Writing a Successful Dissertation

Some important things to remember:

  1. Be organized. It helps to make an outline before you begin writing.
  2. Gather your references before you start.
  3. Make sure to follow your institution’s guidelines for formatting and style. Some common styles you may be asked to follow are APA (American Psychological Association), Chicago or MLA (Modern Language Association). Note that these refer to the citations as well as the text.
  4. Set deadlines but make them flexible in case of unforeseen circumstances.
  5. Get feedback from your committee members on portions of your dissertation as you are writing. That way, you can make adjustments as necessary.
  6. Employ an editor such as CrickEdit to help with grammar, language, style and proofreading.