undergraduate dissertation list

How to write an undergraduate university dissertation

Writing a dissertation is a daunting task, but these tips will help you prepare for all the common challenges students face before deadline day.

Grace McCabe

Writing a dissertation is one of the most challenging aspects of university. However, it is the chance for students to demonstrate what they have learned during their degree and to explore a topic in depth.

In this article, we look at 10 top tips for writing a successful dissertation and break down how to write each section of a dissertation in detail.

10 tips for writing an undergraduate dissertation

1. Select an engaging topic Choose a subject that aligns with your interests and allows you to showcase the skills and knowledge you have acquired through your degree.

2. Research your supervisor Undergraduate students will often be assigned a supervisor based on their research specialisms. Do some research on your supervisor and make sure that they align with your dissertation goals.

3. Understand the dissertation structure Familiarise yourself with the structure (introduction, review of existing research, methodology, findings, results and conclusion). This will vary based on your subject.

4. Write a schedule As soon as you have finalised your topic and looked over the deadline, create a rough plan of how much work you have to do and create mini-deadlines along the way to make sure don’t find yourself having to write your entire dissertation in the final few weeks.

5. Determine requirements Ensure that you know which format your dissertation should be presented in. Check the word count and the referencing style.

6. Organise references from the beginning Maintain an alphabetically arranged reference list or bibliography in the designated style as you do your reading. This will make it a lot easier to finalise your references at the end.

7. Create a detailed plan Once you have done your initial research and have an idea of the shape your dissertation will take, write a detailed essay plan outlining your research questions, SMART objectives and dissertation structure.

8. Keep a dissertation journal Track your progress, record your research and your reading, and document challenges. This will be helpful as you discuss your work with your supervisor and organise your notes.

9. Schedule regular check-ins with your supervisor Make sure you stay in touch with your supervisor throughout the process, scheduling regular meetings and keeping good notes so you can update them on your progress.

10. Employ effective proofreading techniques Ask friends and family to help you proofread your work or use different fonts to help make the text look different. This will help you check for missing sections, grammatical mistakes and typos.

What is a dissertation?

A dissertation is a long piece of academic writing or a research project that you have to write as part of your undergraduate university degree.

It’s usually a long essay in which you explore your chosen topic, present your ideas and show that you understand and can apply what you’ve learned during your studies. Informally, the terms “dissertation” and “thesis” are often used interchangeably.

How do I select a dissertation topic?

First, choose a topic that you find interesting. You will be working on your dissertation for several months, so finding a research topic that you are passionate about and that demonstrates your strength in your subject is best. You want your topic to show all the skills you have developed during your degree. It would be a bonus if you can link your work to your chosen career path, but it’s not necessary.

Second, begin by exploring relevant literature in your field, including academic journals, books and articles. This will help you identify gaps in existing knowledge and areas that may need further exploration. You may not be able to think of a truly original piece of research, but it’s always good to know what has already been written about your chosen topic.

Consider the practical aspects of your chosen topic, ensuring that it is possible within the time frame and available resources. Assess the availability of data, research materials and the overall practicality of conducting the research.

When picking a dissertation topic, you also want to try to choose something that adds new ideas or perspectives to what’s already known in your field. As you narrow your focus, remember that a more targeted approach usually leads to a dissertation that’s easier to manage and has a bigger impact. Be ready to change your plans based on feedback and new information you discover during your research.

How to work with your dissertation supervisor?

Your supervisor is there to provide guidance on your chosen topic, direct your research efforts, and offer assistance and suggestions when you have queries. It’s crucial to establish a comfortable and open line of communication with them throughout the process. Their knowledge can greatly benefit your work. Keep them informed about your progress, seek their advice, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.

1. Keep them updated Regularly tell your supervisor how your work is going and if you’re having any problems. You can do this through emails, meetings or progress reports.

2. Plan meetings Schedule regular meetings with your supervisor. These can be in person or online. These are your time to discuss your progress and ask for help.

3. Share your writing Give your supervisor parts of your writing or an outline. This helps them see what you’re thinking so they can advise you on how to develop it.

5. Ask specific questions When you need help, ask specific questions instead of general ones. This makes it easier for your supervisor to help you.

6. Listen to feedback Be open to what your supervisor says. If they suggest changes, try to make them. It makes your dissertation better and shows you can work together.

7. Talk about problems If something is hard or you’re worried, talk to your supervisor about it. They can give you advice or tell you where to find help.

8. Take charge Be responsible for your work. Let your supervisor know if your plans change, and don’t wait if you need help urgently.

Remember, talking openly with your supervisor helps you both understand each other better, improves your dissertation and ensures that you get the support you need.

How to write a successful research piece at university How to choose a topic for your dissertation Tips for writing a convincing thesis

How do I plan my dissertation?

