check what is expected of you and how your work will be graded. It is also useful to regularly check what you have written every few weeks and after you have finished to see if you are on track to meet the assessment criteria.  

First Steps

Ready to get started but uncertain how to begin? These are normally the first steps of dissertation writing:  

Choose a topic 

Conduct a literature search 

Devise research question(s) / hypotheses 

Devise your approach (e.g. if undertaking primary research, you will need to devise your methodology, methods, etc.) 

Think of a title 

Plan your time 

Write a proposal (if requested)

These steps are addressed in the tabs of this guide.

• Next: Choosing A Topic and Researching >>
• Last Updated: Aug 1, 2023 2:36 PM
• URL: https://libguides.westminster.ac.uk/starting-your-dissertation

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• Dissertation

What Is a Dissertation? | 5 Essential Questions to Get Started

Published on 26 March 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 5 May 2022.

A dissertation is a large research project undertaken at the end of a degree. It involves in-depth consideration of a problem or question chosen by the student. It is usually the largest (and final) piece of written work produced during a degree.

The length and structure of a dissertation vary widely depending on the level and field of study. However, there are some key questions that can help you understand the requirements and get started on your dissertation project.

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Table of contents

When and why do you have to write a dissertation, who will supervise your dissertation, what type of research will you do, how should your dissertation be structured, what formatting and referencing rules do you have to follow, frequently asked questions about dissertations.

A dissertation, sometimes called a thesis, comes at the end of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. It is a larger project than the other essays you’ve written, requiring a higher word count and a greater depth of research.

You’ll generally work on your dissertation during the final year of your degree, over a longer period than you would take for a standard essay . For example, the dissertation might be your main focus for the last six months of your degree.

Why is the dissertation important?

The dissertation is a test of your capacity for independent research. You are given a lot of autonomy in writing your dissertation: you come up with your own ideas, conduct your own research, and write and structure the text by yourself.

This means that it is an important preparation for your future, whether you continue in academia or not: it teaches you to manage your own time, generate original ideas, and work independently.

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During the planning and writing of your dissertation, you’ll work with a supervisor from your department. The supervisor’s job is to give you feedback and advice throughout the process.

The dissertation supervisor is often assigned by the department, but you might be allowed to indicate preferences or approach potential supervisors. If so, try to pick someone who is familiar with your chosen topic, whom you get along with on a personal level, and whose feedback you’ve found useful in the past.

How will your supervisor help you?

Your supervisor is there to guide you through the dissertation project, but you’re still working independently. They can give feedback on your ideas, but not come up with ideas for you.

You may need to take the initiative to request an initial meeting with your supervisor. Then you can plan out your future meetings and set reasonable deadlines for things like completion of data collection, a structure outline, a first chapter, a first draft, and so on.

Make sure to prepare in advance for your meetings. Formulate your ideas as fully as you can, and determine where exactly you’re having difficulties so you can ask your supervisor for specific advice.

Your approach to your dissertation will vary depending on your field of study. The first thing to consider is whether you will do empirical research , which involves collecting original data, or non-empirical research , which involves analysing sources.

Empirical dissertations (sciences)

An empirical dissertation focuses on collecting and analysing original data. You’ll usually write this type of dissertation if you are studying a subject in the sciences or social sciences.

• What are airline workers’ attitudes towards the challenges posed for their industry by climate change?
• How effective is cognitive behavioural therapy in treating depression in young adults?
• What are the short-term health effects of switching from smoking cigarettes to e-cigarettes?

There are many different empirical research methods you can use to answer these questions – for example, experiments , observations, surveys , and interviews.

When doing empirical research, you need to consider things like the variables you will investigate, the reliability and validity of your measurements, and your sampling method . The aim is to produce robust, reproducible scientific knowledge.

Non-empirical dissertations (arts and humanities)

A non-empirical dissertation works with existing research or other texts, presenting original analysis, critique and argumentation, but no original data. This approach is typical of arts and humanities subjects.

• What attitudes did commentators in the British press take towards the French Revolution in 1789–1792?
• How do the themes of gender and inheritance intersect in Shakespeare’s Macbeth ?
• How did Plato’s Republic and Thomas More’s Utopia influence nineteenth century utopian socialist thought?

The first steps in this type of dissertation are to decide on your topic and begin collecting your primary and secondary sources .

Primary sources are the direct objects of your research. They give you first-hand evidence about your subject. Examples of primary sources include novels, artworks and historical documents.

Secondary sources provide information that informs your analysis. They describe, interpret, or evaluate information from primary sources. For example, you might consider previous analyses of the novel or author you are working on, or theoretical texts that you plan to apply to your primary sources.

Dissertations are divided into chapters and sections. Empirical dissertations usually follow a standard structure, while non-empirical dissertations are more flexible.

Structure of an empirical dissertation

Empirical dissertations generally include these chapters:

• Introduction : An explanation of your topic and the research question(s) you want to answer.
• Literature review : A survey and evaluation of previous research on your topic.
• Methodology : An explanation of how you collected and analysed your data.
• Results : A brief description of what you found.
• Discussion : Interpretation of what these results reveal.
• Conclusion : Answers to your research question(s) and summary of what your findings contribute to knowledge in your field.

Sometimes the order or naming of chapters might be slightly different, but all of the above information must be included in order to produce thorough, valid scientific research.

Other dissertation structures

If your dissertation doesn’t involve data collection, your structure is more flexible. You can think of it like an extended essay – the text should be logically organised in a way that serves your argument:

• Introduction: An explanation of your topic and the question(s) you want to answer.
• Main body: The development of your analysis, usually divided into 2–4 chapters.
• Conclusion: Answers to your research question(s) and summary of what your analysis contributes to knowledge in your field.

The chapters of the main body can be organised around different themes, time periods, or texts. Below you can see some example structures for dissertations in different subjects.

• Political philosophy

This example, on the topic of the British press’s coverage of the French Revolution, shows how you might structure each chapter around a specific theme.

This example, on the topic of Plato’s and More’s influences on utopian socialist thought, shows a different approach to dividing the chapters by theme.

This example, a master’s dissertation on the topic of how writers respond to persecution, shows how you can also use section headings within each chapter. Each of the three chapters deals with a specific text, while the sections are organised thematically.

Like other academic texts, it’s important that your dissertation follows the formatting guidelines set out by your university. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.

Formatting guidelines concern things like:

• line spacing
• page numbers
• punctuation
• title pages
• presentation of tables and figures

If you’re unsure about the formatting requirements, check with your supervisor or department. You can lose marks unnecessarily over mistakes, so it’s worth taking the time to get all these elements right.

How will you reference your sources?

Referencing means properly listing the sources you cite and refer to in your dissertation, so that the reader can find them. This avoids plagiarism by acknowledging where you’ve used the work of others.

Keep track of everything you read as you prepare your dissertation. The key information to note down for a reference is:

• The publication date
• Page numbers for the parts you refer to (especially when using direct quotes)

Different referencing styles each have their own specific rules for how to reference. The most commonly used styles in UK universities are listed below.

You can use the free APA Reference Generator to automatically create and store your references.

APA Reference Generator

The words ‘ dissertation ’ and ‘thesis’ both refer to a large written research project undertaken to complete a degree, but they are used differently depending on the country:

• In the UK, you write a dissertation at the end of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and you write a thesis to complete a PhD.
• In the US, it’s the other way around: you may write a thesis at the end of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and you write a dissertation to complete a PhD.

The main difference is in terms of scale – a dissertation is usually much longer than the other essays you complete during your degree.

Another key difference is that you are given much more independence when working on a dissertation. You choose your own dissertation topic , and you have to conduct the research and write the dissertation yourself (with some assistance from your supervisor).

Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education:

• An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000–15,000 words
• A master’s dissertation is typically 12,000–50,000 words
• A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000–100,000 words

However, none of these are strict guidelines – your word count may be lower or higher than the numbers stated here. Always check the guidelines provided by your university to determine how long your own dissertation should be.

At the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the dissertation is usually the main focus of your final year. You might work on it (alongside other classes) for the entirety of the final year, or for the last six months. This includes formulating an idea, doing the research, and writing up.

A PhD thesis takes a longer time, as the thesis is the main focus of the degree. A PhD thesis might be being formulated and worked on for the whole four years of the degree program. The writing process alone can take around 18 months.

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• Knowledge Base
• Starting the research process

A Beginner's Guide to Starting the Research Process

When you have to write a thesis or dissertation , it can be hard to know where to begin, but there are some clear steps you can follow.

The research process often begins with a very broad idea for a topic you’d like to know more about. You do some preliminary research to identify a  problem . After refining your research questions , you can lay out the foundations of your research design , leading to a proposal that outlines your ideas and plans.

This article takes you through the first steps of the research process, helping you narrow down your ideas and build up a strong foundation for your research project.

