How to write a good dissertation from scratch

  A dissertation must be written according to accepted  rules. These are meant to allow the student to organize their work and to provide clear reference points for their readers.

• Write an Outline to guide you through your dissertation so that you have a road map which includes all the elements in your dissertation. With this you know where you are going.
• Make sure you have gathered all your research notes and citations.
• Use your outline to put your arguments and points in the right order.
• Be prepared to conduct further research and change the outline if necessary.
• Good grammar ,punctuation and writing style is essential for a good dissertation. make sure you express yourself clearly and logically.
• Work through your draft two or three times refining it.
• Read out your work aloud to see how it sounds.
• Ask colleagues to read it and give you there opinion.

Much of writing a dissertation is about knowing where you are going with the topic and organizing yourself so that you reach your conclusion successfully.

• Use subheadings to break up the text and sign post where the dissertation is going to the reader.
• When you are reading scholarly texts on your dissertation topic use them to see how you should tackle the topic.
•  Make sure your thesis statement at the beginning is a clear statement of direction.
•       Avoid repetition and cut it  out .It means a careful reading of each paragraph.
• Make sure that you avoid plagiarism.
• Your key points should each  be stated in a sentence .Elaborations can be added later on.
• Be economical with the words used and avoid long elaborate  sentences.
• Use connective words and sentences to link  ideas and points.

Make sure that whenever you use ideas and quotations that are not your own that the appropriate citation is included in the text and in the index in the end. Whilst what you write should be original you will need sources to support your argument. Make sure you quote primary and secondary academic sources. Work on your bibliography so that all your sources and quotations are properly annotated with name, page number, publication and date. Use the appropriate style guide as indicated by your college.