It’s important to start with a detailed plan that will serve as your road map throughout the entire process of writing your dissertation. As Jumana Labib, a master’s student at the University of Manchester  studying digital media, culture and society, suggests: “Pace yourself – definitely don’t leave the entire thing for the last few days or weeks.”

Decide what your research question or questions will be for your chosen topic.

Break that down into smaller SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) objectives.

Speak to your supervisor about any overlooked areas.

Create a breakdown of chapters using the structure listed below (for example, a methodology chapter).

Define objectives, key points and evidence for each chapter.

Define your research approach (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods).

Outline your research methods and analysis techniques.

Develop a timeline with regular moments for review and feedback.

Allocate time for revision, editing and breaks.

Consider any ethical considerations related to your research.

Stay organised and add to your references and bibliography throughout the process.

Remain flexible to possible reviews or changes as you go along.

A well thought-out plan not only makes the writing process more manageable but also increases the likelihood of producing a high-quality piece of research.

How to structure a dissertation?

The structure can depend on your field of study, but this is a rough outline for science and social science dissertations:

Introduce your topic.

Complete a source or literature review.

Describe your research methodology (including the methods for gathering and filtering information, analysis techniques, materials, tools or resources used, limitations of your method, and any considerations of reliability).

Summarise your findings.

Discuss the results and what they mean.

Conclude your point and explain how your work contributes to your field.

On the other hand, humanities and arts dissertations often take the form of an extended essay. This involves constructing an argument or exploring a particular theory or analysis through the analysis of primary and secondary sources. Your essay will be structured through chapters arranged around themes or case studies.

All dissertations include a title page, an abstract and a reference list. Some may also need a table of contents at the beginning. Always check with your university department for its dissertation guidelines, and check with your supervisor as you begin to plan your structure to ensure that you have the right layout.

How long is an undergraduate dissertation?

The length of an undergraduate dissertation can vary depending on the specific guidelines provided by your university and your subject department. However, in many cases, undergraduate dissertations are typically about 8,000 to 12,000 words in length.

“Eat away at it; try to write for at least 30 minutes every day, even if it feels relatively unproductive to you in the moment,” Jumana advises.

How do I add references to my dissertation?

References are the section of your dissertation where you acknowledge the sources you have quoted or referred to in your writing. It’s a way of supporting your ideas, evidencing what research you have used and avoiding plagiarism (claiming someone else’s work as your own), and giving credit to the original authors.

Referencing typically includes in-text citations and a reference list or bibliography with full source details. Different referencing styles exist, such as Harvard, APA and MLA, each favoured in specific fields. Your university will tell you the preferred style.

Using tools and guides provided by universities can make the referencing process more manageable, but be sure they are approved by your university before using any.

How do I write a bibliography or list my references for my dissertation?

The requirement of a bibliography depends on the style of referencing you need to use. Styles such as OSCOLA or Chicago may not require a separate bibliography. In these styles, full source information is often incorporated into footnotes throughout the piece, doing away with the need for a separate bibliography section.

Typically, reference lists or bibliographies are organised alphabetically based on the author’s last name. They usually include essential details about each source, providing a quick overview for readers who want more information. Some styles ask that you include references that you didn’t use in your final piece as they were still a part of the overall research.

It is important to maintain this list as soon as you start your research. As you complete your research, you can add more sources to your bibliography to ensure that you have a comprehensive list throughout the dissertation process.

How to proofread an undergraduate dissertation?

Throughout your dissertation writing, attention to detail will be your greatest asset. The best way to avoid making mistakes is to continuously proofread and edit your work.

Proofreading is a great way to catch any missing sections, grammatical errors or typos. There are many tips to help you proofread:

Ask someone to read your piece and highlight any mistakes they find.

Change the font so you notice any mistakes.

Format your piece as you go, headings and sections will make it easier to spot any problems.

Separate editing and proofreading. Editing is your chance to rewrite sections, add more detail or change any points. Proofreading should be where you get into the final touches, really polish what you have and make sure it’s ready to be submitted.

Stick to your citation style and make sure every resource listed in your dissertation is cited in the reference list or bibliography.

How to write a conclusion for my dissertation?

Writing a dissertation conclusion is your chance to leave the reader impressed by your work.

Start by summarising your findings, highlighting your key points and the outcome of your research. Refer back to the original research question or hypotheses to provide context to your conclusion.

You can then delve into whether you achieved the goals you set at the beginning and reflect on whether your research addressed the topic as expected. Make sure you link your findings to existing literature or sources you have included throughout your work and how your own research could contribute to your field.

Be honest about any limitations or issues you faced during your research and consider any questions that went unanswered that you would consider in the future. Make sure that your conclusion is clear and concise, and sum up the overall impact and importance of your work.

Remember, keep the tone confident and authoritative, avoiding the introduction of new information. This should simply be a summary of everything you have already said throughout the dissertation.

