How to Write a Dissertation

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Build academic and language skills.

   Before you can start writing a dissertation, you will need to have developed your skills to a point where you will be able to write a dissertation.
   
   This high level of academic work requires exquisitely honed language skills, as well as the ability to analyze and process information at a level appropriate for original research.
   
   Make sure that your skills are up to the task before beginning, otherwise you may not be able to complete the dissertation and you will certainly cause yourself a great deal of stress.
   
   Many programs require that you are not only very capable of speaking your own language but another or several others as well.
   
   This can span from other modern spoken languages (like French, German, or Mandarin) to dead spoken languages (such as Latin or Greek) to non-spoken languages (such as programming languages).
   
   You will need to be excellent at tracking down information, processing it, understanding where information is missing, and finding solutions to the problems that those holes present.
   
   This is often much more difficult than it sounds.
   
   You will also need to have developed writing skills which will be conducive to producing a dissertation.
   
   These documents are often as long as books, being anywhere between 30,000-100,000 words.
   
   It is difficult to write something so long, in-depth, and descriptive.
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   Step 2: Build time management skills.

   Writing such a complex document while often still taking classes, working as a teacher’s or lab assistant or teaching undergraduate classes can be challenging at best.
   
   There is a reason that there are so many jokes about how grad students never get to sleep.
   
   You should relax and sleep every now and again, because the stress is not good for you or your work, but in order to fit everything in you’ll need to be very good at knowing how to balance all of these activities.
   
   Try to set aside time when it is impossible or incredibly difficult to work in order to relax.
   
   For example, listen to audiobooks or podcasts while you drive to school.
   
   You can catch up on your favorite websites using your phone, laptop, or tablet while you eat lunch and dinner.
   
   Exercise while waiting for search or test results (you’d be surprised how much energy you’ll get from doing a few squats!).
   
   Sleep on a regular schedule.
   
   This will be incredibly challenging at times, but sleeping on a regular schedule (even if it’s a little less sleep than you might normally get) will make you feel more energized and focused than sleeping longer hours irregularly.
   
   Use browser add-ons like StayFocused.
   
   You’ll be thankful later. , If you can’t cope well with stress, you will have a very difficult time with graduate school in general and an even harder time with writing a dissertation.
   
   Learn to manage your stress and release it in a healthy and effective manner before starting on a dissertation.
   
   Good ways for grad students to ease stress are to exercise, listen to music, or watch a funny video.
   
   All of these are easily fit into complex schedules.
   
   What you’ll want to avoid as a grad student, however, are stress-reducing activities like watching TV (which will suck up large blocks of time and stress you out more) or eating (which will likely make you gain a great deal of weight).
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   Step 3: Learn to cope with stress.

Detailed Guide

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