Table of contents

Step 1: choose your topic, step 2: identify a problem, step 3: formulate research questions, step 4: create a research design, step 5: write a research proposal, other interesting articles.

First you have to come up with some ideas. Your thesis or dissertation topic can start out very broad. Think about the general area or field you’re interested in—maybe you already have specific research interests based on classes you’ve taken, or maybe you had to consider your topic when applying to graduate school and writing a statement of purpose .

Even if you already have a good sense of your topic, you’ll need to read widely to build background knowledge and begin narrowing down your ideas. Conduct an initial literature review to begin gathering relevant sources. As you read, take notes and try to identify problems, questions, debates, contradictions and gaps. Your aim is to narrow down from a broad area of interest to a specific niche.

Make sure to consider the practicalities: the requirements of your programme, the amount of time you have to complete the research, and how difficult it will be to access sources and data on the topic. Before moving onto the next stage, it’s a good idea to discuss the topic with your thesis supervisor.

>>Read more about narrowing down a research topic

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So you’ve settled on a topic and found a niche—but what exactly will your research investigate, and why does it matter? To give your project focus and purpose, you have to define a research problem .

The problem might be a practical issue—for example, a process or practice that isn’t working well, an area of concern in an organization’s performance, or a difficulty faced by a specific group of people in society.

Alternatively, you might choose to investigate a theoretical problem—for example, an underexplored phenomenon or relationship, a contradiction between different models or theories, or an unresolved debate among scholars.

To put the problem in context and set your objectives, you can write a problem statement . This describes who the problem affects, why research is needed, and how your research project will contribute to solving it.

>>Read more about defining a research problem

Next, based on the problem statement, you need to write one or more research questions . These target exactly what you want to find out. They might focus on describing, comparing, evaluating, or explaining the research problem.

A strong research question should be specific enough that you can answer it thoroughly using appropriate qualitative or quantitative research methods. It should also be complex enough to require in-depth investigation, analysis, and argument. Questions that can be answered with “yes/no” or with easily available facts are not complex enough for a thesis or dissertation.

In some types of research, at this stage you might also have to develop a conceptual framework and testable hypotheses .

>>See research question examples

The research design is a practical framework for answering your research questions. It involves making decisions about the type of data you need, the methods you’ll use to collect and analyze it, and the location and timescale of your research.

There are often many possible paths you can take to answering your questions. The decisions you make will partly be based on your priorities. For example, do you want to determine causes and effects, draw generalizable conclusions, or understand the details of a specific context?

You need to decide whether you will use primary or secondary data and qualitative or quantitative methods . You also need to determine the specific tools, procedures, and materials you’ll use to collect and analyze your data, as well as your criteria for selecting participants or sources.

>>Read more about creating a research design

Finally, after completing these steps, you are ready to complete a research proposal . The proposal outlines the context, relevance, purpose, and plan of your research.

As well as outlining the background, problem statement, and research questions, the proposal should also include a literature review that shows how your project will fit into existing work on the topic. The research design section describes your approach and explains exactly what you will do.

You might have to get the proposal approved by your supervisor before you get started, and it will guide the process of writing your thesis or dissertation.

>>Read more about writing a research proposal

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

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How to Write a First Class Dissertation

How to get a first in your dissertation.

A dissertation paper has two main goals: to prove that the student has acquired extensive knowledge about a selected topic and to demonstrate the student's ability of using pertinent research methods. Knowing how to write a first class dissertation implies a level of knowledge and training fit for future academic endeavours, as well as for achieving professional or personal goals.

A first class dissertation is a research paper of the utmost quality, with a final grade of at least 70 percent. This implies that the paper will show signs of excellence when it comes to clarity, presentation, originality and understanding of the key issues; furthermore, a first class dissertation gives evidence for the student's independent manner of thinking and judgement. Furthermore, when learning how to write a first class dissertation, students need to acknowledge the importance of constant communication with their supervisors. The steady feedback offered this way would assure that any problems encountered during their research would be dealt with immediately. Avoiding one's supervisor is thus a costly mistake, often resulting in the student receiving a second or third class grade for his or her dissertation.

Writing the Dissertation Paper

A student who knows how to write a first class dissertation is able to understand and apply the knowledge offered by his bibliographical sources in a creative manner that demonstrates critical thinking and originality. Furthermore, a first class dissertation requires an excellent use of writing skills when constructing the arguments and bringing the evidence for a certain point of view. The chosen bibliographic materials need to be of the utmost relevance and recency, regardless of the where the student has acquired them from (Internet websites, libraries, etc.).

Generally, a dissertation consists of several separate sections:

• The introduction should provide a background of the chosen study. A well-written thesis needs to be introduced within this section. A student who knows how to write a first class dissertation needs to be able to attract and prepare his readers for the content of the paper. By emphasising on the goals and objectives the dissertation aims to achieve, the author makes the audience more perceptive to the arguments brought within the paper. A good hint would be to edit your introduction once the paper is finished, as this is one of the most difficult parts to write of an academic paper.
• The literature review is the second part of the paper; in it, the author underlines the problems that are going to be discussed, presenting every relevant piece of evidence. By analysing the theories presented by the specialised literature, you will prepare the grounds for the next section of the dissertation, the methodology.
• The methodology enlarges on every specific method of data analysis used in the thesis. Knowing how to write a first class dissertation implies using qualitative research methods, rather than quantitative ones. Furthermore, a research design needs to be specified, along with a timetable that identifies the number of days and weeks spent studying every aspect of the discussion. The methods of analysing the data also need to be specified. Overall, the better the author explains the methods and processes he used for bringing evidence to his thesis, the more credible his paper will be.

A good academic impression is built by offering arguments for all the pros and cons related to the subject of the thesis. Someone who knows how to write a first class dissertation will bring evidence both for and against the subject he aims to prove, and will not refrain from admitting the limitations of his study. Furthermore, every table, statistic, figure or chart needs to be thoroughly explained; failure to do so will result in losing valuable marks.

• The conclusion provides a recap of the whole discussion and brings it to a satisfactory end. Every current issue related to the chosen research topic is to be presented in this section, without adding any new information that asks for additional explanations. A student who knows how to write a first class dissertation will also present the limitations he or she has encountered during the research, and direct the reader to other recommended studies that can provide additional information about the subject. A good conclusion offers a sense of closure to the paper and reinforces the author's credibility at the same time; like the introduction, the conclusion is a section students find quite difficult to construct.
• Lastly, the works cited page and the appendix are added at the end of the dissertation. Pay attention to the formatting style you have chosen; any inadvertencies will automatically lead to the loss of valuable marks.

Use of Language, Style and Formatting

Aiming for a top mark requires paying proper attention to language and style. A first-class academic paper should be written in a formal style, using the appropriate terminology.

A student who knows how to write a first class dissertation will avoid colloquial and informal expressions; however, an excessive use of scientific terminology or technical language is undesirable. Clear, concise sentences are the most appropriate for making oneself understood. A pompous style employing lengthy sentences will probably diminish the interest of the reader.

Furthermore, avoid using the first person in your text; “the researcher/author” is commonly used in academic papers when referring to the person who has devised the thesis. Furthermore, words that express qualitative judgments (such as “bad”, “good”, “perfect”, etc) should be avoided, “correct” or “incorrect” being more fit for presenting your arguments or opinions.

The specifications of the formatting style needs to be respected at all times. Usually, academic papers employ the Harvard or APA style, but instructors may specify the use of other referencing standards.

Lastly, proofread and spell-check the text. If you can show the paper to a native English speaker, do so, asking him or her to tell you where you might improve on your use of language. If you know how to write a first class dissertation, then you know that incorrect use of language and grammar will lower your marks. For the best results, consider using our proofreading and editing section ; furthermore, the dissertation writing section can help you by offering well-written dissertation you can use as models during future academic endeavours.

[button url="http://www.academicsciences.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/How-to-Write-a-First-Class-Dissertation.pdf" ]To download this guide for free, click here![/button]

Are you struggling with the perfect dissertation? Academic Sciences provide custom essays and model answers which can help you manage your dissertation writing and help get you the grade you want. We have a variety of solutions available to you to suit your academic level, time frame and budget. Have a look through our academic guides and if you are still struggling, consider giving us a call or placing an order for your dissertation on-line.

Essay and dissertation writing skills

Planning your essay

Writing your introduction

Structuring your essay

• Writing essays in science subjects
• Brief video guides to support essay planning and writing
• Writing extended essays and dissertations
• Planning your dissertation writing time

Structuring your dissertation

• Top tips for writing longer pieces of work

Advice on planning and writing essays and dissertations

University essays differ from school essays in that they are less concerned with what you know and more concerned with how you construct an argument to answer the question. This means that the starting point for writing a strong essay is to first unpick the question and to then use this to plan your essay before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

A really good starting point for you are these short, downloadable Tips for Successful Essay Writing and Answering the Question resources. Both resources will help you to plan your essay, as well as giving you guidance on how to distinguish between different sorts of essay questions. 

