THE TOP 10 DISSERTATION WRITING METHODOLOGIES AND STRATEGIES
top 10 dissertation writing methodologies and strategies
If you enjoy writing, you may find the results and discussion sections of your dissertation to be among the most enjoyable. At about this time, you are able to express your thoughts on your work instead of what other people have written about your topic field.
It is correct that you will need to refer back to past research at some point during the conversation. However, you have the opportunity to demonstrate how you have contributed to the field of knowledge and filled the necessary research gap.
There are a variety of ways to document your research and your discussions. In smaller dissertations, it could be beneficial to include both in one piece. For larger pieces of work, these chapters tend to be distinct.
The information in this section will provide the specifics of the writing process and discussion sections. The model we shall utilise consists of description, analysis, and synthesis, the three sections that readers would anticipate finding while reading these sections.
CREATING DOCUMENTS
We will presume that you have finished analysing your results by the time you are ready to document your findings. You should now know what you are going to put in writing.
We also presume that you've used an application programme to aid you in organisation of your study's findings. If you have not already accomplished this step, you must do so before you begin writing. If you do not, your research chapter might end up as a disorganised confusion of dispersed details. Prior to commencing to compose your results on paper, you should get support if you require it.
Among the most usual obstacles students have while writing their findings is the quantity of material, they must include. At the end of your research, it is likely that you've collected huge quantities of information. All of it can be included in your paper without overloading readers. Therefore, you have to be able to make well-informed decisions about what to include and what to exclude.
Creating an outline is one of the most effective approaches to this task. When constructing the outline, it's ideal to concentrate on two primary factors. First, you must concentrate regarding responding research inquiries. You should also highlight any noteworthy findings you made while conducting research.
An outline can give you with the necessary structure and simplify the presentation of your findings. We are aware that deciding which pieces of information to add will be a difficult undertaking. However, you should be careful when you elimate. A chapter on findings that is too long and confusing will make the reader hesitant to read the remainder of your work.
PRESENTING YOUR RESULTS
THE MAJORITY OF YOUR WORK WILL PROBABLY BE DEVOTED TO THE RESULTS SECTION.
It could account for up to 40% of the total number of words in the dissertation. This is a massive amount of data, which is why it's vital that it's clear and well-organized, and that readers know what's going on. One way you can accomplish this is to have a well-thought-out introduction with structure. There are four essential components your introduction must include:
Trying to inform the reader about the objectives of the author
A concise explanation of how you might write the results section.
The research needs to be contextualized. This informs
where the reader can locate the research tools (i.e., the appendix).
Consider your introduction to be the antithesis of a fantastic film. It is likely that you enjoy watching movies that will keep you guessing. They gradually create suspense and then shock you with an unexpected narrative twist just when you thought you had the story figured out. Your chapter on findings is a bit like a very boring film script.
In a chapter on findings, it should not be a source of tension for the reader. It is essential to inform readers what they should be aware of from the very start. This will give them an indication of what is to come. A great introduction should start with a description of the origins of your research during the process of research and the results (in just a few pages (or less).
It's important to point out how the chapters are set up (as is usually the case with each chapter) and where readers can find more information (like in the annexes).
ARRANGEMENT OF DATA
You have prepared an outline of your research and highlighted the aspects that you found most interesting or pertinent. Now, you must think about the best way to present your findings in the most rational manner to the readers.
This will depend on the type of project you have planned.
For example, if you've conducted a descriptive field study and identified specific themes that were prominent in the software that you used to organise your information if so, the emphasis on the themes you have identified in your findings section could be the best method to go about it. In addition to using data that you've previously documented, you're also telling a story in all of your chapters (which could be helpful for the field of qualitative study).
What if you were to investigate that was more quantitative? It might be more beneficial to create your conclusions section according to your scientific question or hypothesis. This is presuming the existence of more than one hypothesis or research question. In the absence of this, you'll be left with only one very long section.
It leads us to the second error made by students who try to do too much in one spot.
