Composing A High-Quality PhD Dissertation: An Effective Strategy

PhDs are, of course, the most challenging and rigorous levels of academia that you can achieve. The dissertation - the main method of examination - is central to any subject’s Ph.D. program. But since you have never attempted anything like this ever before, it can be daunting even to start thinking about composing one. Here, therefore, is outlined an effective strategy for composing a doctoral dissertation.

• Get up to date with your subject area

Since you have presumably already chosen your particular subject area and your title, it’s time to start reading and / or researching! You need to be up to date with the latest and most ground-breaking work being done by other scholars in your subject area. The best way to do this is to talk to other researchers, including your tutor, and also to sign up for newsletters online and publications that come out annually or quarterly, for example. Keeping abreast of major and minor developments can help inform your own academic work, and it will be even better for it.

• Make a clear and structured plan

The best way to think of completing a Ph.D. dissertation is to treat it like a full-time job. If possible, do a 9 - 5 day, starting early and giving you time off in the evening to relax and do things that need to be done. Give yourself weekends, too. Of course, you can be flexible if you need to be - taking off Tuesdays, for example if you have a prior engagement - but it is essential that you are strict with yourself. Do not allow yourself not to complete eight hours of work each day, or you will fall behind and things will become a lot more stressful!

• Talk at conferences and other meetings

A great way to motivate yourself to push the edges of your subject is to commit to giving talks at conferences and meetings, for instance. This will give you a reason to focus on writing speeches and presentations that you will give, and it will also give you an excellent opportunity to have people usually other leading scholars in a similar or the same field of study as you to ask questions and really challenge what you are thinking. Of course, this seems like a daunting task, and it is a big ask, but, equally, you gain a lot from going to these sorts of conferences and presenting the ideas behind your Ph.D. dissertation.