You may find it helpful to watch this seven-minute video on six tips for essay writing which outlines how to interpret essay questions, as well as giving advice on planning and structuring your writing:

Different disciplines will have different expectations for essay structure and you should always refer to your Faculty or Department student handbook or course Canvas site for more specific guidance.

However, broadly speaking, all essays share the following features:

Essays need an introduction to establish and focus the parameters of the discussion that will follow. You may find it helpful to divide the introduction into areas to demonstrate your breadth and engagement with the essay question. You might define specific terms in the introduction to show your engagement with the essay question; for example, ‘This is a large topic which has been variously discussed by many scientists and commentators. The principle tension is between the views of X and Y who define the main issues as…’ Breadth might be demonstrated by showing the range of viewpoints from which the essay question could be considered; for example, ‘A variety of factors including economic, social and political, influence A and B. This essay will focus on the social and economic aspects, with particular emphasis on…..’

Watch this two-minute video to learn more about how to plan and structure an introduction:

The main body of the essay should elaborate on the issues raised in the introduction and develop an argument(s) that answers the question. It should consist of a number of self-contained paragraphs each of which makes a specific point and provides some form of evidence to support the argument being made. Remember that a clear argument requires that each paragraph explicitly relates back to the essay question or the developing argument.

• Conclusion: An essay should end with a conclusion that reiterates the argument in light of the evidence you have provided; you shouldn’t use the conclusion to introduce new information.
• References: You need to include references to the materials you’ve used to write your essay. These might be in the form of footnotes, in-text citations, or a bibliography at the end. Different systems exist for citing references and different disciplines will use various approaches to citation. Ask your tutor which method(s) you should be using for your essay and also consult your Department or Faculty webpages for specific guidance in your discipline. 

Essay writing in science subjects

If you are writing an essay for a science subject you may need to consider additional areas, such as how to present data or diagrams. This five-minute video gives you some advice on how to approach your reading list, planning which information to include in your answer and how to write for your scientific audience – the video is available here:

A PDF providing further guidance on writing science essays for tutorials is available to download.

Short videos to support your essay writing skills

There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including:

• Approaching different types of essay questions  
• Structuring your essay  
• Writing an introduction  
• Making use of evidence in your essay writing  
• Writing your conclusion

Extended essays and dissertations

Longer pieces of writing like extended essays and dissertations may seem like quite a challenge from your regular essay writing. The important point is to start with a plan and to focus on what the question is asking. A PDF providing further guidance on planning Humanities and Social Science dissertations is available to download.

Planning your time effectively

Try not to leave the writing until close to your deadline, instead start as soon as you have some ideas to put down onto paper. Your early drafts may never end up in the final work, but the work of committing your ideas to paper helps to formulate not only your ideas, but the method of structuring your writing to read well and conclude firmly.

Although many students and tutors will say that the introduction is often written last, it is a good idea to begin to think about what will go into it early on. For example, the first draft of your introduction should set out your argument, the information you have, and your methods, and it should give a structure to the chapters and sections you will write. Your introduction will probably change as time goes on but it will stand as a guide to your entire extended essay or dissertation and it will help you to keep focused.

The structure of  extended essays or dissertations will vary depending on the question and discipline, but may include some or all of the following:

• The background information to - and context for - your research. This often takes the form of a literature review.
• Explanation of the focus of your work.
• Explanation of the value of this work to scholarship on the topic.
• List of the aims and objectives of the work and also the issues which will not be covered because they are outside its scope.

The main body of your extended essay or dissertation will probably include your methodology, the results of research, and your argument(s) based on your findings.

The conclusion is to summarise the value your research has added to the topic, and any further lines of research you would undertake given more time or resources. 

Tips on writing longer pieces of work

Approaching each chapter of a dissertation as a shorter essay can make the task of writing a dissertation seem less overwhelming. Each chapter will have an introduction, a main body where the argument is developed and substantiated with evidence, and a conclusion to tie things together. Unlike in a regular essay, chapter conclusions may also introduce the chapter that will follow, indicating how the chapters are connected to one another and how the argument will develop through your dissertation.

For further guidance, watch this two-minute video on writing longer pieces of work . 

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How to Start Your Dissertation? Getting it Right First Time

Published by Carmen Troy at September 1st, 2021 , Revised On October 10, 2023

If you are unsure about how to start your dissertation and getting it right the first time then you have come to the right place.

All students must possess organisational and time management skills to write their dissertation projects to a high academic standard. Due to the heavy academic workload and personal obligations, many students get behind their work schedules. This results in poor quality of work and high-stress levels. It is vitally important to develop a detailed work plan to properly manage your time and complete each  part of your dissertation  by the deadline you set.

Dissertation Topic Planning

Before doing anything else, you should  choose a dissertation topic  that interests you. Your dissertation project will give you the opportunity to explore and research your chosen topic in depth. Generally, students make use of previous research studies and literature to find a topic that is interesting and manageable. When working on your  dissertation paper , it is imperative that you let your imagination and ideas flow freely. There is no denying the fact that a dissertation is hard work, but at the same time, it gives you the opportunity to achieve a unique academic milestone that could make a substantial difference to your professional career as well.

Choosing an intriguing yet rewarding topic is easier said than done. There are many important factors that need to be considered when deciding on the topic you wish to write about. You may search for an interesting and current research topic in our dissertation topic ideas library . If you are lucky enough, an  idea for a dissertation may pop into your mind without having to do a lot of research. However, generally, students have to spend a considerable amount of time and follow a systematic approach in their search for a suitable dissertation topic  or question.

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It could be that you have too many ideas or too few, and therefore it is suggested to invest time and effort in background reading and thinking before reaching a decision about the topic.

Some Tips and Advice to Help You Start Your Dissertation

• If you have been assigned a  dissertation supervisor , talk to them at an early stage about the topic ideas floating in your mind. If possible, set up a meeting with them to discuss your ideas. In some academic institutions,  undergraduate students are actively discouraged from approaching members of the faculty. So check the procedures of your university before making such a move.
• Search  online libraries and   academic scholarly databases  to find useful articles and journals. You may need to do some desk based research to become familiar with the authentic search sources available on the internet.
• Draw upon your experience as a student, a patient, a member of a team, an employee, and so on.
• Read newspapers and magazines to find current issues in your area of study and develop your research topic from your reading and knowledge.

Contact a reliable online dissertation topic planning help service to get research topic ideas, dissertation plan, and perhaps help with your entire dissertation project .

Choosing the Best Dissertation Topic

Inspiration may come from different places when you are searching for a suitable topic of research. However, it is essential to  select a research problem that can be addressed in a timely and appropriate academic manner. Below are some questions that you should ask yourself before deciding on your  dissertation project :

• Keeping the time and resources available in consideration, would I be able to research the topic I have selected?
• Have I found existing literature within which I could locate my work?
• Would I be able to perform comparative and critical analysis with my chosen topic?
• Will my research topic keep me interested over the period of six to eight months?
• What  type of research I will have to base my dissertation on –  primary or secondary  – qualitative or quantitative?

Also Read:  Dissertation Help From UK’s Best Dissertation Writing Service

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Is Your Dissertation Topic too Broad?

You should avoid too broad a topic particularly if you have to work with time and resource constraints. Being overambitious will land you only in trouble. Thus, it is recommended that you address a small yet manageable question rather than completely failing to find the answer to a complex and confusing research question. The following approach of thinking can help you to narrow the focus of research.

• What type of data collection methods I will be able to deal with keeping the various project constraints in mind?
• Is there a particular data collection method that would help me to stay focused?
• How does the topic relate to my academic and professional ambitions?
• Is there enough literature  available on the topic?

If you are unable to start your dissertation due to your professional or work related commitments then you could get help from our expert dissertation writers. No matter how urgent or complex your requirements might be, we have subject specialists for every field of study.

Record Useful Information and Ideas

• You may find it helpful to record your ideas and useful/relevant information in a research notebook. Objectives of making a research notebook could vary from recording your initial ideas and observations to important points from literature and problems you faced during the research process .
• Make sure that you are keeping an accurate record of the referencing details of all reading material that you read as part of your preliminary desk based research.
• Become familiar with the referencing style that you are required to use for your  dissertation paper . This requirement is usually specified in the formatting guidelines and assessment criteria of your dissertation module.
• If possible, list all the reference resources in alphabetical order as a word file.
• You can also manage your references using any authentic software.

Also Read:  How PHD Thesis is Different to Graduate Level Dissertation

Read, Read and Read!!!

In order to score a high academic grade in your dissertation module, you will be required to do lots of reading. Explore the literature available on your chosen topic. Useful reading material generally includes but is not limited to the most  commonly employed research methods and methodologies , articles and journals published in online academic databases, research studies on a similar topic, and relevant textbooks and case studies.

