Dissertation Data Analysis: Essential Tips For University Students
University students who need to complete a dissertation data analysis often need help to get the job done. Here are several tips that will help you with the lengthy and time-consuming project:
- Your original data needs to be in the paper, but only if it is relevant. When you include data that does not affect the outcome, your instructor will question whether or not you actually understood the task. Use your objectives to make your decisions.
- As you begin to analyze your data, look at what you have and what you are trying to prove. It is vital to explain why you used the analytical procedures that you chose along with how you collected the data. You should be sure to clearly explain any trends that you found while conducting your analysis.
- Since data is generally quantitative, you should look at the numbers carefully. Most instructors want their students to use the methods they learned in their statistics courses to properly look for significance in the numbers, too. This will fill a majority of your paper.
- In today’s world, qualitative analysis is also important in data collection and analysis. Your dissertation work should also include your breakdown of the events and non-numerical information. It is important to look as closely at the qualities of the data as you do the quantities of the data.
- Never use words like “obviously” when talking about data. You need to be very clear on the outcomes you found with the data, rather than being smarmy about what a reader should see. The reader is looking to your analysis for answers, not to come up with more questions. Be critical and thorough with all of your analysis. You are showing your instructor that you understand what happened.
- Sometimes narrative writing is not the best way to share data. Fortunately, today’s computers make it easy to share information in charts and graphs. Use them to break up the monotony that statistics can become in typical essay writing.
- Most data analysis dissertations require students to include an appendix. If the data does not fit well in the paper, you can always include it at the end in an appendix. Just be sure to direct the readers there with appropriate labels.
- The reader wants to see what you have found, so make that crystal clear. You should argue the points flawlessly, so your reader will not be able to form an argument against your findings.