Choosing the Perfect Dissertation Topic
You need to choose a dissertation topic, soon. So this is it. The major decision of your university career. Your chance to be yourself, to study the thing you love, to express who you are in your work, the big one… Or is it?
First of all, no, this is not the big one. I don’t want to burst the bubble that this is your opportunity to undertake a truly independent research project into something you feel passionate about. But it isn’t. A PhD might fit that remit, but even then you’ll be hedged in by all sorts of criteria. But why am I telling you this?
Well, the belief that the dissertation is a major undertaking, the topic a game-changing decision and an expression of who you are is quite unhelpful. A dissertation is a challenging independent project that final year students tend to squeeze in when they aren’t working on the rest of their degree. The belief that this is a vitally important decision will not make that decision easier. Instead, think of it as a capably written, well edited and competent project.
First of all, the decision of ‘what’ doesn’t really matter. (Stay with me on this.) Don’t choose a topic that there isn’t any research on (we’ll come back to this below). Otherwise, you can do essentially anything. More importantly, do something that is manageable in a way that is manageable and select a topic that is at least vaguely interesting to you.
Vaguely interesting is important here. Naturally, you don’t want to bore yourself silly, but equally, passion can cloud our judgement. Choosing to focus your dissertation on that thing you’ve always been passionate about will most likely be far more challenging than a topic that you feel a simple healthy interest in. We tend to feel a lot more responsibility to get things ‘right’ when we’re emotionally involved.
So here’s a few tips on how to choose the ‘perfect’ dissertation topic.
- First — choose something
I have so many students who meet me one week, we discuss the topic at length, work out the kinks, do some preliminary checks of the research out there, and then the next time we meet they have picked a new topic and we have to start all over again. What this means is you inevitably repeat work and set yourself back a stage.
If you need to pick a topic out of a hat, do so, but once it is out of the hat, commit and get on with it. Anything else is just a stalling tactic.
- Second — scope is key
And this is far more important than choosing the right topic. The topic needs to have the right level of focus. A dissertation on ‘second wave feminism‘ and a dissertation on ‘Gloria Steinem’s bunny outfit‘ are equally problematic, although in very different ways. The first is way too broad and the second is too focused.
With the first, you will be lost in a sea of studies and end up only discussing lots of aspects in very little depth. With the second, you will find little to no information, particularly information available amidst the resources undergraduate/masters dissertations should reasonably be accessing. The better topic is mid-way, perhaps: ‘The impact of Gloria Steinem’s Playboy Bunny exposé on her career’.
The scope can be refined after you pick the topic, which is helpful. In this, a quick look at the research out there will help you begin to get an idea of an appropriate topic. Do a search of key terms in Google Scholar. Is anything relevant coming up? Are a million relevant things coming up? Work your way down to a good topic from here, one with a reasonable amount of research on it. But don’t panic if it’s not entirely clear from the start, scope can be refined as you go along and in consultation with your supervisor, which leads us to the final point…
- Third — make the most of your supervisor
The time and attention that your dissertation supervisor will give you is a bit of a lottery. Some people get a lot, others get very little. But whatever you get, cherish it, particularly if they are marking the dissertation. Again, I have met many students who have told me they plan to disregard advice given to them by their supervisor, who is also their main marker. This is not a good idea.
Supervisors might not give you much, but what they do give you should be valued. In particular, if you only get one hour every few weeks, get down to business. What do they think of a certain topic, do they anticipate any problems? You have access to an expert with experience in the field. Make the most of this. They can guide you towards a good question. Your role is to listen and to be open to suggestions. Pick your area, and then negotiate the focus.
In summary:
Overall, it is better to do a simple topic well than a complicated topic badly. Rather than thinking of the dissertation as an expression of yourself, think of it as an exercise in being an independent researcher. A degree is, after all, a qualification towards becoming an academic, even if this isn’t the path you intend to take.
Your university wants to see that you can select and investigate an area of research in an appropriate way, nothing more than that. At undergraduate/masters level you are not expected to make an innovative contribution to the academic world, just to show that you have the skills it takes. And this starts with a topic that is not necessarily perfect, but is certainly achievable.
If you are looking for further guidance on your dissertation journey, I offer online tutoring, either meeting over Zoom, discussing over the phone (UK only), or providing feedback in the form of written notes on drafts and ideas, and/or proofreading and editing for the final stages of the work.
***
University Tutoring UK offers comprehensive academic tutoring, writing coaching and editing and proofreading services for students, academics and writers. These services are entirely offered remotely and Laura works with clients living all over the world. Taking clients straight to the tutor makes the service affordable as it cuts out the middle man and extra costs all round. All tutoring and writing coaching is provided remotely via Zoom, Google Hangouts, in combination with phone and email.
