Choosing A Format For A Dissertation: A Brief Tutorial For Students

Your dissertation is not just a simple paper; it takes a lot of work, weeks of research and a deep understanding of your subject. Besides, you need to fully think every aspect of your project if you want to make a successful piece. Every element is important, and once you neglect one of them you can’t expect for the other ones to be great. One of the first things to have in mind is the general aspect of your paper, since this will be the first thing that your professor will notice. Here is how you leave a good impression about your dissertation:

• Format your paper carefully. We know that you already spent weeks writing about a great topic, but you will need more than this if you aim for the maximum grade. When your professor first sees your paper, he needs to have a pleasant impression. The edges, header, title of your dissertation need to be carefully aligned, with the suitable font for such an important text. Colored, artistic fonts are not acceptable in this case; they will make you look unprofessional.

• Make sure you pick the suitable format. The primary element to guide you here is your topic. Is it a literature review? A scientific paper? A personal composition? According to this, you will decide for what format you should go. If it’s something common, like an essay about your idol, the MLA format is the most common and suitable one. On the other hand, if you write on quantum physics, you should go for something more academic and more serious.

• Use quotations and references. This will not only show that you made enough research, but it will also emphasize your attention for different points of view. In general, a paper that contains enough different references proves that the student was interested in the topic and ready to work as much as it takes. This is exactly the first impression that you want to give to your professor.

• Build a title page for your project. Many students neglect this, but it is truly an important element. There you will write the title of your dissertation, the name of your supervisor, the name of the course and other similar details. Use the same font that you used for the main text, only a little bigger.