To ask for dissertation help please!?

[dissertationhell]

I have made an account especially for this after years of lurking. My dissertation is due in 4 days. My supervisor is on holiday. I have everything written I am just heavily editing everything. I am analysing my findings over two findings chapters.

My question is, when analysing my findings, can I bring in previous studies there if they aren't in my literature review? For instance, when analysing my findings I've found that reading between the lines, there appears to be feelings of shame and guilt emerging as well as justification for alcohol use. I've found studies to back up that there is a higher prevalence of shame and guilt in individuals with addiction but haven't wrote about that in my literature review.

Do I need to add these studies in my literature review? I find it strange that you have to write the lit review before findings etc because I feel like I'm having to constantly go back and update my lit review.

I know I can't add new studies in discussion chapter but is it okay in the findings chapters? Or does literally everything mentioned have to be included in lit review? Tearing my hair out, can't see the wood from the trees

Thanks in advance

I think you will probably get away with 140 words over. As for the second question, that really is dependent on your marker (and second marker) and their discretion. Explain your dilemma and ask her outright. You can actually ask them what kind of things they tend to mark up and down on!

Obviously not having seen your conclusion it's hard to say, but a good conclusion can make a big difference in the dissertations I've marked. Have a look at this and see whether yours is up to the job.

libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/conclusion

I'd try to use fb if I can, she gave it for a reason.

@bottleofbeer so the bill word limit is 10,000 +/- 10 percent which is 11,000. So I'm sitting at 11,260. Think that's too much ?

I'd not be overly concerned about that but you don't really want to go much higher. Leave binning 200 words until just before you submit and concentrate on a decent conclusion now.

I think it would be petty in the extreme to mark you down or stop reading at such a small % over.

240 words is a few sentences.

I think it would be petty in the extreme to mark you down or stop reading at such a small % over.

Yes, but ... as a marker, where should I stop?

The word limit is 10,000 words. I wish students would realise the word limit is the word limit - it's a part of the assignment task - to complete the task within the word limit. It's a bit of academic discipline.

So, as a marker, do I read the extra 10%, plus the extra 10% of that 10% extra?

Word limits are not arbitrary - they're there for a reason, and they're about the overall shape and limits of a research project.

Ex, that is entirely based upon your discretion. I had a module leader once tell us that she not only expected us to use the full extra 10% but more! However, she didn't feel the need to let the other markers know so I was marked down for going over when she was absolutely clear, that not using the 10% + would cause her to mark down.

So, yes, it really is marker discretion which is why I suggested asking her supervisor directly.

@bottleofbeer

Ex, that is entirely based upon your discretion. I had a module leader once tell us that she not only expected us to use the full extra 10% but more! However, she didn't feel the need to let the other markers know so I was marked down for going over when she was absolutely clear, that not using the 10% + would cause her to mark down.

So, yes, it really is marker discretion which is why I suggested asking her supervisor directly.

She's on annual leave until submission day I will trim it I think just to be on safe side. Going to try and at least reword my conclusion tomorrow and see if I can put in some of her feedback.

I feel the end is in sight though and today is the first day I've felt some relief

So, yes, it really is marker discretion which is why I suggested asking her supervisor directly.

In a well-run course, with sensible staff, it should not be down to "marker discretion." As an examiner, I need to be fair to all students by applying the same rules to each & every one of them and I need to trust that my colleagues will also do so.

And students need to know that they will all be marked in a fair & transparent way.

So please @dissertationhell try to get your diss down to 11,000 words - that's already 1,000 more words than the word limit. The extra 10% is a concession, because we know that it's not easy to get your work to an exact word count - but it's not a target! There will be occasions in your professional life when you will have to meet a word limit very precisely, so it's a useful discipline.

And thank you for not disturbing your supervisor while she's on annual leave. As a colleague of mine used to say: "Your planning is not my emergency."

Okay last question I swear! I have included a table of abbreviations at the start. However, can I just start using them straight away.

For instance, AUD - alcohol use disorder is one of my abbreviations.

Do I then have to say, 'when exploring alcohol use disorder (AUD)...'

Or can I just jump straight into, 'when exploring AUD...' as it is included in the abbreviations table?

Explain everything the first time you use it, like your "Do I..." question.

Make sure you define key terms too, particularly where there are different possible definitions (and show why you are using that definition), or where you use the word in a specialist sense but it could be misunderstood as a lay person's understanding.

It really depends on the structure of your findings.

For example in my undergraduate and master’s dissertations, I had a findings and discussion section as one section. I wrote a qualitative dissertation so this was the way I did it and I got a 1st class. The examples you provided, I did the same as you were thinking. The articles you reference and refer to though should also be discussed within the lit review.

