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Ma-Dissertation

Archive for September, 2008

Putting Together a PhD Dissertation

Saturday, September 27th, 2008

Writing your PhD dissertation represents a very exciting time in your life.  After all, once you get your PhD, you get to be addressed as “Doctor So and So,” and you are recognized as someone who makes a serious contribution to your field of study.  Many, many doors open up to you, not the least of which is the ability to obtain a tenure track teaching job at a college or university.  However, first thing is first, and before you get those spiffy letters added to the end of your name, you have to do some serious researching and writing.

First of all, let’s discuss what, exactly, a PhD dissertation is all about, especially in terms of what is expected of you.  This dissertation should be the comprehensive result of your own original research as a graduate student.  It is a partial fulfillment of the requirements you have to get done in order to obtain the PhD – or Doctor of Philosophy – degree.  It generally contains several chapters.  Former graduates like to joke about the fact that the width of the margins is more important than the content of your dissertation, but that is not true!

This dissertation is not so different from the others you have to write in order to get where you are.  Primarily, the main differences between, say, a PhD dissertation and a Master dissertation are, of course, the degree you are trying to obtain and the length.  By and large, the dissertation you write to obtain a PhD is much more comprehensive and in depth than any others.

Succinctly, the dissertation writing process for a PhD thesis is … well, to be perfectly honest, it is decidedly different than anything you have ever before written.  A lot of students make the mistake of trying to make everything perfect.  They will spend months, even years, writing their thesis statement.  Before you get to that point, stop.  That’s it; just stop.

Another common joke among graduate students at this level involves them saying to themselves, “No one will ever read your thesis.”  This may seem disheartening, but you actually need to take it as fact.  It is not true, of course, but by believing it is, you are going to save yourself a whole lot of time and frustration – which are two things graduate students have enough of as is.  You do not need to add pressure onto yourself by making sure everything is absolutely flawless.  Remember, if you drive yourself insane, your PhD is not going to do you any good.

If none of this information seems helpful to those of you preparing your PhD dissertation, trust, it will get helpful very soon.  Yes, your research is important – it especially needs to be both original and thought provoking.  Yes, you need to have an excellent thesis statement.  Yes, you need to have good dissertation writing skills.  However, this is perhaps the most stressful time in a student’s life, and keeping things in an ever so slightly humorous perspective will actually help you more than all the obsessive compulsive perfection in the world.

Mastering the MSc Dissertation

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

Writing an MSc dissertation is necessary for anyone looking to receive a Master of Science degree.  If you are looking for a degree in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, et cetera, not to mention any number of other degrees, then you get to look forward to writing this type of dissertation.  It is a vital part of receiving your post graduate degree.  One of the problems students run into when writing any type of dissertation, not just the MSc, is procrastination.  You need to go into this with a set plan and time schedule, otherwise you cannot hope to get your paper in on time.  That, of course, can be extremely detrimental to your grade.  Fortunately, staying on track is not as hard as you might think, as long as you are willing to follow a few simple tips.

At its heart, the MSc dissertation is not that much different than the MA dissertation.  In truth, the only difference is the subject matter – science versus arts.  So in terms of format, structure, et cetera, the dissertation writing process for each one is pretty much the same.

That means that you need to begin by considering possible dissertation ideas.  This can be difficult for anyone, whether you are going after a degree in biology, computer science, political science, or human resource management.  You have to walk a fine line when picking an idea for your dissertation.  Namely, you want to make sure that the subject you settle on is broad enough that you will find plenty of research but not so broad that you will not have enough time to research everything you need; by the same token, it cannot be so narrow that there will not be enough available information for you to stretch your dissertation into the proper length.  Furthermore, you can promptly discard any dissertation ideas which have been done to death.  The key to writing your Masters dissertation is making sure that the subject is original and unique.  It has to have some bearing on your field of study, the research has to be relevant and important – and you simply cannot choose something that others have already researched extensively.

Another thing you need to remember when writing your MSc dissertation is to stay away from first person writing.  The dissertation is not the place for you to start talking about what you would do.  Unless clearly specified otherwise, the word “I” should never appear in any dissertation, whether it is an MA dissertation or an MSc.

Now, a lot of students freak out over the length of their MSc dissertation – and that is completely understandable, because these things are huge!  Generally, dissertations have to be anywhere between 12,000 words and 20,000 words.  When you sit down to begin the dissertation writing process, this seems enormous – so enormous you probably begin by thinking that you can never write that much.  Fear not; the format is such that you will actually easily reach your limit without even being aware of it.  Remember, a lot of research is involved in writing a Masters dissertation; you will have plenty of information, and getting to 20,000 words – or more – will be no problem at all.

