A dissertation is a project or substantial research paper that contributes to the field of study. Every graduate or post-graduate student gets to write a dissertation to earn their doctorate. The purpose of this research paper is to contribute to the existing research and demonstrate students’ research capability and knowledge in their respective fields of study. Through unique studies, academics hope to close a gap in the literature, refute accepted beliefs, or offer fresh viewpoints. You can gather data, analyse it, and present your findings in your dissertation in two ways. First, empirically means you add your new findings, and second, in a non-empirical way, you add the existing data in your paper. Well, that's all about what a dissertation is, but how to choose a dissertation topic is a million-dollar question. No worries, because we have come up with some amazing tips for selecting your perfect dissertation topic. Have a look at them.
Tips For Selecting the Perfect Dissertation Topic
It's time to select your dissertation topic now that you have a basic idea of what a dissertation is and the two varieties of dissertations you can choose from. You'll be well on your way to creating an outline for your final PhD programme project if you follow these six easy steps for selecting a topic. Also, you can get help from a dissertation writing service to excel in your dissertation writing. Well, first look at the following tips.
1. Take A Broad Angle To Start
Now that you have come this far in your studies, like in your third and fourth years, it must be like you have come through various subjects or some general area that might interest you, right? Start with a broad angle and think about what area of study you find interesting and how it will help in your dissertation writing.
For example, if you want your PhD degree in psychology or anything that comes to mind, that means you have discovered that particular subject area that might interest you enough, so you can invest your weeks and months in researching it more. It is great to start with a particular area that you find interesting and passionate about. Also, once you are done with the subject area, narrow down your focus to specifics on what you actually want to research in that particular subject area.
2. Guidelines are Important
After deciding on the area of interest, the next step is to get some idea of your university's guidelines for writing a dissertation. Before writing a dissertation, you must know these few components such as research sources, minimum and maximum word count, chapters and presentation deadlines, professional and academic orientation, fieldwork, etc. Understanding these guidelines helps you focus more than dividing your dissertation without enough information. After cutting out what is not important, you can narrow down your focus on the components that are important for the research with the available resources.
3. Study The Field
It's an important tip because most people skip this one. Before going for further research, get in-depth knowledge and understanding of the field. It will be the core part of your dissertation. Before using other resources for gathering more data and information, getting an understanding of the past and the latest state of that particular part of the area is important. It helps to get an idea of what's left to find out what you can add to your dissertation.
4. Narrow Down Your Topic
As you have decided on your area of interest and studied it, now it's time to narrow down the area to that particular part that excited you—the question that came to mind when you first started to study this field. There must be some individual study, phenomenon, or conclusion of some past research that you want to dive deeper into. These particular areas of that particular field will be the subject of your original research in the next few months and will be the topic of your dissertation.
5. Remember To Keep Your Topic Original
Once you decide on a topic that is both interesting and in accordance with your university guidelines, remember to keep it original as well. Take time to develop a fresh start on the topic because you won’t repeat the same research as someone who has done it in the past. Take a different perspective and viewpoint to ask questions that challenge the current thinking of people about that topic. Find new ways to investigate the area or invent new methods that have not been used in the past. What you can bring to this area will be the essence of your dissertation and will show the originality of your research.
6. Take Advice From An Expert
If there is anyone on your contact list who has been in your place—someone who has done a dissertation before—take advice from them. They will be your expert guides. You can utilise their experience, and their drawbacks can help you decide what not to do in your dissertation. They can give you advice and provide guidance and support. Ping them at every major step of your research and get a lesson from their missteps and mistakes that they have made along the way. Their experience and expertise can guide you from topic selection to research, sharing your ideas to get approval, and asking for their ideas and support when you feel stuck at any step of your dissertation.
Final Thoughts
These six tips are not final or definitive; these points can just act as a guide for you to select a topic. You can make your own way to select a topic according to your perspective and thought process. But these steps can be used to plan for your topic selection. Revisit these steps as often as you want to get an idea if you feel stuck on how to select a dissertation topic. Also, getting dissertation expert help will be a smart move if you are a beginner and have no idea how to select a topic or how to write a dissertation. The experts at these assignment help services can guide you from square one until your submission. So follow these steps, or get expert guidance, and rock your dissertation journey.