Writing a dissertation is a long process that can take months or even years to complete. Along the way, you may face unexpected challenges and changes. To make sure everything is organised and ready, it’s helpful to create a checklist before submitting your dissertation. This will help you stay on track and ensure everything is in order.
According to a survey conducted by DiscoverPHDS among 26,076 students, only 5% of them successfully submitted their theses, while 79% required minor changes and 16% required major amendments. If you also want to submit your thesis successfully, you must make a checklist.
Are you thinking about what to include in this checklist? Here, we’ll share a last-minute dissertation checklist that can assist you in getting your draft in order. Before moving on this checklist, let’s explore why making a checklist is important.
Why Should You Make a Checklist for Dissertation Submission?
Some students complete their thesis through a rough writing process, while others take time to craft a perfect academic document. A final checklist is essential for both student groups, as dissertation writing involves various aspects, ranging from drafting a title page to inserting accurate references.
Making a comprehensive checklist will help with dissertation writing and streamline your editing process once you have completed your educational paper. It will also assist you in identifying the precise goals and focusing on them at each writing stage. For instance, you want to make various revisions to your formatting, grammar, reference list, tables, and images. These goals will allow you to specify the time for each task.
As you have learned why making a checklist is important for successful dissertation submission, now move on to the things that must be added to this list.
7 Things to Do Before Submitting the Dissertation
Writing a dissertation is a big job, and you need to consider various things to handle administrative issues and ensure the quality of your content. If you have written your thesis, then take into account the following aspects to ensure that you have written a successful document that matches the given guidelines.
- Discover what the institution requires.
- Check the word count.
- Pay attention to the formatting.
- Check references.
- Content-check.
- Check Visual elements.
- Language and grammar.
Let’s have a quick glance at the core features of this article before hopping further.
Core Features:
- Dissertation writing is a complex process, and the final year’s grades depend solely on this document.
- Students must take into account various factors before submitting a dissertation to ensure its credibility.
- Knowing the university’s requirements is the most important thing.
- Students must check the word limit, reference format, and general format defined in the guidelines for their departments.
- Proofreading, content checking, and reviewing visual elements are also crucial for successful submission.
1. Discover What the Institution Requires
You first check the requirements before starting your writing process to learn what your institution’s thesis submission process is. When you are done with the writing process, it is good to check these guidelines to ensure that you have followed all the requirements.
For instance, imagine you have completed all your paperwork, and on submission day, you find that you have to nominate your supervisor a week before the submission. That would be a critical situation for you.
Additionally, checking these guidelines also helps you know what to do on your dissertation submission day, which eventually makes the submission process seamless.
2. Check the Word Count
It is important to check the word limit that your educational institute has allowed you for your thesis. Most universities are strict about the dissertation word count, and you may lose your grades or, even worse, your document may be rejected if you have not fulfilled the word count limit. Therefore, you must check the word limit on your department’s official website.
As stated by Messy University, students are typically allowed a flexibility of up to 10% above or below the defined word limit. For instance, if the defined word limit is 4000, students can write a minimum of 3600 words and a maximum of 4400 words for their dissertation. However, the word limit for every university differs from others, so check even before starting your writing process.
3. Pay Attention to Your Formatting
Most universities/colleges have their own formatting criteria that every student must know. Unfortunately, most students are unaware of their universities’ guidelines and follow the general formatting rules, which ultimately leads them to dissertation rejection or bad grades. Therefore, before the final submission, ensure that you have followed your institution’s formatting guidelines.
We know that formatting your thesis is always a bother, so take some time to adjust the line spacing, margins, and fonts as per the guidelines. Further, add a page number at the top or bottom of your dissertation. You should also make sure that the formatting of the images, tables, and illustrations is consistent throughout your document.
4. Check References
References are always added during the writing process, but you must check all of them at the end of your writing. This rechecking will make your dissertation credible and ensure that it will not come back for revision. For this, first, identify the text that needs reference. Now, ensure that you have placed the references in the right place in the right format.
Next, check that all the references mentioned in the text are present in your reference list at the end of your document. This section includes full information about your references; just ensure that you follow the reference format according to your university guidelines.
5. Content-Check
Undoubtedly, content is the most important part of your entire dissertation. Content checking involves various rounds of reviewing the body of your thesis, from the title page to the result section to the recommendation section. You must ensure that your content has a good flow and you coherently connect different ideas within your research document.
During this step, you just have to make sure that you have answered all the questions. This is not the place where you have to rework your arguments. So, if you get any last-minute jitters and think you must redirect the direction of your research, don’t do it. This is only a cursory check, and you should make minor changes at this stage.
6. Check Visual Elements
Most students ignore the non-text part of the dissertation. Their minor ignorance turns into a big mistake that ultimately brings serious consequences for their academic grades. To avoid these consequences, you must pay close attention to the visual elements of your thesis. If you have images, graphs, or tables that slightly disjoint your text, it is better to review these parts separately.
Additionally, it is essential to ensure the alignment, format, readability, accuracy, and proper labelling of your images to maintain the authenticity of your work. If you find that the readability of your visuals is lacking, which could negatively impact the overall quality of your research, discuss this issue with reliable dissertation writing companies in the UK. These experts are skilled in creating high-quality visual elements for theses that enhance both clarity and presentation.
7. Language and Grammar
Last but not least, proofreading is one of the most important steps that every student must follow after the completion of the dissertation writing process. We know that writing a thesis is a rigorous process, so it is better to set your research document aside once you write it. Take a break and then give three to four reads to your dissertation to identify grammar or spelling mistakes.
This step will help you remove minor mistakes from your paper and make it flawless. If you are short on time for proofreading, you can use digital tools to identify grammar and spelling mistakes.
How Many Hours A Day Should I Spend on My Dissertation?
The dissertation shivers down students’ spines as it is a culmination of research exploration, writing, and intellectual understanding. Some folks recommend that students invest 8 hours a day to craft a successful thesis. But the fact is that it is not a factory assembly that produces more output by investing more time in it. It is an intellectual endeavour that needs focus, deep understanding, and creativity.
The dedicated time for this task varies from individual to individual, as every student has a different learning style, study capacity, and creativity. Some students can produce quality work in a few hours, while others take days. You just have to consider the total time that you have to complete this task and start work accordingly.
Conclusion
Every student has to write a dissertation during his final year. Although it is quite lengthy, they have to swallow this bitter pill. Most students successfully write their thesis but don’t bother to review their document before submission, which eventually leads to bad grades.
There are some important things that they must consider before dissertation submission to ensure that their document is credible and authentic. In this article, we have mentioned some aspects, including checking university administrative guidelines, content, visual elements, general formatting, and references. We hope that after reading this guide, you ensure that your thesis is up to your institution’s requirements.
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