Dissertation Survival Guide

I may be a little late to the party as I assume dissertations will be due in around March/April time or maybe this might be the perfect time who need any sort of motivation to keep going with their dissertation. I thought I'd come on here and give any of you who may be procrastinating your dissertations right night a little bit of advice maybe even some inspiration to throw on top of that. As someone who has done a 10,000 word dissertation and a 14,000 word dissertation plus got a 2:1 grade on both of them, I thought I'd give you some tips on how to get through your dissertation. 

1. Communicate with your supervisor

Everyone gets a supervisor when they do a dissertation. Usually, you first meet your supervisor with a group of students who may be doing similar topics but most of the time it will be one on one with your supervisor. My biggest tip is to communicate with your supervisor. My biggest tip is to communicate with your supervisor no matter what because they want to help you succeed but they can't help you if you don't give them anything. Arrange to meet weekly so that you're slowly working on your dissertation every week. They can help you with some references that you might not have thought of plus they can correct pieces of the dissertation that you show them. Your literature review will be the one that you're going to struggle most with so definitely share it with your supervisor at any opportune moment. It may be scary to share your work with your supervisor (usually is a lecturer you know anyway) but honestly, it's better than showing nothing. They don't expect it to be perfect and at least they'll be able to see the effort you are putting in. Trust me when I say communicating with your supervisor is the first step to getting through your dissertation. 

2. Plan!

To be honest with you, nobody knows how to write a dissertation for the first time. If it helps, no dissertation is the same because that is called plagiarism. I also wouldn't recommend winging it because unfortunately, your dissertation needs to make sense to not just you but also the person marking it. Try to come up with a plan. Brainstorm ideas from the question. Are there two different sides to your title? Are there other topics you can include? For my first dissertation, I did female stereotypes in fragrance advertising. There was a lot to look into like the male gaze, sexualisation and objectification of the female body plus female empowerment. Also whether it had a positive or negative impact on the audience. It just goes to show that sometimes one question or topic could open up a load more theories and ideas that you can take your dissertation to. Brainstorm as much as you can, and it can guide you through your literature review. Either way, it's important to plan for your dissertation and have some idea of what direction you're going in. Another thing is to always refer back to your research aims and objectives because it won't look good if you have research objectives at the beginning of your dissertation and never refer to them once throughout the dissertation. Use them to help guide you through your dissertation and you'll be fine. 

3. Split your literature review into categories

One of the worst things about doing a dissertation is the literature review because it can be very confusing at times and also make you want to scream. The purpose of the literature review is to find current research and references based on your topic. You need references to back up points you make plus find references that are either similar or contradict one another so you'll be able to argue for your research and not something that is completely biased to one side of your research. My biggest tip when it comes to your literature review is to split it up into categories as you are allowed to have subheadings in your literature review, and it allows you to have some focus as well structure for your dissertation. For example with my dissertation, I split my literature review up into female representation, body image, female stereotypes etc. It also allowed me to categorise my references too and made my literature review flow nicely. 

4. Get as many academic references as you can

Now, we all know the internet can be a wonderful place especially Google. However, to get a good mark on your dissertation then website sources are not going to cut it. You need academic references like books and journals. It's going to take a long time, but it has to be done. Although thanks to the pandemic then your university library will make most of their academic books into eBooks which makes searching for references easier as they'll have a search bar so you can find what you're looking for in the text. Of course, you can also use website sources but try not to rely on them too much. Use them if you don't have any other reference to back up a point you make. Trust me, the more academic sources than the better. If you're struggling, ask your supervisor if they have any recommendations. Take advantage of your university library because it will help you out when you need it. Referencing is an important part of your dissertation because you're going to be spending a lot of time making points and needing to back them up with references. It helps in the long run because you do not want to get caught plagiarising so remember to always use references. 

5. Start as early as you can

Trust me when you first get your dissertation assignment, you may think the deadline seems like a long way away. Yet it's over 10,000 words and that is a lot of words. Therefore I'd highly recommend starting as early as you can. Start looking at references because believe me, the week of the deadline, it's going to be a struggle to find the book you need because believe it or not there are always some panicked students also doing their dissertation last minute. I'd recommend starting early by creating a word document dedicated to all your references with the reference details on it too therefore you'll have a list of references you can use throughout your dissertation, and you'll be prepared. 

6. Proofread!

You may find yourself relying too much on spell and grammar checks on your word document but that can only help so much. Always proofread your work. Read it out loud if you must because trust me, it will help you out in the long run. You'll be able to see if your words make sense when said aloud. Always double-check. Another good idea is to get someone else to read it like a friend or family member. Even if they have no idea of the subject or course you're doing, sometimes a fresh set of eyes can help. Also, let your supervisor proofread your work and they'll be able to tell you where you're going wrong and see if you've put in any unnecessary parts that you don't need in it. 

7. Back It Up

The worst thing that could happen is losing your dissertation. Whether your laptop crashes, the file gets corrupted or for whatever reason, it gets permanently deleted. You always hear that horror story of the student that didn't back up their dissertation and lost it the day before it's due. It may be annoying, but you'll thank yourself in the long run. I kept all my uni work on a memory stick but one thing I always did was email drafts of my dissertation to myself so therefore I always had access to an updated draft of my dissertation but also the previous drafts just in case. Always remember to back up your dissertation because you'll thank yourself in the long run when you always have a copy of your dissertation. 

8. Try to work on it every week

I know you may have other assignments going on, but your dissertation is just as important. It's a 100% module that goes towards your final degree grade. Have a dedicated day for your dissertation. Even if it's just two hours a week. It's better than nothing. Trust me. The deadline will come quicker than you think but dedicating some time to your dissertation once a week will help you out in the long run. 

9. Reward Yourself

It's really important to reward yourself for your hard work. It works as a kind of motivation to get you to do some work. It doesn't have to be anything huge but try to reward yourself with something you enjoy whether it's playing a video game, hanging out with your friends, or having a nice meal. Either way, it feels so deserving after working hard so always remember to reward yourself after spending a few hours working on your dissertation because you deserve it. 

10. You Can do It!

Writing a dissertation may seem like the most impossible thing to do. However, believe it or not: You will finish it. Every student struggles with their dissertation. You're not alone. You may find yourself hitting a brick wall where you can't find the references or where you don't even know what you're talking about anymore. However, you will do it because, to be honest, you don't have a lot of choices especially if you want your degree. If you're struggling with it then talk to someone because nobody will help you unless you ask. However, if you follow my tips then I'm sure you will get there in the end. Unfortunately, nobody is going to write it for you so you may as well give it a try and there is no better feeling than finally submitting your final draft (and trust me you'll have a lot of drafts). Honestly, it's a great feeling knowing you did it. So keep going with writing your dissertation and soon it will be over. 

There we have it. That's my dissertation survival guide. I hoped it helped you out and I wish you the best of luck with anyone doing their dissertations. It's going to be a struggle, but you will get there in the end. Just keep going because you can do it. 

That's all I have to say for now. Thank you for reading my blog and I'll be back again soon with another blog post. 

See you then. 

Megan x 

*This is not a sponsored post* 

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