Dissertation advice...

SwannDangerous

SwannDangerous

Well-known member
Got my dissertation due in 29th May, haven't yet started it. Its a 6000 word lit review with some recommendations for moving forwards at the end as well. I can't bring my self to start it even though the next six weeks I've got placement 4 days a week 10-6.

Wondered if there were any words from the wise on here?

Much appreciated!
 
SwannDangerous said:
Got my dissertation due in 29th May, haven't yet started it. Its a 6000 word lit review with some recommendations for moving forwards at the end as well. I can't bring my self to start it even though the next six weeks I've got placement 4 days a week 10-6.

Wondered if there were any words from the wise on here?

Much appreciated!
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Take a deep breath. Clatter out what you want to say. Go back to it, refine it and add citations to support what you are saying and then proof read it loads.
 
SwannDangerous said:
Got my dissertation due in 29th May, haven't yet started it. Its a 6000 word lit review with some recommendations for moving forwards at the end as well. I can't bring my self to start it even though the next six weeks I've got placement 4 days a week 10-6.

Wondered if there were any words from the wise on here?

Much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Get something down ASAP. It doesn’t have to be good, just spend an evening putting something onto the page. Once you’ve got something down you can come back to it and refine (or completely scrap) it at any point. But having something even if it’s garbage will take the pressure off and make it a much less daunting task.

I forced mine out in the final 48 hours before running across campus to hand it in. I read it back now and then and wonder what the hell I was thinking. Give yourself chance to do that before it’s due 😂
 
SwannDangerous said:
Got my dissertation due in 29th May, haven't yet started it. Its a 6000 word lit review with some recommendations for moving forwards at the end as well. I can't bring my self to start it even though the next six weeks I've got placement 4 days a week 10-6.

Wondered if there were any words from the wise on here?

Much appreciated!
Click to expand...

i always started writing a complex document by identifying the chapter headings and deciding what message I wanted to convey. Then I would start to put flesh on these bones.

As the saying goes, 'a journey of a thousand miles starts with a step'
 
500 words on an introduction
Chapter headings
Synopsis of each chapter
Conclusions you intend to make
Go back and expand on the synopses.

Before you know it, it's all done and you're wondering how to trim it down to 6,000.

You can't boil the ocean, so bit by bit makes it easier, seeing as we're going for clichéd advice🤣
 
Mine was 14000 words and 6 experiments that took me 6 months to get right. Mine was A comparability study of dynamic routing protocols OSPF, EIGRP and RIPv2. My problems started when lockdown kicked in and I couldn’t complete my experiments on full Cisco equipment so I had to adapt and rewrite half of it to include experiments using software instead of physical equipment.
My advice is look for standard layouts for your university it dosent matter what they are on as the university will have what’s acceptable and also make sure your using the correct variation for in text citation and your rerfrence list, ours was similar to Harvard so that wasn’t to bad. Write your introduction then set yourself a daily word goal and stick to it you will be suprised how quick you finish
 
Don't leave it until last minute. I left most until then and had to cut it down by 1000 words 2 days before it was due in, was unbelievably stressful. In your position, I'd say put down 150-200 words per day (and bullet point any brilliant points that pop into your head for future reference so you don't forget them). Do slightly more if the words are flowing when you're doing it. Bearing in mind my entire response is 93 words, it's really not that much, especially when you factor referencing in too.
 
My subject was similarly voluminous. Where your dissertation covers 6+ pieces of literature, mine was Construction Law (25,000 words for the MSc).

I decided to get my first attempt submitted ASAP and I was glad I did because I had to re write a lot of it.

Don't be too down hearted when the professor/lecturer asks you to almost rewrite it. They pulled my work to pieces because of structure and because I didn't include enough case law / research to prove my thesis But you will have already done most of the preparation in your first draft. Then remember to reference everything of course. It was 2008 so I can't recall which referencing method I used.
Good luck.
 
In life, faced with any big task, the key is always to break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks.

I remember doing a 10,000 word one in German at Uni. It sounded a lot before I started but my advice is just get on and make a start. Concentrate on the intro, then pad out a bit of body and start then adding some summary. It will begin to flow quicker as you get into it and in the end it won't be anywhere near as daunting as it first sounds.
 
6000 sounds huge now but will not be as much as you think once you get going. At all costs reference other people's content. You'll be fine. What's it about, by the way?
 