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Harvard University Theses, Dissertations, and Prize Papers

The Harvard University Archives ’ collection of theses, dissertations, and prize papers document the wide range of academic research undertaken by Harvard students over the course of the University’s history.

Beyond their value as pieces of original research, these collections document the history of American higher education, chronicling both the growth of Harvard as a major research institution as well as the development of numerous academic fields. They are also an important source of biographical information, offering insight into the academic careers of the authors.

Spanning from the ‘theses and quaestiones’ of the 17th and 18th centuries to the current yearly output of student research, they include both the first Harvard Ph.D. dissertation (by William Byerly, Ph.D . 1873) and the dissertation of the first woman to earn a doctorate from Harvard ( Lorna Myrtle Hodgkinson , Ed.D. 1922).

Other highlights include:

• The collection of Mathematical theses, 1782-1839
• The 1895 Ph.D. dissertation of W.E.B. Du Bois, The suppression of the African slave trade in the United States, 1638-1871
• Ph.D. dissertations of astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (Ph.D. 1925) and physicist John Hasbrouck Van Vleck (Ph.D. 1922)
• Undergraduate honors theses of novelist John Updike (A.B. 1954), filmmaker Terrence Malick (A.B. 1966),  and U.S. poet laureate Tracy Smith (A.B. 1994)
• Undergraduate prize papers and dissertations of philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson (A.B. 1821), George Santayana (Ph.D. 1889), and W.V. Quine (Ph.D. 1932)
• Undergraduate honors theses of U.S. President John F. Kennedy (A.B. 1940) and Chief Justice John Roberts (A.B. 1976)

What does a prize-winning thesis look like?

If you're a Harvard undergraduate writing your own thesis, it can be helpful to review recent prize-winning theses. The Harvard University Archives has made available for digital lending all of the Thomas Hoopes Prize winners from the 2019-2021 academic years.

Accessing These Materials

How to access materials at the Harvard University Archives

How to find and request dissertations, in person or virtually

How to find and request undergraduate honors theses

How to find and request Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize papers

How to find and request Bowdoin Prize papers

• email: Email
• Phone number 617-495-2461

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Harvard faculty personal and professional archives, harvard student life collections: arts, sports, politics and social life, access materials at the harvard university archives.

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Undergraduate Dissertation Example (Including Feedback)

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As part of your sociology undergraduate course, you will most likely be expected to sit a dissertation module. For many, the dissertation may be a major source of worry particularly as it is probably the first time they have ever had to write one. The requirement to complete such a large piece of work can be daunting, especially given that a dissertation can be 6,000+ words. Some institutions allow for students to complete fieldwork in relation to their dissertation but many students either do not have the option to do so or prefer to forego the field research to concentrate on a purely theoretical exploration of a topic.

The following example is my own actual undergraduate dissertation. It is a number of years old now but rather than have it sit in a digital vault never to be seen again, I thought I would utilise it as an example for other people. Hopefully, it may offer some insight into how to do one. This dissertation scored 80+/100 making it a mid-first. It is copied verbatim and so includes any mistakes, errors, inaccuracies, or other issues as contained at the time of submission. It also includes the feedback I received after marking which will also give you insight into some of the comments you might receive. Needless to say, it is quite a long read at nearly 6400 words (not including appendices). It is ordered as follows:

Introduction

Methodology, bibliography.

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Locating Contemporary U.S. Sources of Venezuelan Social Divisions

“Any nation’s right to form a government and an economic system of its own choosing is inalienable. Any nation’s attempt to dictate to other nations their form of government is indefensible.” Dwight D. Eisenhower – 34 th President of the United States of America

Venezuela is a country with large swathes of outstanding natural beauty, where the people are considered as some of the most positive people globally and have a community spirit even among those in the extensive Barrios of Caracas, the largest slum in Latin America outside of Rio (Power, 2007: 123; Clifton, 2012). It is also rich in the natural resources of oil and minable elements such as Gold (Rosales, 2019; Monaldi, 2015; Stronen, 2017). Venezuela is known for its deeply nationalist mindset and places great esteem on its historical figures such as Simón Bolívar who is widely considered as the emancipator of Latin America from Spanish colonial rule (Chávez, 2009: vii). Its borders are shared with Colombia, Brazil and Guyana and its landscape is dominated by deep forest including its own share of Amazon rainforest (Salas, 2015: 2). From the democratic election of Hugo Chávez in 1998 to his death in 2013, Venezuela experienced significant social investment after Chávez nationalised Venezuelan oil and redistributed profit (Bistoletti, 2019: 68). The redistribution facilitated one of the most comprehensive education programs in the world which almost eliminated illiteracy (Bruce, 2008: 11). Additionally, free healthcare was provided to Venezuelans with the assistance of Cuba leading to a medical model which became the envy of even the most developed countries, and which simultaneously sought to expand humanitarian focused healthcare across Latin America (Brouwer, 2011: 18, 56). Furthermore, sharp rises in living standards for the poor and middle classes were evidenced (Ystanes, 2018: 42; Pantoulas & McCoy, 2019: 396). Today, Venezuela in 2020, under Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chávez’s successor, is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in history with over 4 million people having fled the country (UN News, 2019). Those who have not fled are subjected to hyper-inflation making basic goods unaffordable (Friedman, 2017; Friesen, 2018). The poverty rate now stands at 87% (Espana & Ponce, 2017), health services and medicine supplies have evaporated (Trejos, 2017; Rhodes & Valencia, 2019), supermarket shelves are empty (McGonigal & Cook, 2019; Rosati, 2018) and violent crime is uncontained (Leon, 2020: 1). It will be argued that the Venezuelan situation is not a coincidence but, rather, outcomes-in-flux deriving from US actions.

