Whether you are working on your dissertation or any other project or assignment, specialists from the Academic Skills Service share some top tips and resources for your research journey.
1. Refine your focus
Take the time to refine the focus of your research – ask yourself the following questions:
- What do you want to explore over the course of your research journey?
- From your research so far, what is feasible to answer?
- What has been unanswered in your field of research?
- What could you contribute to your field?
Depending on where you are in your research journey, these answers will allow you to sharpen your focus and edit your question, argument, or some of your sections.
Join a dissertation drop-in or our Writing Café to have a conversation with a specialist or peer, or to do some free writing – this may help to focus your research perspective.
2. Manage your time efficiently
Longer-term projects like dissertations require good time management – you will need to ensure you’re able to focus on the task at hand, whether that be reading, notetaking, managing data or writing.
For most people, the most productive time of the day is the first two hours after we are fully awake. If you can, use this time for getting the most important thing for the day done (for example, reading a difficult journal article, writing part of a chapter, revising an important topic), and the rest of your time for easier tasks. For more helpful tips on how to manage your time, check out our time management webpage.
3. Plan effectively
The scope of a research project can sometimes be daunting, and it can be difficult to plan how to get everything done. Try breaking down tasks into smaller sections and follow a clear plan of action. Our dissertation planner is a step-by-step guide to help you write a dissertation – with useful tips and support for all stages of the process.
Throughout August and September, the Academic Skills Service will be running in-person Writing Cafés, the Academic Skills drop-in service and dissertation drop-ins. These offer informal, safe spaces to make progress on your work with specialist support on hand. For more information about the sessions, check out the Academic Skills website or the My Southampton app.