Dissertation planning and preparation
If you’re heading towards your final semester of second year then it’s time to start considering your dissertation and topic of choice.
Your course may provide access to a module to help prepare for your dissertation, or provide research methods training. If you’re on a course that doesn’t feature many essays this development for your dissertation may seem daunting, therefore the earlier you start researching, gathering the data, and writing, the better.
The entire process needs all the time that you are given to complete. Each stage, including research, requires just as much time and effort as the actual writing.
If you’re unsure where to start try discussing this with your tutor, this can always be useful in determining your focus and plans at this early stage. You will also have access to a blackboard site and module handbook which will tell you what is required from each assessment, their percentage of the overall grade and what learning outcomes they cover.
Your module handbook should also contain a reading list of recommended secondary sources. Take advantage of this, because you can use this to start your research.
Student advice when starting your dissertation
Choosing your dissertation topic is one of your most important decisions, and deciding early on is very beneficial. If you can settle on your topic of choice (or even a rough area of study) during your 2nd academic year, this will give you extra time to get started on your research and data collection over the summer.
When deciding on your topic, choose something you are passionate about. You’ll be writing about this topic for an entire year, so it’s important you choose something that you are genuinely interested in and want to learn more about, otherwise you will lose motivation very quickly.
Think about topics or modules you have enjoyed studying on your course. Alternatively, consider your interests outside of your studies. With the right research methods, most topics can be used for your dissertation (which your personal tutor can advise on).
Jess – 2nd-year Creative Advertising
At the start of the dissertation process, you’ll need to find out whether there’s already a lot written around your chosen area or if sources are limited. Unfortunately, the only way to find this out is to do the research – read widely using books & ebooks, journals, and other official databases.
This will help you to understand your area of research much better and confirm whether or not the hypotheses you’ve drawn are supported – you’ll be surprised by how much you’ll end up researching a topic if you find it really interesting.
Rebecca – Lincoln Graduate
Another benefit of choosing a topic you enjoy will hopefully mean that you will have already read around your chosen subject and may already have a few books you can cite or at least know will be useful.
If not, the summer break [before third year starts] is a great time to start reading a variety of different texts. These don’t need to just be academic books; journals, blogs, even podcasts are also great references to have for your study.
You don’t need to read an entire book to be able to cite it. When reading academic texts pick out certain chapters that you think will be helpful and make note of any areas you may want to reference later on.
If you use your time well and only do a little bit a day your research won’t seem like much of a job. In fact, you’ll probably enjoy finding out more about the topic you have chosen.
Jess – 2nd-year Creative Advertising
Once you have a clear understanding of your topic and the primary research you wish to conduct, make sure that you start your research process as early as possible.
This is especially important if you need to inform the University of your plans if certain ethical permissions are needed before you can start researching.
Many research methods also require time, so the earlier you start, the sooner you can begin to write up your results.
Rebecca – Lincoln Graduate
The next step is to efficiently document and reference what you’ve read as you are researching, it will save you a lot of time.
By documenting which sources you have read, who wrote them, where you found them, what date you accessed them and how useful they were, you can easily find great sources to use as a reference when writing. This will also help you greatly if you are required to write a Literature review.
It will also save you having to go back through old texts that you can’t remember the context of, trying to find a quote you desperately need.
Even if you don’t find a text initially useful, you might find that later on your argument requires something from that text, so make sure you document it and what it refers to.
You can use an Excel spreadsheet to colour-code your references. This will also help greatly when writing your bibliography.
Kathryn – 3rd-year English & Drama
Once you have been assigned your dissertation supervisor and been given a slot for a tutorial, make the most of this support. Try and set up a meeting with your supervisor as soon as you are assigned to them, as this way you can share your ideas for research and they can help you in the correct direction of study.
These are great opportunities to discuss your initial ideas, and if you’re struggling to find a topic your supervisor can also help you come up with ideas.
Make sure you book in a few meetings with your supervisor to not only keep them updated on your progress but to give you some structure along the way.
It is especially important to seek out help from your tutor if you’re struggling. It can be tempting to avoid issues but the best thing to do if you’re feeling stuck is to ask your tutor for some advice. After all, they are there to help you. Frequent contact can also include just dropping them an email to ask a few questions.
Caitlin, Katie & Jess – Lincoln Students
It can certainly be helpful to get a head start on your dissertation during second year, but try not to worry or stress about it. If you don’t know what topic you want to do or decide to change your mind you still have plenty of time to work on it.
Your summer is also a much-needed break from your studies, so if you do choose to work on your dissertation during this time, try not to put too much pressure on yourself and take regular breaks.
Jess – 2nd-year Creative Advertising