Plan Your Dissertation to Communicate Your Ideas Effectively

Once you have compiled your research notes and have the outline for your dissertation sorted, it is time to pen down your thoughts and start writing. Many people start from the introduction and get stuck in this section. You need not begin from the introduction. In fact, introductions are easier to write at the end once you are familiar with the development of your argument(s).

Your style of writing is important for effective communication of ideas. A well planned dissertation can be let down by unclear sentences and poorly expressed ideas. Therefore, you should take some time to think things through and come up with clear and impactful sentences. While conducting research, you would have come across a number of scholarly articles. Choose an academic text that you are comfortable with and study the sentence structures in that material. Also, understand how arguments are presented in the paper. You can emulate the same style of writing in your dissertation too.

Arguments in a dissertation have to be convincing in nature. So, consider how authors present their case and arguments in a convincing manner. You can also apply this technique in your own writing. Dissertations are extremely long; so, it is best to break the text into sections and sub-sections for easy reading. Every section and sub-section should have a heading and sub-heading respectively. This way, the reader will be able to get an overview of the topic before he starts reading each and every paragraph in the section.

It is important to distinguish key points in your dissertation. Every key point should have a sentence of its own. Elaborations and supporting details can be provided in subsequent sentences. Many people have the misconception that the longer the sentence is, the more sophisticated it sounds. This is not necessarily true. A long sentence can be confusing and may stifle the interest of the reader. Every word in a sentence should convey a meaning. So, avoid using unnecessary words that may throw the reader off-track.

While carrying out research for your dissertation, you will come across interesting ideas that you want to include in your paper. To avoid plagiarism, acknowledge the author by adding footnotes in your paper. Also, maintain a reference list or a bibliography, with a compilation of all the books, journals and documents you referred to in your dissertation. There are a number of referencing styles; so, clarify with your professor or lecturer on the recommended referencing style before proceeding with footnoting.