PhD degree, a lengthy & tedious process, cannot be achieved without the dedication and hard work. A PhD degree is not merely concerned with collecting data and conducting research. It includes writing a dissertation, the most important aspect of a PhD journey. Normally, a research scholar remains concerned with writing his/her dissertation as it demands undivided attention. 

But why is dissertation so important?

A dissertation has the potential to build or ruin one’s PhD degree. It plays an essential role as it formulates a research problem, comes up with strategies and a research methodology to evaluate the research problem, enables you to collect reliable & relevant data and lets you convey the outcomes of your study in an effective way. Dissertation, when crafted appropriately, can shape your academic career and value to it. 

However, among all the chapters such as literature review, abstract, research methods, reference etc, writing an introduction and conclusion chapter is a tough row to hoe and requires lots of effort. Today, approximately 48% of the dissertation gets rejected by the Universities or high-impact journals merely because of poorly crafted introduction and conclusion chapters. Some of the challenges faced while writing the introduction and conclusion chapters are: the inability to include points that attract readers attention, not including necessary background information about the chosen topic, contextualising the research, stating the answer to the crucial research question, conveying the significant outcome of the research and many more. 

So, what are the essential aspects one must consider why penning-down the most crucial chapters, i.e. the introduction and conclusion sections?

Introduction chapter decides the fate of your dissertation. If this chapter doesn’t attract your review committee or readers attention, then your hard work would go into vain. This is because, most often, a dissertation will be judged based on the content included in the introduction chapter. Hence it becomes a mandate to write a flawless, impressive and attention-grabbing introduction section; after all you won’t get ‘second’ chance to make the ‘first’ impression.  

The main purpose of an introductory chapter is to explain to the reader about your research. I.e the aim & objectives of your research, provide sufficient background information about your research topic, show how different & original is your research, how is it important and explains how your study intends to answer the question. Hence it is critical for you to start your dissertation with a brief introduction to the topic, clearly describing why and how the research question has arisen. 

Using relevant literature sources provide adequate background information to familiarise the  reader with your research topic (do not incorporate a detailed literature review). Next, state the significance and if your study is addressing a hypothesis, ensure to state the hypothesis as well. The introduction section, occupying about 5-7 % of the dissertation, i.e. approximately 10 pages, must end with stating the aims of the research in a clear and concise manner. Remember, this section must be stimulating but not confusing to your readers. If you are not confident about writing this chapter and want some assistance with the same, consider taking help from writers offering dissertation proposal writing service. 

The conclusion section is another important section of your dissertation and a section that readers remember the best. This chapter gives you an opportunity to place your point of view on your research and leave a lasting impression on your research. It is an abridgement of the critical features of the investigation and reemphasising its significance. Conclusion section, comprising of 3-5% of the entire dissertation must be concise. 

Some of the salient features that are included here are: 

a link between the final-conclusions and the introduction conclusions which have a direct relationship to the objectives stated in the introduction of the dissertation and answers to the research question(s). 

Comparison of your conclusions with that of the previous researches and pin- point the implications and contributions of your study to the existing knowledge in your area of research. If you are not aware as how to do this, take help from adroit writers providing dissertation proposal writing service. This section provides new insights to the research problem & approaches, its uniqueness, significance as well as limitations.  

Tip: Do not include any outcomes presented in the previous section or results aren’t relevant to your study. Ensure that your conclusions are brief, clear and convincing.

Software makes your job easier whether you are using them for education or business purpose. When it comes to writing a dissertation, you not only need to be wary of your research content but formatting guidelines too. Here is the list of free software for fitting your dissertation in a perfect writing standard. 

LaTex

LaTex is an open-source software for typesetting highly suitable for technical and scientific writing, but it can be used by all PhD scholars regardless of their disciplines. It is not a word processor so you do not have to be concerned about formatting. This software follows basic coding to arrange your document such as:

\begin (document)

\title (text)

\author (text)

\end (document)

Following are the prominent features of the software:

• It includes both textual and non-textual material.
• It supports automatic generation of bibliographies.
• It is suitable for large documents consisting of tables, graphs, charts and figures.
• It is equipped with multilingual typesetting as well as typesetting of mathematical formulas.

Scrivener

It is one of the most used software by writers including but not limited to academic scholars, novelists, non-fiction writers, screenwriters and journalists. This software is perfect for long documents when you more often than not struggle for page space. You write original content and then allow it to arrange your text either in small sections or long as you like. 

These are the highlights of the software:

• You can edit your material by splitting it into parts such as arguments or paragraphs or chapters, or you can edit them as a part of a single document. 
• It is equipped with integrated outlining tools used for references and inserting images and tables in the text. 
• You can export your written material to Word, Plain Text and PDF formats and import file formats such as Word and OpenOffice to Scrivener.
• This software allows you to use different formatting styles to follow your university’s guidelines. 

LyX

LyX is well known for writing articles, dissertations, novels and any document that requires mathematical and statistical representation. LyX can help you learn the use of LaTex. Here are the characteristics of this software:

• It supports advanced feature for references and bibliographies.
• It is equipped with different type-classes used for different writing purposes. 
• Other useful tools include spell check, multiple open documents, revision tracking and thesaurus. 
• It supports many graphic formats such as SVG, EPS and XFig. You can also resize images.
• It supports multilingual documents including Hebrew and Arabic due to bi-directional text. 

