Vital Things To Remember About Qualitative Dissertation Writing

Whether you have been tasked with writing a qualitative dissertation, or a quantitative one, there will be many similarities in the process that you will need to follow. For example:

• You should always ensure that you have plenty of time to write it. Leaving any form of Academic writing to the very last minute is quite simply a recipe for disaster.
• You should ensure that you conduct your research efficiently and professionally
• You should follow the recognized structure for compiling a paper of this nature.

There are however also many differences and for the purposes of this article we will focus on the vital things that you will need to remember when specifically producing a qualitative dissertation:

Analyze don’t rely on statistics

This should be analysis driven rather than data driven. – While stats will always serve their purpose they are not really going to help you in this instance.

You can record peoples thoughts and feelings

Adopting a qualitative methodology is perfect if you are looking to incorporate what people are feeling and thinking into your paper. In this scenario you might wish to consider utilizing the following:

• Excerpts from interviews
• Transcripts of conversations that you have had with multiple sources
• Documentation and photographs
• Field notes

Unlike with a quantitative methodology you will have to ensure that you don’t end up with more material than you need. If you do then you will have to be prepared to heavily trim your content down and edit it so that you don’t exceed the upper word count for your dissertation.

Time management

I just want to say a few words about this as while it is critical in any paper that you are tasked with writing, it is absolutely imperative in qualitative methodologies. You need to ensure that you leave enough time for the following:

• Conducting, recording and relaying the interviews
• Any issues with travel – Your interviewee may be at the opposite end of the country, or even overseas therefore it may be more practical to conduct the interview via Skype or telephone
• Any expenses that you are going to incur and whether you are going to have to save up in order to pay for them. Therefore adding extra time onto the project.

If you get a tight grip on the amount of time that you need, then the rest of the process should flow quite smoothly.