How to eat an elephant!
Write an intro to get you started. Anything really. You can always change it.
Do some bullet points of the things you want to cover, any arguments you want to pursue etc, and keep adding to that as things come to you.
Sort them into a sensible order, and start doing a bit on each one if the mood catches you.

Good Luck!
 
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All of the above. But there’s a trick I used to play on myself when I had a “don’t want to do file”.

I’d tell myself I wasn’t going to do much on it but I’d just give the file a quick read. 15 minutes later I’d be working on it and an hour or so later I’d have cracked it. And then I’d wonder what the problem had been.

So tell yourself you’re not going to spend long on it. You’re just going to jot down a few thoughts/bullet points.

Before you know it’ll be hours later and you’ll have the framework in place. That’ll make it easier to fill in the blanks and adjust and rearrange as you go on.
 
Not sure of the nature of your qualification, but dissertation suggests an honours degree. Unless your institute states otherwise, a level 6 dissertation is normally12 to 15 thousand words, (not inclusive of appendices), and constitutes more than just a literature review. The structure is; title, abstract, contents list (chapters, list of figures and glossary), introduction, literature review, methodology, nature of experiments, discussion, conclusions and bibliography. Much of the emphasis should be on methodology as this determines the validity of yous study. Take this element of your research seriously as this document might define your academic progress going forward. This is certainly true of masters and doctoral output. Sorry if this sounds tough, but as a doctor and university lecturer I have set, supervised and graded many dissertations and this is the reality.
Happy to help further if needed.
 
Neither have I Old_L, especially my own doctoral thesis (55k words) 🤣
Another thing to bear in mind; as your lit review will prove, if it's a technology based study its findings will have a very short shelf life.
Don't let this bother you, it's unavoidable.
 
I got through mine in the end by enjoying it, weird as that sounds. I didn’t think about the word count I just thought about the amount of time I spent in the library, always tried to write something each session even if just a couple of sentences, and then tried to spend more time in the library. Ended up finding a buzz in the privilege of just being able to sit in a pile of old books and spend all day trying to prove something. I was well chuffed when I finished, but I miss the process sometimes and the eureka moments.
 
I found myself in a very similar situation way back. I was working a lot of hours in a restaurant and had met what is now my wife. I went to see my dissertation tutor and told him the problem. It so happened he lived near me and he insisted I went round to his house on several evenings and sat me in a bay window and made me write it and spent a lot of advising me on the content etc. It was a god send TBH and I can never thank him enough as I was a bit of a f**k up. It probably helped that I was the only working class northerner on the course.
 
Hi Fr33jack. I would like to read you work on routing protocols if it is available digitally. I am also a certified Cisco associate and instructor.
 
Lots of good advice above. If you feel you can't get started start with a spider plan (circle - key word - legs of the spider with key words - each leg the spider planned), organise these into chapter or even paragraph headings. Remember to back up the points with direct quotation from the text and from a small number of critics if a lit dissertation (make a point - explain it - quote - comment on the quotation to say how it supports the point you made. Look for contrary arguments so that you can show a critical viewpoint you disagree with and say why you disagree with it. Proof read and redraft as required. Bingo. It's done. (Or Donne if it is about metaphysical poetry.)
 
Old_Laytonian said:
There's a lot of posts on here that feel like dissertations. I can never be arsed finishing them especially those by the Taxi Driver
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I agree. Who would have the time or inclination to type out a thousand words that nobody will read in relation to a topic nobody will ever change their position on?
 
Tangerine10 said:
Not sure of the nature of your qualification, but dissertation suggests an honours degree. Unless your institute states otherwise, a level 6 dissertation is normally12 to 15 thousand words, (not inclusive of appendices), and constitutes more than just a literature review. The structure is; title, abstract, contents list (chapters, list of figures and glossary), introduction, literature review, methodology, nature of experiments, discussion, conclusions and bibliography. Much of the emphasis should be on methodology as this determines the validity of yous study. Take this element of your research seriously as this document might define your academic progress going forward. This is certainly true of masters and doctoral output. Sorry if this sounds tough, but as a doctor and university lecturer I have set, supervised and graded many dissertations and this is the reality.
Happy to help further if needed.
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Thanks for the advice. It's 6000 words, and the structure I have already stated (I'm not that thick 😉), i dont make the rules, i literally just do the assigments they set. Its a level 6 piece for a BSc. My methodology will be included at the beginning of my literature review and contained within that section.
 
