Writing a dissertation is one of the final challenges of achieving a doctoral degree. It is not an easy task and requires hard work, research, and plenty of writing. To write a dissertation requires numerous steps to finishing those final qualifications to receive a doctorate.

Choosing A Topic

To write a dissertation the first step is to determine your topic. Most universities allow graduate students to pick their topics according to personal interests. The first years of graduate school are dedicated to taking classes. It is a good idea to use class materials to find your own interests and find areas of your field that haven't been researched fully. Your topic should be original and should be something that interests you. You will spend months or even years writing your dissertation so pick a topic you will enjoy.

Your Dissertation Committee

Every dissertation requires a committee of professors who will guide you through the dissertation process. They will read your drafts, offer you advice, and give you corrections. At the end of the process you will defend your dissertation in front of your committee who will decided if your work is worth earning a doctoral degree.

You should choose professors who can aid you in writing your dissertation. If you have professors who specialize in material related to your chosen topic then they may be best suited to being on your committee. Pick professors you will enjoy working with. The head of your committee is the most important individual because they will be the main person you work with through the research and writing process. Your other committee members are also important but you won't send them your work until after your committee head has read and approved your work.

IRB Approval

Depending on your topic and major you may be required to get IRB (Internal Review Board) approval to do your dissertation topic. The IRB exists to review research conducted at universities to make sure research is ethical and poses no/little risk to research subjects. For example, if someone studying psychology wants to do research involving human subjects, they will have to get IRB approval to ensure research methods won't harm or use unethical research tactics. Getting IRB approval involves doing research discussing your topic, filling out forms, and possibly talking with IRB members to get approval to do research.

Writing Your Dissertation

There are six parts included in a dissertation.

• The Introduction

The introduction is an overview of your dissertation. In it you will discuss your topic, why it is important to research, your research methods and theory, and anything else you include in your paper.

• Literature Review

You will conduct a review of existing literature to see what research has already been conducted relating to your topic. This is important because other research can help strengthen the importance of why you conducted your research and can support findings you may discover that match up with other researchers findings.

• Theory

Depending on your major and topic you may be asked to include a theory section. A theory provides you with a research model to aid you in analyzing your data and explaining your findings.

• Methodology

Methodology is your research methods. Experiments, content analysis, interviews, surveys, and more are examples of research methods. You will gather data that you will analyze to test your research questions and fully examine your topic.

• Findings

The findings section details what conclusions you can make according to the data you collected.

• Conclusion

The conclusion will be an overview of what you determined by conducting your research and will discuss their importance and topics such as future research.

Defense

Once you have written your dissertation and it is approved by your committee you will schedule a dissertation defense. At your defense meeting you will present your research in front on your committee. Your committee will ask you questions to determine that you did your research, that your theory and methods were sound tools to use, and to ensure you are deserving of your doctoral degree. After a deliberation period, if they approve of your work they will accept your dissertation and will allow you to graduate with your doctorate.

This is a basic overview of the dissertation process.

Different majors, universities, etc. have different requirements for students to complete. The dissertation process is designed to test a graduate student's abilities and ensure they are an expert in their field of study.

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