Everyone tends to have a unique way of managing their academic projects, but MSc dissertations are different. To write an MSc dissertation, students must know how to organise and pen down their research data.
According to a book titled EBOOK: Succeeding with your Master’s Dissertation: A Step-by-Step Handbook, a master’s dissertation judges the ability of students to do independent study within tight time constraints. Empirical research is one of the most fundamental parts of a master’s degree.
A well-executed dissertation showcases a student’s expertise and commitment to their field, making it a valuable asset for their academic institutions. Ultimately, an MSc dissertation is more than just a requirement; it represents a meaningful contribution to knowledge and a key step toward future success.
Now is the time to dive into more details about an MSc thesis. Let’s understand the basic definition first.
What Is an MSc Dissertation?
An M.Sc. dissertation is a long piece of academic research that is considered a basic requirement for getting a Master’s degree. As per the University of London, a Master’s dissertation is actually independent research work that a member of staff supervises. It demonstrates the students’ scholarly expertise and research skills.
Unlike high school and college students, the students are required to craft dissertations as an alternative to formal examinations and coursework. A dedicated research supervisor overviews all the research work and provides needed assistance to students. Students can turn to the supervisor anytime they require guidance.
Here is the basic structure of a master’s research project according to Succeeding With Your Master’s Dissertation:
06 Tips for Writing a Winning MSc Dissertation
Going into the process of writing a master’s dissertation informed is the best way to make sure that you know what the requirements of the process are. If there is anything you find difficult to understand during the writing process, ask for help from British dissertation writing services for desired outcomes.
Here are the best tips for crafting an impactful MSc dissertation.
1. Abstract
The abstract is the shortest and the very first section of an MSc dissertation. This section is intended to provide readers with a concise overview of the complete research project. It also highlights the main aims of the dissertation and provides the main context of the study.
Here are the guidelines for crafting this section:
- This should be written at the end of your entire MSc dissertation.
- Don’t become too detail-oriented when crafting this section.
- Outline your research methods.
- State the main findings.
- Talk about your recommendations for research.
Furthermore, it also highlights the methodology and the key findings of the studies. All in all, you can get a brief overview of the research work by just going through the abstract of your master’s dissertation.
2. Introduction
After the abstract, the introduction section of an MSc dissertation follows. This section describes the focus of the paper by reviewing the context and background of the topic. It can also identify gaps in the research and tell readers how they can fill such blank spaces.
Keep these points in mind when writing the introduction section:
- The introduction highlights the background of your work and sheds light on the research focus.
- It also describes in detail the overall aims and objectives.
- You can outline the research timescales and methods you use for work.
- It is also advisable to discuss the value of research in this section.
- Your research goals should be relevant, achievable, timely, measurable and specific.
Essentially, the introduction section provides an outline of the scope of the papers and also discusses the argumentative and general structure of an MSc dissertation. It consists of almost 15% of the word count of the entire dissertation.
3. Literature Review
The largest section of an MSc dissertation is the literature review, which aims to provide a detailed view of the existing research. This research should also be relevant to the investigation process. The literature review also provides a critical review of both research and non-research literature and justifies the theoretical perspectives.
The points to consider when crafting a literature review are the following:
- This section should remind the readers of the basic aims and objectives of the research.
- Avoid going off-track with the headings that do not relate to the objectives of the research work.
- Focus on developing meaningful discussions and carefully build your arguments.
- Provide evidence for the critical evaluation of the given information.
- Utilise a wide variety of sources and take all the references seriously.
- Summarise all the key findings and highlight the issues that emerge.
Furthermore, the literature review contextualises the background of the research work. It provides the basis for the justification of research gaps as presented in the dissertation. Even a layman can understand the basis of the work by reading the literature review section.
4. Research Methods
This chapter is the 4th part of a master’s dissertation and is also termed the research methodology. It is usually where the original research work of a dissertation starts, and its purpose is to justify the research methods to the readers. Also, you may tell the readers if the qualitative or quantitative research methodology was used to gather all the data.
These are the main elements of a methodology section:
- Here, you identify and describe in detail your chosen research strategy.
- You can also justify if your research strategy is well aligned with the research needs.
- You should also provide the readers with details on the implementation of the research methods.
- Explain the ways you shall use to analyse the data present there.
- Outline the potential problems and limitations of your work and explain why your work is reliable and valid.
- Also, discuss to what extent someone can replicate your work.
This section also illuminates the papers’ methodological approach. You can tell the readers about the research design and justify the methods. You can also discuss the validity and reliability of such methods.
5. Results and Discussion
The fifth section of a master’s dissertation is focused on the findings of the research work. The main aim of this chapter is to present the results of the primary research conducted by the student. The results are presented in a clear manner that demonstrates how the findings in question relate to the basic dissertation questions.
The key factors to consider when writing the results section are here:
- Keep this section simple, easier to describe and organised to finish it on time.
- You will have to describe your data and compare it with the results of your literature review.
- Link the analysis framework section of your papers with the results you get.
- With the results, stay focused on the varying research objectives. It will help you do systematic research.
- Highlight the main research findings in your papers.
You can also explain the implications of these results and present enough evidence to support your results. Also, the methodology should be referred back to, and the introductory information should be provided that leads to a better understanding of the audience regarding the results.
6. Conclusion
This is the part where you have to present the closure to the initial objectives of the research. Here, you have to go back to the initial objectives of the research work after you are done with doing commentary on the work you complete.
Below are the top elements that you must consider when working on the conclusion of your papers:
- Give a reminder to readers about your expectations regarding the papers.
- Summarise the literature review and provide the readers with the empirical findings of the work.
- For each set of research objectives, enlist the main conclusions of your work.
- Hopefully, you will get an idea about the points mentioned above for the structure of the papers.
- Do not introduce any new information in your papers.
You can get further advice on the topic by contacting your supervisor and reviewing the dissertation manual. In case of confusion, don’t hesitate to ask for help from your peers and research advisors.
How Hard Is a Master’s Dissertation?
Although undertaking research for a master’s dissertation may be challenging for students, it sharpens their research skills quickly. Students are expected to critically evaluate the data and present the results in a meaningful and well-structured way. As per the Postgraduate Forum, the research project lasts 3-4 months only, and students are expected to write 13000 – 20,000 words.
How Long Should an MSc Dissertation Be?
The length of an MSc dissertation depends on the title of the research work and the subject you choose. According to Find A Masters, the master’s dissertation typically ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 words in length. Again, the nature of the program decides the length of a dissertation on any given topic. You can also check with the guidelines of your university about the individual word count of different sections.
University of Bristol Dissertation Examples
- An Affair Cloaked in Secrecy: The Cold War Relationship Between the BBC and the Information Research Department 2020 Bealing
- An exploration of the role of Christian women in the Women’s Liberation Movement in Britain c.1970-1990 2020 Peters
Conclusion
We have discussed in detail the top 6 tips to craft a winning MSc dissertation, along with the appropriate examples. In most courses, your dissertation will be assessed by external examiners as well as those university supervisors who haven’t supervised your research work.
If you have not started your journey yet, consider the possibility of expanding your professional and academic boundaries using a master’s program. Expert writers from professional dissertation writing companies can assist you with this. This experience can transform your worldview and offer you new perspectives. Also, it can increase your ability to solve different complex issues.
All in all, you must take your master’s degree seriously, as it can be identified as a competitive differentiator in the international job market. It can also demonstrate your commitment to professional and learning excellence.