Writing a Good Postgraduate Dissertation
The dissertation is most of the time the final stage in a post graduate course. It is the indication to the instructors that the student has gained enough knowledge to conduct a research project. The dissertation is an official document that has rules, both written and unwritten, that the writer should and must follow in order to write a good paper. It is crucial to first understand the aims of writing a dissertation. The general aims of the dissertation are as follows;
- To put the concepts knowledge gained in class to practice in the field
- The dissertation is an opportunity to perform an in depth study of the topic
- In the dissertation, the student should show their instructor that the research is independent
- The dissertation should have meaningful use and combinations of relevant theories
- The dissertation should provide meaningful alternatives and solutions to problems faced
- It should give the student a chance to interact with the professionals already working in the field of study
- The student should plan their dissertation responsibly to show that they can manage and execute a project within the required deadlines
It also helps to understand what objectives the dissertation should meet after the writing. This helps during the writing and during the evaluation after the writing. When the student is finished, they should.
- Deliver a well designed and conducted research piece n their dissertation
- Demonstrate their understanding of the concepts taught in class and how they relate to specific situations in the outside world
- Demonstrate a deep understanding of the area of study that they choose to research and do their dissertation on.
- Show an appreciation of the effects of their dissertation on the field of study and the constraints they face during the research process.
During the actual writing, the following tips can be helpful to do a meaningful essay
- Establish a field- the writer should choose carefully the specific field from which they want to write. They should choose a field they are familiar with as they will be highly motivated to research on the topic.
- GAP analysis- to adequately analyze the topic, they should look for a practical problem that is in existing research or in a section of the field.
- They should then propose a solution for this problem relating it to both the knowledge gained in class and the implications in the actual field of study.
- The final stage is the evaluation stage that should be done both from the point of view of the student, peers, and an independent set of eyes like the tutor.