As a rule of thumb, use at least 4 to 5 reference resources for every 1000 words you write for your dissertation paper. This means that a 10,000 long  dissertation project  will incorporate a minimum of 40 to 50 references.

Being Organised Helps

The process of research and  writing for a dissertation paper  is an evolving one. It will be useful to you if you can continuously take notes of ideas, useful online resources and observations during the preliminary research and data gathering process. Humanly, it may not be possible to remember all sources of information you came across.  Being organized and systematic in your planning and actions  can go a long towards turning your dissertation writing experience into a pleasant one.

Recording important information such as academic sources you found relevant/useful, references to follow up at a later stage, notes on journals and articles you read, and methods of collecting data can be helpful for you in accomplishing your personal development goals.

When is the Right Time to Start Your Dissertation or Thesis?

If you are undergraduate students  enrolled on a three or four-year degree, then you will be assigned the dissertation project during your second/third year. Graduate students, on the other hand, should check their course guidelines to know exactly when they will be required to submit their  dissertation project . As an educated guess, you should give yourself at least 6 full months to produce a dissertation paper to a high-quality standard.

Time Management and Planning Skills

Students should list down all critical stages of their dissertation project which is usually completed over a long period of time. The key is to break down your dissertation into small and manageable chunks and develop a plan to conclude a deadline for each section. This strategy will go a long way towards helping you to get your project done in a timely manner. It is pivotal that you develop a detailed plan of action or dissertation outline at an early stage and get your supervisor’s approval for it. If your project incorporates primary research, then you will need to develop an even more detailed schedule of activities, so you can identify the factors that could hinder your progress.

You will need to allocate a sufficient amount of time for the following activities:

• Finding the best dissertation topic
• Desk based research at an initial stage to find relevant academic sources
• Devising the aim and key objectives of your research
• Writing the introduction chapter
• Reviewing the literature available on your topic
• Develop  methodology framework and selecting the most appropriate methods
• Collection of primary data using questionnaires, surveys, and interviews
• Transcribing data
• Analysis of data using qualitative/quantitative analysis
• Writing the  discussion and  conclusion  sections
• In-text referencing and listing all reference resources used for your study
• Developing the  appendices section
• Proofreading and editing your work

If you now know how to start your dissertation then you might be interested in; How to Write First Class Dissertation Proposal.

Useful Reading Material

• Moore, N. (2000). How to do research. The complete guide to designing and managing research projects . 3rd ed., London, Facet Publishing, chapters 1&2 – objectives and planning
• Rowntree, D. (1998). Learn how to study . 4th ed., London, Warner place, chapter 9 – writing notes
• Seale, C. (2006). Researching society and culture . London, Sage, chapter 7 – planning
• Thomas, G. (2009). How to do Your Research Project . Sage, Los Angeles.
• Walliman, N. (2011). Your Research Project . Sage Publications, London.
• Winkler, A. & McCuin-Metherill, J. (2011). Writing the Research Paper . Thomson Wadsworth, Boston.

If you are still unsure about how to start your dissertation and choose a research topic that would make the process easier for you then you might want to take a look at our dissertation topic and outline service which is designed to help you jump start your dissertation project. Or learn more about our dissertation services if you wish to obtain help with the whole dissertation paper or individual chapters.

Frequenlty Asked Questions

How to start writing a dissertation.

To start writing a dissertation, begin with a clear research question, outline your chapters, gather relevant sources, and establish a writing schedule for consistent progress. Don’t forget to seek guidance from your advisor throughout the process.

You May Also Like

Anyone who supports you in your research should be acknowledged in dissertation acknowledgments. Learn more on how to write dissertation acknowledgements.

Dissertation discussion is where you explore the relevance and significance of results. Here are guidelines to help you write the perfect discussion chapter.

Here are the steps to make a theoretical framework for dissertation. You can define, discuss and evaluate theories relevant to the research problem.

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20 Tips to help you finish your dissertation

  i haven’t met many ph.d. students who don’t like to write. some may like writing more than others, but most enjoy writing—or, at least, the satisfaction of having written. wherever you find yourself on the love-for-writing spectrum, a dissertation awaits completion, and you must finish. here are a few tips to help you. 1. write sooner. the….

I haven’t met many Ph.D. students who don’t like to write. Some may like writing more than others, but most enjoy writing—or, at least, the satisfaction of having written. Wherever you find yourself on the love-for-writing spectrum, a dissertation awaits completion, and you must finish. Here are a few tips to help you.

1. Write sooner.  The dissertation writing process can quickly become paralyzing because of its size and importance. It is a project that will be reviewed rigorously by your advisor and your committee, and your graduation depends on your successful completion and defense. Facing these realities can be daunting and tempt you to wait until you can determine that you’ve researched or thought enough about the topic. Yet, the longer you delay writing, the more difficult it will be to actually start the process. The answer to your paralysis is to start writing .  Are you unsure of your argument or not fully convinced you have done the requisite research? You may be right: your argument may not be airtight, and you may need to do more reading; but you will be able to determine to what degree these problems need attention when you start writing. Productivity begets productivity, and you will be amazed at how arguments take shape and the direction of your research is forged as you write.

2. Write continually.  So, don’t stop writing. Of course, you need to continue to read and study and take notes—I will talk about this more in a moment—but it is best if you keep the gears from grinding to a halt. Keep your mind working and your project moving. Your assignment is not to turn in a hundred pages of notes to your supervisor—you must produce a dissertation with complete sentences and paragraphs and chapters.  Keep writing.

3. Write in order to rewrite.  Writing sooner and writing continually can only happen if you aren’t consumed with perfection. Some of us are discouraged from writing because we think our first draft needs to be our final draft. But this is exactly the problem. Get your thoughts on paper and plan to go back and fix awkward sentences, poor word choices, and illogical or unsubstantiated arguments in your subsequent drafts.  Knowing that rewriting is part of the writing process will free you to write persistently, make progress, and look forward to fixing things later.

4. Spend adequate time determining your thesis and methodology.  This probably could fit in the number one slot, but I wanted to emphasize the importance writing right away. Besides, you might find that you modify your thesis and methodology slightly as you write and make progress in developing your overall argument. Nevertheless, the adage is true: form a solid thesis and methodology statement and your dissertation will “write itself.” Plan to spend some time writing and rewriting and rewriting (again) your thesis and methodology statements so that you will know where you are going and where you need to go.

5. If you get stuck, move to another section.  Developing a clear thesis and methodology will allow you to move around in your dissertation when you get stuck. Granted, we should not make a habit of avoiding difficult tasks, but there are times when it will be a more effective use of time to move to sections that will write easy. As you continue to make progress in your project and get words on paper, you will also help mitigate the panic that so often looms over your project when you get stuck and your writing ceases.

6.  Fight the urge to walk away from writing when it gets difficult.  Having encouraged you to move to another section when you get stuck, it is also important to add a balancing comment to encourage you to fight through the tough spots in your project. I don’t mean that you should force writing when it is clear that you may need to make some structural changes or do a little more research on a given topic. But if you find yourself dreading a particular portion of your dissertation because it will require some mind-numbing, head-on-your-desk, prayer-producing rigor, then my advice is to face these tough sections head on and sit in your chair until you make some progress. You will be amazed at how momentum will grow out of your dogged persistence to hammer out these difficult portions of your project.

7.  Strive for excellence but remember that this is not your magnum opus.  A dissertation needs to be of publishable quality and it will need to past the muster of your supervisor and committee. But it is also a graduation requirement. Do the research. Make a contribution. Finish the project. And plan to write your five-volume theology when you have 30-40 more years of study, reflection, and teaching under your belt.

8.  Take careful notes.  Taking careful notes is essential for two reasons. First, keeping a meticulous record of the knowledge you glean from your research will save you time: there will be no need to later revisit your resources and chase bibliographic information, and you will find yourself less prone to the dreaded, “Where did I read that?” Second, and most importantly, you will avoid plagiarism.  If you fail to take good notes and are not careful to accurately copy direct quotes and make proper citations, you will be liable to reproducing material in your dissertation that is not original with you. Pleading that your plagiarism was inadvertent will not help your cause. It is your responsibility to take careful notes and attribute all credit to whom it is due through proper citation.

9.  Know when to read.  Write sooner, write continually, and write in order to rewrite. But you need to know when you are churning an empty barrel. Reading and research should be a stimulus to write and you need to know when that stimulus is needed. Be willing to stop writing for a short period so that you can refresh your mind with new ideas and research.

10. Establish chunks of time to research and write.  While it is important to keep writing and make the most of the time that you have, it is best for writing projects specifically to set aside large portions of time with which to write. Writing requires momentum, and momentum gathers over time. Personally, I have found that I need at least an hour to get things rolling, and that three to four hours is ideal.

Related: Learn more about our Research Doctoral Studies Degrees ( D.Miss., Ed.D., Th.M., Ph.D). See also the Doctoral Studies viewbook .

