Use our Writing the Dissertation - Overview and Planning guide as a way of steering you through the challenges of researching, planning and writing a dissertation. More detailed guidance on writing each chapter is provided throughout the various stages of the Dissertation Planner.
You might find it helpful to start the dissertation process by generating some initial ideas for your dissertation topic. These ideas might lack focus at first, but there’s no need to worry at this stage – it’s simply about making a start and exploring possible options. Try freewriting as a way of getting some initial ideas on the page. You might unearth something interesting!
Once you have some ideas, you can begin to think about refining these into a viable research question(s).
Also, get a head start on the formatting of your dissertation and the submission process. This can help you to avoid any late surprises. The conventions and expectations vary depending on the faculty or school, so consult any dissertation guidance you've been provided, in addition to the iSolutions guide for producing a dissertation in Word.
Think about using a document preparation system or a writing and editing tool, such as Overleaf, an online LaTeX editor designed to ease the process of writing and editing large pieces of work. See the Library's webpage for tips and support.
Finally, as you embark on what is likely your longest piece of writing to date, begin thinking about how you will set incremental goals and manage your time to stay on top of research and rough drafting. Our 30-minute 'Goal Setting for Academic Writing' learning sequence includes videos and prompts to help you do this efficiently.