Writing a Dissertation Top 5 Tips From An Oxford English Graduate

Our very own Clare, a star English Oxtutor passionate about modern literature and literary theory, shares 5 tips she wishes she'd known before writing her dissertation.

Writing a dissertation is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to refine your ideas, to structure your argument, and to find your style. It can be a maddening - and a rewarding - process. Reflecting on my own time at Oxford, where I wrote a 12,000 word dissertation on Ali Smith’s novels and theories of the ‘contemporary’, I have narrowed my experiences down to these 'Top 5 Tips'.

1. COMMUNICATE. Once you have been assigned a supervisor, keep communication open and honest. They are being paid to help you, so make use of them. Together, you can agree on a timeline for your work, you can discuss drafts, and you can create a sense of accountability. It also means that if your student-supervisor relationship stops working (as one of mine did), you can arrange new teaching quickly and confidently.
   

2. USE YOUR UNIVERSITY RESOURCES. Libraries, archives, and online databases are brilliant resources that make writing a dissertation a more varied and exciting time. They make you feel like a proper researcher! It’s also worth thinking about what resources you might need in advance; some texts might take a few weeks to become available to you.
   

3. GET INTO A ROUTINE. Find the times of day where you read and write best and work with those. My hours tended to be 10am - 5pm with an hour for lunch, and I always had weekends off. Other students would work later in the day and others worked when they felt most inspired. No one way is better than another. However, I would recommend trying a routine because it tends to spread out the workload and prevent burnout. It also means you can estimate when you will have free time!
   

4. IF IT’S NOT WORKING, STOP. If your mind isn’t working one day, don’t panic. Good ideas and good work takes time and the process of writing a diss is rarely linear. Have an afternoon off, make a nice meal, phone a friend, have a bath, go for a walk. Things often feel a lot better after you’ve taken a step back.
   

5. PLAN FUN THINGS. It’s so important to fill your time with things to look forward to. Aim to have something each week or every few days! These don’t have to be huge… a coffee or home-cooked meal with a friend can make a big difference. Try to plan a fun night out - or something alternative - as extra incentive for when you hand in your work. On the flip side, make sure to eat, sleep, and move around. Look after your body and your mind will follow. A dissertation can be a daunting prospect, but my friends and I always look back on our time with a huge sense of accomplishment. Hopefully these tips can help you through the process and can be returned to as and when you need.