Subheadings will serve as your allies throughout the research and the dissertation. They not only organise your knowledge into manageable chunks, but they also provide the reader with a framework for where your study is heading. They also provide an opportunity to break the flow for the reader. The sheer quantity of text pages without breaks can be intimidating for the reader. Do not even try to overload someone who will be judging your work and is accountable for your accomplishments (or failures).
Make sure your introduction is concise, orderly, and logical. Clearly explain what they want and need to know, and organise your information such that it will be most useful to them and your task. If you are unsure, talk about the matter with your supervisor prior to beginning writing.
QUALITATIVE DATA PRESENTATION
The plurality of qualitative information consists of longer, more detailed responses.
Whether you conducted interviews or conducted observations, it is likely that you also have pages of transcripts.
It can be difficult to put all this together in one chapter. Two reasons why this is so difficult. It is difficult to know what to cut or include. It is frequently challenging to communicate qualitative data using graphs and tables. Data cannot be condensed into a visual representation for this reason. These are two challenges that writers must address.
It may help to start with the outline that you created and the one above when deciding how to present your qualitative data. You will have headings or themes that represent important talking points you want to highlight in each subsection.
These heads can be used to identify the lines from your data that should or should not be included in your writing. You might have collected data using a variety of methods (e.g., interviews and observations).
This will allow you to present a more balanced perspective on the points you are making. After identifying the most important samples, you may still need to cut and modify them.
After you have selected your examples for each subsection, it is important to make sure you include enough information. In order for the reader to comprehend the context and conditions within which you are attempting to illustrate your thesis. It is essential that the examples be presented in a clear and consistent manner.
Many students make the error of adding quotations to their writing without providing any additional information. It is crucial that your quotations and examples are embedded within your own thoughts. This means that you should discuss the preceding and subsequent examples. You might compose something like, "One of my main topics was the need to have more teachers in elementary schools." 7 out of 12 participants made this a central point. Participant 3 provided [insert instance] and participant 9 provided [insert example] as examples of their responses. The participants' repeated emphasis on the need for more teachers demonstrates [insert critical thinking here]. By contextualising your examples, you are calling the reader's attention to the points you want them to remember.
It is important to determine what data should be included and how it should be presented. Interviewees might not speak in a straight line when they are speaking. They may instead hop from idea to thought and even stray from the issue.
Your job is to provide information about your heading/theme to the reader without adding unnecessary information. The quotes should be reduced in order to provide enough information to make it easy for the reader to understand.
It can be difficult to find the right balance. You have undoubtedly dealt with the data for some time, so this should make sense to you. You might find it helpful to look at your writing from the perspective of another person. This will facilitate clear writing.
PRESENTATION OF QUANTITATIVE DATA
Many students make the error of adding quotations to their writing without providing any additional information. It is crucial that your quotations and examples are embedded within your own thoughts. This means that you should discuss the preceding and subsequent examples. You might write something like, "One of my main topics was the need to have more teachers in elementary schools." 7 out of 12 participants made this a central point. Participant 3 provided [insert instance] and participant 9 provided [insert example] as examples of their responses. The participants' repeated emphasis on the need for more teachers demonstrates [insert critical thinking here]. By putting your examples in their proper context, you are basically drawing the reader's attention to the information you want them to remember.
It is important to determine what data should be included and how it should be presented. Interviewees might not speak in a straight line when they are speaking. They may instead leap from idea to thought and even stray from the issue.
Microsoft Excel may suffice for certain simple analyses. Some individuals may utilise SPSS, Stata, or R for fundamental analysis. Others may rely on SPSS, R, or other available online or at your institution programmes. No matter what programme you use, be sure to document your work and any variables that affect it.
A common error in student writing is failing to present the statistical analysis. You will likely have performed multiple analyses of the data during your analysis. These could include correlations and regressions. Frequently, we observe students presenting various statistical analyses without comprehending their significance.
The display of quantitative data goes beyond figures and tables. You must explain your findings and indicate why you conducted or presented the tests. These findings may be related to your research question as well. Depending on how your work is organized, it might finish up in conversation.
