Hints For Surviving the Challenging Dissertation Writing Stage
You are clearly near the end of a significant educational journey. If you have chosen to go through this blog post, it can be safely assumed that you are somewhere in the process of contributing a body of original knowledge to your academic field. This is, after all crafting, the culmination of several years of the research and capstone of your PhD- the dissertation.
It is safe to conclude that if you are at this stage of your academic career, you have already mastered the basic intricacies of the work already.
Nevertheless, in today’s blog post, we won’t be regurgitating the sane advice that you have undoubtedly heard all your university life. Instead, we will walk you through certain golden principles any doctoral student must take seriously to flourish in his/her writing phase. Following these will help you greatly in getting closer to your final goal and acquiring your PhD.
Let’s dive right in!
Useful Principles To Survive The Challenging Dissertation Writing Process
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Eliminate Pessimism And Self-Doubt
Regardless of how average you think you are at conducting in-depth research, collecting data, statistical analysis, presentations, if you can read, speak, or write, you have it in you to complete your dissertation successfully. Apart from that, if you have reached the post-graduate level, you absolutely have what it takes to acquire your PhD. Thus, before anything, it becomes crucial to eliminate any self-doubts you may have. No matter what you may think about yourself, try to refrain from that nasty confidence-shattering habit of comparing yourself to others.
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Simply Start Writing
According to reputed dissertation Assignment help stalwarts around the world, once you are done planning out your writing phase, it’s time to get typing. Believe us; it’s not going to get any easier the longer you wait! Know the most remarkable way to work on your argument is to truly work your argument out in writing.
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Go Through Other Thesis and Dissertations
It is incredibly helpful to scan other finished documents to get a profound sense of what makes a strong body of work. Not only that, when you read other’s work diligently, you get to learn about various ways to structure your dissertation and what types of segments to incorporate. Make sure to search for research related to your topic, methodology, and epistemology to see how other students have approached these specific areas.
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Request Feedback and Do That Early
Take this to be a cardinal principle. The earlier you begin communication with your committee members about your writing, the more painless your editing sessions will be. Even when you simply have the barebones outline of a chapter, try to sit down with your supervisor and comprehend if the outlines will work. Try to get as much feedbacks as you can. This will keep you connected to your committee as well as other people with remarkable qualifications.
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Maintain Flexibility
A close look at popular reflection paper help forums will help you realize writer’s block can happen to the best of us and might cause you to miss even one of your deadlines. If you tend to miss a deadline, try adjusting your schedule accordingly and continue with your writing. Another veteran’s tip- if you set all your deadlines a little earlier than needed, you will be able to provide yourself with a bit of buffer in case you have to push any of them back.
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Write The Introductions Last
It is incredibly easy to get stuck on the introduction. Thus, try skipping it initially. Try writing the body of the chapter first. Once you are done, you will know well what you are actually introducing and will be able to gather your thoughts remarkably. This advice applies to the introduction segment of the dissertation, too, especially since it is most likely to evolve over the innumerable month you work on it diligently.
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Cite Wisely
Your supervisors can always help you determine a couple of vital articles to cite in your document. While it is always significant to make sure that you are citing the most up-to-date studies in your literature review, it is also vital to acknowledge the early research scholars who paved the way for your work. Do not only cite ‘supportive sources’. Your dissertation committee will expect you to discuss opposing views as well. Furthermore, explaining carefully how your work departs intentionally from these studies will help in strengthening your arguments hugely.
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Dissertation Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint
As you have perhaps heard numerous times before, dissertation writing is a marathon and not a sprint. As a result, it should happen in small bits and pieces throughout a long period. Irrespective of how busy you are during the day, you must find adequate time to write for at least half an hour a day. Take out at least 30 minutes of quiet and quality time to craft the most crucial work of your career. Wake up a couple of minutes early, if you can. If you feel like it, simply write for one page a day and you will be easily able to compile close to a chapter in a month.
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Take Adequate Breaks
Know that writing will be your full-time responsibility when you are working on your dissertation; however, that doesn’t imply that you have to be writing all the time. If you constantly work beyond your regular hours, you will burn yourself out easily. Try to take breaks when you require a rest. Similarly, do not be afraid to say no to social activities.
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Update Your Reference List As You Go
Nothing can be more exasperating in life than forgetting where you acquired a certain reference or from the page, you took a quote. Try to keep up with your references as you go religiously. This will prevent you from doing any unnecessary work later on.
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Celebrate Accomplishments As You Go
Invest adequate time to appreciate even the little accomplishments as you write. Working solely for the reward of defending or graduating can turn out to be overwhelming. Therefore, find tiny milestones to celebrate as you go along. Finished a chapter? Have a cookie! Finished a segment? Go get a beer! Collected all the data and statistics you have been looking for? Feel free to take a night off! Ultimately, find places to feel good about what you are doing.
Final Words,
It’s true your dissertation can make or break your career. However, it is completely okay if your dissertation doesn’t represent your lifelong passion or ultimate life purpose. If academia is your long-term goal, you have your entire career to refine the program of study.
Make this entire process meaningful and a lot more enjoyable for you. An exemplary dissertation is always a done dissertation. However, your research can still contribute greatly to the theory, practice, and policy in essential ways. Thus, try not to underestimate the ability to create a truly meaningful body of work. Here’s wishing you all the luck for study in canada .