Writing Dissertation: Third Part

In this third part of writing dissertation guide, we will discuss the purpose of each dissertation chapter, and what you need to do before starting writing a dissertation. The purpose of the introductory chapter is to set out the scope of your research project and to explain how you will go about answering your research questions.

The introduction part should consist 800 to 1,000 words. It should describe your topic and introduce the research questions. It should also explain the significance or importance of the topic and why you have chosen it. The structure of the dissertation should be explained by describing the purpose of each chapter.

After finishing the proposal plan, you can start reading. It would be good if you have already started reading some resources. This is the best thing to do for preparation for literature review.

This process is useful because it introduces you to what other researchers are saying about your topic of interest.

Undertaking a literature survey could involve:

1.      Meeting with your supervisor to ask for recommended texts.

2.      Meet the subject librarian who can give advice on possible sources. Looking for sources include looking for books and journal articles through library catalogue. Also you can use recommended websites. Before reading the whole piece of the resources, consider reading the abstracts first so you can decide whether they are relevant enough in your research.

Once this literature survey is complete, you can start your literature review chapter. A lot of people write the Literature Review chapter first. This is a chapter that you can write without having gathered any primary data. Students carrying out an extended literature review will need 2 or 3 literature review. The function of the Literature Review chapter is:

-       - To identify the key debates in your research area which includes the theories or ideas of researchers in the field.

-          - To evaluate these ideas. Can you see any flaws in the arguments presented?

-         -  To analyse the assumptions of other researchers

The data collection for primary researchers can be time consuming. It needs to be well thought out to avoid collecting more data than you can use.

Ask your supervisor for advice on data gathering and leave enough time to the research site. When conducting interviews, make sure that you are prepared for the meeting.  Then think about how you will record any information you gathered. Finally, set up a system for analyzing and storing your data.

The methodology chapter is another chapter that can be written early in the process. You can start on this as soon as you have decided on your data collection methods. The purpose of the methodology is to allow you to justify your chosen research methods.

The methodology should include:

-        -  State your research question and how it relates to existing literature.

-         - Describe how you will investigate your research questions (interview? questionnaire?)

-      - Explain why these methods are suitable in helping you to answer your research questions. Why use these methods and not the others?

-         - What are the limitations of your chosen approaches?

-         - Are there any ethical issues you need to consider?

Your Methodology chapter should include your references. There are no. of books in the library that cover the strengths and weaknesses of different research methods and you should refer to some of these in relation to the methods that you have chosen.

The next article, we will discuss about Research Process chapter. Make sure to read the writing dissertation guide or click the links below:

Writing a Dissertation: First Part

Writing a Dissertation: Second Part

Writing a Dissertation: Fourth Part

In the middle of your planning and writing, you may need dissertation proofreading service. Make sure to get the best and reliable one so you can finish your work on time.