Writing your masters dissertation A 21 step guide

Writing your master’s dissertation A 21 -step guide to success frontinus. org. uk

Introduction to this resource This resource has been written primarily with the dissertation in mind, but I’ve tried to write it in general terms so that it can be applied to all of the written assignments. Anthony Haynes Director, Frontinus Ltd frontinus. org. uk

Select your bibliographic software You might find the following guide, written by Dr Irenee Daly, useful here: https: //writeyourresearch. wordpre ss. com/using-bibliographicsoftware/. frontinus. org. uk

Clarify the specification Collate all the information available about how your writing will be assessed. frontinus. org. uk

Use the specification to generate a checklist For example, if the assessment scheme requires ‘thought-provoking arguments’, add the following item to your checklist: □ Thought-provoking argument frontinus. org. uk

Optimise your title In particular, ensure that your title helps you (a) to focus and write analytically and (b) makes it difficult for you to write too broadly and superficially. It often takes numerous attempts to optimise the title. You might find this video, which I made for the University of Cambridge’s Sustainability Leadership course, useful: What constitutes a bad question? frontinus. org. uk

Characterise your reader(s) Communication is always easier if you know who you’re supposed to be communicating with. Consider: • What kinds of things may your reader be supposed to know? • What kinds of things may your readers may be supposed not to know? • How expert is your reader? • How specialised is your reader’s knowledge? A clear and accurate characterisation of your reader will help you to write (a) in a consistent tone and (b) sufficiently explicitly. frontinus. org. uk

Plan the structure Many people base their plans on bullet points. That’s likely to prove problematic: bullet points look beautifully clear and neat, but they achieve that look by separating components from each other. The links between components disappear down the cracks between the bullets. This tends to make for fragmented writing. You don’t want fragmentation: you want flow. Use a form of plan that exhibits the flow of your story and includes information about the links between components. You might find the following resource helpful: https: //writeyourresearch. wordpress. com/pla nning-your-writing-2/. frontinus. org. uk

Add a word budget to your plan Allocate numbers of words to each part of your plan. (By ‘part’ here I mean both (a) the components and (b) the links between the components. ) Ensure that the total adds up to no more than 85% of the maximum limit. (A maximum is not a target and so is not a minimum). You may find it easier to think in terms of numbers of sentences or paragraphs, rather than words ─ in which case you’ll need to calculate your average sentence or paragraph length. frontinus. org. uk

Add key references to your plan References to peer-reviewed journal papers do furnish academic writing. Decide which few papers (no more than a handful) look most likely to play an important role in your text. Ask yourself where in your text they’re likely to feature. If your only answer is ‘literature review’, you need to do some more thinking. frontinus. org. uk

Correlate your plan with your specification Juxtapose your specification and your plan. For each requirement in the specification, work out how your plan will allow you to meet the requirement. For example, if the assessment scheme requires ‘thought-provoking arguments’, how are such arguments going to emerge from the text you’ve planned? frontinus. org. uk

Start writing early in the project Above all, avoid the trap of conceiving writing as something that comes only at the end of the process. The introduction may not be the best place to start – it can be difficult to introduce a text that you haven’t yet written. Methods might be a good place to start, though some writers like to go for the literature review or conclusion. frontinus. org. uk

Keep writing regularly You might the following guide to productive writing helpful: http: //www. frontinus. org. uk/postc ards/writing. pdf. frontinus. org. uk

When it comes to incorporating figures… use this resource to help you: http: //www. frontinus. org. uk/postc ards/using_figures. pdf. frontinus. org. uk

And when it comes to writing your literature review… use this resource to help you: http: //www. frontinus. org. uk/postc ards/literature_review. pdf. frontinus. org. uk

And when it comes to writing your conclusion… use this resource to help you: http: //www. frontinus. org. uk/postc ards/conclusion. pdf. frontinus. org. uk

Include numerous references to peer-reviewed journal papers Different people get turned on my different things. Examiners are people who get turned on by thorough and secure reference to peer-reviewed literature. It’s not the worst vice in the world, so satisfy them. frontinus. org. uk

Review your plan After each writing session, go back to your plan and decide whether it needs to change and, if so, how. Also review your: • title; • word (or sentence or paragraph) budget. frontinus. org. uk

Edit and edit again Editing is where the real work of writing happens, so allocate plenty of time to it. The following resources might prove helpful: • on editing in general: http: //www. frontinus. org. uk/postcards/edit ing. pdf; • on editing your style: http: //www. frontinus. org. uk/postcards/dev eloping_your_style. pdf; The following resource is focused on the editing of journal papers, but much of it can be applied to other forms of writing: https: //writeyourresearch. wordpress. com/res ource-for-editing-your-paper/ frontinus. org. uk

Involve other people in the editing process A reader need not neither a specialist nor an expert to be a helpful reviewer. Neither do they need to read anything like the whole text (which, let’s be honest, they’re probably not itching to do anyway). frontinus. org. uk

Do an holistic edit You might find the following scorecard useful: https: //writeyourresearch. wordpre ss. com/scorecard-for-scientificwriting/. frontinus. org. uk

Have you done all those things that you ought to have done? Go back to your check list frontinus. org. uk

Examine yourself Write – yes, actually write – an assessment as if you were the examiner. Where do you need to revise the text? frontinus. org. uk

Writing about construction © Frontinus Ltd 2016 frontinus. org. uk