Jewish Council

How to Write an Effective Dissertation without Struggling

Everyone trying to write their dissertation feels stressed, all the time spent studying and now you have a short time to write thousands of words. Scary, of course, but just make sure you plan ahead, stay organized, and keep writing. As long as you persevere, and keep telling yourself “I can do this”, you will sail through it.

Planning


  • Before you write your dissertation, you must do a lot of research.
  • Establish your overall topic of interest, and then narrow it down to your main focus, which your thesis will be based on.
  • Structure your outline, and collect as much research as possible. Keep notes and stay organized so you can find everything easily.
  • Talk to academic staff and students about your ideas, to get their thoughts and feedback about what you want to do.
  • Set yourself deadlines for when you want to have certain things completed. This will help you feel less stressed as you are completing goals as you go.

Start writing


  • Once you have a plan of your dissertation, it is time to start writing. Make sure you are managing your time correctly and planning when you will work and what you will do.
  • You do not necessarily have to start at the beginning of the paper, just write your different points and sections as they come in your head, and you can put them in order afterwards. Just make sure once you have done this, that each paragraphs flows with the next. Sometimes it is easier writing your introduction near the end because then you know everything that you want to cover.
  • Try to avoid repetition, cover your points clearly and with evidence, then move on to the next.
  • As the dissertation is so long, think about using sub headings which are useful to break up the text and make each stage of the writing clear.
  • Make sure you have adequate references to books, sources and articles that you used.
  • Remember that your style of writing is essential to communicate your thoughts and ideas accurately. Your thesis can be let down by unclear arguments or poorly conveyed ideas, even if you planned and researched your essay well.
  • Take some time off when you need it. Try not to overwork yourself and stress yourself out. Take some time to yourself, and when you come back to your work you may get new ideas or see things from a different perspective.

Double checking


  • Once you get to the end, and think you have finished writing, don’t stop yet. You must keep going back and double checking and re reading.
  • Ensure you do at least three drafts. Keep refining your work until you are completely happy with it.
  • Have someone you trust to proofread your work.

Good luck!

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