What does your supervisor expect from your dissertation?

A dissertation is considered to be the ultimate necessity towards achieving one’s master’s degree or PhD degree. It is considered extremely important and thus forms an important criterion for eligibility for the same. It basically reflects one’s ability to go for higher education. It is important in the sense that it helps to analyze a candidate on the basis of one’s skill in conducting research on a particular topic which is an important objective behind higher studies. A dissertation describes one capacity to develop new ideas, frame them on the basis of existing theories and thereby come up with an entirely new concept to an existing concept. The way in which the dissertation is framed is different in different institutions but the basic approach is the same everywhere. There are certain expectations of a mentor behind a dissertation.

Expectations of your supervisor

1. Initially, a mentor expects that the topic on which the dissertation is made is worthy to be studied or is rather important to go for research. The topic used should be such that it can be inquired about and invites investigation due to field centrality. For example, the study made should be such that it provides a ray of light towards a long and awaited question in a particular field of study and thus can serve as a means to address future implications related to that.
2. Secondly, the dissertation made should strictly follow the research literature. The problem specified must include a detailed study and analysis of the research made. Further, the questions that come up following the dissertation must be addressed and follow the research literature.
3. The third expectation made by a mentor is that the dissertation should focus on a totally new concept as research means exploring something new. It usually consists of the collection and analysis of new data coming from the research field, and further analysis of the existing or old data linked with the problem or subject of investigation. Research may take any form to describe the concept behind the new work and thus it can be exploratory, descriptive, experimental and can use a varied range of data based on the qualitative and quantitative aspects.
4. Fourthly dissertation research as the primary objective is to explore something new rather than repeating old and existing concepts must welcome new answers to the questions that came across while conducting the research. Thus a dissertation should aim at exploring the existing problem in total and must come out with answers to the questions related to the topic. It is unlike framing by following the expectations from a research dissertation.
5. In addition, while in the course of conducting research one must come across a set of questions that makes sense in every move of the research study and it is all about the effectiveness of a particular way followed and to what extent, conditions related to it, effect on the varied population, certain factors influencing research, the effect of implementation factors on the outcome of the research dissertation and soon.