Defining Doctoral dissertation

Passing a doctoral dissertation is an important phase of getting the degree. If you won’t pass, then you won’t get the degree. It is an extensive writing process that requires hard work, time, and effort. It is the writing of doctoral research in which the student has conducted in three or four years. It mostly consists of more than 100 pages. The dissertation covers different section and each section exhibit different type of information. These are:

• Introduction
• Literature review
• Methodology
• Findings
• Conclusion

The institutional methodology for finishing the dissertation may differ yet incorporates three principle exercises: research, submitting the proposal and defense of a dissertation, and granting of a doctorate. For this situation, the most important is not writing the dissertation but passing the defense. Moreover, it gives a stage to the basic assessment of the hidden rationale of the ideal examination way. Consequently, composing a paper might be considered the last test that a doctoral student needs to pass to accomplish the goal of getting the degree.

When and how to write

There is no timing for the dissertation. When you think you have done enough research and collected data, then you might start writing it. Most people are scared of writing it because you have to do critical analysis and give answers to all possible questions, especially during the defense. So, you have to prepare yourself for this step. The doctoral research arouses curiosity within the individual and enhances research, critical and analytical abilities of it. There is no shortcut to writing it but some of the tips can help write the dissertation.

The structure of the dissertation is divided into several sections so it means that each section carries out different information. All you need is to do extensive research and understandably organize your data so that you can start writing. Moreover, you can take dissertation help from seniors and colleagues.

Conclusion

The dissertation not only puts pressure on the doctoral student but also enhances its skills and abilities. It is a challenging part of the journey. This degree holds value because it is the highest status among other disciplines. It shows that you are highly qualified to do research in the field and also contribute to academic writing. The skills learned during this journey will help you see ideas in different perspective.  

How to find and choose the committee members

• Ask the committee chair

When looking for additional members for your dissertation, an excellent place to start is to ask your chairperson. They can recommend people who are suitable for your project. They can give you their recommendations. You can also find out which people they work well with. It helps the chairperson and the other committee members work together well. 

• Talk to the other students

As of now, your network of other students is wide. You can reach out to your networks and ask for their input on some people they can recommend to be your committee members. You can do it best through one-on-one meetings or private emails. Avoid doing this over group meetings or messages. People tend not to speak freely in such places. 

• Do your research

Once you have gotten a list of potential committee members for your dissertation, from the chairperson to the rest of the members suggested by your fellow students, go and do your research. You can contact your school for these people’s resumes and determine what type of research they have done. Check if they have published anything, how recently they have done it or where they have done it. Find out what kind of methodology is used by them. It is wise to find people who have the same interest as you or share some interests, and this connection helps your relationship with them. As you do your research, find out of any dissertations that they have worked on. What topics have they worked on, what methodologies have they used, and were they acknowledged by other students? You need to do thorough research on these things. 

Once you have finished your research and have narrowed down the list of the candidates for your dissertation committee, you need to contact them. You can email them to see if they are interested. It, however, can be a challenge coming up with how to write them an email. You can search for samples of emails to help you with this.

Interviewing the potential members of the committee

After writing emails to your potential committee members and you get responses from them. The next thing is planning to get in touch with them face to face or via a phone call. It is wise to have some questions prepared in advance for this. Some sample questions that you may use include:

• Would you like to view my work when it is finished or as pieces are being completed?
• How do you prefer communication? Should it be direct, or it has to go through the chairperson?
• How long does it take for you to do my review?
• Are there some faculty members that do not fit well with you or do not work well with you?
• What are the attributes that make successful students?
• Do you have ideas on my topic?
• Are there any questions that you care to ask me?

As a student, you should not forget that you can interview potential members of your committee. It is a good thing since it shows commitment and seriousness to your faculty. 

How do you ask someone to a member of your dissertation? 

