How do you find ideas to write about? There is no shortcut – you have to cultivate a culture of reading, particularly in the area of interest. There is no better way to do it. You need enough information and guidance to help you make the most out of your writing opportunity. There are many ideas in different fields of study. However, you should make use of a unique approach to accomplishing certain goals and objectives.

The way to choosing your topic

A good writer will always ask themselves a few questions before writing down any topic. Every research work has specific questions that guide you through the writing process. These should be vital in informing you about the topic to write about. If you can summarize all the questions in your chosen topic, then you will succeed in developing the rest of the paper. Here are sample topics to write about:

1. The rise of crime and terrorism in Europe
2. Business throughout the Covid-19 pandemic
3. Progress made by China to become an influential force in Africa
4. The scramble for Africa: Politics and Power
5. Addiction and substance abuse among teenagers
6. Technology and obesity in the United States
7. Revolutions in African Arab countries: A case study of Egypt
8. The growing challenge of global warming
9. The Future of business amidst technology innovations
10. Learning online. Is more getting accomplished than learning conventionally?

Coming up with the right topic is a process and for sure, it will be easy if you are careful to follow through. If you can identify the importance and significance of your topic, then you can proceed to write down the topic for your dissertation. Most importantly, it should be unique and straightforward to your readers.

Topics that tend to copy what has been done in the past seem obvious and not interesting to follow through the content thereafter. Therefore, you should give your reader a good reason to follow through. You can only do this if you have soaked yourself into deep research and extensive reading to pull out ideas and thoughts on what to write about.

Final Advice

Dissertation topics should be developed carefully because they are essential in determining how effective you will be in the final writing. There are many ideas but the uniqueness of your topic is all that counts. Look at various samples and read what others have been able to do. You will be opened into a wide range of options to help you settle for the best topic idea for your dissertation.

Admittedluy, everyone has their own strength and weaknesses when doing research work. So definitely, you are not alone in this situation.

Mostly, this confusion and stagnation could be traced to how students start their research work. Instead of first developing the research questions, some choose to go straight to what they want to discuss. Below are five points to help you get on track.

• What to do if you find I difficult to start

Reading from different research works is one of the best ways to draw inspiration for your dissertation. Through this, you can know how your work should look, available topics to explore, develop your research questions, and know what to and what not to include, among others.

• What to do when you are short of words

Sometimes you can get an idea, but expanding it to become substantial becomes a problem. This may be because you don’t have the needed data to back your claims. If such is your struggle, then all you need is to do further research. If you don’t find your answers on the internet, maybe a one on one interview or consulting a government agency may do the magic.

• Jot down your points

Jotting down your points and having easy access to them is sometimes all you need to get going. There is no need to type these points and save them for later retrievals, but just an index card or jotter book will do. These materials are easier to access and work with than the computer. Also, try to write down all such points in detail to prevent missing out on important ingredients.

• What to do when nothing is working

Thank goodness there is something called ‘rest.’ It may intrigue you that sometimes all you need is to have a brief rest or stay away from your dissertation. Rejuvenating your tired and overly stressed brain is something no one should ignore when writing academic work. However, do not take many days off your work; otherwise, it may stall your progress, or boredom may set in.

• When time is your enemy

Procrastination can bring about a delay in reaching your set deadline. You have probably postponed your work every day, and now the deadline is catching up. You would therefore need to re-strategize and make some sacrifices. You may need to sacrifice some hours of your sleep time or leisure time to have extra hours to work. It the situation is that bad, you may need to consult your supervisor to request for additional days

Conclusion

As an undergraduate or postgraduate student, know that dissertation wring is a must and part of your assessment process. You, therefore, need to prepare very well, yet keep your cool. Anxiety and stress may set in along the line, but the best response would be not to bow to such distraction. talk to your supervisor  when you encounter any difficulty.

If these questions border you a lot, then you are in the right place. In this article, you will learn how to plan and execute your literature review.

What is a literature review?

The literature review of your dissertation is one of the crucial parts of your academic work structure. It contains a summary of the most recent works in your research field, and your dissertation must fit into that. In this section of your academic, you must prove that you’ve read widely on the chosen topic. Truthfully, you would not have the chance to read every current writing; however, demonstrate that you have read enough.

The review should tell readers about the current state of the field you are writing about and other writers’ opinions about it. It should provide diverse views on key issues as provided by each researcher, and instances where general opinions are being reassessed or changed. Your literature review must also analyze the works you are using.

What should a dissertation literature review contain?

In writing a literature review, it must be comprehensive, citing all the significant contributions or writers in the subject area. In doing this, you can compare the theorists’ standpoint, list their agreements and disagreements, and make mention of the current situation in the field. You can use bullet points for your subheadings or make a distinction between different theories. 

The length of a literature review 

The length of your literature review depends on the structure of your dissertation. However, the general rule is that it should be about 25% of your work.

5 tips on how to write a dissertation literature review

1. Questions

Your research questions should be well stipulated before you even start writing your literature review. Developing the questions first saves you from reading unnecessary content. 

2. In-depth research 

Research is an essential and necessary component of every academic work. To develop a thought-provoking review, you need to do an in-depth analysis of the topic by reading widely. You should also know where to source your content, whether by using search engines, reading journals, using sources in government or private agencies, etc. 

3. Use relevant contents

You shouldn’t just be putting words together to increase our word count. Every statement you make must be relevant to your research.

4. Key themes

It is important to note and expatiate the key themes you pick from the sources you use. Analyzing these themes provide the best opportunity to build on your work.

5. Scrutinize your content 

Everything you add to your literature review must be well scrutinized and have relevance to your work. Reviewing your research materials ensures that you don’t add anything alien to your work.