But say your findings is one section and then you have a separate discussion section then the reference and comparison between your own findings and previous studies should be in the discussion.

Drawing those comparisons between your findings and previous work is important as it further identifies research gaps and areas of further research as recommendations.

I would suggest you speak to your class mates and ask them. Different institutions may have their own preference as do supervisors.

Has your supervisor not read your findings or analysis section to provide feedback?

What I would say is that when bringing in a comparison of the literature with your own work or even in the literature review itself, the biggest lessons I have learned in my PhD to date is to read between the lines and understand the key learning and show what they found (not studied) and what this means?

It is also important to hold the readers hand and never assume they will know something. Explain in your introduction for example what you will cover and don’t bring anything new in without first showing in an introduction what you will discuss.

Late to this bit check word count guidance. See have penalties for exceeding, it is never worth it. One word over to 15 percent over equals a ten mark deduction. Check and good luck!

Just seen some other comments about your conclusion.

My PhD supervisor told me that the conclusion should new insights that were developed from the overall discussion and analysis. I think it should start with a summary of what your dissertation aimed to do, the objectives perhaps and a brief overview of the research gap that you are trying to fill.

For my supervisor he is not worried about word count and he was also my masters supervisor. Being within the 10% is fine and it’s more important you include key information and don’t delete important quotes that are relevant.

That’s not to say you can’t down the words. Look at sentences that can be shorter with saying the same thing. For example,

“A large growing body of literature found that alcoholism is caused by…”

You could just have “Research has found or research shows…”

Good luck. I am sure you will do great.

Sorry, that's our guidance, we don't have a plus minus 10% although I know others do.

My last message didn't post. But my dyslexia tutor says to use only one word in a sentence, and it helps cut the number of words you use and keeps it concise.

Mine is due next month - good luck with it.

Oh my goodness, I am 17000 words into an 18000 word dissertation (with a 2500 word conclusion/recommendations section to write) and I've found this thread so useful to piggy back off!
Thanks to everyone who has offered advice

@amusedbush

I'm doing a PhD and my supervisor says the literature review is an iterative process, so it develops and grows as more avenues emerge during data collection. However, my internal assessor says you shouldn't add everything you find to your literature review because you want your own results to add some novel contribution, not just support what you've already found in the lit review.

If someone has had the same findings as you the you absolutely need to add this to your list review. Not mentioning similar work doesn't make your work novel. You must mention it and then justify why your work or findings are still novel or how they add to this particular field.

In my subject when I did my PhD it was ok to add references later though I'd probably put them in the discussion or conclusion rather than the chapters where you describe your work and results.

What I actually did was to have a small discussion at the end of each chapter where I would include relevant references that would have disrupted the flow of the literature review.

Oh bless, not bothering her supervisor.

How much debt did you get in, love? Don't you deserve your investment worth?

Bug the shit out of her, this is your future. She gets paid enough.

@bottleofbeer the supervisor is on annual leave and presumably told her students this. It’s the OP’s responsibility to have organised her time around this.

I tell my supervisees that to read a 10,000 word PhD chapter I need it at least 2 weeks before a supervision tutorial. It is the student’s responsibility to organise themselves if they want feedback on drafts.

And it’s Easter- totally reasonable to take leave. When an academic is on annual leave, they are not obliged to work. They’re on leave.

@bottleofbeer "She gets paid enough"? You obviously have no idea how much many academics get paid and the long hours they work for it.

They also have a right to take a break, like every other worker.

[quote greatbittern]@bottleofbeer "She gets paid enough"? You obviously have no idea how much many academics get paid and the long hours they work for it.

They also have a right to take a break, like every other worker.[/quote]
In some unis, academics don't get paid at all to take on a PhD student. they are expected to just absorb the extra reading, thinking, planning, email exchanges and supervision within their working week.

And academics don't get paid enough. I know lots who are paid £20-something per contact hour, which doesn't begin to equate to the actual time spent reading, prepping, rehearsing lectures, choosing images, extracts, arranging printouts, answering student emails, all unpaid and outside of 'contact' hours. Very few are on fixed salaries in my field,

Hey, I have two masters degrees and have just completed my doctorate. Yes, you need to include everything in your lit review- it is an iterative rather than linear process, and will evolve to the end.

As for word count, cutting down words is the bit I find hardest, but I did cut out over 40,000 words on my thesis! Have you tried all the easy tricks, like deleting the space between the p. and the number (eg p.7 instead of p. 7)?

I'm afraid I WOULD use the full wording before using an abbreviation, despite the table.

I would also not risk going above the 10% concession. You honestly do not have a lit to cut out - it's just a tedious task.