A master's dissertation requires a lot of research.
Graduate students write a master's dissertation based on their original research. These students select a supervising professor with expertise in their area of interest. With the help of their supervising professor, graduate students select a topic for their research, which their dissertation committee must approve. Students choose members of their dissertation committee based on their expertise. The supervising professor chairs the dissertation committee and supervises the students' research.
Instructions
Preparation
1. Set a time frame for each phase of writing the paper. For example, time for writing the first draft, time to think about conclusions, time to get feedback from your supervising professor and dissertation committee and time to revise your paper based on their feedback.
2. Ask dissertation committee members whether they want to review each section as you write it or would prefer to wait for a draft of the complete paper.
3. Read dissertations completed by other graduate students in your department and use good ones as models for your paper.
4. Review the graduate school thesis and dissertation requirements. It is a good idea to keep a copy nearby while you are writing.
5. Compose a title using the key words in your research because future researchers will use those key works to locate your work.
6. Format your computer for margins, fonts and any other requirements the graduate school has for the dissertation before you begin to write.
Introduction/Review of Literature
7. Develop a research question or set of questions that connects your research to prior research in your field. Describe this research question in the first paragraph of your introduction and how it relates to prior work and will advance the field.
8. Photocopy articles you will use in your review of the literature. Organize photocopied articles by topic or section in your paper and arrange in the order you will use them in your paper.
9. Insert citations for articles in your paper and list them in your references as you write your paper.
10. Use the same key words throughout your paper, using other terms for key words is confusing.
Method
11. If you are using human subjects, be sure to follow the regulations for the university and complete paperwork on time.
12. Describe participants or subjects. Include characteristics that define them, such as age, gender, race, education, etc. If you use animals, describe them and where they were obtained.
13. Describe when and where data was collected.
14. Describe method used to collect data and how the methodology will answer the main question(s) you proposed in your introduction.
15. Describe the statistical analyses you used and the results based on the analyses.
Tables and Graphs
16. Don't waste time formatting tables and graphs until you decide on the final data to be presented and your supervising professor approves.
17.Mention any table or graph in the text before you insert it and after insertion discuss graphs or tables in the text.
18. Format tables and graphs according to graduate school requirements when you complete your final draft for your committee.
Discussion and Conclusions
19. Give yourself time to think about conclusions after the paper is written to that point.
20. Tie the conclusions in your paper to previous research and explain how your research advanced knowledge of the area.
21. Make suggestions for future research based on your project.
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