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How to write a social work dissertation

Introduction

The specific requirements for your dissertation will obviously be outlined by your relevant department, but generally a dissertation will be a broad based research piece, chiefly based on primary resources, which requires departure from a reading list. Fundamental steps of any dissertation are to:

  • Design a clear research question pertinent to your course;
  • Conduct an extensive analytical review of literature in the field;
  • Conduct independent research to gather materials to address your question;
  • Combine the research theory and evidence to address the questions;
  • Present and discuss your findings within the bounds of your question.

Your original research question must always inform and circumscribe the different steps you take in completing your dissertation.

Social Work

The study of Social Work provides a specific context for your dissertation and, in particular, the formulation of your research question. Social Work is concerned with social problems, their causes, their solutions and their human impacts.

In Social Work study local indigenous knowledge specific to context informs its research questions. A particular consideration is the practice-research gap, which is a dichotomy which arises because, while in practice social workers deal with idiosyncratic cases, research is based on “regularities and aggregates”. This has led to the better trend in Social Work research to compile lists of “best practices” from findings and experts within the field, which is an important consideration for your own dissertation.

Research question

This is the first step in the construction of your dissertation and it requires the most thought. A well contained and clear question will make the entire process much simpler.

Your topic must be constrained by the departmental requirements. In order to clearly define the boundaries of the question and, in line with Social Work theory, it is best to chose a question constrained to a particular local context. For your own convenience, look toward communities and contexts you have easy access to. Also, choose a topic which interests you, as this will fuel your efforts for a more sustained period.

Your decision should be informed by the availability of resources and literature, which can be easily determined by a quick library internet search on your topic and a broad scan of the reading.

The decision needs to be an inherently practical one with regard to the time available; resources available and opportunities available.

Discussions with a supervisor, tutor or lecturer as to your topic can serve as a sounding board, as well as a primary indicator of topics of interest within your field.

Plan

When you at least have a broad picture of the problem, you should start planning. This is best done by a week by week breakdown until the due date which manages your time. It is also suggested that, at this point, you write an account of any expenses you may incur.

Incorporate into your time plan the varying due dates your department might have for submissions and be careful not to underestimate the amount of time classes and practical everyday things will take up of your writing time during the week. It is also important to plan for at least two drafts of your dissertation to be completed and assessed before the final submission.

Literature review

Now you can begin your research into your topic. It should be extensive, and will help you in further limiting the scope of your problem, as well as deciding upon the possible methodology to use to solve it.

The best method for researching is to start with the key textbooks in your given topic, and then use the references used by those authors to expand further into the body of work.

It is important to remember to keep track of all your sources and that you should continuously update your referencing in the required style in order to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is the greatest risk to any dissertation writer.

Methodology and research

Your chosen methodology will have been informed by your research question. When deciding upon your method, it is suggested you look at research design books in order to choose a method which will best assist in answering your research question.

Ensure that your research methodology is clear enough to be utilised as a blueprint for other research, and can be replicated.

Once the design has been chosen, you can begin your data-collection, which will obviously be constrained by your time plan.

Analysis and presentation

You can now analyse all your collected data and attempt to present your results clearly and comprehensively for submission. There are a myriad of ways of structuring your paper, but generally a good format is:

  1. Title Page.
  2. Abstract: a brief summary of the project, no more than a page (write this last).
  3. Contents Page.
  4. Literature Review.
  5. Research Methodology: this should include a discussion of various research techniques, as well as why you chose your particular method.
  6. Data presentation and Analysis: this will include outlining data-collection, graphs, diagrams, etc.
  7. Discussion and Conclusion: this can include further potential areas of study, self-critique and the conclusion. In your conclusion, be sure to restate your question to contextualise your answer.
  8. Bibliography.
  9. Appendices.

Ensure that the theoretical underpinning to your research question and methodology is used to evaluate and discuss the solutions arising from your research.

Style

When writing a dissertation, it is always important to keep in mind the academic audience you are writing for. As you are conveying ideas, it is essential to use clear language, which is best confined to short and simple sentences. Also, avoid the use of personal language such as “I” or “my”. Convey your ideas with confidence, even if your conclusion deviates from your hypothesis. This is, in fact, often a good thing as it shows you have responded honestly to your garnered research, regardless of your original intention. Finally, remember to consistently and accurately reference all sources and try not to leave referencing until the last minutes, as it may take longer than expected.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to keep a consistent update of all your information as it is gathered i.e. write things up as soon as you do them. Further, it is important to do a little work each day on your dissertation, with a particular focus on the construction of the problem. For further assistance specifically in regard to Social Work dissertations, there is a forum at http://www.sswr.org (The Society for Social Work and Research) which could be of much assistance.

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