Dissertation 101: What to expect and how to prepare

By Reuben Kerbes, Features Subeditor

With TB2 on the horizon, many students are either halfway through their dissertations or starting to think about the direction they want their projects to take. This assignment is often the culmination of a student's years of study, and for some, it can feel daunting. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, fear not! Epigram is here to give you a comprehensive overview of what to expect and how to best prepare.

Whether you’re studying Politics or Zoology, a dissertation is a necessary step to completing your degree. As it takes over your final year, it can feel like the be-all and end-all of university; a final project to see out undergraduate life. While the prospect of undertaking such a large-scale task can be intimidating, it’s important to remember that there are lots of support systems in place to help you create the best project you possibly can.

This is where preparation and planning become your best allies. For those not yet in their final year, there will be several workshops during the final weeks of term for brainstorming potential ideas. If you’re not at that stage yet don’t stress, you have all summer to research and hone your favourite topics.

‘Perseverance is key, don’t stay down when you reach a roadblock’

The final year will begin with the assignment of your dissertation supervisor, who will likely be a familiar member of staff to support you with the project. Throughout the year you will likely have smaller, more manageable deadlines that function as progress markers. These could be anything from an outline of a plan, a literature review or a draft subchapter – some may even count as credit for your final dissertation grade. If this is the case for you, these submissions will only be a fraction of the final result – it’s important to remember that there’s room for things not to go completely to plan.

Your dissertation will be an uphill battle, with just as many failures as successes, but that is what undertaking a research project is all about! Perseverance is key, don’t stay down when you reach a roadblock, dust yourself off and try again. If you really are starting to feel backed into a corner, this is when having a supervisor can really come in handy. Whilst they can’t give you the exact answers, they can help guide you or even just be a voice to bounce ideas off of. 

To provide insight into the challenging – but nonetheless exciting – process of dissertation writing, Epigram spoke to final-year students undertaking their dissertation, as well as the coordinator of dissertations for Sociology, Politics, and International Studies (SPAIS).

Third-year Sociology student, Gemma, shared her mixed experience with the dissertation process in TB1. ‘There are elements where it’s been really spelt out and supported’, she explains, ‘but then there’s also points where you don’t have much to compare to or you might feel this immense pressure to have it all figured out.’ 

‘The hardest part is getting the ball rolling’

For Gemma, the support system surrounding the dissertation has been effective, but she felt a lack of signposting in the early stages, as she found that the most difficult part was the beginning. ‘The hardest part is getting the ball rolling’, she says, ‘so the initial push and support would help because from personal experience. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing in September, they just expected me to have a proposal done in two weeks, and I felt like I was already behind.’

Dr Thomas Sealy, the lecturer and coordinator of SPAIS dissertations, describes the process as something ‘overwhelmingly positive’, in part due to the amount of time and labour that goes into each individual project. ‘It’s the centrepiece and the highlight of the whole program, because students can pick their own topics, and it’s their project, the investment can be quite significant.’

‘To really get into the analysis and make something good, that can only come from time; time to think, time to reflect, time to say “I don't know what I [should] do with all this”, all that work needs time.’

In terms of advice, Dr Sealy emphasises that your biggest gift, and greatest enemy, is time. ‘It needs time’, he notes, ‘not just because there are multiple stages and it's a big piece of work, but because of the intellectual work and demand of it. To really get into the analysis and make something good, that can only come from time; time to think, time to reflect, time to say “I don't know what I [should] do with all this”, all that work needs time.’

Gemma agrees, saying her best piece of advice would be to ‘start in the summer, just research whatever interests you at the time, it doesn’t need to be fully formed.’

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So stay motivated, familiarise yourself with your discipline’s dissertation timelines, and watch the clock – these months will fly by in an instant. The approaching dissertation might feel like an insurmountable task, but with the support of your peers and university staff, it can be an incredibly rewarding learning experience to help prepare you for your post-university goals.

Featured Image: Epigram / Reuben Kerbes

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