Category: Dissertation Help

The ABD status or the ‘All but dissertation’ status is something that forms part of your challenge if you are a student aspiring to get your doctorate and are in the process of starting a dissertation. This is a level at which you may have finished all the skeletal processes of completing your doctorate and may be left with just the dissertation project. Here are 3 major steps that help you in removing the ABD status for good.
Get the dissertation chair involved: The best way to make the ABD removal process a safe one is to make sure that the supervisors or the advisors for your project are kept in the loop. Having discussions with the supervisors ensures that you know what they expect and the steps you plan to take may comply with the demands or the requirements of the chair. This method also helps in keeping you exposed towards the chair and each step that you take may be noted with a positive attitude if the supervisors are involved right from the beginning.

Ask a statistician: If you are at the helm of your dissertation and need to create a statistical study to support your work, you will be required to make certain assumptions and along with that you will need solid proof to complement your assumptions and inferences. Though it may sound simple, the data analysis and statistics process is one that requires in-depth knowledge and expertise, the safest bet for you in such a situation is to get a statistician on board and get their help to create a statistical data analysis.

Hire a mentor: You may be provided with a mentor or supervisor who looks into the progress of your work, but they may or may not give you essential inputs to make your work better. On the other hand, if you hire a coach or a mentor who is a professional, he or she may not only be able to help you with your project but may also contribute as an editor in the course of the project.

Choosing the right methods and techniques of work may go a long way in providing you with relief in your dissertation project and the making of your statistical data analysis.

Research paper writing is a task of effort so the first thing you need to do is give yourself enough time to work. For a research paper of average length, a month should be given to yourself to be able to collect data and library research material. If you organise your tasks better would help you to maximize the output of your tasks much better than ever before. Effective time management for different activities involved with research writing can help you in a very good way to get maximum productivity.

It is necessary that you write a very strong thesis statement. A thesis statement is a formal way to put up the question that you desire to give an answer to in your paper. Mostly, an involved supervisor would want to approve your thesis statement before you actually begin with your research. Some general hints can help to strengthen the thesis statement. It should be on a simple subject to work upon with a narrow perspective. Try to have a sharpened thesis statement. Before you actually give it for approval or start to further work on it, make sure your idea can be executed. Some amount of preliminary research is helpful here.

Another useful tip is to familiarise yourself well with the sources from where you will be getting the reference material. Get tuned to your university library system so that your precious time isn’t wasted trying to locate the material.

When you begin to write the outline of your research paper, never take it lightly. Remember that your paper standard will match with the standards you create with the outline of the document. At the extreme top write your introduction which is the thesis statement expanded into a paragraph. It should be definite and concise and remember not to put opinionated statements as that brings down the credibility of the facts and the content. Do a very systematic review of each resonant point in your argument. Below the introduction, write the main heading followed by the subheading and ensure it matches with the material that has been gathered by you.

When you come to the conclusion, it should be the synopsis of the paper, a summary of the thesis statement with which you started the document.

Before you go ahead with finalising the outline of your paper, ensure that each point is specified clearly and you have worked upon creating a flow in the paper and have not missed onto any point that has been mentioned in the thesis statement.

The beginning of the proposal should emphasise on the problem statement that will be covered in the thesis and the foundation for it which is the background information that you have gathered and compiled for it. After that the next expected heading is the Literature Review. Remember that the proposal is made for a study which is proposed so it should be written in future tense where by whatever you state should be not generalised but very specifically pertaining to your research. The more focused you are the better it is and at the same time be realistic as in do not try to cover up a wide area of the topic. It is always better to go more deep on one specific problem rather than just scrap the surface of a wider area of study.

The proposal requires the researcher to also propose a good title to the research. The purpose of the title is to make the reader understand what is intended to be told in the study. The title should be so framed that gives some quick and early depth about the argument that has been placed in the study.

What are the features of a good dissertation title?

It should be original and strong: It is important that the title is strong indicating the conclusions about the subject. From the beginning of the research, the title itself should express the point that will be supported by the dissertation.

It should justify the discussion: One important trait of a good title is that it should provoke and ignite controversy creating substantive room for discussion. A good title that ignites room for discussion creates interest in the reader to read the entire document to understand how the point is supported.

Should only express one idea and that should be the main one: The paper or dissertation should revolve around one plot only and it should be expressed in the title. If it doesn’t happen then the reader loses patience while reading.

It has specificity: The dissertation topic should be like a woman’s skirt, long enough to cover the topic and short enough to arouse curiosity. It should necessarily address the important issue so should be sufficiently broad at the same time thoroughly focused on that plot.

Work on creating a link between your research and the existing research at the beginning stage…time to go!

The discussion chapter of your doctoral research is what highlights the novelty of your research and proves the point where your research has bridged the gaps that exist in the literature that is existing. It isn’t easy to interpret the results of your analysis and put them across in a way that they are not just appealing to the readers but also are perceived in a way you want them to be perceived. Remember, you can’t be physically present for explanations and justifications to every reader once your thesis goes public.

One of the most conventional technique that is very helpful in finding the USP of your work is the draw and compare technique. Tabulate for your own understanding the similarities and differences in your work and the existing literature. Write them as points and then taking each identified pointer develop a short paragraph to bring out the new finding of your research.

Another technique that works well is the assumption technique. You have to assume that your results are a produced from a machine. You have to describe your approach and technique in a similar way that you would describe the parts, process, inputs and repair function related to the machine.

Elaborate on your null hypothesis. Writing the “no relationship “ status and its causes can become a strong motivator to work harder and come out with counter points to prove that there exists a relationship which is worth exploring and which is what you have proved in your doctoral research.

Speak out your ideas on a recorder or all the more better, to a friend. Talking is easier tobring out ideas as compared to straight writing for many people. Maybe you can send an email to self or a friend and discuss on a casual note. Whether you decide to speak or write, have a record and later weave your academic writing around your casually expressed thoughts.

Bring out the limitation of your work. When you talk about the limitations in detail, it is obvious for you to also identify the areas where there aren’t limitations which means your contributions and here you have newer understanding your work in the most unconventional of ideas.

If you have some ideas to get started on your creative writing, do discuss to help our creative juices flowing and enrich our dissertation