Any student has at least once experienced problems coming up with a title for an academic paper. The trick with dissertations is that they are extremely distinct from essays.
The main aim of an essay is to hone analytical writing skills. Dissertations, on the other hand, are treated as a contribution to the academic world. So, one can’t choose any topic they prefer to write about, leave alone copying one from the Internet.
To create a topic that will be both accepted by the university and preferable for you, more time will be needed than usual. Check out the hints below to handle this stage without much stress.
Use the University Resources
Sometimes, departments have a list of titles for students to choose from. The list may give you ideas about how a question or a title should be formulated so that the university accepts it. So, if you can’t find anything there that sparks your interest, it is better to treat the topics as templates.
If there is no list, ask for a handbook or guidelines on the choice of topic. Usually, there are course or module documents with PowerPoint presentations containing hints. Mind that the Internet is the last-resort option in this case since there are as many rules as universities.
Start ASAP
As the university notifies the students about the deadline for submission of the title, set aside some time to think about it. Planning completing a task beforehand is efficient.
After you planned the date and time for formulating the title, distracted attention starts processing it. You won’t need to spend days concentrating on the task, your brain will do this job.
How to Find a Fascinating Area for Research
The sources of inspiration vary from one student to another, but here is something that may help. Create four columns in a document:
- My interests
- Recent issues
- Is this topic connected to any of my interests?
- Is this topic connected to my subject area?
In the first column, write down a list of issues that worry you or grab your attention instantly. Recollect the relevant lectures that were easy to perceive. Find the lecture notes that are clear and do not sound too boring to you.
After that, the most important step follows. “Before starting a dissertation, I search for up-to-date official information,” – says an essaywritingservice expert, Jane Patel. “If the course is on psychology, I go to the APA website. If it’s about financing or technology, Deloitte is a reliable source.”
Looking through the most recent posts from such websites with official statistics is the first step. Often, they give a number of opportunities to find a current problem.
A current problem is something every professor demands from the student. It is a motivation for the study, the evidence that the dissertation will contribute to research. Unless reliable sources prove there is a problem, your drafts may be rejected one after another.
When going through the posts or articles, write down rough versions of possible titles to the second column. Save links to cite the information later. After completing the first two columns, put the list away and give it a day or two. Do the chores, study something else, have some rest.
Look at the second column again and write down the subject area of your course. The level of dissertation writing often means that the field of study is no longer just ‘psychology’ or ‘financing’. Write the full name of the thing you’re studying.
Keeping in mind the rough versions of topics, fill in the last two columns with checks and X marks. Cross out the topics that do not fit your subject area. Two check marks are the sign you’ve dug something up.
Don’t get upset if you have nothing that directly connects to your interests. You may share the raw notes with a specialist from Essay Writing Service Canada, and they will draft a vast list for you to choose from. Remember that you can always count on external help.
Ask Questions
Mind that the formulation of the title may dictate the whole process of research. Imagine how each of the problems can be studied, how the Results chapter will be written, or how you will get the information for it.
Which topic will require interviewing people or making a survey? Are you able to reach and survey the potential participants? For instance, pure introverts have fewer chances of conducting interviews successfully. An online questionnaire is a much better choice for them. It means that the topics requiring detailed answers won’t be suitable.
Think about what formats of the presentation will get you engaged or push you away from writing. This process may help to discover new sides of your personality.
Which topic will require creating visual items like charts and graphs in Results? Which one will make you write everything in a narrative? What sounds more exciting to you? If a purely textual form of presenting the results sounds like drudgery, do not choose topics about someone’s opinions or perceptions.
Choose Wisely
Check your skills. If calculations are not your strength, avoid the topics that will need serious quantitative research. That means testing something, finding correlation or relationship, etc.
No doubt, students have to learn new things when writing a dissertation. Be prepared to do that, but assess adequately what is possible to learn within the deadlines. The time required for mastering a skill may vary based on its complexity. Finally, the process may appear to be tiresome and lead to stress and procrastination.
If the topic can’t be covered without the software you have never worked with, the research may get stuck. Trying to get all the details of a complex program while the deadline is approaching is stressful. In that case, even an exciting topic may become a punishment, and the initial enthusiasm may disappear into the blue.
It is always better to choose a more standard well-tried approach you are experienced in. Know your strengths and use them.