Any extended piece of writing such as a dissertation naturally requires considerably more depth of analysis than undergraduate and Masters essays. Narrow, trivial or shallow research questions will not generate enough depth of discussion and will therefore limit the mark you can expect to achieve.

A dissertation constitutes your personal academic position, and should therefore by nature be substantially original in order to fulfil its basic requirement. Originality comes in shades and degrees, however, and for an upper 1st mark you must demonstrate in all aspects of your work an original critical stance and unique perspective, informed by your novel research aims.

When writing a dissertation at Masters level it is essential to consider all aspects from which the strength of the piece will be assessed. Original, relevant, manageable research objectives must be formulated – and stated with precision – in order to signal the serious and considered nature of the work you are to undertake.

Do not blindly follow the data you have collected; make sure your original research objectives inform which data does and does not make it into your analysis. All data presented should be relevant and appropriate to your aims. Irrelevant data will indicate a lack of focus and incoherence of thought.

You’ve done your research and compiled your theories and critical analysis, now it’s time to organise your structure to show off your work to the best possible advantage. The most daunting step of all can be the actual process of preparing to write up your masters dissertation. Before you begin to write, it is very important to plan a strong dissertation structure. Follow our top 10 tips for structuring a dissertation to make sure your work gets the high grade it deserves.

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