There’s nothing more significant to your academic path than your dissertation. It’s a piece of writing that requires serious research and a very specific structure.
As such, it can be an incredibly difficult task to tackle, especially if it’s your first time writing an academic paper.
So, in this article, we’ll give you some tips and guidelines to help you get started with your dissertation in the most efficient way possible.
Without any further ado, let’s get right to the bottom of it.
Choose your topic as carefully as you can
When it comes to writing a dissertation, everything begins and ends with your topic. It should be relevant to your studies and career aspirations, important to the wider academic community, as well as studied enough to be supported by pertinent research.
Besides all of that, your topic should be something that resonates with your academic and professional interests. The more you’re invested in the topic you’re writing about, the easier will it all be in the end.
Of course, you can always read academic journals and research papers to find inspiration if you’re not certain of your topic. Your professors can give you recommendations as well, so keep on looking until you find something that you’ll enjoy writing about.
Read, read, and read!
As we’ve mentioned before, dissertations need to have a specific structure – something that’s probably defined by your University. However, you can still look for examples online – the more you read, the more easily you’ll be able to grasp the specific style and structure used in academic writing.
No matter if you’re stating a peer-reviewed fact or expressing your thoughts on the subject, your arguments need to be supported by relevant sources. To put it bluntly, you can’t make baseless claims in your thesis. We’ll talk about the significance of credible sources a bit later in the article, but for now, we just want to advise you to read tons of academic papers to get a better understanding of how it’s all supposed to be written.
Organize your time properly
Planning and self-discipline are of the utmost importance when writing something as big as a thesis. It’s not something you can do „last minute “. As we’ve already mentioned before, this takes tons of time, energy, and research to be done efficiently.
Make sure you check your deadlines and start planning your work as early as possible. Proper organization is key. Without it, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and lost while writing your thesis.
Seek assistance from your academic institution if you’re not sure about the specific requirements (including your thesis deadlines). This information will let you make a perfect plan to get everything done in a timely manner.
Don’t overthink the first version
A dissertation is not just another Uni assignment you can write in one sitting. You don’t have to make it perfect on the first try. Write as much as you can, and review your sentences and arguments later on.
Otherwise, you’ll probably be stuck in a certain section for much longer than you should be. Instead of doing that, just power through your first draft and perfect it later on. You might even have a few drafts at the end of the entire process, so don’t overthink it at the very beginning.
Now, when we say all of this, we presume you started drafting your thesis in time. If you feel like you can’t manage to do everything before the deadline approaches, you can hire affordable dissertation writing services like top20writingservices.com to assist you with certain parts of your process.
Of course, we don’t mean you should let someone else write your thesis, as that would be incredibly unethical. But asking for some assistance with editing and proofreading can go a long way, especially if you’re running out of time.
Find reliable sources to support your arguments
Your sources and citations should be the backbone of your entire thesis. Every argument you make must be supported by a credible source in your area of expertise.
Have you ever seen an academic paper that doesn’t have tons of literature references at the end? It’s like that for a very good reason. As you know, plagiarism is the worst kind of offense you can make in academics. If the thoughts displayed in your dissertation aren’t entirely original, you have to credit the author. Otherwise, your work would be classified as plagiarism.
Besides that, make sure the sources you use are credible and peer-reviewed. You can’t cite blog posts or Wikipedia in your dissertation – your sources should be from authors with a relevant academic background only.
Give yourself frequent breaks
Yes, writing something of such a big magnitude is incredibly overwhelming and anxiety-inducing, especially if it’s your first time doing it. This doesn’t mean you can’t let yourself relax from time to time.
Take plenty of breaks and don’t push yourself too hard. You won’t be able to focus if you’re not well-rested, so take good care of yourself.
Again, consistency is what matters the most. Writing in short intervals and doing it frequently is much more effective than writing the entire day with no pauses.
Seek advice whenever you feel like you need it
There’s no shame in asking for advice when you feel stuck with your writing. Be it professional writers, editors, colleagues, or your University professors, take all help you can get.
As we’ve mentioned a couple of times throughout this article, writing a dissertation is not an easy feat. Finding relevant literature, checking for grammar mistakes, and editing your work are not as simple as it sounds. So, don’t hesitate to ask for help when you feel like you need it.
The bottom line
Writing your thesis is a daunting task that requires a lot of effort, time, and research. Still, as long as you choose your topic carefully, remember to cite your sources, and create an efficient writing schedule, or just ask to buy term papers online, we’re certain you’ll succeed.
Either way, remember to celebrate your success when you’re done! After all of that work, you most certainly deserve it!