If they lack confidence, students who struggle with statistical analysis may regress to their high school math skills. Typically, students provide the mode, mean, and median for all outcomes. These three results are crucial. In a quantitative investigation, it is essential to have a firm grasp of the rationale for employing this technique.
This is due to the fact that there are several expectations for both an undergraduate dissertation and a Ph.D. thesis. Knowing these requirements might help you make the best decisions before beginning.
DISPLAY OF GRAPHS, TABLES, AND ILLUSTRATIONS
Modern technology makes it easy to create graphs and figures that correspond with your work. A few keyboard taps and clicks can create beautiful graphs, figures, or tables in your documents. These are some of the most common mistakes students make when adding them to their documents. Writing dissertations
The first usage of colour and/or variables. You may need to print a final copy depending on how your dissertation is presented. As is customary, this final copy should be printed in black and white. This means that you must produce all graphs and figures in black and white so that they are easily readable (or greyscale).
It can be challenging because there are a limited number of hues of grey. You might display one section in a pie chart as purple while the other is green. But when your graph is printed, the purple and green will look about the same shade of gray, making it impossible to read.
Another mistake is to overwhelm the reader with tables and graphs. Consider your structure and sub-headings. A table should be included under each of the subheadings. It must be pertinent to the facts addressed in the section. There is no correct or incorrect number of graphs per section. However, you can use your discretion to evaluate what appears most attractive.
We see the last mistake when it comes to graph presentation: duplicate writing or the lack of writing. Typically, students will display their results in charts or tables, followed by the supplementary material below the graph. This is a waste of time and defeats the purpose of the graph. This should be avoided at all costs.
Students may include a graph or figure, but not anything else. This is a denial of context and purpose for the graph or figure. There needs to be a balance so that the reader can get all the information they need to fully understand the section.
SYNTHESIS AND ANALYSIS IN A DISCUSSION
A DISCUSSION CHAPTER IS INTENDED TO:
The discussion section (or section of a shorter dissertation) will be the most important part of any dissertation. It makes no difference if you are writing a dissertation for a Ph.D. or Master's degree. This section is about answering your research questions and putting yourself in the context of a larger research. You will find that everything you write in this chapter is valuable and can be used to contribute to the larger field of knowledge.
Your discussion chapter structure will depend on your goals and the way you have structured your findings. It might be a good idea to continue the theme-based structure of your findings in the analysis chapter.
Others might arrange it differently depending on the study questions. This demonstrates to the reader how your research was conducted. The marker must comment on how the research questions were addressed when marking a dissertation. You can make it easier for them by writing a dissertation that addresses each of their research questions. This is a wonderful thing; it's obvious.
As with every other chapter of your thesis, the introduction is a significant element of your argumentation. The reader is ready to interpret your findings. At the conclusion of your introduction, you should highlight the topic of each portion.
It is also useful to offer a conclusion or summary of the chapter in your discussion section. An analysis chapter can be quite lengthy so it is helpful to summarize the main points in the conclusion. This will aid the reader to understand the key points that you want to emphasize in your project.
THE ABILITY TO THINK CRITICALLY
IT'S HARD TO DESCRIBE HOW CRUCIAL CRITICAL THINKING IS TO YOUR RESULT AND DISCUSSION.
Without any ideas worth considering You're being unfair to yourself. This could influence the grade that you receive for your entire study. Because of this, the analysis chapter is usually given a lot of weight on the marking rubric.
We teach pupils about the importance of critical thinking as well as its frequency. Yet it seems there is a lot of uncertainty regarding what precisely critical reflection is, i.e., how it defines analytical reasoning and what could be described as a simple definition.
To engage in critical thinking, you must voice your own ideas about a subject. The beginning of this can be difficult. You have probably been requested to use research to back up a position that has been formed during your academic career. Contrary to the critical approach, this type of work requires that you use others' concepts. Even if you're not used to the concept, you should learn about the concept of critical thinking and incorporate it into your work.