Citavi

Citavi can be used for both research and business purposes. You can search resources, create tasks, save your ideas, outline a draft and write your dissertation. The best part of this software is you can store myriad of full articles in any form and annotate them. This software also enables you to collaborate with other scholars from the same discipline where you can discuss your research and make progress. 

Conclusion

When it comes to writing a dissertation, it is intrinsic that you choose relevant software that comes in handy for your research. The aforementioned software can make your job of writing dissertation easier and quicker. However, there are other software applications too that have been designed for writing purposes. Choose the one that is the closest to your requirements.

Dissertation writing process at advanced levels is a challenging task one faces during the research journey. It is a daunting task for even native English speakers and one goes weak on knees just by the thought of dissertation writing. However, in particular, the hardship increases for the English as a second language (ESL) students. There is no iota doubt that writing in a second language is the toughest task. Some of the most common challenges faced by an ESL student while penning down a dissertation are: 

• Lack of knowledge about rules of English language grammar
• Plagiarism
• Structuring and organising the content
• Lexical difficulties

Often, the hardest part of a writing process is simply getting started. A writer might find the blank page intimidating and feel the same when trying hard to come up with concepts/ideas for writing a dissertation. The absolutism of the blank page is even more tyrannical especially for an ESL student. Every writer struggles with it. But before talking about the solutions to overcome this deficiency, let’s have a look at a few reasons that cause roadblock for a perfect dissertation. 

Although the reasons vary, the most common ones are fear, procrastination, timing, etc. 

Unblocking the writer’s block

It isn’t impossible for an ESL to overcome work paralysis. But the question is, how? As per the writers offering dissertation service, some of the hacks that must be followed to overcome the block include:

1. Map the dissertation – Write some keywords or any ideas on the subject and then shuffle them. Next try to find connections between those keywords/ideas. Even though the thoughts or words seem unconnected at first glance, you might end up making connections that forms a good thesis statement. You can then get started with the writing by transcribing the content.
2. Pen-down a big picture about your study – Write the question you are trying to answer in your research. Why and how is your research significant. However, it need not be perfect in the initial stage. Do not bother about the grammar or vocabulary. Just focus on the importance of your research. Remember, you always have room for improvisation. If you need any help in this take, talk to writers providing custom dissertation writing service.
3. Review similar dissertations – You always get a better idea as to how to write your dissertation when you look into the similar works. You can find elements(such as significant of data, conclusions, etc.) which can fit in your dissertation as well. But ensure that you don’t pen down the same in your dissertation as it will lead to plagiarism. 
4. Read and Re-read – Having a good collection of relevant literature sources such as research papers, journal articles, white papers, online material, etc. by your side while writing down your dissertation is a great idea. A careful look at the academic tone, style and verbose in well-reputed, published sources can help you improve your current writing. 
5. Start afresh – This is the golden rule to avoid writer’s block. However simple it may seem, in reality, it is difficult given the nearing deadlines. The best way to make consistent progress is to start afresh by committing to follow a regular schedule.  
6. Seek expert help – Writing is no doubt a one-man job, but consider taking help from experts offering custom dissertation writing services is never a bad decision. Using writing perfection of specialists to enhance your dissertation and make a significant contribution to the pool of knowledge is a wise choice. 
7. Jot down ideas– Keep a notepad and note down the ideas that crosses your mind. This will help you get ideas out of the head and record them so that they can be addressed at the time of need. 
8. Develop your writing from the inside out – Do not get overwhelmed by the data. A good way to start writing is by developing an outline of the entire dissertation as well as each section to be included in the dissertation. By writing few lines for each chapter, you can capture the essence of what you are trying to present/convey. If you need assistance in outlining your chapters, take aid from writing aces offering dissertation service UK. 

By following the above mentioned hacks, you will realise that writer’s block

Dissertation is a tough task and hence it needs patience and perseverance to sail through with flying colours. And putting the literature review in it needs further patience. In this case, the first thing you need to ensure is that your readers are hooked to your review due to its different and interesting writing.

No matter how many books you have read related to the subject of your dissertation, but then, it is necessary for you to present your literature review in your dissertation smartly for readers to understand.

With the writing of literature review, it becomes important to show your reader that you do have a good hold on your subject. You have a chance to prove this fact that you have a good understanding of the different books and sources of information.

You should remember the fact that your literature review is not just a list of what you have read, but is a summary of each of the sources you have referred to. Hence, you can either include the literature review as the dissertation’s part or else you can place it in the synopsis or research proposal.

The structure of the review

How you want to shape your literature review depends basically on the research area of your dissertation. You need to remember the basic fact that you are comparing the different writers and their writings on certain topics. And hence you should make it a point to maintain rhythm and flow of writing. Try to avoid describing what one writer has written after describing about the another writer separately.

The structure of your literature review should be based on various questions to make sure that there are different angles to your review. Remember using linking words such as however, in addition, similarly, etc. while writing your literature review as it would manage the continuity in your review.

Writing the review

You are the best judge to decide what you must read. Hence, in case of a thesis or a dissertation, it is up to you to decide what to read and what not to read. You should also add a clear line of argument to your literature review to give it a different and interesting point.