Is Dissertation Writing Akin To Scaling the Mount Everest?
Is dissertation writing a very difficult task such as scaling the Mount Everest? Does the very thought of writing dissertation makes you nervous? We will let you handle the situation gracefully.
Dissertation writing is not like climbing the Mount Everest—unless,
of course, you let this task overwhelm your mind and make it grip all your discerning faculties. In fact, the situation is not so grave as you appear to have made it. After all, there are hundreds of thousands of students like you who complete their dissertation successfully and win over their degrees each year. With a little sincere effort and determination you will be able to overcome your fear and start writing your dissertation within no time.
However, you need to acquaint yourself with certain important points to enable you to embark upon this uphill task with comparative ease and facility. Let’s discuss them, one by one, as under:
1. Train your mind to overcome the fear : You might as well ask, how can you do that? Perhaps, you need to go to a Psychiatrist for doing that? No way! Just make yourself comfortable in a calm and quiet room. Close your eyes and start self-suggesting yourself that you are one amongst the thousands of students who are facing the same problem. In so far as intelligence and smartness is concerned, you are not less than anyone of them. This so-called problem, in fact, is no problem at all. With a little perseverance, you can accomplish the task with flying colors and win over your degree. All you got to do is to convince yourself through self-suggestion that you are fully capable of doing the job within the prescribed time.
2. Start your research in right earnest : Once you have selected a topic which interests you most, get the same approved by your supervisor. Discuss the topic with him and ask him about the number of sources from which you will be able to get the appropriate material for research. Start digging out those sources. Also, visit your College/University Library or the Public Library in your area to consult relevant books/periodicals on the subject. Avail yourself of every opportunity to discuss your topic of research with your friends and college seniors. Jot down any relevant information or idea that they give.
3. Plagiarism vis-à-vis original work : In no way should you be inclined to complete your dissertation through plagiarism. Plagiarism is a loathsome act of ‘copying and pasting’ from the work of another author and then claiming the same to be an original work of your own. Quoting something from the book of an author of repute—by referring to the name of the book, author, page number(s), date of publication and publisher’s name, etc.,—is something different from copying someone else. In some cases you might have to seek permission from the publisher to quote the author’s point of view. Nevertheless, quoting is entirely different from plagiarism and the latter should be avoided at any cost. There are a number of Anti-plagiarism software available in the market which can tell you whether or not your dissertation is plagiarized. So, one has to exercise extreme caution in this respect.
Most of the students get perplexed on the very thought of writing a dissertation as if it entails the scaling of Mount Everest. There is nothing to worry about as the feeling is normal with all the novices in the field. Remember, ‘perseverance is the key to success’. With a little sincere effort, you will soon be able to complete your dissertation and also be honored with your well-deserved degree.
