Dissertation writing tips
A dissertation paper like all other research papers needs an abstract. A dissertation is a piece of writing or essay that is quite lengthy. It is usually written to fulfil academic requirements prior to a PhD being awarded. To write a successful PhD dissertation, it is important that all aspects of the paper are well understood and well written.
One aspect of a dissertation research is the abstract. An abstract is a compilation of the gist of the dissertation paper. An abstract brings to live the ideas found in a dissertation. It is meant to highlight all the key ideas presented in the dissertation paper. A good abstract should not be more than a page long. There is no point in writing a long epistle of abstract if you are still going to repeat all the facts highlighted in the main body of a paper. The following tips are meant to help the student write a better abstract.
Collect the main points of your dissertation
The sole aim of an abstract is to present the main ideas in a research or paper. It will be easy for a reader to understand what the research paper is about just by reading the abstract. The abstract is meant to highlight and answer key questions about your essay. In order to accomplish these purposes, it is important that the student gathers together all the main points found in this essay. It is usually a good idea to write your abstract once you are through with your essay. This will give you an idea of the facts found in your paper. Sometimes the student may start out with an idea for his dissertation only to end up with other ideas. The reason above is why it is important to write your abstract last. Just in case you have already written your abstract first, the best thing to do is either to change your abstract to fit your essay or change the main points in your essay to fit your abstract.Use clear and concise sentence
It is a good idea to present your abstract in a clear and concise language. There is no need using complicated and sophisticated words if it only serves to confuse your readers. A clear and concise language will ensure that you pass the correct messages along to your audience. If for any reason you want to communicate a really complicated idea in your abstract, it will be better for you to split your ideas into simpler sentences that make sense.Keep your abstract straight to the point
Avoid the use of ambiguous statement in you dissertation abstract. Ambiguity in any form connotes more than one meaning. Your purpose is not to pass along mixed messages. Your aim is to give your ideas only one meaning. Ambiguity will only get you penalized and you might end up losing valuable marks. Be exact in your meanings. Leave no room for doubts. If you find a sentence to be ambiguous, change it.Organise your bibliography
A bibliography is a list containing all the works consulted while writing your research paper. Be sure to include every piece of work you cited in your bibliography. All works not cited but which you made use of should also be included in this list. It is good to acknowledge anybody whose work has brought you this far in your research.
