The hardest part of gaining a Master’s degree apart from the extensive research it requires is the dissertation writing process. Many students have a problem with the structuring process which, if mastered would make the whole process easy and straightforward.
The dissertation structure is critical first because it displays the work in a way you can work easy. The structure also makes the research look live and real. It facilitates the research mapping process, which is the biggest challenge you would face without.
Top dissertation structure tips
- 1. Always plan your structure in a visually clear manner. According to experts, using a diagrams, gaps and text and images to actually map out how the dissertation will look works wonders. It enables you visualize the whole project and this makes work much easier.
- 2. The Introduction and a conclusion are the parts that must never miss out on a dissertation. There are also smaller bits of the paper you must understand to ensure that it meets all guidelines. In many cases, different colleges treat the extras like dissertation methodologies, literature reviews and bibliographies different.
- 3. Always have a word limit in mind. To get this in perspective, when you are mapping out the dissertation structure, arrange to have the different sections with a word count limit. This way, you can create a way to collect enough words for the entire paper.
- 4. Always remember to have your strongest points early on in the essay. These points should be structured to flow with each other according to message, bringing clarity and meaning to the dissertation.
- 5. Place ideas which sound similar next to each other. Those which differ should be at two distinct ends to improve clarity and understanding. It’s also a way of ensuring that the readers aren’t confused.
- 6. Make it readable. This does not matter whether your essay is done at masters or undergraduate level. The examiners want the dissertations easy to follow, understand and remember. The most memorable and useful dissertations are written in simple and readable language. As such, keep your sentences short, lively and distinct. Keeping different ideas separate can also help you achieve readability.
- 7. Use bulleted points and numerical digits to break up structure. Psychologists say that these techniques encourage readers. Whether these make the structure less clogged or scattered, numbers and bullets also help readers understand the dissertations better.
- 8. It’s also important to structure the dissertation in a way that clarifies the message. For instance, if you used different sources to clarify ideas, make these clear in the implementation of the structure. It will make it easy for readers to follow.
- 9. Use signpost sentences to direct the readers. These means that the sentences or titles tell readers what they will expect when they read on. They will also be the guidance when implementing the visual structure of the dissertation.
- 10. Refer back or point forward where necessary. It makes no sense to keep repeating statements in their dissertation because these eventually make it repetitive. As we discussed, as you will see are just some of the statements you can use to direct readers without repeating.
- Overall, what matters for a dissertation is how direct, stable and clear structure determine whether or not a writing is effective. Try to make your dissertation clear by keeping away vagueness.
Sandra Miller is a freelance writer from Brooklyn. She always uses professional editing service to help make her writing perfect.