The US’ position as a dominant, semi-hegemonic power on the world economy synchronised with its bullish character derived from American exceptionalist belief and its heavy militarist inclinations facilitate the ability to be uniquely influential globally (Connor, 2020; Restad, 2014). Furthermore, the US is heavily corporatized with US corporations commanding many of the top companies globally including in the oil, health, media and arms sectors (SIPRI, 2019; Palmer, 2019; Muspratt, 2019; O’Reilly, 2016). Historically, the US has been involved in, either overtly or covertly, with or without military intervention, many regime changes globally with the aim of installing leaders favourable to US state and corporate interests (Appendix A). From the 1940’s onwards, these became more frequent and heavily focused on Latin America and the Middle East. By framing US interference in Venezuela within the loci of US geo-economics, neo-imperialism, neo-colonialism and neoliberalism as prescribed by the ‘Washington Consensus’ (Appendix B), it presents a lens through which to understand contemporary social divisions in Venezuela. Focusing on historical US behaviour globally, the aim of this paper is three-fold: to form a coherent four-point modus operandi with which the US attempts to perform neo-colonial and neo-imperialist actions to implement neoliberal globalist ideological hegemony onto other nation states; to use this modus operandi to locate the current severe economic, social and political situation in Venezuela with US origins; and to demonstrate the resulting social divisions in Venezuela. The volume of US actions globally which can be framed in this way is so significant that it is far beyond the scope of this paper thus a select number will be drawn upon to exemplify US behaviour and construct evidence for the current Venezuelan situation.

To establish a body of evidence for historical US behaviour it was necessary to review wide-ranging literature including books, journals, web pages and leaked documents to piece together where, when and how the US behaves towards other nation states. Forming a rough timeline of events, it was possible to isolate a relevant starting point for modern geo-economic and neo-colonial interference and establish US targeted countries. Further analysis was applied to determine what types of behaviour were typical and a pattern quickly emerged. From analysing these patterns, coincidence was found with nations which have formerly been, have been converted to, or have been targeted for, neoliberalism or neoliberalisation. Applying various related terms to in-text mass document searches revealed significant evidence, much beyond the scope of this paper, which could be drawn upon providing enough evidence to establish US historical behaviours. These behaviours were then considered through the lens of the current situation in Venezuela through analysing media, academic and NGO reports, making it possible to connect Venezuela’s crisis with US behaviour. As the situation still continues at time of writing, academic works and books are not readily available thus there is a reliance on news media to view current effects on social divisions. Attempts to circumvent this limitation, however, were made by considering not only mainstream corporate media, but smaller, independent and state news media for balance.

Exploring Historical U.S. Behaviour

In 1908, Britain discovered oil in Iran and subsequently took control of the industry under the name ‘Anglo-Persian Oil Company’ whilst syphoning the majority of profits (Bayandor, 2010: 12). In 1953, the US, at the behest of Britain, launched a coup d’état after the then democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, nationalised Iranian oil removing what Mossadegh called the British “network of colonialism” from Iran (Blum, 2003: 63-71; Petherick, 2006: 82; Bayandor, 2010; Weiner, 2007:  81-92; Gasiorowski, 2004). Numerous techniques were employed by the CIA in the precursory stages: bribing media to print anti-Mossadegh propaganda, funding of pro and anti-Mossadegh mobs to instigate street violence, economic boycotts of Iranian oil, and bribery of military and religious leaders (Blum, 2003: 64, 67; Zepezauer, 1994: no pagination ; Snider, 2009: 274; Weiner, 2007: 86). These precursory actions assisted in destabilising Mossadegh’s leadership allowing the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to take supreme rulership after the coup and reopen Iranian oil to US corporations (Harvey, 2010: 110). Subsequently, backed by US finance, the Shah founded SAVAK, a secretive police force which went on to become a violent repressive state apparatus and simultaneously cemented the US’ reputation for imperialist and colonialist interference in the middle east (Abrahamian, 1982: 419; Trento, 2005: 56). The tactics used in Iran became the blueprint for many future colonial manoeuvres including Syria 1956-58 and Costa Rica throughout the 1950’s (Yaqub, 2004; Blum, 2004: 82-84). The Iranian example outlines the US’ 4-point modus operandi : destabilisation, ousting of leader, installation of US aligned leader and finally colonisation. These will now be examined in more detail.

