Creating A Developmental Psychology Dissertation: 20 Fresh Ideas
It’s time to start on your dissertation in developmental psychology, and there’s lots of work to be done. It seems very daunting at first, but if you incorporate some of the strategies provided in the next few paragraphs, you will find yourself up and running. These fresh ideas are actually old ideas with a fresh new twist or two.
- Make sure you have a supportive professor to work with.
- Plan the schedule you will keep every day as far as school, work and family life.
- Don’t take on any other big projects at this time. If you do it could spell a recipe for disaster. You need all the strength and energy you have to go into writing your dissertation.
- Decide what help you need from friends and family members. Accept every offer for help.
- Have a defined space to do your work in, making sure it’s free of distractions and has enough space to spread out your books.
- Keep a calendar posted in a conspicuous spot where you can keep track of what needs to be done on which day.
- Divide big parts of the work into little pieces so they are more do-able. Set deadlines and goals to keep you on track.
- Set aside larger chunks of time to do the research.
- Note some general ideas within the field of developmental psychology that interest you.
- Take your favorite two topics and go do some preliminary research on both. Gather ideas. Determine which topic has the most potential.
- Narrow down your topic choice to make sure you can find sufficient research sources.
- Check to ensure your specific narrowed down topic hasn’t been written before.
- Make an outline
- Write freely
- Obey your style guidelines for citations
- Write the introduction after the body of the paper
- Don’t correct errors on your first drafts.
- Check for proper word usage.
- Correct grammar and spelling errors.
- Proofread for logical flow of ideas.
Planning – This stage happens before any work is done on your paper. Spending a little bit of time at this stage can actually save you tons of time later and reduce stress and anxiety that are normal results of taking on such a large project.
Organizing – staying organized will be your smartest strategy over the next months or years. If your organizational habits aren’t working for you, revisit them and adjust whenever necessary.
Choosing the Topic – so much rides on correct topic choice! If the topic isn’t put together very well, the paper will falter. Take your time and perfect the topic in the early stages of the dissertation work.
Writing – the biggest part of your paper, it takes the most time.
Finishing – don’t skip these essential steps!