Where to Find Literature Review Help

Thursday, September 18th, 2008

A lot of students in the midst of writing their dissertations could really do with some literature review help.  This is an important part of both dissertations and research proposals, so getting comprehensive help can be extremely advantageous.  In some cases, such as when seeking out examples, you need to be careful about where you seek that help.  After all, if you learn about the literature review from a poorly written or incorrectly formatted one, it is not going to do you much good at all.

There are a variety of places to find research paper help.  Before seeking it, however, you need to know what a literature review actually is, right down to the smallest detail.  A lot of people do not; they mistakenly think that it involves reviewing literature, i.e. books, novels, short stories, poems, et cetera.  That is only true some of the time, such as if you are using a book, novel, or poem to back up your own argument.  Otherwise, your literature review can include pretty much any type of written work, as long as it is at least somewhat reputable and is in some way relevant to the subject and/or thesis of your dissertation or research proposal.

In other words, if your dissertation is related to, for example, theology and Christianity in literature, then you could use an essay, research paper, article, or what have you, written on John Donne’s Holy Sonnets in your literature review.  No matter what the specifics of your thesis are, a piece of literature like that will likely help you back it up in some way.

Now then, when seeking literature review help, especially in the form of samples, you need to know the proper format.  That way you can tell if a particular example is set up correctly.  In truth, the literature review is not much different from any other academic essay paper.  It begins with an introduction, wherein you discuss your thesis, the scholarly information you will be using, how it is relevant to your thesis, and things of that nature.  The next step in the literature review writing process involves the elements of the review itself.  Here you will be discussing the formation of your problem, your search for the literature being used, your evaluation of the data you have collected, and your interpretation of the literature being reviewed.  You need to include an overview of your subject in the body of your literature review, as well as divide the separate pieces into categories.  This makes it easier to compare and contrast them before continuing on to the conclusion.

As stated, there are a lot of places where you can find literature review help.  You can speak to your professors, search in your university’s library or the one in your town, and of course you can always check around on the internet.  Without a doubt, however, you need to be aware of what to look for in a good literature review example.  Examples provide excellent help, but you need to choose wisely so that you can learn from a well written, thought provoking, and impeccably structured one.

How to Write a Masters Dissertation

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

Simply put, if you are going after your Master’s degree, then you need to know how to write a Masters dissertation.  It is as simple as that.  More importantly, however, you need to write a good one – this is, in fact, one of the most important assignments you will ever have.  Of all the academic writing you will ever do, dissertation writing is the big one, no matter what level of schooling you are going through at the time.  As such, you have to know as much as you possibly can about the entire process.

The first step in learning how to write a Masters dissertation is knowing exactly what it entails.  This project requires total commitment from you.  A master dissertation is the ultimate result of hard work, total dedication, flawless research skills, and absolutely perfect writing skills.  For many of us, that is enough information to make us very nervous.  After all, this project is important in regards to your future.  Knowing that and then having the pressure of such high expectations can be extremely nerve wracking.  Despite all of that, you have to realize that the dissertation writing process does not have to be that difficult.

There are quite a few necessary elements of which you need to be aware when it comes to understanding how to write a Masters dissertation.  For example, you need to be aware of what a literature review is and what it needs to do as it pertains to your master dissertation.  You need to understand what the methodology chapter is as well.  But of these sections are extremely important to your paper.  The way they are written is extremely vital as well.  You see, this is not the time for purple prose and flowery writing; verbosity is not going to help you here. Quite the contrary, you need to write clearly and in a way that is easily understood; moreover, you need to present all your facts accurately.  One section needs to flow smoothly and concisely into the next section, from introduction to literature review to body to methodology chapter to conclusion.

Naturally, you need to consider a variety of dissertation ideas before beginning the process of writing.  Your MA dissertation absolutely has to be unique and original.  You may use previously researched ideas in order to back up your own, but the central theme of your paper has to be innovative.  Moreover, it also needs to be beneficial to your field of study in some way.  Your final idea cannot simply be something that you consider interesting.

Learning how to write a Masters dissertation undoubtedly seems difficult.  Truthfully, if you do not take the time to learn the proper format and structure, to take a look at some examples, and to give yourself plenty of time to get all the necessary research and writing done, it will be difficult.  However, by pacing yourself and taking a step by step approach to your MA dissertation, you are well on your way to receiving your degree.

How Do You Write Methodology?