From 1970, with orders from US president Nixon to “make the economy scream”, the CIA worked to overthrow Chilean socialist president, Salvador Allende (Kornbluh, 2004: 1-2). Of primary focus was geo-economics, defined by Wigell (2016: 137) as “the geostrategic use of economic power”, for the purpose of destabilisation which, itself, can come in many guises. For Chile, geo-economically, this was limited to CIA backed strikes (Golinger, 2006: 102; Muñoz, 2008: 36), cuts to foreign aid (Eyler, 2008: 174-175) and pressuring US companies with Chilean operations to divest (Kornbluh, 2004: 18). However, drawing more widely upon US behaviour we see Cuba subjected to sanctions of trade and travel bans (LeoGrande, 2015: 940; Gabilondo, 2017: 52), Haiti the freezing of national assets (Staibano, 2005: 41), and Nicaragua the blocking of loans (Bothmann, 2015: 90). Whilst occasionally sanctions can be a positive move, on arms for example (Farrall, 2007: 110), they are often weaponised to prevent supplies entering a country and to disrupt vital imports such as medicine, food, and oil (Rendon & Price, 2019; Venezuela Under Sanctions, 2019). The media can also play a crucial role in destabilisation. Utilising smear campaigns, disinformation and accusations against leaders within the target country, the US manipulates public opinion both in the US and the target country. Often, significant mainstream news propaganda in support of, or uncritical of, US foreign policy or favouritism towards US corporations is disseminated concurrently (Cabellero, 2018: 241; Brouwer, 2011: 203, Bennett, 1990). The campaign against Guatemala’s Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 by the US in light of Arbenz’ attempt to expropriate and nationalise Guatemalan land from US corporation ‘United Fruit Company’ used such a media campaign. Tales of Guatemalan communist training camps were published whilst United Fruit Company Guatemalan policy was heavily praised despite significant human rights abuses (Schlesinger et al., 2005: 88-89; Colby, 2011). Furthermore, many media outlets are subsidised by CIA funds with media propaganda absorbing up to 29% of CIA budget and can be aimed at dissolving a leaders’ legitimacy often by promoting a rival or through disinformation campaigns disseminating US refusals to acknowledge the democratically elected leader (Blum, 2003: 104). In addition to geo-economic and media methods of destabilisation, incitement of street violence also features regularly. US backed protests in Nicaragua since 2014 paralysed the country after an injection of millions of dollars of US funding to promote ‘democracy’ (Luna et al., 2019: 177-179) as well as in Japan post-world war II where the US funded ultra-nationalist and Yakuza mobs to combat the rise of leftism (Kaplan, 2012: 44).

For Chile, the aim of destabilisation was to oust Allende before he could implement a socialist system which would lead to nationalisation of US investments (Qureshi, 2009: xii). This was successfully achieved in 1973 when Allende was overthrown in a coup d’état (Girardi & Bowles, 2018: 16). Coup d’état’s are the most common form of forcibly ousting a leader from power whether by the US directly such as Grenada in 1983 or, as is more often the case, a US backed assault such as Nicaragua and Vietnam 1969-70 (Manning, 2011: 727; Hybel & Flecke, 2014: 17-54; Blum, 2003: 290-304). Either way, the premise is to install a leader favourable to US state and corporate interests (Harvey, 2007: 151). General Pinochet’s installation as military dictator in Chile after the coup against Allende signified the end of Latin America’s longest democracy and began a new era of dictatorship not only in Chile but across Latin America (Dinges, 2004: 2-3). Argentina’s Isabel Martínez de Perón was ousted in favour of US backed Jorge Rafael Videla (Lutz, 2008: 148); Guatemala’s Jacobo Arbenz for Carlos Castillo Armas, the first of a line of US backed Guatemalan dictators (Baldwin, 2008: 49); and Brazil’s João Goulart for Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco (Hecht, 2010: 113). This tactic however commonly ends with violent and repressive outcomes. The backing of Pinochet led to 3000 known deaths, torture and displacing over one million people (Horvitz, 2006: 78; Lazzara, 2011; Dinges, 2004); Armas and subsequent Guatemalan dictators led to hundreds of thousands of deaths in civilian massacres, genocide of Maya, concentration camps, bombing of civilians and civil war (Brett, 2016: 4; Doyle & Kornbluh, n.d.; Cullather, 1994; Schlesinger et al., 2005); Videla employed forced disappearances, torture and murder of 30,000 (Strier, 2014: 361-362; Arditti, 2002: 19; Horvitz, 2006: 22); and Branco opened up the Amazon rainforest to corporate investment and became the first in a line of ever more repressive Brazilian military rulers (Rosenbaum & Tyler, 1971: 422). Asides from the common penchant for murder and death, there exists a connection between each US backed leader and each ousted leader: the ousted leader is usually a leftist and democratically elected as is the case with Arbenz (Murphey, 2017: 32), Mossadegh (Armstrong, 2003: 77) and Goulart (Toussaint, 1999: 121); and each US backed leader is usually rightist and engages in political cleansing of leftists whether through death such as Pinochet and Videla (Kornbluh 2004: 164; Horvitz, 2006: 22) or dismantling of leftist policies as with Branco  (Dulles, 2007: 66). Perhaps to encapsulate the issue, John Foster Dulles, former US Secretary of State, once stated that Latin American dictators were “the only people we can depend on” (Westad, 2007: 148). Such a statement implies awareness of the level of unacceptability of US colonialist manoeuvres. However, the severity of the US opposition to leftist politics is of such significance that the US claimed in 1966 that in the event of a leftist election victory in Uruguay, a military invasion would be required ( ibid : 151). Thus, US behaviour is clear: violence is near-mandatory, and it forms the opportunity for neo-colonisation in the structural ashes of the overturned nation.