DEVELOPING SUBSECTIONS
The way you organise the discussion is your choice. It might be advantageous to format the discussion chapter similarly to the findings chapter (though it is not always the case). In order to achieve this, it is likely that you will require subheadings.
Subheadings should be concise but not overly long. Subheadings can have layers added to them. Therefore, you could add Chapter 2 as well as Section 2.1 and either 2.1.1 or 2.2.2. Anything longer than three numeric points often isn't given a number and isn't included in the Table of Contents.
Consider how the subtitles for the subheadings will appear on the tables of contents while writing them. They should be in one line, ideal, and placing your research topic as the subheading could result in a long in contrast, short or simple subheadings generally don't offer enough details regarding the reason for the section.
It is crucial to find the right balance. However, remember that you are able to modify your subheadings in the future.
REFERENCING EARLIER CHAPTERS
The presentation of your findings will be among the most difficult tasks you'll have to do. Your analysis chapter should be long enough to explain how your results relate to your earlier study. But a lot of students tend to include excessive material in the chapter on analysis, especially data that is already there.
The ideal situation would be for you to be able to quickly and effectively connect your work to what has already been examined. This can be an issue. It isn't a good idea to repeat what was mentioned in your review of literature as well as the conclusions. But in order to explain the arguments you need to make, you must use examples from both parts.
HOW WOULD YOU TACKLE THIS PROBLEM?
Another choice is to direct the reader to the sections, subsections, or portions of earlier chapters. This is usually carried out at the end of the book. It is possible to put in the placeholder until you're sure of the way each section will be identified. For instance, you could note: "In Section XYZ, the topic in... has been addressed." The findings of this study imply that (for more information, read Section XYZ)". Even if "XYZ" definitely refers to a different part using a different acronym, you can search for "XYZ" after you've finished writing your essay and change each word with the right number. This improves the effectiveness of the proofreading process.
If you're submitting the document electronically, you can also think about hyperlinks that will lead readers to different sections. Be aware that this is quite a lot of work, so be sure to be prepared in the timeframe if this is something you'd like to incorporate.
IN SUMMARY
I hope you've gained an idea of how to write your dissertation's research results and discussion sections.
Let's go over the most important elements to take away:
It is crucial to remember the "describe, analyze, and synthesize" model.
The chapter on findings is basically the description part. It is important to make sure that you have defined data that is in line with any research issues, theories, or thematic areas of your research.
When you write the "describe" part, the goal is not to back up your work with research from other sources, but instead, to highlight your contribution. It is very important to consider the information you provided in the "describe" section. Verify that you've adjusted the quotations and examples to a reasonable length if you're using qualitative material. Select quotes that are relevant to the topic. Don't focus only on a couple of people (if feasible). If you used multiple instruments, make sure you're demonstrating connections between them.
The number of tests you run should be limited if you're using quantitative data. You must be able to justify your decision to take one test over another. When printing graphs in black and white, be sure to select the right colour scheme for the reader's needs. Make sure the information presented is original and that tables and graphs are adequately explained.
The analysis and synthesis might come after the "describe" section. To explain how your research fits into the bigger picture, you must apply your critical thinking abilities and thinking skills, which are often covered in the conversation. The highest of the time, the analysis is given the most weight in the scoring system. So, it is important to spend plenty of time ensuring that this section is in line with the requirements. It must show how you've attempted to answer the research questions.
CAN YOU GET HELP FROM OUR DISSERTATION tutoring SERVICE?
Yes, you can definitely get help from our dissertation tutoring service. Our team of experienced and qualified tutors is dedicated to helping students succeed in their academic pursuits and achieve their desired grades. We offer a range of services, including one-on-one tutoring sessions, comprehensive feedback on drafts, proofreading and editing assistance, and guidance on research methodology and data analysis. Our tutors are available round-the-clock to provide personalized support, answer your questions and help you overcome any obstacles you may be facing in your dissertation writing journey. With our top-notch tutoring services, you can be confident that you will receive the expert guidance and support you need to excel in your academic pursuits.
