Postgraduate dissertation: your questions answered
Published on 30 May 13
We asked Jack, a recent MA graduate, about how best to tackle a postgraduate dissertation
I haven’t done nearly as much as I think I should have done by now; where do I start?
Reassess the situation now and take it from there - You’re not a superhuman and you’ll have dealt with your workload throughout the year in the way you felt was most appropriate at the time, like anyone would. Once you’ve been honest with yourself and accepted where you are at the moment, get in touch with your supervisor to organise a meeting. Once the ball’s rolling you’ll feel a whole lot better!
I’m nervous about my meeting with my supervisor – what if they’re annoyed at my lack of progress or just pull apart my ideas?
You are not alone, and will be pleased to hear that this sort of feeling is very, very common. Most supervisors are very busy academics. They may well be under significant time pressure too, so don’t be offended when they take a hammer and chisel to your ideas – they’re probably just trying to get to the heart of matters quickly and efficiently, as brutal as it can sometimes seem.
You’ve got to be honest with your supervisor about your ideas and how you feel you are getting on - It can be worrying telling your supervisor you’re in a bit of a mess but they’re experienced academics who were one day a student like you; they’ll know what you’re going through and will be able to offer advice.
Come to your supervisor meetings with an agenda, a written one if possible - This will help you focus on the key issues and not get too lost in your discussion. If it helps, treat a meeting like a seminar – the more you prepare for it the more you’ll get out of it, so read articles, jot ideas down and make a note of key questions before you arrive. In my experience, supervisors dislike nothing more than a meandering conversation about nothing in particular – it’s a waste of both your time and theirs.
If you feel strongly about a particular idea you should fight its corner - Do your best to make your supervisor understand its worth. At the end of the day your supervisor will probably be marking your dissertation and it therefore makes sense to listen to them in most cases but remember, it’s your project that you’ll have to research and write. Academics generally love new challenges and getting to grips with new concepts, so don’t hesitate to be bold in your ideas. Start big and refine from there.
How do I go about writing a dissertation timetable?
Make sure you’re realistic with your goals - Overstretching yourself and always having a sense that you should have done more will impact negatively on your mood and potentially your work. Create achievable milestones for yourself and feel free to celebrate hitting them.
You are in fact allowed a social life this summer - Taking time to meet friends or go away for a couple of days is really important and will help break up what could be a monotonous couple of months.
When putting together a timetable, make sure you work backwards from the hand in date - Build in an overspill period for any deadlines you don’t hit. You’re not superhuman, so don’t panic if you overrun on different parts of your project – just be sure to allocate time elsewhere to finish things off.
I’m worried I’m not being productive enough – my friend’s already finished a draft and I’ve barely even started!
Don’t be scared to hold off starting writing if you don’t feel you’re ready - ‘How many words have you done?’ will probably be a common (and very stressful) question this summer. It might well be the bane of your life. You’re likely to have been told that writing earlier will make your dissertation better. I would generally agree with this; getting words down on a hideous blank word document will help you realise 15,000 words, or however much you’re required to write, is not a mythical, unachievable number.
Make sure your planning takes into account your own writing rhythm - I for one am a very linear writer. I’m no good at beginning a chapter without having read everything I feel I want to on the topic. I like having all of the information at my disposal and my argument clear before I start, which means I tend to start writing later. Other people like to write a chunk after each source they encounter and piece it together as they go along.
There is no right way to write – you will know what works for you; you’ll have done it all year. Have confidence in your method and plan appropriately; it’s your dissertation, no one else’s.
I’m worried I’m boring people to death with dissertation talk, but I can’t help it!
If you have an issue, discuss it with your supervisor, a friend or a longsuffering loved one - You are likely to be very stressed at certain points in the summer. It’s entirely natural. What isn’t natural is to bottle up this stress. Having a moan is not only a great way of relieving stress, but I tend to find that by vocalising your thoughts and issues you can often stumble upon a solution to your own problem – hearing things out loud make them seem less complex and far more manageable.