Tangerine10 said:
Neither have I Old_L, especially my own doctoral thesis (55k words) 🤣
Another thing to bear in mind; as your lit review will prove, if it's a technology based study its findings will have a very short shelf life.
Don't let this bother you, it's unavoidable.
Click to expand...
Not bothered, i just want the first (which im currently well on track for) and then I'll be off into employment and hopefully be seconded for a masters soon after!
 
Mark_GT said:
6000 sounds huge now but will not be as much as you think once you get going. At all costs reference other people's content. You'll be fine. What's it about, by the way?
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I'm thinking about doing it on something related to person-centred care in the hospital setting.

The title I have currently is "is it possible to work in a person-centered way in a hospital inpatient setting?"

Now after doing a bit of work on it today (wrote 300 words of the introduction) I realised I was a bit lost at sea with whole concept. So my plan is tomorrow to start with my methodology, scope a bit of the research that's out there and get a bit of a better grip on it and hopefully come up with a more targeted question in relation to person-centred care. Will probably end up with something related to dementia care or care of the elderly I think, or some other group that may struggle to advocate well for themselves.
 
Alf said:
I got through mine in the end by enjoying it, weird as that sounds. I didn’t think about the word count I just thought about the amount of time I spent in the library, always tried to write something each session even if just a couple of sentences, and then tried to spend more time in the library. Ended up finding a buzz in the privilege of just being able to sit in a pile of old books and spend all day trying to prove something. I was well chuffed when I finished, but I miss the process sometimes and the eureka moments.
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My wife said the same thing, she's finished her course last September. Hated all other assignements but strangely loved writing her dissertation 😅. Hers was a bit meatier than mine, 8k words service improvement project also containing a lit review. Whereas with my course I've already had my service improvement assignement this year which they decided to split from the dissertation for some reason 🤷
 
SwannDangerous said:
What do you class as a "proper job"?

I'm doing a degree level professional qualification and I already have a job line up for when I qualify.
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Hopefully he has the humility to realise his comment was ill considered. We all work in different ways but one thing is certain, there is nothing wrong with trying to learn and improve yourself. Or indeed, improve your and others' knowledge and understanding of the workplace you will enter or the workplace where you already operate. I'm 61 and I'm learning new things every day (half of which I then forget, but that's another story). By the way, it sounds like the field you are going to work in is one we should all value hugely. My daughter is a mental health nurse working in the community. She assesses people to help determine what it will take to help them stay in the community with the right support rather than be institutionalised. Some of the things she encounters day to day are heartbreaking but she keeps going back in.
 
Half the board rushes off to look up the meaning of dissertation. Realises it's what they knew as composition.

Seriously mate, best of luck, hope it goes well.
 
Dave62 said:
My subject was similarly voluminous. Where your dissertation covers 6+ pieces of literature, mine was Construction Law (25,000 words for the MSc).

I decided to get my first attempt submitted ASAP and I was glad I did because I had to re write a lot of it.

Don't be too down hearted when the professor/lecturer asks you to almost rewrite it. They pulled my work to pieces because of structure and because I didn't include enough case law / research to prove my thesis But you will have already done most of the preparation in your first draft. Then remember to reference everything of course. It was 2008 so I can't recall which referencing method I used.
Good luck.
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2008 Dave……had to be the Open University😉….or a very mature student at 🤔🤔🤔.
Now you really have made me feel old….graduated in 1971 but never had to do a dissertation ( thank goodness) but the end of year term exams were nerve racking to say the least.
Never got to a Master Degree( just glad to have graduated) but then became an ACA and 5 years later a FCA instead.😉
Still hoping to make the Cardiff game but the back is still far from ” mended”…online video one to one Physo session on Wednesday,so here’s hoping it helps🙄
 
Tangerine10 said:
Hi Fr33jack. I would like to read you work on routing protocols if it is available digitally. I am also a certified Cisco associate and instructor.
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now if I had got an A I would of definitely given you a copy but as I didn’t which I’m a little embarrassed at I’ll swerve that thanks (I got C). Part of my FdSc was actually to complete CCNA 1,2,3 and 4. Pain in the bum trying to Remember the commands as you couldn’t take any material into the exams except 1 side of A4 with the commands on that you think you may need. Obviously they tell you a scenario first. Then my BSc was extremely hard because of covid kicking in I nearly gave in as my son got Encephalitis 4 weeks before covid and nearly died left him with so many issues after. I’m glad I stuck with it. I definitely dropped a grade due to it all but still proud of myself
 
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