Writing a dissertation – tips for undergrad journalism students

These tips are based on my experience of supervising undergrad students last year. It's not meant to be a supplement for reading a decent book on writing dissertations or, indeed, information from a tutor.

1) Get the info you need: What's the word count? What are the key deadlines? Stick this by your bed, by your computer and on the fridge door….you'll need to refer to it a lot. Make contact with your supervisor  – ask him/her for a marking criteria. A marking criteria takes the guesswork out of writing a dissertation. It tells you what level you need to reach to obtain a particular grade.

2) Buy a book about writing dissertations: The appropriately titled Writing Your Dissertation by Derek Swetnam isn't a bad start.Your Undergraduate Dissertation: The Essential Guide for Success by Nicholas Walliman is also worth a look.

3) Choose a decent topic: You have to live with it for a quite a while, so make it something you're really interested in. You'll have to work your topic into some kind of hypothesis, so it needs to be feasible and pretty specific.

4) More about topics: I've noticed that weaker students choose (what they consider to be) "safe" topics.These tend to be old topics which have been "done to death". A lot of this is down to confidence and a fear of biting off more than they can chew.   

5) Good students (that's you, right?) tend be in tune with the key controversies in the media. They read things like Media Guardian, British Journalism Review, media blogs and journals – they know what's happening in the industry. These students choose topics that are timely and challenging. Think also about the units or modules you have enjoyed on the course. What areas would you like to do more research in.

Update: 02/01/2009

Some students find it helpful to 'map' the topic early on. I recommend, FreeMind, a free bit of software which will get you thinking creatively about a topic. You can output attractive looking mind maps which could be included in your research portfolio or appendix.  

6) It's stating the obvious, but good students read widely. This takes time and planning. You need to keep a note of what you read. Cock this bit up and writing a bibliography will be a nightmare. Use Post-It notes to mark relevant articles and take photocopies before the books have to be returned to the library. As you read, make sure you reflect on the theories. Always consider
how/why it is relevant to your hypothesis. 

Update: 02/01/2009

Some students find it helpful to think in terms of "theory" and "practice": First, you need a deep theoretical underpinning to a dissertation, so you must read widely. But as you read, it is important to think about how you can apply theories to modern day practise in journalism and your hypothesis.You
may feel that some of the theories of the great thinkers are old and perhaps a bit irrelevant. Make a note of this. Try to think of
modern examples that appear to challenge the old established theories. That said, you may do research that suggests that the old theories are still sound. It's the quality of this application of theory-to-practice which is a key.    

7) Use social bookmarking sites to log your online reading. Set up a list for your dissertation on Del.icio.us or StubleUpon. These sites give you space to write reflective comments about the usefulness of the material you're reading. 

Update: 02/01/2009

Consider using management tools like Refworks. This can be used purely online or you can download the software to your own PC or Mac (the latter integrates with Word). It's not the most intuitive bit of software, but it allows you to search numerous different library catalogues, keep notes of what you are reading (both books, journals and websites) and outputs it into the correct referencing format. 

Upload your drafts to a blog or wiki. It's important to get feedback on your writing early on. Ask friends, family, supervisors or experts…anyone who you can persuade to read your work and comment on it. Wetpaint is an easy to use wiki tool.

9) Meet your supervisor regularly. Try not to annoy them by missing appointments or bombarding them with pages of work a day before final deadline.Your supervisor will help you reflect on your reading and discuss conclusions. Reflection is something best achieved over a period of many months – it can't be rushed.

10) Referencing – two bits of advice: A) Be consistent B) Talk to a librarian – they tend to know lots about it. People get confused with how to reference websites and newspaper articles, so take particular care here.

11) Don't say "It's Crap", but you should not be afraid to criticise a theory if you feel it is out of date, or contradicts your own research. Good dissertations are not just based on the past, but make predictions about the future. How is the subject likely to develop in five years time? 

12) The university library may not have all the textbooks you require. By joining the British Library you'll gain access to the British Newspaper Library -  the only large, integrated national
    newspaper (and magazine) service in the world. The Newspaper Library is based up in Colindale, north west London. Before making a trip up there, check the website for membership requirements and opening times.

Update: 02/01/2009

Watch out for  plagiarism :  This is a huge problem. Where I work we use TurnItIn.  This compares student work with a huge database of articles to detect silmilarities.The makers of the software really don't miss a trick and are also marketing a system aimed at students called WriteCheck, so students can check their work against the TurnItIn database before submission. Extreme care needs to be taken here. WriteCheck also produces a short and vaguely amusing guide to how it is relatively easy to be caught out. 

A lot more advice on writing dissertations:

Companion for Undergraduate Dissertations (Birmingham Uni)