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

So – how do you write methodology?  It is a common question amongst a lot of students, and for several good reasons.  For one thing, it is one of the more confusing aspects of the entire dissertation or thesis writing process, especially for those unfamiliar with it.  For another thing, it is also an extremely important and vital aspect for both of those projects.If you have found yourself asking, “How do you write methodology?” then the first thing you need to learn is why the methodology chapter is so important.  In order to do that, you need to understand its purpose as well.  Put simply, it is designed to map out the essential methods you will be using when you research and write either your dissertation or your thesis.

When learning how to write methodology, you first need to understand that it includes four basic parts.  First off, your methodology chapter needs to contain a rather simple review of the issues and problems which you have to consider when you start delving into your particular subject.  To put it another way, you have to determine what questions you want to answer, and you have to anticipate any of the problems you might run into when trying to answer those questions.

The second answer to the question of how do you write methodology is comprised of a definition, a summary, or a general overview explaining your approach.  In other words, how do you intend to conduct your research?  Following that, the methodology chapter of your dissertation needs to contain a very thorough and detailed description of how you intend to collect all the necessary and relevant data.  You also need to include what analytical procedures you intent to utilize in order to draw the proper conclusions.

As you learn how to write methodology, you also need to understand that, in your dissertation or thesis, this chapter is not designed to overwhelm your readers with every single one of the details of your details.  Put another way, you do not have to completely inundate your readers with information.  They should not be able to actually recreate the entire process of your research when they read your methodology chapter.  In that case, you have gone a bit to far.  You really have to walk a fine line; that is, you have to be thorough and concise in your explanations and presentations, yet you should not give away so much information that your readers really do not need to read your dissertation.

How do you write methodology, then?  You do so very, very carefully.  The entire dissertation writing process itself is quite intensive and detailed.  Your methodology chapter is no different.  Indeed, as far as technicalities go, it is set up much like any other piece of academic writing.  That is, it needs to contain an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.  Basically, you need to describe the research methods you intend to use, why you are using these methods, et cetera.

How an Undergraduate Dissertation Example Can Help You

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

There is no question than an undergraduate dissertation example can be helpful – with an undergraduate dissertation, of course.  The question that most students have in regards to these beneficial examples are: where can I find them and how do I know they are credible, reputable, and truly helpful?  After all, if you happen across a badly organized, poorly written, incorrectly structured example and use it as a guideline, your own paper is going to be quite sub par.

So, as per the first question, you are almost guaranteed to find a credible undergraduate dissertation example in quite a few places.  First of all, you should ask your professor if he or she has access to a well written dissertation you can use as an example.  The example is actually a widely used, very qualitative form of thesis help, so the odds are good that any of your instructors will have several examples available to help you.  Otherwise, check out your university’s library, your school’s archives, and even pages associated with credible – and accredited – universities on the Internet.

Now, before looking for an undergraduate dissertation example to help you, you need to have a few dissertation ideas of your own.  It is going to help you immensely to look at an example related to your field of study and the subjects you are considering.  You see, every dissertation is set up different, even though the core components are the same.  Still, an undergraduate dissertation related to literature is going to be very different from one which is related to the subject of genetics.

With that being said, let’s look at the core elements necessary in an undergraduate dissertation.  Because despite the fact that every paper is different, as mentioned, the fundamentals of dissertation writing and format are mostly the same, at least at their base.  So, any good example needs to begin with an abstract which offers a summary of the research.  This is followed by the introduction, which introduces the readers to the research and the methods being used.  The literature review is the next part.  It contains an analysis of the sources used to prove and/or strengthen the argument presented in the paper.  Following that comes the methodology chapter, which is a detailed account designed to describe the methods and tactics used to obtain the results of the research, as well as why the writer chose those methods.  Next up comes the conclusion, which contains a reiteration of the thesis statement and reveals the dissertation’s final results.  After that comes the acknowledgment page, followed by the bibliography.

Of course, a good undergraduate dissertation example has to have more than just those elements, but it does need to contain them.  Dissertation writing is also about style and tone, however, so in order to make sure you have gotten a really great example, the key is seeing whether or not you yourself are interested in reading it.  You also need to make sure that the dissertation ideas represented in any example are strong, sound, innovative, and interesting.

How a Dissertation Literature Review Example Can Help

Monday, September 8th, 2008

Getting your hands on a dissertation literature review example can be enormously helpful, in a tremendous number of ways.  It all depends on what you need help with, really – except not, because there is no way an example will not be able to help you.

