Dear Sir, The purpose of this article is to introduce you to an effective dissertation writing technique – the top-to-bottom method. This method will help students to complete the first draft of their dissertation more efficiently and improve the overall quality of their dissertation.
I. The Core Idea of Top-down Approach
The core idea of the “top-down” method is to build up the main structure of the thesis first, and then fill in the details step by step. This is different from the traditional way of writing, which usually starts with the abstract and proceeds paragraph by paragraph. However, this approach is often time-consuming and confusing. Therefore, we recommend using the “top-to-bottom” method to guide the writing of the paper.
Steps for implementation
1. Determine the main structure of the dissertation: first of all, students should design the main structure of the dissertation according to the research topic, including the abstract, introduction, theoretical overview, analysis of the current situation, problems and countermeasures.
2. In-depth study of the literature: Before writing the dissertation, students need to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth study of the relevant literature. Especially the literature closely related to their own research field, they should read it repeatedly to understand its thinking and the way of connecting the paragraphs, and at the same time excerpt the brilliant ideas and thesis statement to inspire their own thinking and explore the potential application scenarios.
3. Establishing an overall framework model: Although not all teachers require students to submit a complete outline of the article, we still emphasise the importance of this aspect. With a framework to guide the writing process, the writing process will be smoother and the structure will be clearer, thus avoiding deviation from the topic.
4. Write the introduction: the introduction should contain the background of the study, the purpose of the study and the research methodology. These elements have been described in detail in the opening report stage, now only need to be based on the literature collected to make appropriate additions. The background of the study can be discussed in depth from both theoretical and practical perspectives to reveal the necessity of the study; the purpose of the study should be clearly stated in the research questions and expected results; regarding the research methodology, if there is any confusion, reference can be made to the descriptions in the relevant literature.
5. Enriching the rest of the main content: through in-depth analysis and summarisation of the specific environment in which the research object is located and the problems it faces, elaboration of one’s unique theoretical perspectives, combined with empirical data, deduction of the thesis conclusions or provision of targeted countermeasures and suggestions, so as to highlight the substantive contribution of the research.
6. Improve the abstract: The abstract should summarise the main content of the whole paper. In this part, it needs to briefly introduce the background, introduce the key topics to be studied, elaborate the methods and approaches adopted in the study, summarise the research findings, and finally sublimate and draw conclusions. The length of the abstract is about 300 words.
Practical application cases
Take a thesis on “Survey on Chinese Students’ Study in the UK” as an example, the main structure of the thesis is as follows:
1. Abstract: Briefly introduce the background, purpose, methodology and main findings of the study. 2.
2. Introduction: Explain the background, purpose and significance of the study, and explain the research methodology.
3. Theoretical overview: reviewing the relevant theories and laying the foundation for the subsequent analyses.
4. Analysis of Current Situation: To understand the current situation of Chinese students studying in the UK through questionnaire survey.
5. Problem Elaboration: Provide in-depth analyses of the problems found in the analysis of the current situation.
6. Countermeasure Conclusion: Based on the problem elaboration, put forward corresponding countermeasure suggestions and draw conclusions.
IV. Conclusion
The “top-to-bottom” method is a kind of effective thesis writing technique, which can help students complete the first draft of the thesis more efficiently and improve the overall quality of the thesis. We hope that the contents of this paper will be useful to teachers and students.
