A dissertation is a lengthy piece of academic writing. It takes time, energy, extraordinary skills, and knowledge of the guidelines to write a perfect dissertation. Writing a first class dissertation is the most arduous writing task that students have to perform during their academic life. It is not something that can be completed overnight. It can take months and years to write a dissertation that can get you an A+ grade. However, with the proper guide and knowledge of the steps to take, you can definitely finish it on time and grab an A+.
Do you know what those steps are? Most probably not. Well, there is no need to worry. To cater to this need of students, we interviewed the top students from the University of Oxford and enquired them about dissertation writing. In this article, we will share the points made by Oxford students to write a first class dissertation. Before that, let’s explain the importance of writing a perfect dissertation.
Why Is It Important To Craft A Perfect Dissertation?
Writing a dissertation is important at the university level. Know that you cannot get the degree unless you submit a perfectly written dissertation that details everything about the topic. It is one topic that tells that crafting a first class dissertation is important. There are many other points that highlight its importance. Those are as follows:
- It demonstrates that you have good research skills
- It is important to write a good dissertation to get the good grades
- It helps in communicating the research ideas well
- It boosts your employability chances to future employers
Guide By Oxford Graduate To Write A Dissertation
After reading the information above, you now have a good idea of what a dissertation is and why it is important to write a first class dissertation. However, you still do not know the guidelines for writing such a dissertation. So, it is now the turn of those guidelines to be discussed. Thus, the guidelines given by Oxford graduates are as follows:
Choose An Interesting Topic
The first and most important guideline is that you should choose an interesting dissertation topic. What does it mean? It means that the topic of your dissertation should be as per your research interests. You must not choose an arbitrary topic that may create problems in the later stages of dissertation writing. Thus, explore the class lecture notes and try to find your research interest. Once found, choose a topic in line with that interest.
Research The Topic Well
Research is the most crucial phase in the dissertation writing process. It is also highlighted by Oxford graduates in the guidelines. As the researcher, you need to conduct proper research on the topic you have selected. It does two things. First, it allows you to have an idea of the current research taking place in your field. Secondly, it lets you identify the research gaps present in your field of study. Thus, research the topic well.
Create A Plan For Writing
The next guideline suggests creating a plan before writing the dissertation. In your plan, you should outline the topics you are going to talk about in your dissertation. It means you need to create a hypothetical table of contents for your dissertation. This contents table will serve as the guide and let you know what you need to discuss next while writing the dissertation. The benefit of creating a plan is that it does not let you get off track. Thus, make a plan.
Start Writing The Dissertation
Once you have chosen a research topic, researched it, and created a plan to work on it, the next guideline suggests writing it straight away. To write a first class dissertation, you should ensure that you start working on the writing task as soon as possible. A dissertation typically consists of five to six chapters, and each chapter explains different elements of the topic. A brief description of each chapter is as follows:
- Introduction. This chapter introduces the topic and explains the background information. It also outlines the research aims, objectives, and questions.
- Literature review. It is the chapter where you describe the research you have done. It is also the chapter where you identify the research gap for your study.
- Research methodology. It is mostly the 3rd chapter of a dissertation. This chapter discusses the methods used for data collection and analysis and gives justification.
- Results. the 4th chapter of a dissertation is known as the results chapter. In this chapter, you present the results obtained. You make use of graphs and charts to do so.
- Discussion. This chapter is often combined with the 4th. However, it discusses the results obtained. It does so in relation to the research questions and objectives.
- Conclusion. The last chapter of a dissertation is called the conclusion. It is where you conclude the whole discussion and provide a summary of the main points and results.
Thus, start writing the dissertation and follow this six-chapter structure. However, if you still feel that you cannot complete it, then find a good dissertation company to get dissertation help online UK.
Properly Edit And Proofread The Dissertation
The last guideline provided by the Oxford graduate to write a first class dissertation was to edit and proofread the dissertation properly. Editing and proofreading are the backbones of a perfect dissertation. Editing is all about identifying the major issues like sentence structure and contextual issues in your dissertation. However, proofreading is about locating and erasing minor issues like spelling mistakes and word choice from your dissertation. Thus, do this properly so that you do not lose marks.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this post has cleared every doubt in your mind about writing a first class dissertation. This article has discussed the guidelines provided by Oxford graduates. Thus, it is a must for you to follow the guidelines mentioned above. Follow them and craft your dissertation accordingly. Otherwise, get ready for a cut in your marks.