11.  Get exercise, adequate sleep, and eat well.  Because our minds and bodies are meant to function in harmony, you will probably find that your productivity suffers to the degree that you are not giving attention to your exercise, sleep, and eating habits.  Like it or not, our ability to maintain long periods of sustained concentration, think carefully over our subject matter, and find motivation to complete tasks is dependent in a significant sense upon how we are caring for our bodies.  When we neglect exercise, fail to get adequate sleep, or constantly indulge in an unhealthy diet, we will find it increasingly difficult to muster the energy and clarity with which to complete our dissertation.

12.  Stay on task.  Completing a dissertation, in large measure, is not so much a feat of the intellect as it is the result of discipline. If you are able to set aside large chunks of time with which to research and write, make sure that you are not using that time for other tasks. This means that you must strive against multi-tasking. In truth, studies have shown that multi-tasking is a cognitive impossibility.  Our brains can only concentrate on one thing at a time.  When we think we are multitasking we are actually “switch-tasking;” rather than doing several things at once, our brains are constantly toggling from one task to the other (listening to a song on the radio to reading a book, back to the song, etc.). You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish if you give an undistracted 60-90 minutes to something. Stay on task.

13.  Don’t get stuck on introductions.  This is a basic writing principle, but one that bears repeating here: write the body of a given chapter or section and then return to the introductions. It is usually easier to introduce something that you have already written for the simple fact that you now know what you are introducing. You might be tempted to write the introduction first and labor to capture your reader with a gripping illustration or perfect quote while refusing to enter into the body of your paper until your preliminary remarks are flawless. This is a sure recipe for frustration. Wait until you have completed a particular section or chapter’s content until you write introductions. This practice will save you time and loads of trouble.

14.  Use a legal pad.  There’s nothing magic about a legal pad; my only aim here is to encourage you to push back from the keyboard occasionally and stimulate your mind by sketching your argument and writing your ideas by hand. I have found my way out of many dry spells by closing the laptop for a few minutes and writing on a piece of paper. I might bullet point a few key ideas, diagram my chapter outlines, or sketch the entire dissertation with boxes and arrows and notes scribbled over several pages.

15.  Go on walks.  It has been  said recently that walking promotes creativity . I agree. Whether you like to walk among the trees or besides the small coffee shops along quaint side streets, I recommend that you go on walks and think specifically about your dissertation. You might find that the change of scenery, the stimulus of a bustling community, or the refreshing quiet of a park trail is just the help you need.

16.  Make use of a capture journal.  In order to make the most of your walks, you will need a place to “capture” your ideas. You may prefer to use the voice memo or notepad feature on your smartphone, or, if you’re like me,   a small 2.5”x4” lined journal . Whatever your preference, find a method that allows you to store your ideas as they come to you during your walks or as you fall to sleep at night. I wonder how many useful ideas many of us have lost because we failed to write them down? Don’t let this happen to you. Resolve to be a good steward of your thinking time and seize those thoughts.

17.  Talk about your ideas with others.  When you are writing your dissertation, you might be tempted to lock away your ideas and avoid discussing them with others. This is unwise. Talking with others about your ideas helps you to refine and stimulate your thinking; it also creates opportunities for you to learn of important resources and how your contribution will affect other branches of scholarship. Also, as people ask questions about your project, you will begin to see where your argument is unclear or unsubstantiated.

18.  Learn how to read.  Writing a dissertation requires a massive amount of reading. You must become familiar with the arguments of several hundred resources—books, articles, reviews, and other dissertations. What will you do? You must learn how to read. Effective reading does not require that you read every book word-for-word, cover-to-cover. Indeed, sometimes very close reading of a given volume may actually impede your understanding of the author’s argument. In order to save time and cultivate a more effective approach to knowledge acquisition, you must learn how to use your resources. This means knowing when to read a book or article closely, and knowing when to skim. It means knowing how to read large books within a matter of an hour by carefully reviewing the table of contents, reading and rereading key chapters and paragraphs, and using the subject index. If you want to finish your dissertation, learn how to read.

19.  Set deadlines.  Depending on your project, you may have built in deadlines that force you to produce material at a steady clip. If you do not have built in deadlines, you must impose them on yourself.  Deadlines produce results, and results lead to completed writing projects.  Set realistic deadlines and stick to them.  You will find that you are able to accomplish much more than you anticipated if you set and stick to deadlines.

20.  Take productive breaks.  Instead of turning to aimless entertainment to fill your break times, try doing something that will indirectly serve your writing process. We need breaks: they refresh us and help us stay on task. In fact, studies have shown that overall productivity diminishes if employees are not allowed to take regular, brief pauses from their work during the day. What is not often mentioned, however, is that a break does not necessarily have to be unrelated to our work in order to be refreshing; it needs only to be different from what we were just doing. So, for example, if you have been writing for 90 minutes, instead of turning on YouTube to watch another mountain biking video, you could get up, stretch, and pull that book off the shelf you’ve been wanting to read, or that article that has been sitting in  Pocket  for the past six weeks. Maybe reorganizing your desk or taking a walk (see above) around the library with your capture journal would be helpful. Whatever you choose, try to make your breaks productive.

Derek J. Brown  is an M.Div and Ph.D graduate of Southern Seminary and is currently serving as pastoral assistant at  Grace Bible Fellowship  of Silicon Valley overseeing their young adult ministry,  Grace Campus Ministries , mid-week Bible studies, website, and social media.  He is also an adjunct professor of Christian Theology at Southern Seminary. This article was originally published on his blog  www.derekjamesbrown.com . Follow Derek on twitter at  @DerekBrown24 .

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10 March Madness tips from a certified bracket master

As you stare at your blank March Madness bracket, don’t focus on the 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 different ways this men’s basketball tournament could play out, or worry about which teams are going to be the talk of the country for their stunning first-round upsets. We are going to walk through the best way to construct a bracket so it is the last one standing in your office or family pool — and help you answer the questions that actually matter.

March Madness

The approach outlined here is similar to the one I used last year to correctly identify six of the Elite Eight teams — San Diego State, Kansas State, Miami, Texas, Connecticut and Gonzaga, none of which were No. 1 seeds. That approach also helped me predict that fourth-seeded Connecticut would make the Final Four, and that fifth-seeded San Diego State would reach the title game, picks that helped plenty of my readers win their pools. If you followed the “People’s Bracket” last year — the most popular picks for every round in ESPN’s contest — you would have finished with 45 points in standard scoring systems, with only one Elite Eight team and none of the Final Four. My bracket finished with 96 points.

To build our strategy, we’re going to incorporate historical trends, make some educated guesses based on analytics and lean on betting markets to point us in the right direction. Some of these tips may be new to you, but rest assured this is the correct path to take — and a far more productive blueprint than making picks based on school colors, mascots or the advice of noisy TV pundits.

And for more advice, see also my annual Perfect Bracket ; the most likely first-round upsets ; the best bets to win it all that you can trust; and the most vulnerable top seeds .

Don’t start filling out your bracket with Round 1; start with the Elite Eight or Final Four

Most people sit down with their brackets, start at the 1 vs. 16 matchup in the top left corner and work their way through that region until they come to the Final Four. We’re not most people. We start with the teams we think will reach the Elite Eight or the Final Four and work backward to reduce the number of decisions we need to make.

Why? Because according to a March 2020 study in the Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports (“ Models for generating NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket pools ”), bracket generators that start by selecting the teams that reach the Elite Eight or Final Four tend to outperform generators that start with the round of 64 or the national champion. It’s also the “ best for balancing initial pick risk against the number of decisions ,” per Sheldon H. Jacobson, a computer science professor at Illinois and one of the authors of the paper.

You can find my full “Perfect Bracket” here , but here’s a spoiler: No. 4 seed Auburn looks awfully enticing. The Tigers enter the tournament as the fourth-best team in the country, per analyst Ken Pomeroy’s ratings, which adjust margin of victory for tempo and strength of schedule. The Tigers also have one of the best defenses in the country. They’re in a powerhouse East Region with No. 1 seed Connecticut, No. 2 seed Iowa State and No. 3 seed Illinois, but that just means fewer of your competitors focus on them.

Look for value in the Elite Eight

According to data from ESPN’s past tournament pools, No. 1 and No. 2 seeds are typically well represented in the public’s Elite Eight. An average No. 1 seed is advanced to that round by 63 percent of entrants, while an average No. 2 seed is found in the Elite Eight on nearly half of all brackets. That tells us we should look elsewhere for our choices when possible, especially if we’re entering larger pools.

Specifically, look for highly rated teams in Pomeroy’s rankings that have been under-seeded in the tournament. You could also target lower-seeded teams that have a high consensus rating, using analyst Ken Massey’s aggregation of dozens of rating methods, relative to the field. In addition to Auburn, a team to consider is No. 5 Saint Mary’s in the West Region. The Gaels won the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles, reeled off 16 straight wins at one point this year and rank 20th in Pomeroy’s ratings.

