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Advice on Dissertation Topics?
lovemimoon
Posts: 2,318 Boards Champion
Hey guys!
I received an email from my university about a potential dissertation topic? I have no idea what this is so it would be really help to get some insight!
I'm aware that it's different for each courses but regardless, it would help a lot! 
What's your advice and tips on dissertation topics??
If you're studying an art-related course at university, what's your insight??
I received an email from my university about a potential dissertation topic? I have no idea what this is so it would be really help to get some insight!
I'm aware that it's different for each courses but regardless, it would help a lot! What's your advice and tips on dissertation topics??
If you're studying an art-related course at university, what's your insight??
Post edited by JustV on
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Firstly, if you are thinking about your dissertation topic it must mean that you are getting towards the end of your degree so well done! Whilst I did not do an art-related course at university, and instead did an education degree, I handed in my dissertation in May so it's still fresh in my mind.
I don't know how you are feeling about the next stage of your degree, but in my experience I remember it to be quite intimidating and strange to know that I was required to decide a topic for myself rather than being provided with a set question.
My advice would be to think of a dissertation topic or question that really interests you. Perhaps it could be relevant to what you might want to do in the future. Was there a particular unit of work during your degree that you really enjoyed or maybe you read an article on a topic that you want to learn more about? We were advised by our lecturers to identify how our chosen dissertation question could fit in with what has already been written by other authors in the literature. This helped me to decide whether my question topic had already been done before or added something new to current and past research.
It might be useful to check with your university if you will be provided with a dissertation tutor who can offer you advice and support before and during your project. If so, they might be able to offer you more relevant and targeted information.
I hope this helps! I realise that since my degree was in a different subject to yours, you might not have the exact same experience as me so it might be useful to ask your lecturers/ tutor if you have any questions.
Good luck
Thank you so much for the response!
That's really insightful! So far, they've only suggested to think about the topics and gave us a guide so I think they gave us a head start for the time being!
I'll let you know what they say when university starts!
I completed my dissertation in 2019, and I definitely echo everything @Phoebsflowers has said. Try and pick a topic/question that both interests you, and relates to something you want to do in the future. As it will be helpful to include on your CV and mention at interviews when you're applying for jobs later down the line.
Do you have complete freedom in what your dissertation is on, or do you have to pick from a set list of topics/questions?
This is exciting - best of luck with your diss
Again, will echo everything said above first - some great advice.
For mine, I had a look into things I was interested in and tried to find a gap. So if I read something and it sparked a thought or a question, I'd note that down, see if it's been answered elsewhere, and if not then it was a potential idea!
My friend did an art related course and she spent time getting as much inspiration as possible. We went to a few art galleries, some people in the year above had mini events to showcase their work so we went to those, looked at art portfolio's on instagram - just all about finding the inspo really
I did psychology so not quite the same area, but if you have any general dissertation questions I'm always more than happy to help
Thank you so much for your advice!
I'm not entirely sure. My uni suggested that we start looking for topics over the summer so I'm guessing that we have complete freedom?
The main pieces of advice I received for choosing my topic was to choose something that both interested me and also contributed to current research on the topic. I did psychology, but my best friend who has an art degree said that she received similar advice on both choosing something you're passionate about and something you can find a good amount of sources for. If there are any topics in art that you particularly enjoy or are fascinated by, that would be a great place to start! Dissertations do take up a lot of your time at some points, so it's important to enjoy the reading and writing you're doing, as it really makes it less stressful when you like what you're working on.
I hope you're able to start narrowing down some options soon, we're always here if you need any more advice
Thank you so much!
This:
Is a really good approach and it's something I'm going to do in the meantime.
These are really good places to look as well! It's been a little difficult to find exhibitions that are open due to the pandemic.
I'll update you on the details!
Thank you so much for your reply!
That's a good place to start! I remember finding really good sources for but for certain areas it came up short. It's a bummer too because there were topics I was passionate about.
So if the topic I'm researching about doesn't have much sources, what would you suggest??
This question goes to everyone:
How did you structure your dissertation?
I'm glad to be of help! If you've got the Summer to think about your topics, perhaps you will get further guidance when the new year starts.
Have you ever tried using https://scholar.google.co.uk/ to help you find research articles?
I found this really useful as you can sort the results by date to find more current information.
In terms of your question about structuring your dissertation, I was told to arrange my work into different chapters but these chapter titles were specifically provided by my university so I don't know if they would be the same for everybody. It might be useful to check with your lecturers to ask if they have a template layout?
1) it interests you. Not just interests you now, but something that you're interested to learn more about. Dissertation is a marathon, so staying interested in what you're doing really helps to smooth the process.
2) it meets a research need. Either this could be a new area of research (you'd have to justify why this area needs to be researched), or finding a gap in existing literature (the easier of the two, though you'll need to read around well to find it).
3) it uses a research method that is feasible and that you like. You might have tried different methods over time, and liked some more than others, so have a think about how you could use that to investigate your research area. Also, make sure that what you research is actually feasible!
The best way to find a dissertation topic: first, figure out what interests you. Next, start reading some of the main research papers on that area. That should help you to find new areas of research or gaps in existing literature. See what methods you could use to research this. If all of those check out, you've got a good, feasible idea!
1) Make sure you pick something that interests you and holds your interest. Think back to modules you have taken in the past, what topics interested you, areas in your subject that appeal to you. You will be working on your undergraduate disseration for anywhere between a couple months to a full year. It is a lot easier to write on a topic you are interested in or that you enjoy.
2) Don't be concerned if you don't have the perfect question by the time your dissertation module starts. Your question will change, your topic will shift slightly, and it might be the case that the end question is radically different from what you think about now.
3) Not sure how it works at other universities, but I independently came up with my question and discussed it with my supervisor. They will be able to give you feedback on the question and at other points throughout your research process.
4) Read your dissertation marking criteria. Find out and understand what makes a 1st class work unique from a 2:1 and a 2:1 piece of work unique from a 2:2. Keep this in mind when you are thinking of your topic and question.
5) Like @Azziman your dissertation should be contributing to some wider body of research. One of the things we were told was that there was no point in reinventing the wheel, aka there was little point writing/arguing for something that had already been argued for unless we were substantially adding to it. However, at the same time, they weren't expecting us to come up with a Nobel prize piece of winning work. Your project could be unique and fill a gap for a variety of different reasons. For example, you could apply a theory to a case study that hasn't been done before.
Best of luck with your diss!
Since then, I've been looking at topics that I found interesting and narrowed it down into 3-4 topics. Doubled checked the topics and there's a wide variety of topics I can research about which is definitely a good sign! I've tried visiting libraries but due to COVID, I have to book in advance but I'm hoping I can find the time to do that.
Follow up question:
How did you guys structure your dissertation?
(Abstract), Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, (Bibliography)
If you google 'Dissertation Structure X words' (where X is the word limit), you can find articles that break it down really well, as well as how much of the word count to each section. But of course, it'll vary between dissertations - some will have a longer method section, others spend more words on Literature Review etc.
Here are the topics I'm thinking of:
- Art & Sexuality
- Art & Body Expressions
- Art & Mental Health
- Art & BAME Representations
I'm glad to hear you've been able to narrow down your dissertation topic ideas. Those all sound like very interesting themes! I can understand it must be a bit frustrating now to know that you need to book in advance to visit libraries but I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end if you're able to arrange a time to go.
I wish you good luck with your research!
I hope your research goes well. I would say, whichever topic you enjoy researching the most...that's the one for you!