For instance, it can help you with the fundamentals of dissertation writing itself.  After all, the literature review is an essential part of any dissertation.  Without it, you can kiss your good grade good bye.

For that matter, a dissertation literature review example can also help you come up with dissertation ideas of your own.  Moreover, reading examples can show you which ideas to stay away from, by showing you which research paper topics have already been thoroughly examined.  It is absolutely vital that you choose a unique topic for your dissertation.  Picking an idea that has already been extensively explored and researched is not going to do a thing for you either, besides boring your readers.  The key to writing a good dissertation is picking a unique and original subject, after all.  Trust, that your professors and the board which will be reading your work are familiar with the research already done in their – and your – chosen field of study.  Choosing an idea which has already been done to death may make the whole dissertation writing process easier for you, but if you bore your audience, you will definitely live to regret taking the easy way out instead of doing some in depth and innovative research on your own.

Naturally, a dissertation literature review example can help you out with the review itself.  Specifically, it can help you to understand the fundamentals, formats, style, and purpose of literature review writing itself.

To that end, you will want to look at one literature review example which is written in the chronological structure, or format.  In a chronological literature review, the sources are grouped and discussed in the order of their publication.  The purpose is to highlight all the changes which have taken place in terms of research, especially as it applies to your field and especially to your chosen subject.

You will then want to read at least one literature review example written in thematic style.  Thematic literature review writing depends on grouping and discussing the sources in terms of their themes and/or topics.  It is extremely organized, and it is a good format to use when the writer does not want to summarize his or her sources.  Furthermore, this helps to emphasize the importance of the theme in the individual literature review and dissertation.

Probably the most important reason to look into studying a dissertation literature review example is because this assignment is so important.  Your dissertation is one of the most important things you will ever write, and the effort you put into it needs to reflect that.  Because the literature review itself is so vital to the overall project, doing the best you possibly can is imperative.  A lot of students do not understand the nature or purpose of a literature review when they first begin the dissertation writing process, and so reviewing well written examples can show you step by step exactly what you are trying to achieve.

Using Doctoral Thesis Proposal Examples to Your Advantage

Saturday, September 6th, 2008

There are many ways to benefit from well written Doctoral thesis proposal examples.  In order to do so, however, you have to know exactly what your thesis should include.  Otherwise, naturally you will not know what you are looking for, and nothing will be helpful.

Some cynics like to say that Doctoral dissertations are meaningless, that they do nothing except ultimately letting you achieve your degree.  For instance, just look up the phrase yourself, preferably in the all powerful Google.  You will easily find several viewpoints like that.  Unfortunately, they are written by academic men with a kind of misplaced superiority who seem to think that what they have experienced will be true for all students.  Such opinions provide no proposal help at all.  Rather, students and Doctoral candidates who need legitimate help are going to go to places like this and be discouraged rather than encouraged.  Quite frankly, opinions like that are detrimental, and one shudders to think how many people have not tried their hardest when writing their research paper, because they do not think it matters.

The first thing you need to know, even before you start looking for Doctoral thesis proposal examples, is to recognize that your thesis is different from anything you will ever write.  Particularly, it is not the same as a thesis statement.  A lot of students make the mistake in thinking that the two are one and the same, that they are interchangeable.  However, think about every thesis statement you have ever written – it is generally between one and three sentences, correct?  Although you craft entire papers around that statement, it can hardly make up an entire, pages’ long paper on its own.

Within the thesis writing process, several elements have to be represented.  As such, any Doctoral thesis proposal examples you look into need to incorporate all of those elements as well.  Otherwise, they are not going to provide any help at all.  You may miss something vitally important that you do not include in your own paper, which could have a severe effect on whether or not you ultimately receive the degree you have worked so hard to attain.

For instance, a well written, thought provoking essay needs to contain evidence that the research you are proposing is necessary, that it will be significant and important to your field.  Moreover, it needs to be original and unique.  There also needs to be a feasible research paper topic – i.e., one that can realistically be funded, plus there has to be appropriate equipment, supervisors, and most importantly, a sufficient amount of data available.  Any ethics have to be considered, the research has to be approved, and there has to be enough time to complete all the necessary research.

Examining structurally sound Doctoral thesis proposal examples can be extremely helpful.  You can see, firsthand, the kind of structure to expect, the proper format, and more importantly, you will be able to see the kind of time and work that goes into thesis writing.  This is not something you can put off until the last minute, so as far as that goes, do not be afraid to seek proposal help from other available avenues, either.