Be selective picking upsets

Validation from picking upsets — defined here as a win by a team at least two seed lines below the losing team — is wonderful. I should know; I had fifth-seeded San Diego State in the title game last year , as you might have heard. Yet there probably aren’t as many of these upsets as you think, even in the early rounds. Since 1985, when the men’s field expanded to 64 teams, there have been, on average, 12 of these upsets per tournament .

Sometimes there are more — there were 14 last year, in a historically wacky tournament — and sometimes there are fewer — there were only four in 2007. As you would expect, the deeper you get into the tournament, the fewer such upsets occur. And obviously, if two lower-seeded teams meet in a later round, one will advance, even if it might not be a huge upset by seed.

So how do you decide which teams are capable of busting brackets? If you are comfortable with sports betting, check out the point spreads for each individual game and find lower-seeded teams that are either small underdogs or favored outright. Some of those this season include No. 10 Drake (which is favored over No. 7 Washington State), No. 11 New Mexico (which is favored over No. 6 Clemson) and No. 10 Nevada (which is favored over No. 7 Dayton), although there are also other appealing first-round upset candidates . And No. 11 Oregon is just a slight underdog against No. 6 South Carolina.

You could also check out the consensus rankings and make decisions accordingly. Historically speaking, the higher-rated team wins approximately 67 percent of the time, giving you a good indicator of a few potential upsets to target.

The size of your pool will tell you how much risk to take

If you are in a small pool — say, 25 people or less — you want to minimize your risk. That means not picking a large number of surprises, especially in the late rounds, and focusing on the favorites.

As the pool size gets bigger, it’s necessary to take more calculated risks to make your bracket unique. In other words, if you pick a favorite to win the title in a big pool — meaning you aren’t guaranteed much of anything even if your team wins — you need to be contrarian elsewhere, like picking a Cinderella team to reach the Final Four or taking more risks in the early rounds. If you decide to make riskier plays in the later rounds — the Elite Eight and beyond — you can play it safer leading up to the Sweet 16. Last year’s successful Perfect Bracket predicted that 12 of the top 16 seeds would advance to the Sweet 16; the riskier picks later on carried the bracket to success.

Don’t buy into the 12-seed mystique. Focus on the No. 11 seeds instead

You are going to hear a lot about how appealing the No. 12 seeds are, and how often they upset No. 5 seeds in the first round. That used to be the case, but lately there’s a better strategy. Since 2011, when the field expanded to 68 teams, No. 12 seeds have an 18-30 record against No. 5 seeds in the round of 64. The No. 11 seeds, by comparison, are 25-23 in their matchups against the No. 6 seeds — and often with a whole lot less hype. My top first-round upset picks this year include No. 11 New Mexico over No. 6 Clemson and No. 11 N.C. State over No. 6 Texas Tech.

Believe in at least one ‘First Four’ team

The First Four games open the tournament, pitting the last four automatic qualifiers against each other and the last four at-large teams against each other. The winners of the First Four games advance into the field of 64. They don’t all succeed there, but from 2011 to 2023, only once (in 2019) has an at-large First Four team failed to win a game in the 64-team bracket.

The most famous example is VCU steamrolling into the Final Four as a No. 11 seed in 2011. A decade later, UCLA went from the First Four to Final Four after beating No. 1 Michigan in the Elite Eight. La Salle (2013), Tennessee (2014) and Syracuse (2018) are other First Four teams with multiple wins in the 64-field tournament.

Last year got even crazier, when Fairleigh Dickinson became the first automatic qualifier to go from a First Four win to claiming a game in the round of 64. They did it in historic fashion, upsetting No. 1 Purdue to become just the second No. 16 seed to reach the round of 32.

And because these teams aren’t penciled into the 64-team grid on Sunday night, many bracket-pickers avoid them — which can give you an even bigger edge. This year, the “First Four” teams include four No. 10 seeds: Virginia plays Colorado State, and Boise State faces Colorado. Take a close look at the winners of those two games.

Favor teams that did well in conference tournaments

There was a time when you wanted your eventual title team to have won its just-concluded conference tournament, but that’s no longer necessary. From 1999 to 2010, eight out of 12 national champions previously won their conference tournaments. In the 12 tournaments since, just four conference champions won the national championship.

However, every national championship-winning team since 1985 — with the exception of UCLA in 1995 and Arizona in 1997, which didn’t have a conference tournament — has lasted at least to the semifinal round in its conference tournament. So plan on avoiding teams that made an early exit, at least for your national title pick. This year, such teams include No. 3 seed Creighton, No. 4 seed Duke, No. 4 seed Kansas and three teams from the SEC: No. 2 seed Tennessee, No. 3 seed Kentucky and No. 4 seed Alabama. Kansas at least had an excuse; Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson missed the Jayhawks’ loss to Cincinnati because of injuries, and Parker Braun wasn’t 100 percent.

Focus on the statistics that matter

There are 68 teams in the tournament after thousands of games played this season, producing a variety of statistics indicating which teams will win or lose a particular matchup. Most of these are irrelevant. Instead, investigate the essentials of shooting, rebounding, creating turnovers and getting to the free throw line, also known as the four factors for offense and defense.

For upset candidates, offensive rebounding just might be the most important. Those rebounds provide teams with the extra possessions that are crucial to pulling off a March upset. Since 2011, in three-quarters of NCAA tournament upsets, the worse seed had the better offensive rebounding rate during the game in question. Some of the best offensive rebounding teams that are lower-seeded teams in this tournament include No. 16 Longwood (12th), No. 12 UAB (22nd) and No. 15 Saint Peter’s (23rd). Other strong offensive rebounding teams that could be under the radar include No. 9 seed Texas A&M, No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s and No. 7 seed Florida.

Don’t just guess at the tiebreaker total

The tiebreaker most often used — total points scored in the championship game — is often treated as an afterthought. It doesn’t have to be .

Since 1985, when the men’s tournament expanded to 64 teams, the national title game has averaged 145 total points when decided in regulation. The four overtime games in that span averaged 157 total points. The most total points scored in regulation was in 1990, when UNLV beat Duke, 103-73 (176). The fewest total points came in 2011, when Connecticut beat Butler, 53-41 (94).

How many points you choose should be influenced by which teams you have in the final, since pace of play and offensive efficiency help determine how many points a team might score. Here’s a quick list of some of the most frequent matchups in the Elite Eight and beyond and the average total points scored in those contests since 2011 — but look at the averages of your chosen teams. I will have a guide to picking the tiebreaker later this week.

Know how to spot a potential championship team

Success leaves clues, and we have a lot of data on how an eventual championship team usually performs leading up to the tournament. My colleague Matt Bonesteel outlines some of those clues in his annual best bets column — which included eventual national champion Connecticut as one of the five most likely winners last year — and there are some other guidelines you can follow. Since the field expanded to 68 teams in 2011, for example, every national champion except two — No. 7 seed Connecticut in 2014 and Connecticut again as a No. 4 seed last year — was a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed. Since 1985, when the field expanded to 64 teams, all but five of the 38 winners were a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed and 24 of the 38 (63 percent) were No. 1 seeds.

And all but four of the past 19 winners have had their individual Simple Rating System , a schedule-adjusted margin of victory rating that is expressed in points per game, rank in the top four nationally. Connecticut just missed last year, at No. 5. The top four schools in SRS this year are Houston, Arizona, Purdue and Connecticut.

You could also look at teams with similar profiles and see how far they advanced in the tournament, a technique that helped me identify San Diego State last year. For example, this year’s Auburn squad, a No. 4 seed, is similar to teams that have won a robust 2.3 games per tournament , on average (the same as No. 2 seeds from 2011 to 2023 ). This Auburn team also has similar performance metrics as runner-up Texas Tech in 2019 plus Florida in 2017 and Houston in 2022, two Elite Eight teams.

The NCAA tournament is back. Get caught up with our March Madness cheat sheet .

The brackets: Defending national champion U-Conn. returns as the top overall seed in the men’s bracket . In the women’s tournament , undefeated South Carolina leads the way. Read our picks for the biggest snubs and surprises in the tournament field.

Analysis from our team: Looking to win your bracket pool? These tips from our resident bracket master can help. If you want help picking a national champion, these are our favorites and best bets to win the tournament, plus tips for selecting your Final Four . Take a look at some of the teams we think are most likely to pull an upset .