After following the steps mentioned above, the following steps are easy. Your professor, at this point, knows that the members are a good fit for your dissertation. They are conscientious about doing your research, and also, they respect your time. You can send the members a simple email to tell them that it will be an honor to serve as a committee member. It, though, needs to be noted. It is just an ask. You have not yet told them that they are on the committee. 

Conclusion

It is essential to choose the committee members. When you select a committee, you want it to push you to reach your goal. The process of exploring potential members doesn’t take long. But it is an investment for your dissertation help. 

Introductions

The introduction chapter is the gateway to your dissertation. It serves various purposes, including drawing readers’ attention to your work and its content. Besides telling the reader what to expect, it aims to entice them to read more; hence, it should be exciting. There is no cast in the stone formula for writing an introduction; however, it should be able to:

1. Grab attention

A good introduction should contain an attention grabber (hook), which attracts the reader to read more. When creating a hook, you can consider:

• Something interesting by way of statistics or facts
• A rhetorical question, which provokes the reader, make them have a pang of conscience or create excitement
• Diffuse a myth related to the topic

2. Focus on your topic

A good introduction should immediately introduce your readers to your topic. In doing this, you should state the paper’s subject area, its relevance and give a little background information on it. The background information should put your research in context.

3. Thesis statement

Now it is time to make your thesis statement. In your thesis statement, include

• The main topic
• The main focus of the topic
• State your discussion for the thesis

Your thesis statement should be clear and concise, directly stating the research paper’s purpose and context. Mostly, it should be the last paragraph of the introduction.

Sample of introduction

Topic: social media usage

Hook: Which social media app do you use and for what?

Topic focus and context: unlike a decade ago, today’s youth are spoilt for choice regarding communication, information search, and entertainment. With just a click of a button on a smartphone, they get access to millions of content. It is true that some become addictive and increases the time spent on screen, which could affect productivity. However, responsible use of technology can increase productivity and save time. For example, instead of moving from one library to another to find material for your dissertation, you can use educational apps and software to access numerous contents. In this case, you have put technology to good use. In business settings, technology’s potential can be harnessed to reach a large audience, seek opinions on a product, and increase sales. Many businesses are now relying on apps to sell products and services. Also, several educational games and apps developed purposely for children can help them improve academically.

Conclusion

The conclusion part of your paper should summarize all the key points of your thesis. Most importantly, it highlights the take-homes of the paper. The conclusion may also suggest some recommendations in case further studies are to be done on the topic.

When writing a conclusion, you should:

• Re-echo your thesis statement to refresh your readers’ minds on the purpose of the paper.
• Summarize the key points in the paper and demonstrate how they support your claims.
• What significance is of these claims and the impact they could have on the reader? You can end by making a recommendation as to the way forward.

Part 1: Initial Considerations

Who needs to write a master’s thesis?

When it comes to higher education, this is one of the most daunting challenges that students face. It is something that almost all students have to write. Case in point, in some fields that require applied knowledge, such as business education in nursing, they have projects and exams that usually test their students on skills and abilities that are usually associated with their field. On the other side, in some academic disciplines requiring in-depth research, students are expected to prove that they have understood writing a thesis.

What’s the goal of the thesis?

The process of writing a thesis is usually a long line that spans over the years. Before starting, it is essential to know exactly what is required of you. For many people, this is motivation by their career. For example, when hiring managers and have a master’s degree, it is proved that they are an expert in your field. They can be able to motivate, lead and demonstrate initiative. While getting a master’s degree is a stepping stone towards Ph.D. for others. You should have a desired goal in mind before you start.

Major types of theses

Once you have been in rolled into a Masters’s program, this requires a lot of resources in planning. You should know your responsibility regarding either a quantitative or qualitative or creative this is.

Time and energy considerations

When it comes to advanced degrees are usually time-consuming and require a lot of energy. For people who are working, their thesis becomes their second job. As a family person, you need to understand the effect that it will have on you since it will take your energy, attention, and your focus. But you should note that your studies should not consume you, but also, you should ignore them altogether. You should find a balance between them. Your expectations as a student are that you attend the classes, ensure research is conducted, schedule meetings, and source the relevant literature. It is imperative for the people around you to know what is happening to you. 

