Whether you want to attain a Master’s degree or Ph.D., you have to write a dissertation to prove to your professor that you have the prerequisite skills for the field.
It is also an opportunity to hone your research and communication skills. It is a tough task because of the time required for research and many students end up making major blunders.
Whether you work alone or use DissertationTeam to augment your research materials, you must deliver the best quality work for the best grade.
As there are tips to writing Resume for job application, there are tips to write Dissertation as well. This article highlights common mistakes when writing a dissertation and how you can avoid these. Read on.
1. Procrastination
When your professor gives the timeline for the project, you will most likely think there’s a lot of time available.
n most cases, you have months before submitting a proposal for your paper and this seems like a lot of time.
The main pitfall for students writing dissertations is procrastination and you should avoid this by starting work on your paper as soon as possible.
Many students wait until the last minute only to rush through research and writing ending up with a poor quality paper.
2. Wrong Formatting
You have to keenly read the project guidelines and understand these before commencing your research.
Every college has a specific writing policy and you should stick to it. From MLA, APA, Chicago to Harvard writing styles, your professor will indicate the formatting style required and you have to use this throughout the paper.
Take time to understand how different formatting styles affect every element of your research paper from the title page, page numbering, citations, headings, bibliography among others sections.
3. Plagiarism
The University of Oxford defines plagiarism as presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent.
This is a trap many students fall into when writing their dissertations because they want an easy way out.
There’s a lot of information available online but when you use it, you must attribute it to the original author using the correct formatting style provided for your dissertation.
A 2017 report published on the Guardian says plagiarism is rife in academia and today, most institutions use plagiarism tools to check all papers submitted.
Plagiarizing your paper can lead to suspension from your degree program and this can affect your career.
To avoid this problem, check how to cite works using the formatting style required for your dissertation and follow it to the letter.
A student researching an essay
4. Poor Research
In a bid to complete their projects early, many students only provide superficial materials to support their arguments.
You might complete your paper early but eventually, your professor will send you back to carry out more research, provide sources and this will end up frustrating you. Make sure you diversify your research sources to find the best material for your paper.
5. Wrong Topic Choice
This is without a doubt one of the major mistakes with dissertation writers. The wrong topic choice not only causes you to stress when researching and writing but also leads to a poor end result.
You should pick a subject you find interesting and one that is relevant to your field of study or target audience.
Take a lot of time to brainstorm for ideas and you will not have a problem when you start researching.
These are only a few of the pitfalls to avoid when writing your dissertation. Go on and start your project.