• The perfect bracket to win your March Madness men’s pool 48 minutes ago The perfect bracket to win your March Madness men’s pool 48 minutes ago
• These four sleepers could find their way to the women’s Final Four 1 hour ago These four sleepers could find their way to the women’s Final Four 1 hour ago
• These are the NCAA men’s tournament’s most vulnerable top seeds 2 hours ago These are the NCAA men’s tournament’s most vulnerable top seeds 2 hours ago

Sports Betting

A beginner’s guide on how to fill out an NCAA Tournament bracket: The basics, tips and trends

It is estimated that in a given year, somewhere between 60 and 100 million people will fill out an NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket, and it’s not just the hardcore fans doing it. March Madness is one of the most interactive sporting events in the country and doesn’t require a deep level of knowledge of the game — or really any knowledge — to get involved in the fun.

If you’ve never filled out an NCAA bracket before — or don’t have a lot of college basketball experience — and are looking to get involved this year, here are some important tips on how to get yourself started.

Important note to start out with: This is not geared toward college basketball fans or experienced bracket experts. It is for people new to the experience and looking to get their start. Yes, they do exist, and yes, they are welcome to join in the fun.

• Follow live coverage of the 2024 men’s NCAA Tournament second round

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament comprises 68 teams (32 automatic bids representing the conference champions and 36 at-large bids) and will involve 67 single-elimination games throughout the tournament, including the First-Four “play-in” games and then the remaining six rounds.

Your goal is simply to pick the winner of each game and ultimately end up with the championship team at the end.

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The tournament is divided into four regional brackets, each consisting of 16 teams seeded No. 1 through No. 16. The highest seed plays the lowest seed in each round and follows a set bracket throughout the tournament.

The brackets do not re-seed after each round.

Your bracket will not be perfect and picking the eventual champion is not easy, even for experienced college basketball fans. So don’t get frustrated when your picks don’t pan always pan out.

The highest seeds generally win

Not only do the higher seeds win their individual matchups, they also tend to win the whole thing.

Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, No. 1 seeds have won the overwhelming majority of championships. No. 1 seeds have accounted for 24 of the 38 championships since then (63 percent), while No. 2 seeds have won five and No. 3 seeds have won four.

That means 33 of the past 38 tournaments have been won a by a top-three seed. That is nearly 87 percent.

Only three tournaments since then have been won by a No. 5 seed or lower, and the lowest seed team to win it was a No. 8 seed (Villanova in 1985).

You will still have upsets

While simply picking the highest seeds can produce some results for you, there will always be upsets in the tournament. Some are bigger than others.

The toughest upsets to get are in the No. 1 vs. 16 games (only twice in the history of the tournament) and the No. 2 vs  15 games (only 11 times), so you usually want to avoid picking those. The odds are stacked against you, and you might be throwing away a potential champion early on for no reason.

On average, there are eight upsets per year throughout the tournament where a lower-seeded team wins. There are rarely less than five. There are rarely more than 12. Keep that in mind when filling out a bracket. Ten upsets is usually a safe sweet spot to aim for.

There is also usually at least one No. 12 or No. 13 seed that advances every year, so it makes a lot of sense to mix in one of those in the No. 5 vs. 12 and No. 4 vs. 13 matchups.

While those teams tend to pull off early round upsets, they do not generally advance beyond the Sweet 16 or Elite 8.

Trust the big-name teams

Along with being dominated by higher seeds, you tend to see the same big-name programs cutting down the nets at the end of the tournament.

Since 1985, the 38 tournaments have been won by just 19 different teams. Twenty-three of the 39 tournaments have been won by just Connecticut, Duke , Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Villanova .

With the exception of Villanova, all of those teams are among the best in the country again this season and will be among the top seeds in their respective brackets. It is reasonable to think one of them could add to their championship legacy this spring.

It might be boring to pick them. You might hate doing it. But it is not dumb.

(Photo credit: Andy Hancock / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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Adam Gretz is a freelance sports writer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Along with the Athletic, he's written for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yardbarker, and SB Nation.

Electric Nightmares

Our four part series about generative AI and its use in video games

Dragon's Dogma 2 beginner's tips and tricks

Here's everything you need to know for delving into Dragon's Dogma 2

Looking for Dragon's Dogma 2 tips for beginners? With so many dungeons to explore and so many monsters to defeat in Dragon's Dogma 2 , it's fair to feel slightly overwhelmed at the onset of Capcom's expansive action RPG.

Luckily, we're here to help your first hours as a resurrected Arisen feel a little smoother. Read on to learn ten pivotal tips and tricks that'll help you in a wide variety of areas, from making the most of your trusty pawn companions to fighting oversized beasts on the many roads of Dragon's Dogma 2.

You can switch your vocation easily

Recruit pawns at riftstones to find favourites, your main pawn carries out pawn quests during inn visits, make use of pawn commands regularly, cast magick faster with pawn assistance.

• Regain full health by sleeping at an inn or making camp

Use Ferrystones or oxcarts for fast travel

Always try combining inventory items, learn enemy weaknesses and resistances, remember, bosses have multiple health bars.

Unlike some other RPGs, you aren't stuck in your starting vocation in Dragon's Dogma 2. In fact, swapping vocations is as easy as visiting your nearest vocation guild in a big city. (In a smaller town, the vocation guild is often combined with the local inn). There, you can change both your Arisen and your main pawn's vocation as long as you have enough Discipline Points, abbreviated in-game as DCP. Four basic vocations - Fighter, Archer, Mage, and Thief - are available at the start of the game, and six more - Warrior, Sorcerer, Magick Archer, Mystic Spearhand, Trickster, and Spearhand - open up as you progress the story.

We've got an extensive guide on the best vocations in Dragon's Dogma 2 , but in a nutshell, don't feel afraid to experiment and switch to whatever class you prefer. I myself started with a Mage before finding that I enjoyed the Fighter's skillset more. It's also important to note that Magick Archer, Mystic Spearhand, Trickster, and Spearhand are Arisen-exclusive vocations unavailable for pawns.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is focused on the single player experience, but emulates the feel of working alongside others by allowing your Arisen to recruit AI companions dubbed pawns. Aside from your main pawn, recruitable pawns are either NPCs created by Capcom or by other players using the game's online functionality.

You should take advantage of this unique system and always be recruiting pawns from your nearest Riftstone , or when you randomly encounter them in the wilderness. Many pawns created by other players might be a few levels higher than your current party, making them vital allies in monster battles, and some who have the Quest Guide ability will literally be able to lead you to your priority quest's final destination.

Keep in mind that pawns will not level when they're in your party, so it's good practice to recruit pawns who are roughly your level to two levels higher, dismissing them when you surpass them. That said, you can favourite a pawn you like at any time by speaking with them. This will allow you to specifically search for that pawn in the future the next time you're at a Riftstone - meaning that as long as their Arisen has leveled them up recently, you can recruit their leveled up form to your side!

Your main pawn is just as capable of venturing into worlds beyond - AKA the games of other players - as any of the other pawns you might have recruited to your cause. They only do so when you rest at an inn, however.

To take full advantage of your pawn's otherworldly adventures, set a Pawn Quest by interacting with a Riftstone. This is a special mission that will appear alongside your main pawn when they pop up in another player's game, and the default option is "Travel together for a day and night," with a Wakestone Shard as a reward. As you progress through Dragon's Dogma 2, you'll be able to choose other Pawn Quests, with most typically revolving around killing monsters. You can choose what sort of reward you'd like to obtain from the successful completion of these quests, as long as those rewards already exist within your inventory.

Essentially, you should think of Pawn Quests as the bartering system of Dragon's Dogma 2, with your main pawn serving as a handy delivery person who carries out tasks while you snooze. Don't overlook these Pawn Quests, as they're a great way to get items ranging from extra gold to hard-to-find Ferrystones.

In the bottom left corner of your screen, you'll see a few vital commands - "Go", "Help", "To Me", and "Wait". These are orders that you can issue to pawns during your adventures to have them take particular actions.

"Go" should be used when one of your pawns suggests a course of action - for instance, denoting the location of a nearby treasure chest or explaining that they're able to lead you to your quest objective. If you don't select "Go," your pawn will assume you didn't like their idea, so be sure not to inadvertently shoot them down. Meanwhile, "Help" and "To Me" are useful commands in combat and when traversing the wild to call for your pawns to heal you or rush to your side. Last but not least, "Wait" keeps your pawns put, kind of like unruly children who need to be told to sit still. Remember, you're their Arisen! Don't be afraid to order 'em around!

Playing as a Mage or Sorcerer in Dragon's Dogma 2 means that you'll have to sit through some lengthy casting animations before you can pop off with your big spells, and it's sometimes a drag. Luckily, pawns can help with this if they also have the same spell skill in their arsenal. This process is called Auxiliary Incanting , and when combined with the Quickspell skill, works wonders in lessening those length incantation times.

You can perform Auxiliary Incanting just like a pawn, by the way. If you see them casting a spell that you know, go up beside them and cast the same thing. With both of your magickal powers combined, all challenges can be conquered.

