As the Easter break gets closer, we know you’re all counting down the days until your well-earned break from university. However, those who are working hard on their dissertations will likely be ready to spend days on end in the library writing, (or starting to write!) their dissertations. At Manchester Apartments, we know just how stressful this period can be for students, so to help, we’ve put together a list of helpful dissertation tips that we wish someone had shared with us when we were squirrelled away in the library for four weeks straight. Why not give these a shot?

1. Make a plan

Whether you’re almost finished or barely even started (yes, we see you, we were students once too, you know!) a writing plan will make a world of difference. Look at your submission date and work out when you need to have big milestones finished, like your final draft, or specific sections for any tutoring meetings you may have. You can then break this down into smaller, more manageable, and less intimidating sections and make yourself a timeline to get it all sorted. Trust us, everything is more efficient with a plan – crack out your post-it notes and a highlighter and work out when you’re doing what.

2. Reference as you go

We’ve all been there before. At the end of a 2,500-word essay, and you realise you’ve forgotten to add in all of your referencing. While this one seems like a really basic tip, we can promise it makes the world of difference and will ultimately save you time and stress. There are also plenty of websites that you can put your sources into and they will Harvard reference for you – a life saver!

3. Get regular feedback

You’ll have a tutor for your dissertation who’s specifically there to help you throughout the entire process, so make sure that you utilise them. Try to book in sessions once a month – or more, if you need it – so you can get plenty of feedback and make your dissertation the best that it can be. These meetings are particularly helpful in the early stages of your dissertation, so you can make sure that you’re planning in the right way and avoid having to redo work that’s not heading in the right direction if you’ve fallen off-track.

4. Take breaks

You’ll have heard it a million times before, but it’s true – Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you absolutely cannot write your dissertation in one. Take your time, have breaks when you’re starting to get writers’ block, and don’t overload yourself. Make sure you enjoy yourself over the approaching Easter break, eat as many crème eggs as you want, and go back refreshed for the rest of the term.

If you’ve got some tried and tested study tips, we’d love to hear them – get in touch on our socials and share your favourite ones!