Consult with any PhD or Masters student about the dissertation writing process, and they will assert that it is the most tedious and exhausting task that they ever had to perform throughout their academic journey. You experience the heights of every emotion – be it, frustration, joy, inadequacy, procrastination, anger, sadness, or isolation. You have to invest hundreds of hours in research and experimentation in order to take out quantitative and qualitative data for careful analysis.

Writing a dissertation literature review requires sheer determination, hard work, and constant thinking. It can be overwhelming and intimidating in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to produce high-quality results without fretting over it. This is a highly daunting task that needs to be clearly outlined indicating coherent information. There can’t be an easy or informal route. Individuals who don’t have faith in their capabilities and are fearful of achieving lesser marks reach out to online platforms that provide literature review dissertation services at very low prices. However, if you’re one of those dedicated students who prefer to write a literature review of the dissertation on their own, here are a handful of tips and techniques that you can apply in your writing process to avoid the below-mentioned common mistakes and errors.

Common Mistakes in a Dissertation Literature Review

• Irrelevant content: Sometimes students fail to have the correct and required set of analytical and cognitive skills while writing a literature review. They can’t differentiate between what is important and needed to be mentioned and what is not. Adding too much information can leave a confounding impression on the reader. Thus, avoid paraphrasing the same thing again and again, as that can lessen the focus and try to keep it to the point and detailed at the same time.
• Definitions and background information: After a certain time, students may feel so tired that they might lose the perspective. This may result in improper or vague operational definitions and incoherent background information. This will cause the readers to do multiple reads and fact-checking as they might feel lost in trying to understand the purpose. It is essential to analyse every aspect of the literature review critically.
• Subjectivity: What students often forget is that the dissertation is a formal piece of content which does not require your thoughts and opinions. All that is needed is the objective facts and figures. Your research shouldn’t indicate any signs of biases as that will defeat the main purpose.
• Plagiarism: When writing a dissertation, the thought of copy pasting should not even cross your mind as it is considered highly unprofessional and can lead to many conflicts. Accurate referencing and official statements must be incorporated with dates and years. This will give a formalised appearance and professional outlook to your dissertation.
• Structuring: Another careless error made by students is the improper and unsatisfying structuring. They deviate from the methodology which leaves an uncertain and messy feel to the final product. Therefore, ensure that you make subheadings, proofread, follow the instructions given by your supervisors, and edit before compiling and submitting the final copy.

Summary:

The article highlights the common errors and mistakes made by PhD and Masters students while they’re formulating literature review dissertation and guides them in taking correcting measures.