Regain your full health by sleeping at an inn or making camp

In Dragon's Dogma 2, when you take repeated amounts of damage over and over again without healing in between, your remaining health is not only reduced, but so is the maximum health you can recover. This temporary reduction in health, represented by a grey area on your health bar, is known as the Loss Gauge , and when you're travelling a long distance and encountering multiple cyclopes and ogres along the way, you're bound to start feeling its terrible effects sooner rather than later.

To remove the Loss Gauge and get back to full health, sleep at an inn or pitch camp by a campsite fire. Do not attempt to tackle tough foes if your Loss Gauge is too immense. It'll only result in your remaining health bar becoming smaller and smaller.

Fast travel as it exists in other open world titles isn't really a thing in Dragon's Dogma 2, and the game's director even went so far as to point out that fast travel is " only an issue because your game is boring. " Bold words, for sure! That said, while teleporting from point A to point B isn't really possible, you can move about the expansive map a little quicker than usual by using a Ferrystone or an oxcart.

Ferrystones are very pricey commodities (usually sold for around 10,000 gold per stone) that are available from vendors. Using one will teleport you to a Portcrystal, which are large crystal markers that can be found in cities.

Your cheaper alternative, if you can't afford a Ferrystone, is to hop on an oxcart . These oxcarts travel specific routes - for instance, from the city of Vernworth to the village Melve - for affordable prices, such as 200 gold. Travelling them is an amusing experience, since your Arisen can either doze off in the cart or walk alongside it. It's entirely possible for monsters to attack the cart along the road, leading to dramatic confrontations where you'll be shaken out of sleep only to contend with a small invasion. It's all about the journey, not the destination!

Dragon's Dogma 2 has a fairly forgiving item combination system where you're able to mix and match all of the stuff in your inventory simply by selecting the Combine action. Once you've successfully created something - for instance, a Salubrious Drought from a Greenwarish and an Apple - that combination will be added to your recipe list, allowing for easy reference at any time.

You're likely to accumulate a vast supply of odds and ends simply by running through the wilds of Dragon's Dogma 2 and picking up materials here and there. This means that your Arisen will be weighed down in due time, which leads to slower movement and faster depletion of Stamina. Always be combining excess items, both to create handy healing potions and similar curatives, but also to decrease the weight of all of the things in your pack.

All enemies in Dragon's Dogma 2 have elemental weaknesses that you can exploit. For instance, ogres tend to be a bit susceptible to fire, and if you lay into them with a sword enhanced with the Mage skills Fire Boon or Fire Affinity, that ogre is going to fall a lot faster than he would otherwise. Other enemies will be resistant or even immune to certain elements, and it's a matter of trial and error to figure out which enchantments work best.

Pawns can ease the burden of keeping track of enemy weaknesses and resistances, and if they've faced a foe in the past and won, they'll shout "the enemy is weak to fire" or similar odes when battle commences. As we already mentioned, you should always be recruiting more and more pawns whenever possible, and taking advantage of their collective encyclopedic knowledge of the world's monsters is only one more reason to do so.

In the early hours of Dragon's Dogma 2, you'll probably run into tonnes of huge enemies, ranging from ogres to cyclopes to minotaurs. It's a rush to battle these massive foes whether you hack away at their feet, climb their backs, or stand to the side to deliver spells. But it might also be an exercise in frustration when their health bar at the top of the screen decreases, only to reveal that there's yet another health bar waiting in the wings!

The fact is, major enemies in the game have multiple health bars, and you can tell if you have more bars to go through if you can see small dots below their current health bar . In fact, I personally don't pay attention so much to the health bar as I do the music of the fight, as well as my pawns' exclamations. When the foe is on its final bar, the music will change to a triumphant medley, similar to Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise. Your pawns will also shout that the enemy is on its last legs, or that it looks as exhausted as they feel. That's when it's time to deliver your biggest strike and bring your quarry to its knees!

With these tips at your disposal, your Arisen should be able to rise up and defeat the dragon with great gusto. For more detailed information on all the nuances of Dragon's Dogma 2, check out our vocation guides. You can start with our deep dive into the magickal ways of the Mage , the smooth firing of the Archer , the sword and shield tactics of the Fighter , or the shifty dagger action of the Thief . For more advanced vocations, check out our guide to the greatsword swings of the Warrior or the extreme magick of the Sorcerer .

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5 simple tips and predictions will set up your NCAA tournament bracket for March Madness

March seems to get more maddening every year for those trying to put together a winning men's NCAA Tournament bracket .

Just last year for the first time in tournament history, both a 15- and 16-seeded team knocked off their No. 2- and No. 1-seeded opponents. Then, Princeton went on to win again and become the fourth 15th seed to make the Sweet 16.

So is the tournament just too unpredictable now? Is it time to just coin-flip your way through the brackets? You can probably do a little better than that.

How to prepare your 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket

First, regardless of how much research you do, your odds of picking all 63 games – not including the four play-in games – correctly are impossibly large.

So your bracket doesn't need to be perfect . Just a little lucky. And perhaps follow a few trends based on the 38 years of history since the tournament grew to 64 teams. These tips will get you started, but you'll still need to make a few guesses – educated or not – along the way.

How to watch the NCAA Tournament: Searchable TV schedules for the men's and women's games

1. Pick the 1st and 2nd seeds in the first round of the bracket

Below is a slightly different way to look at the traditional NCAA Tournament bracket. The first round comes down to four sets of these eight pairings. These 2,432 squares below represent all the teams – not counting they play-in teams – that have competed in March Madness since 1985.

Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them .

Thanks to the efforts of the NCAA selection committee, if you just pick the highest-seeded team throughout the tournament, your odds improve significantly – especially through the first few rounds. That makes the No. 1 and 2 seeds a good bet in almost every tournament. More on that in tip No. 2.

The NCAA has hosted its own online bracket contest during the past nine tournaments. They've found that players get two-thirds of their picks right when they based their picks on "likely outcomes." That method improves your odds of a perfect bracket to 1 in 120.2 billion . 

That's 70 million times better than coin flipping , but likely outcomes probably won't not be enough to win among your friends and co-workers.

2. Odds are stacked against 15- and 16-seeded teams winning this year

Part 2 of tip No. 1: The odds are stacked against the eight lowest-seeded teams this year because of their wins in the 2023 tournament.

Yes, 15 and 16 seeds win first-round games: 13 times to be exact, as you can see in the chart, above. How does that average out? That's about one in three tournaments. With a 15 and 16 winning last year, we're either seeing the start of a new trend or eight easy first-round picks in your bracket this year.

If you do want to take a flier (which you need to to win), maybe try a few seeds up. On average a 13 seed knocks off a 4 seed about once per tournament.

How often lower seeds win in the NCAA tournament

On average, you can count on at least one upset by the 10, 11 and 12 seeds in each tournament. In 2023, no 12 seed won, but No. 13 Furman did.

Men’s March Madness bracket recap: Full NCAA bracket, schedule and predictions for each region

3. How many upsets should you pick in you NCAA Tournament bracket?

The guessing game begins here in Step 3 and where you'll differentiate your bracket from everyone one else's.

On average between 1985 and 2023, there've been just over eight upsets per tournament, or just about 13% of the 63 games, according to the NCAA . That said, some years are bound to break brackets. Both 2021 and 2022 had 14 total upsets.

These upset numbers don't include the 8 vs. 9 games. That's probably the best time to consider flipping a coin to make your picks. The 9 seeds currently have a four-game edge on the 8s, so that might argue for a majority of 8-seed winners this year.

Upset rates for the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament

4. picking the final four gets more challenging.

Since 2011, at least one No. 7 seed or lower has made in the Final Four – except for 2019. Even that tournament would have required some creative guessing. The eventual champion Virginia was a No. 1 seed, but the other three included No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 5 Auburn. 

Also, just picking all the No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four is less likely now than a No. 16 seed toppling a No. 1 seed, which has now happen twice. All four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four only once: 2008.

5. A No. 1 seed is still the best choice for the tournament champion

Maybe you shouldn't have four No. 1s in your Final Four, but they've piled up two dozen championships in nearly four decades, including eight of the past 11 tournaments. Also, since 2005, a No. 1 seed has won at least every other year.

Perhaps Connecticut will bring home its second consecutive championship. This season would be as a No. 1 seed, not a No. 4 like last year. Or maybe Purdue? They were beaten by a 16-seed in 2023. After Virginia's historic loss to a 16-seed in 2018, they followed up with a national championship in 2019.

Schools that have won the NCAA men's tournament

Printable march madness bracket and locations, what's the longest a bracket has ever stayed perfect.

According to the  NCAA , an Ohio man correctly predicted the entire 2019 men's NCAA tournament into the Sweet 16, which set the record for the longest verified March Madness bracket win streak at 49 games. (The NCAA began tracking brackets from major online platforms, including their Men and Women's Bracket Challenge Game, ESPN, CBS and Yahoo, since 2016.) Read more about perfect March Madness brackets here .