The Dissertation Proposal for Undergraduate Students

Thursday, September 4th, 2008

The dissertation proposal for undergraduate students is enormous.  It is huge.  By that, we do not necessarily mean that it is large in size (though, of course, many of them are); rather, we mean that they are hugely important to your grade.  Indeed, how well you do with your dissertation proposal is crucial to your academic future.  Not all of you will have to write an undergraduate dissertation by any means – but many of you will, and you should really view it as an opportunity rather than a tedious ordeal.  After all, it provides you with a huge amount of help and experience, which will be invaluable if you continue on and pursue a degree in graduate school.

In a very real way, the dissertation proposal for undergraduate students is the biggest and most serious product you will ever tackle during your years as an undergrad.  The purpose of the dissertation proposal at this time in your academic career is to show that you now how to think, analyze, and research, all independently.  There is, of course, plenty of dissertation help which will be at your disposal, but all the same, your undergraduate dissertation will be a quantitative example of what you have learned, not just in your field of study but also in the entire process of academic writing.  You are showing that your professor does not need to hold your hand, that you have a firm hold when it comes to learning and researching things independently from anyone else.

Without a doubt, the active of writing a dissertation proposal for undergraduate students is monumental.  It will take a lot time, patience, and effort.  This is not a paper which can be put off until the night before it is due – not by any means!  Truthfully, your dissertation proposal cannot even be put off until the week before it is due, otherwise you are guaranteed to run out of time.  You have to realize, you are not just writing here.  You are also researching, extensively.  This is something that you need to be working on the entire semester.

A lot of undergraduate students have no idea how to write a dissertation proposal.  However, that is no excuse to procrastinate – and honestly, it is not as hard as a lot of people think.  That being said, however, there are a number of things you need to keep in mind.  For instance, your research has to be top notch, which involves gathering both interesting facts and, well, factual ones, of course.  In writing, you have to follow the proper structure of the undergraduate dissertation to a tee.  Always make sure to give yourself time to edit as well – that means more than once!  It is not uncommon to students to go through as many as five revisions before reaching the final draft.

There are any number of helpful resources for the dissertation proposal for undergraduate students.  Although the main aim is to exhibit your independent research abilities, your professor – not to mention your adviser and any mentors you may have – will be more than happy to give you some help.  Furthermore, taking a look at a dissertation proposal example can be tremendously beneficial, especially in terms of showing you structure, format, et cetera.

The Key to Developing a Research Proposal

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

There will be a number of times during your academic career when you will need to know the ins and outs of developing a research proposal.  Before that, it would naturally be helpful to know exactly what you will need to do.  For the most part, you can except the paper to precede your dissertation.  Since there are several times you may need to write one of these, both in undergraduate school and on into your graduate studies, it only stands to reason that there will be ample opportunity for learning to write a proposal.

The first thing you need to know as you begin the research writing process is what you are proposing.  The name of the paper really speaks for itself.  Simply put, you are going to be proposal some type of research.  Perhaps you are pursuing a degree in genetics, focusing on genetically transported diseases.  You could perhaps approach the idea of researching a new way to predict and diagnose hemophilia.  This may sound like a difficult task, but if you are committed to writing a sound, structured, and well thought out proposal, you will not have a problem.  However, when developing a research proposal, it is vital to remember that your research proposal will be going up against a lot of others.  You have to make sure that your research has a relevant bearing on your field of study.  It has to have a true purpose, it has to present some benefit, and it absolutely has to be innovative.

Developing a research proposal is not unlike developing any other academic paper.  For that matter, research proposal writing is not at all different from any other type of academic writing, at least in its fundamentals.  For instance, you begin with the introduction.  The real difference is that you are not leading off with a thesis statement, precise.  It is a bit more accurate to say that you are substituting a hypothesis for your thesis statement.  The two are not all that different, but neither are they quite the same.  To really see the difference, try reading a few research proposal examples, especially alongside a term paper or an essay.

For that matter, research proposal examples can be quite helpful anyway.  Particular if you are not quite familiar with the whole process of research proposal writing, this can be especially helpful, insofar as learning format, structure, style, set up, et cetera.

You see, your research proposal will contain a few other key differences as well.  For instance, in addition to the body and the conclusion, you also have a methodology chapter.  For a lot of students, this is the most difficult part of developing a proposal, because it is so meticulous and requires such close attention to detail.

Developing a research proposal is essential in the success of your dissertation – and a poorly developed one can be the reason behind its failure.  However, there is no reason in the world not to write a structurally sound, thought provoking research proposal.  You simply need to commit yourself to the time, patience, research, and long nights of writing necessary.