Dissertations/Final Year Projects

Make sure you allocate yourself enough time for all aspects of your dissertation. It needs to fit in with your other assignments and exams, so start as early as you can. Writing involves planning, background research, drafting, redrafting, and proof-reading and editing. Research each stage of writing a dissertation (research, literature review, methodology, writing, revision). Then set milestones by breaking the work down into manageable chunk – introduction, literature review, methodology, etc., assign deadlines to each, and allocate times for writing each chapter. Plan enough time for revising, proofreading, and refining your dissertation.

On this page, read advice given by previous students about their experiences writing a dissertation or final year project, as well as tips on how to:

• Plan an overall structure

• Approach a long piece of writing

• Decide how much detail to include about your research and other literature

• Keep your work coherent and in an appropriate style,

• Leave enough time for editing and proofreading

• Get as much feedback as possible

Key skills you need to complete your dissertation include:

• Research skills to source relevant and credible information,
• Critical thinking to interpret data and construct persuasive arguments,
• Time management to stay on track throughout the process,
• Analytical and problem-solving skills to evaluate findings and overcome obstacles, 
• Communication skills to present ideas clearly, and
• Digital literacy skills to use data analysis tools to ensure accurate and reliable results. This is also essential for everyday use of tools, apps etc. that you need for your research.