It is in the milieu of violence where the neo-colonial enrooting of the neoliberal model takes place. Nichols (2014: 454) defines neo-colonialism as the “means by which sovereignty extends outward and is then reterritorialized through continual internal reorganization…through containment, capture and divisive social organization”. Additionally, neoliberalism is a political corporatist ideology based upon free market economics, privatisation, deregulation, retrenchment of public welfare and services and dominance of capital over everyday lives (Brown, 2015: 28) whilst simultaneously “a form of governmentality…that can be identified as interventionist…deploying state-apparatuses…to govern society” (Madra & Adaman, 2018: 113). It is the ideology of the global capitalist class, structurally pre-planned and diametrically opposed to leftist ideals (Miller, 2010: 23). The military Juntas , a state apparatus in themselves, of Operation Condor, a US backed state terror operation precipitated through Pinochet and utilising numerous Latin American leaders, carried with them the limitless repressive violence of the neoliberal restructuring apparatus both economically and socially beginning with Chile and extending outwards (Watt, 2012: 116-117; Taylor, 2006: 1). Through mass killings and containment through imprisonment of leftists across Latin America, the US deployed neoliberalism via a neo-imperialist crusade. Neo-imperialism has been defined as “the objectless disposition on the part of a state to unlimited forcible expansion” (Schumpeter, 1919: 6) with the aim of “steal[ing] the wealth generated by the people…generated by the labour power of the worker” (Maddy, 2009: 2). Through the forcible spread of violence, countries of Latin America began to adopt the neoliberal ideology. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Venezuela and Peru, for example, all underwent neoliberal restructuring (Huber & Solt, 2004: 153).  Restructuring is often shielded by the façade of a need for ‘democratisation’ within the target country due to its chaotic social and economic landscape (Watt, 2012: 117). In actuality, it is the reconfiguring of the social order both nationally and globally to align with neoliberal global capitalism (Robinson, 1997: 208). The idea of ‘democratisation’ is rendered invalid when drawing upon Chile, Iran, Guatemala and Uruguay as these were already democratic prior to US interference (Qureshi, 2009: 75; Petherick, 2006: 16; Valdes-Ugalde, 2014: 27; Shoman, 2010: 47). Before we turn our gaze towards today’s Venezuela, we can deeper analyse how neoliberalism infiltrated Venezuela historically through examining the application of the definitions of neo-colonialism and neo-imperialism using a specific and pivotal example: oil.

Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world which have consistently been at the forefront of social and political divisions and are Venezuela’s leading source of national income (Wilpert, 2007: 88; Salas, 2015: 73; Peet, 2009: 193). In 1958, the three major Venezuelan political parties formed a power sharing pact called ‘Punto Fijo’ which essentially created a political corporatist alliance to prevent any other candidate from being elected (Marsh, 2016: 52). During this time oil booms and oil busts came and went and in 1979 the economy began to decline for the next two decades causing poverty to increase from 17% in 1980 to 65% in 1996 (Wilpert, 2007: 13). In 1989 Venezuela implemented a neoliberal restructuring following the election of Carlos Andrés Pérez which became known as El Gran Viraje after Pérez requested ‘structural adjustment’ loans from the IMF to tackle the economic decline (Moreno & Shelton, 2014: 283; Brading, 2012: 47). The IMF is itself a US backed neoliberal finance institution whose loans are conditional based upon the prescription of the Washington Consensus (Babb & Kentikelenis, 2018: 18; Marangos, 2008: 227). It is neo-imperialist insofar as the loan conditions force the opening of, and deregulation of, markets allowing in US multinational corporations who, in turn, extract the wealth of both people and nation (D’Arista, 2002: 22; Dutta, 2015: 11-12, Beder, 2009; Chalfin, 2010: 168). Simultaneously, neoliberalism is the colonising ideology as it carries with it US corporatism and requires internal reconfiguration of both state and society to its structural rules (Hibben, 2016: 18). Much of the oil industry was infiltrated by US multinational oil corporations sympathetic to neoliberal corporate ideology with oil wealth mostly harboured by Venezuelan elite hiding behind the neoliberal rhetoric of the ‘trickle-down effect’, a theory which assumes that wealth creation at the top will eventually make its way down to the poorest (Ewell, 1984: 193; Peet, 2009: 192; Bistoletti, 2019: 79). As part of this reconfiguration, neoliberalism commands a two-tier social structure which necessarily supports the moral relativist notion that poverty is inevitable (Dorey, 2011: 5; Lazzarato, 2017: 39). By the overthrow of the neoliberal stranglehold in Venezuela when Hugo Chávez was elected in 1998, fiscally, the Elite 10% took 37% of national income compared to 0.9% for the poorest 10% (Peet, 2009: 192) demonstrating the corruption of ‘trickle-down’ theories. Looking still deeper into the Venezuelan oil industry, we can frame it not only within the notion of an ideological state apparatus as suggested in Madra & Adaman’s (2018: 113) definition of neoliberalism, but as a starting point for locating US sources of the current situation in Venezuela.

Using the Modus Operandi to Locate the Current Severe Economic, Social and Political Situation in Venezuela

The US modus operandi in Venezuela is wide ranging and complex and, as such, is beyond the purview of this work thus must be constrained to select examples. Following the establishing of the four-point modus operandi incorporating: destabilisation, ousting of leader, installation of US backed leader and neo-colonisation by neoliberal restructuring, we can utilise this to begin analysing today’s Venezuelan situation by considering Althusser’s (1971) notion of ideological state apparatuses (ISA’s) in the historicity of Venezuelan oil through to targeted destabilisation today. Althusser (1971: 145) conceptualises ISA’s as a vehicle for ideological dissemination. Dissemination occurs through religion, education, media and politics which transmit the values and attitudes expected by capitalism (Cole, 2008: 83; Wright & Roberts, 2013). Althusser (1971: 145) also conceptualises the ‘repressive state apparatus’ (RSA) which incorporates violence and control through military, prisons and policing in order to maintain capitalist power (Cole, 2008: 83; Althusser, 1971: 144-145). ISA’s still contain an element of repression although this is often covert, and RSA’s still maintain the ideological strand that controls them. The pre-Chávez Venezuelan oil industry under corporatist control was functioning as an ISA by serving the interests of the elite and simultaneously inflicting its secondary RSA function by reinforcing poverty through vastly unequal income distribution. Confusion arises however in how the neoliberal domination of a non-neoliberal state-owned asset fits into Althusser’s ISA. It can be argued that, as the oil industry was controlled by foreign corporatist ideology, it was, in fact, acting as a foreign state ISA vessel ; specifically, the US. Chávez’ predecessor, Pérez, implemented neoliberal policies from the IMF allowing the oil industry to be opened to foreign companies essentially creating said vessel (Moreno & Shelton, 2014: 283). This led to major social divisions in employment, wages and rising prices and caused significant riots which in turn invoked the RSA through military attacks on protestors ultimately taking up to 3000 lives (Stronen, 2017: 38). Althusser (1971: 142) stated “the proletariat must seize state power in order to destroy the existing bourgeois state apparatus” and this is essentially what Chávez did. In successfully being elected despite a prior failed coup (Bruce, 2008: 2), Chávez, as a proletariat, seized state power and set about taking control of the ISA not only from the Venezuelan state, but from multinational corporatists (McGowan, 2011: 56-60). Although this process started in 1999, it continued until his death in 2013 demonstrating the difficulties in the process of removing neo-colonial ideology.

The importance of oil in this situation cannot be overstated and it acts as a pivotal and powerful tool in the US arsenal of destabilisation techniques. Oil is particularly vulnerable to global ‘market fluctuations’ (Rentschler, 2013). However, the ‘nature’ of oil markets is highly dubious. US shale oil over-flooded the market in 2014 in coordination with purposefully cheap Saudi oil which drove down global oil prices (Maupin, 2016). Venezuela, now presided over by Nicolás Maduro after the death of Chávez in 2013, faced a severe and continuing impact resulting from significantly declining national income ( ibid ). The US continues to exacerbate the situation by applying sanctions on importing Venezuelan oil which is significant as Venezuela is one of the US’ major sources of oil (Weisbrot & Sachs, 2019; US Department of State, 2016). Sanctioning however is not restricted to US imports as the US also issues threats to sanction other countries purchasing Venezuelan oil (Saefong, 2019; Paine & Zhdannikov, 2019). Additionally, the US has actively prevented Venezuela receiving help from OPEC the oil cartel in which Venezuela was a founding partner (Sharma, 2019; Fornes, 2018: 101). Furthermore, China, Venezuela’s major buyer, has withdrawn in fear of US sanctions essentially cutting off most oil exports (Wain, 2019).

