How to Write a Dissertation in College

Many colleges require students to submit a dissertation before graduating it has been the main hurdle for many people to their graduations. Dissertation writing is not like any other form of writing which are mainly designed to test students’ mastery of a subject or course. Rather, a dissertation is supposed to generate new information derived from research using scientific research processes. 

What is a Thesis Paper?

A thesis dissertation is a long piece of writing based on your own ideas and extensive research that you do as part of a university degree, especially a higher degree such as a Ph.D. The most important step in this writing process is coming up with a befitting topic that you will be exploring. The topic must be unambiguous and it should not have an obvious ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. 

You can ask about useful dissertation help

This task can be overwhelming and a hand can really be useful. You can check with essay writing services Canada and join thousands of other students who have sought help from them. These are professionals and experts in their respective fields and have been helping students to write their dissertations in record time. They have a long list of satisfied customers who can attest to the indispensability of their services. You can ask how to write a thesis proposal which is a very important step in dissertation writing.

General Structure

The general structure on how to write a dissertation may vary slightly from different institutions but they must have the following sections: introductory, literature review, methodology; summary & analysis, and conclusion. The structure may vary greatly among many colleges but as a rule of thumb these sections must be present in a research paper. A more detailed structure adopted by many institutions must have the following sections and subsections;

  • Title page;
  • Abstract (summary);
  • The table of contents;
  • Introductory paragraph;
  • Literature review;
  • Methods and materials;
  • Results;
  • Discussion;
  • Conclusion;
  • Acknowledgments;
  • Recommendations;
  • Bibliography;
  • Appendices.

Write thesis acknowledgments

Thesis acknowledgments is a section dedicated to thanking the people who supported you in doing the thesis dissertation. They may include your colleagues, family, supervisors, etc. In the acknowledgement section, include the names of these people and you if possible, describe how they helped you. Writing a dissertation is not an easy task and giving a shout out to your support network who encouraged, advised, proofread, or assisted in any other way is a generally accepted norm. 

Literature review

This is one of the most important sections of the research paper. It is the review of the related literature which has several functions. Firstly, it helps direct your research. There are other people who have carried out researches similar to your own and reading their works can help you refine your topic and draw inspiration from the way they authored their content. Secondly, the literature review helps to understand the best methodology to carry out your research. 

Plan your writing time

To hack the process of writing a dissertation, planning your time is imperative. A dissertation is not like any other paper that you can write on the due date. For a dissertation, a student must plan on how to write the sections and dedicate sufficient time for the same. Some sections might run concurrently to save on time. For example, it is recommended to continually write the literature review as you conduct the research. Secondly, you have to plan meticulously on how to conduct the research. In some cases, the research is affected by weather elements and especially if the research is longitudinal, proper planning of time is very important. For example, writing on how a topic that is weather specific like attendance of school in summer means that if you do not plan yourself in advance to conduct the research during the ll have to wait till the next summer.

How to arrange references

A reference list is very important for any dissertation. Remember you dedicated a whole chapter (literature review) towards researching existing literature on any information related to your research. All this information must be included in the references. Additionally, the references must be arranged in a particular manner. Each college has a specific way that it expects the students to adhere to. There are common reference formatting styles i.e Chicago, APA, MLA, Harvard, etc. Each of these formatting styles portrays the references differently. A student must learn how to arrange references to their dissertation paper that is in line with the expectations of his/her college.

A helpful college thesis sample

Sometimes it is hard to comprehensively understand what to do to put down your research. You can find a sample in your area of study and follow the format outlined therein. Most dissertation formats do have a general structure and therefore it can help you form your own structure. However, it is also very important to ensure that you do not plagiarize that work as it could have a catastrophic impact on your education. 

Final words

Hopefully, this article has highlighted the key things that you need to know when writing a college dissertation. It is a collection of proven tools that have helped many students to take down this task with ease. However, writing your dissertation is not the end of everything, you may find yourself needing a resume. For that, you can also check out our resume writing department. We got you all the way to your first day in the office and you can contact us to help you deliver a Resume That Works.

What Next?

Recent Articles