15 tips to make writing a dissertation go faster

We recommend that you take heed of the following tips:

1. Draft the title of the thesis so that the purpose of the research is disclosed and it can be easily reformulated into a question;
2. When posing the main question, it becomes clear which parts to divide it into.
3. These will be the chapters of the dissertation;
4. Try to cover the topic, choose the one that you can present in a clear and structured way;
5. Use a heuristic trick. In an area where your own accumulated knowledge is deep, you will understand it best;
6. When in contact with your thesis advisor, ask as many questions as possible.
7. This is the only chance you have of gaining in-depth knowledge and completing your research paper in a timely manner;
8. Do not forget about the established rules, standards and requirements to formatting. Complying with them is a dogma;
9. Any plagiarism will have the most dire consequences. To avoid the unconscious use of other people’s sources, try to study in detail the work of other authors on the material in question and carefully check what you have written in various anti-plagiarism systems;
10. Don’t overuse direct quotations. This is poorly perceived by the committee members. Extensive quoting is allowed only in exceptional cases and should be justified. In all other cases it should be avoided by paraphrasing the material in your own words, still citing the source of the information;
11. When working on a text, write sentences in such a way that it is clear whether it is your own idea, an outside opinion or an interpretation of some research;
12. Try to avoid personal pronouns, but if you are referring to personal experience, you should traditionally use ‘we’;
13. Only sit down to work at night when you know it will be finished in the morning. Otherwise, it is better to get a good night’s sleep and start working productively in the morning;
14. Extreme feelings about the genius or worthlessness of your own text should be ignored. The truth lies somewhere in the middle;
15. Time management is the key to success. Plan your efforts evenly, then the result will be achieved in time.

To successfully defend a paper, you must also prepare a speech to be delivered in front of the committee. By the time the defence will be ready for feedback and review of the thesis - critical comments from the opponents will help you to compose the commencement speech in such a way as to highlight the strengths of the work and explain the weaknesses, if any. You should memorise your thesis speech and rehearse your speech to help you feel more confident and free in front of a large audience.