Though the word may sound grandiose, college students should not allow themselves to be intimidated, when faced with dissertation writing. Though it is true that the dissertation demands unwaveringly high standards of academic writing, they are also extremely achievable, following the application of a little ‘brain grease’.

Having acknowledged that dissertation writing is going to be a considerable challenge, the student must come to the table readily prepared to sacrifice much time and dedication to the project. Most importantly, once begun, he must stubbornly decide to finish it. Like any other essay project, dissertation writing is about intelligently informing and challenging its audience. The writer should be confident that he has a firm grasp of this subject, and adopting the approach that he is simply about to share his expertise with a panel of interested but unknowledgeable friends may be a conducive one to his writing style, making it clear, concise and logical.

Dissertation writing is rather technical, and follows a clear format, that must form the structure of the student’s writing. It should include:

• The strong Introduction, to apprise readers of the purpose of the dissertation, and give them an outline of all of the aspects he is going to cover;

• A solid background on the theories that his dissertation is based upon, what he aims to prove, on the basis of these theories, and what relevance his evolved theories may have;

• Intricate, detailed information of what research was conducted, and experiments done;

• The results of the above research and/or experiments, drawing out their relevance and impact;

• The strong conclusion summarizing the overall results of your work, and the intended and expected ramifications of the same. The student may further add some suggestions for further research on his chosen topic.

Once the dissertation outline has been formulated, the student may consider his work three quarters done, the remaining quarter of which will include the actual dissertation writing, and the vital editing and proof reading that perfect and finalize the project.

Embarking on the actual dissertation writing, once the outline has been done, is a real pleasure for those who love to write, as they will be able to employ all types of essay styles in order to make their points succinctly, intelligently and interestingly. Remembering that the dissertation should challenge as well as inform, students should draw deeply on all their relevant skills in making their argument. It is advised to use the discursive or explanatory styles to pad out vital points, the narrative style when discussing older theories, the persuasive style when arguing for an original, innovative theory that is the student’s own, etc. The use of clear heading and subheadings are vital when describing research and experiments, in order to provide the reader with a solid thread to follow.

Finally, a clearly set out section for references and citations will both impress and assist those readers that seek to understand the student’s work further, as well as those future researchers who will use the piece as a point of reference in itself.