Part 2: Find a supervisor and form the initial thesis question

In some fields, it is required for you to have a thesis question already. It is to be used to create the statement of intent before applying to any master’s program. 

For some other courses, there’s an expectation that you are supposed to come up with the topic by yourself. But in other disciplines, the research topic may be assigned to you by a supervisor. When he comes there, this is the question the requirements differ between different programs; to be on the safe side, confirm the requirements that are there on your program.

What to say to the supervisor?

When doing your master’s studies, will you have a supervisor? You need to identify who this person will be. Once you have identified, you need to introduce yourself to them and obtain the information on the process and procedure that is the place for your master’s program. You can also request a face-to-face meeting. Do not be afraid to ask for help at Dissertation Team.

Part 3: Revise Your Thesis

Whatever you can get your hands on, read

Whether you need to create a thesis question or you already have one, the next step that applies to all this is very simple; you have to read.

Sick out research gaps and knowledge

When you’re studying, ensure that you read everything that relates to your feelings into the question. It is the way to determine where you’re going and see where others have been. After reading some other materials that I’ve been club published, you will see some gaps in your research and noticed some things that can be developed further or viewed differently.

Part 4: Select a proposal committee

When you have a set of questions or a solid question, you can go ahead and draft a proposal. Your proposal should have a clear stance and justification for answering anything that has been asked. To ensure that this is question is original, a committee needs to review this is a proposal. The committee needs to quarantine people that the department or the supervisor has assigned and some that you have and peaked yourself. These will be experts in your field of study in the air, driven to do everything to make sure that you’re pursuing.

APA Alphabetization guidelines

In this format, the references are alphabetically by the last name of the first author. In the event that the other is unknown, the order entry of the connection is a meaningful word of the title.

The APA citation methods are also recommended by the American Psychological Association and are used in many social sciences. When using the APA style, you do not need to use footnotes at the bottom of the page. You insert reference citation in the text, which illuminates the use of food notes at the bottom of the page or the end of the paper. At the end of your article, you put a reference list that will give readers enough information to look at each source.

Headings and subheadings

The headings in APA have different levels. They have five possible levels. The first heading, level one, is used for the main sections, such as results or methods. The other titles from levels 2 to 5 are used for subheadings. The formatting of every heading is different.

Title page

The title page is usually the first page of an APA-style paper. For the students and also for professional documents, they have different guides on how to do it. The additional policies both include the other’s name. They pay by title and affiliation. The student also needs to retain his cost number, the name, the instructor’s name, and then the assignment is due. The professional version of the title of the page contains a running head, and it has the author’s notes.

Abstract

The abstract is a document that is usually 150 to 250 words. It is usually the summary of your paper for any professional papers, and I was shocked, it is required. But it may be hard to include it when it comes to students. The abstracts usually come after the title page, and it’s usually placed on a separate page and is the top of the page where written abstracts.

The contents are usually in the abstract paper are generally directly under the label. Unlike other regular paragraphs, the first line of that strict is not intended. The abstract is usually written without hitting the blank lines, and it’s a single paragraph. Below the abstract, you may have relevant keywords.

Table of contents

The APA does not give guidelines on how you should feel much of the contents. It’s is a required element in either student or professional papers. If there the instructor wants you to include the table of contents, it’s better to adhere. Also, note that you will place the table of contents on a separate page.

Reference page

This page is usually placed after the main body of the paper. It is usually not after their appendicitis.

Formatting the reference page

The label for references should be at the top of a new page, should be bold, and this will be centered; please enter the label in alphabetical order of the reference entries. You can apply a hanging indent for the first line of each reference.

Tables and figures

The figures on the tables of the paper are usually presented in a similar format. They are generally preceded by either a title or a number and then followed, if necessary, by explanatory notes. When using the word table or figure, always use bold styling. And the number of the place the title should be below it.

