Writing

Having good, solid research behind your work is absolutely vital to ensure the best results possible, but there’s little point in having done hours of in-depth research if you don’t present it in a logical and meaningful manner. We’re here to show you how to write a strong, well-structured, compelling argument.

Planning your time

You’ll have heard it over and over again, but planning enough time to write really is vital. The more drafts you produce before the hand-in deadline, the more chances you’ve got to pick up on the little errors that invariably slip past a tired pair of eyes.

Plan your time wisely so you’re writing for long enough to “get stuck in”, but not so long that tiredness sets in. This golden time for writing varies from person to person, but as a rule writing for approximately an hour a day is an excellent habit to get into.

Make sure you’re far from any distractions when you are writing. Quality writing time doesn’t include any time spent on Facebook™, or gazing vacantly out of a train window. That said, it’s worth always carrying a notepad with you. Sometimes your best ideas and observations come when you least expect them, and you don’t want to forget these before you get a chance to add them to your work.

Structuring your writing

It may seem startlingly obvious, but when planning to write your dissertation or report, always remember it needs a beginning, middle and end. Take a look at your research, work out the conclusions you’ll be drawing from it, and allow these conclusions to shape the structure of your argument. That’s not to say you should shy away from arguments that contradict your conclusion; rather, you should assimilate these into your thinking, and deconstruct them in your own argument.

Once you’ve worked out exactly what you want to say, make as detailed a plan as possible. This will inevitably change as you begin writing, but you’ll find it invaluable for structuring your work and your thoughts. Refer back to your structure regularly while you’re writing, to ensure your argument flows in the most logical and scientific way.

The writing itself

It’s natural to be overwhelmed by the word count at first, but once you’re in the swing of writing you’ll be wishing it was higher!  If you are ever feeling as though it’s just too much, try and focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. Whatever happens, the writing will be completed by a certain date in the future, and once it’s done, it’s done.

Take regular breaks from your work, and leave the computer while you do. You’ll return much fresher and this will be reflected in the quality of your writing. Make sure you’re also giving yourself extended breaks when you can – take a day off from your work to spend time with friends or just relax. Provided you don’t leave anything until the last minute, you’ll be able to do this regularly and still complete your work in plenty of time.

Don’t worry about making each sentence perfect when you’re writing your first draft. At this stage, it’s important just to get your ideas down on the page; you can refine them once they’re written.

Another good idea is to write each part of your dissertation or report as a self-contained section to begin with. This will ultimately ensure your writing is clinical and focused, and will make it far more effective in the long run. Once you’ve written each of these sections, you can move them about according to the flow of your argument, and build in strong links between them.

It is vitally important you take a scientific approach to engineering dissertations and reports. Try to avoid making statements that can’t be supported by facts, and justify the existence of every sentence. As you work on your second and third drafts, you’ll be in a position to decide whether each sentence in your work contributes to your original plan and overall goal.

With your drafts taking shape, always remember that computers can fail and USBs can break! Regularly save a copy of your work on your computer, and have up-to-date back-ups on a USB stick and emailed to yourself.

Once you’ve drafted and re-drafted, and you’re happy your final copy contains no errors, you should print it out and get a friend to check it for you. They’ll definitely spot things you’ve missed, and if you have any friends studying English they’ll probably be glad to help for a pint or even a cup of tea.

Try to leave yourself a couple of days’ grace after completing your writing before you read it again. Once you’ve had a little time away from your work, you can come back refreshed, and will be able to spot any errors that you may have missed earlier.

Referencing and Citations

One of the most frustrating things to see for the person marking your work is marks lost due to incomplete referencing, spelling errors and incorrectly followed style guidelines. It’s a terrible way to lose easy marks, and it’s surprising just how many students each year make careless mistakes because they haven’t left enough time to double-check these little things.

Referencing may not seem particularly important compared with the overall argument you’re making, but most universities have strict guidelines that you must follow, and an incorrectly referenced quote can even lead to serious accusations of plagiarism. Make sure you compare every single one of your references with the style guide your university provides, and that you follow the correct format according to their preferred style (some universities require Harvard referencing, others use APA, etc).