A Quick Guide To Undergraduate Dissertation Research Methods

Doing research as an undergrad can be hard if you don’t know where to start. In general, dissertations are a lot of work and time taken. Your technical skills will develop as you work on this project and are involved with the writing of it. It takes a lot of dedication to refine a topic, find enough source material, write and edit the entire work and then present it. Don’t get discouraged while doing this—there are many people who can help you along the way, including your advisor.

How to use research methods for dissertation writing

There are two main ways you can conduct and present your findings: qualitative and quantitative. Your approach to this will color the writing and show your unique take on the subject. If you’re passionate about what you’re studying, it will show through and your reader will be more engaged with the information.

Ways to further your material finding:

• Quantitative data is useful when you want to discover particulars and details about groups of people related to your subject. In other words, numbers and concrete findings
• Qualitative data should be used when you want to know the why of something. The reasons behind behavior or other intangible information
• Think about other ways you’ve done research so far in your schooling. Can you apply any techniques or sources of information from other projects?
• Looking at a big database such as library resources can be overwhelming so go into it with a more specific idea of what you’re looking for. Ask for help from the librarian while you’re there—they are experts at assisting students for dissertation work
• Doing interviews with people to use as sources is a great idea for qualitative research and to give your subject more of a voice. It’s always powerful to hear from the everyday people who are affected instead of just scholarly articles, scientific studies and other hard facts.

Your undergraduate writing is something that should be planned for. Look at your schedule and see how much time you can realistically commit to your work each day. having a certain time for the work means that you’re less likely to procrastinate or forget to do it. Try having a friend or someone who’s also working on a dissertation to be accountable to and help each other stay on track. You can even partner up to do some of the research methodologies mentioned in this article.