Ensure that you keep the tables clean and you do not use any vertical lines. Only use a few horizontal lines as possible and keep the column and roll. It was concise. Keep the figures’ designs in the most straightforward manner possible this includes labels and the legend if need be. Colors get used when necessary. They help in making it more appealing. You can also get dissertation help from the many writing platforms online.

Committee selection

You should select the committee members for your thesis as early as you can. Every committee has three panelists that will go through your dissertation and also participate in the defense. Among the panelists, one is the student’s academic advisor, and at least one should be a full-time faculty member. The student should then opt to choose another non-faculty member to sit on the committee. As a student, it is your responsibility to select and confirm each panelist’s participation.

Submission of the dissertation

You are required to have a copy of your dissertation submitted to your adviser at least ten weeks before the defense date. During this stage, you will get feedback from your supervisor and other members of the committee.

Submitting to the defense committee

After you ask supervisor has approved your work and deems it ready for Defence, you should submit your career to the committee at least four weeks before your defense date.

Defense scheduling

After you submit your work to the committee, you should then set a date to face the and also register your information with your institution three weeks the due date. By the time you submit your dissertation, you should be in the final stages of arranging the defense. Ensure that you are in consultation with your panelist regarding the times and dates when they will be available to review your work. After doing that, you should provide all the names of the members of your community. You should remember that you are responsible for any act of the three committee members. And show that you work hand-in-hand beach affair date for both of you. In case a member rejects your paper or tells you to make some revisions, there could be changes to the defense date if completed on time. You should also be aware that other difficulties may arise, especially when finding the committee members or arranging a date to face the defense.

Thesis defense

You’ll spend roughly 1 and 1/2 hours defending and discussing their cases in front of your panel on the date of appointment. In case the board approves your dissertation, the members will sign on the final document approval and send it to the office of the registrar. In case you pass the defense and meet all your requirements for the degree, you will get registered for the following graduation. In case the committee asks you to revise some areas, you will get given a specific amount of time to correct your mistakes and get them approved. Some members may also ask you to do some editorial changes, and all these may not even delay your graduation. You’ll get given at least 30 days to attend to the changes and submit all your finals to the committee.

Submitting your thesis

In 30 days, while defending a thesis, you must get to submit the final copy of today’s situation within the specified time. You also have to ensure that you have the corrected and edited version of your dissertation.

Deadlines for the defense

You must adhere to your calendar rules so that you don’t fail to submit your paper on time. Ensure that you know all the allowances of time so that you are always up to task your paper. You need to submit your article at least ten weeks before your graduation so that the committee has ample time to go through the dissertation and approve you for graduation. Ensure that you discuss your thesis schedule with your supervisor way before the defense date.

Formatting is the final stage of your dissertation writing. This is the stage where you no longer have to lose sleep over what to write and organize your thoughts into writing. The next task now is paying attention to the little details and put the finishing touches to make your dissertation reader-friendly.

Formatting your work is relatively simple and straightforward if your dissertation is paper-based, black, and white print. However, if you are submitting electronically, you may need to consider other technology-based details, such as formatting graphs, tables, and charts when converting to PDF. The inclusion of a table of contents and interactive hyperlinks also falls in this category.

1. Correctly format your work 

Formatting guidelines for the dissertation differ from university to university as well as from department to department. Therefore, you must know your institution and department’s requirements before you submit your dissertation.

Every dissertation contains an abstract, acknowledgment, and a Table of Content at the beginning and a list of abbreviations, figures, and tables if used.

When numbering your pages, they must correspond with your Table of Contents. Each chapter should start at the beginning of a blank page and that headings/subheadings do not end up at the bottom of a page. Your bibliography must also be appropriately formatted to meet your department’s referencing requirements (e.g., APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.)

Formatting is important because it makes your document easy to read and navigate.

