How To Choose Your Dissertation Topic: Helpful Directions

The prospect of writing a dissertation can be rather a daunting one. Knowing how much is riding on it can be stressful and scary. But with proper planning and a good topic to write about, it can be somewhat less intimidating. The key to writing the best possible dissertation (or any kind of research paper, really) is to write about something that you are passionate about. But, as you probably already know, there is a bit more to it than that. A great essay should have the following traits:

• - Passion: It should be something you are passionate about. Passion is key. The best way to ensure that your essay will be of top quality is to write about something you care deeply about. Dissertations tend to be quite long, and it is very difficult to write very much about a topic you do not care about.
• - Relevance: It should be related to your field of study. Passion is all well and good, but if your dissertation does not pertain to your field of study then it is more or less useless, and it is very unlikely that it will get a good response. You should choose a topic that will allow you to showcase your knowledge and expertise in your chosen field.
• - Objectivity: It should be something about which you can be objective. Again, passion is all well and good. But if you are unable to be objective about your chosen topic then you are less likely to be able to represent it accurately, and the end result will be of poor quality. You should strive to create a balance between passion and objectivity.
• - Well-researched: It should be something about which there is a wealth of information. As noted before, dissertations tend to be very long. The average one is between one hundred and two hundred pages long. If you make the mistake of choosing a topic about which there is insufficient information, you will be hard pressed to be able to complete your essay. You might be forced to choose another topic and start over if you are even allowed to do so.

It may not seem like it, but simply choosing your topic can be one of the hardest parts of writing your dissertation. Once that is done, you are free to plan, design, and get to work. So remember Passion, Relevance, Objectivity, and Well-researched. And good luck!