If you are reading this, it means you’ve already completed writing your dissertation. Congratulations, but you are not yet done. Is your work looking good enough? Is it well-formatted and easy to read? Or does it need some finishing touches? Well, this article is to guide you through how to format your paper-based dissertation properly.
- Correctly format your work
Dissertation formatting may not be as simple as it sounds. The process can be a little complex and differs among universities, departments, and even fields of study. To begin with, you should know your university’s approved formatting guidelines before you start with the process. In the typical dissertation, it starts with an abstract, then acknowledgments. You then go on to the table of content, defining the various abbreviations, tables, and other necessary information.
Your page numbers should correspond with what’s on the table of contents. To quickly achieve this, start every chapter or new headings on a new page. You need to follow this strictly to make your work easy to read.
- Proofread your work
Going over your dissertation is something you should never compromise on. That said, it is always best to hire someone to do that for you. Proofreading is a critical part of the dissertation process. It helps you correct all grammatical and composition and comprehension errors to make the work good to read.
Why do you need someone to do the proofreading? Mostly, when you write and proofread on your own, you may skip several mistakes due to rush or your assumption that everything is right. However, a professional from DissertationTeam will take time to go through the work patiently to point out all errors.
- Get feedback from your supervisor
You were not assigned a supervisor, just for the sake of it. They have an essential role to play in your dissertation writing process. Besides reviewing your work as required, they can also give you feedback regarding whether you are on track or deviating. If you have a very busy supervisor, you can rely on a tutor who is familiar with your dissertation topic. That said, that moment shouldn’t be the first time you are consulting him/her with the work. They should have been in the known of your topic and have previously reviewed some of your chapters. You should also give them enough time to through the dissertation and come up with reflective feedback.
- Get feedback from friends or professionals
If your supervisor or trusted tutor is very busy to go through your work for proper feedback, you can rely on your colleagues. However, it shouldn’t be just anybody, but someone who is intelligent and have a better appreciation of the work you’ve done.
If none of your peers are available for such duties, hire a professional to do that for you. Having a third party or external source read through your dissertation is one of the best ways to get honest feedback. However, you should set the requirements and what you want the feedback to entails when hiring someone. The person or company you are hiring should have a reputation and experience in performing such duties.