2. Get your dissertation proofread 

When you write and proofread your work, it is convenient to skip some mistakes due to oversight; therefore, you must have someone else proofread your work. Proofreading is a particularly influential move, and chances are, another person will most likely spot the mistakes you have missed and not be sentimental in his/her approach to your work, the way you would be.

3. Get feedback from your tutor 

Your tutor or supervisor is a great resource to you as you write your dissertation, especially if you have one willing to read and make comments on your entire dissertation. However, the final read of your dissertation should not be the first time your tutor or supervisor sees your work. You should have him/her read and give feedback at the end of every chapter. Since they are experts in the field, it makes the formatting process less cumbersome at the end of your dissertation writing.

4. Get feedback from your peers 

Your peers, classmates, and fellow graduate students may be a great resource to you during your dissertation writing since there may be times when your supervisor is not available to attend to you or provide you with the right feedback. Since your peers are writing their dissertations too and with different tutors/supervisors, they may use the knowledge gained from writing theirs to help you avoid some common mistakes and pitfalls in yours.

5. Buying feedback 

Sometimes, your tutor’s feedback is not enough, probably because you didn’t submit your work early or are generally not satisfied with the feedback you got. If this is the case, you may want to have an external third-party read your work and provide the much-needed feedback at a price. However, ensure that this third-party is someone in your field whose feedback and insights can be useful when amending your dissertation or preparing ahead of your defense.

What is a literature review? 

The literature review is a key part of your dissertation, and it often appears near the start of your dissertation. It summarizes the available writings in the field you are researching and where exactly your dissertation will fit into. Even though you will barely have time to read a lot of thesis literature review writing tips, your literature review must, however, demonstrate wide reading.

Instead of writing a list of writers in the field and their opinion, your literature review should be clear enough to describe the different literature bodies and provide different standpoints on vital issues and indicate any changes or current challenges in general opinions. Suffice to say, your literature review should not just be a summary of books and articles you refer to; it should also provide a critique of each work.

Bear in mind that a good literature review not only serves as an important background to your dissertation. It also helps show where and how your dissertation will fit into the field.

How long should a literature review be? 

Your literature review should make up at least 25% of your entire dissertation, and each of the following factors must be evident in your review:

1. Questions

Do not jump into analyzing the literature without clarifying the research questions that will guide your dissertation. You can do this by simply formulating problems beforehand; this will help you avoid hours of aimless reading. Know the key issues that concern you and your dissertation, and approach from this lens alone.

2. Wide search

For a literature review to be deemed satisfactory, you must demonstrate your ability to search relevant materials from different sources. Consult online databases for useful dissertation abstracts whose relevance you can consider, use the available university and departmental libraries for extra guidance and resources.

3. Significance over content

When writing a literature review, relate only the content that is directly relevant to your research and spend as much time analyzing the significance of these sources to your work.

4. Key themes

Identify, explain, draw out, interpret, and evaluate key themes that emanate from the various literature you studied. Analyzing your themes provides you with a foundation on which to build your body of work.

5. Critical attitude

If you haven’t sufficiently scrutinized, questioned, or dissected any material, its content must not make it into your dissertation. Critical perspective to all material eliminates mere description and emphasizes initial analysis.

6. Findings

Despite the existing opinions, controversies, it is important that you try to draw out your findings, regardless of if it is in contrast to what is currently in the public domain. Suggest what you believe in and why make predictions where you can.

7. Valid sources 

Your sources’ validity remains an essential part of your literature review; therefore, avoid using or consulting materials or data that are now obsolete.

8. Categorization

Categorize your materials based on their relevance to research questions, theoretical paradigm, chronology, and academic positions. It is a useful way of presenting your findings without getting lost in the process.

9. Theory

The theoretical aspect of your findings must have a coherent rationale behind it. The opinions you have formulated at the end of your literature review must also be on point because that’s the whole point your literature review wants to achieve.

10. Source provenance

Prove your sources at all times. With questions such as: How widely cited is the author? Has there been a damning critique of the author’s work? How authoritative is the writer? Proving your sources gives credence to your literature review.