Destabilisation does not end with oil, however. The US is the only country globally to impose sanctions on other countries where narcotics production occurs (Hufbauer, 2007: 15). Trump personally selected both Venezuela and Bolivia in 2017 to be nominated under sec. 706(1) of the FRAA as countries which have substantially failed to meet obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements (BINLEA, 2018: 5). Colombia, designated as having a much higher narcotics problem than Bolivia and Venezuela, was exempted on the grounds that they are “security partners of the United States” ( ibid : 7) demonstrating that selection is not based on severity of a narcotics problem but rather as a tactical manoeuvre. This geo-economic manoeuvre has two faces: firstly it allows the US to undermine and commandeer obligated financial aid destined for Venezuela under Sec. 490(e) of the FAA 1961 facilitating the prevention of financial aid to Venezuela; and secondly, bilateral financial assistance programs in the ‘national interest’ of the US are still permittable under FRAA sec. 706(3)(a). The Red Cross has specifically called out this underfunding of aid to Venezuela as a purposeful “tool to destabilize the country” (Vaz, 2019a) and it is this destabilisation which is intended to pressurise Venezuela into accepting bilateral assistance which usually has strict conditionality aligned with the neoliberal Washington consensus (Corrales, 2011: 108; Appendix B). Bilateral assistance usually comes from US aligned, neoliberal agencies such as the World Bank, IMF and other IFI’s (Blakeley, 2009: 53; Appel & Orenstein, 2018: 95; Birch, 2017: 20). Further significant leverage has been applied through Trump’s freezing of Venezuelan assets in the US as well as other countries such as Japan who are under pressure to comply with US demands,  essentially cutting off another line of national income (Spetalnick & Rampton, 2019; Associated Press, 2019). Sanctions, as well as cyber-attacks, have been linked to Venezuela’s electricity blackouts due to lack of fuel and imported parts to keep it functioning (Dominguez, 2019; Vaz, 2019b). This alone caused a loss of 6.4% GDP in 2019 (Weisbrot & Sachs, 2019: 14). Perhaps most significant are large-scale food shortages due to a drop of around 80% in imports ( ibid : 4) combined with substantial reductions of medical supplies (Page, 2019: 1255). Geo-economic chicanery is further exemplified through economic sanctions which are utilised in parallel to offers of aid and with sanctions targeted towards Venezuelan oil (Patel, 2019: 8). Expressed bluntly, the sanctions are weaponised to force the acceptance of aid, thus accept the neo-imperial, neo-colonial, and neoliberal conditions attached. To refuse this aid, as Maduro has, is constructed by the neoliberal corporate media as a dictatorship starving the people in what is essentially a gaslighting campaign (Daniel & Lenihan, 2019; O’Grady, 2019). Whilst economic destabilisation is clear, it also exists concurrently with the remaining three points of the modus operandi in flux.

At the time of writing, Venezuela resides in a milieu through which intersects all four-points of the US modus operandi simultaneously. Within the complexities of geo-economic destabilisation, Maduro is confronted by attempts to oust and replace him with US backed opponent, Juan Guaidó (BBC News, 2019; Gaouette & Hansler, 2019). This is simultaneously occurring alongside the attempts at neo-colonisation hidden within the aforementioned humanitarian aid; both functioning in tandem with the media who misrepresent blocking of humanitarian aid in order to discredit or malign Maduro. It is possible to isolate a connection between US aid to Venezuela, US sanctions and media false narratives of Maduro. By taking medicine as an example, US sanctions cut off Venezuela’s access to international payment systems which subsequently cut off access to medicine imports and hospital equipment (Weisbrot & Sachs, 2019: 4). This inevitably led to medicine shortages (Patel, 2019: 9). Furthermore, Venezuelan assets frozen in the sanctions represented the value of six years-worth of medicine supplies for the nation (Nebehay, 2019). The US, with the support of Guaidó, attempted to force ‘humanitarian aid’, including medicine, across the Colombia-Venezuela border and were subsequently blocked by the Venezuelan National Guard (Venezuelanalysis, 2019). The media frame this event as the act of a dictatorship (Polanco et al., 2019), criminal (Gibbs & Dixon, 2019), a way of Maduro controlling the population (Meredith, 2019), or just outright deny that economic sanctions have contributed to the situation (Trombetta, 2018). Additionally, the media also seem forgetful about previous US neo-colonial, neo-imperialist ‘humanitarian aid’ incarnations which funnelled arms to Contras in 1980’s Nicaragua which were subsequently employed in murdering literacy assistants to the poor to start with, then continued with the death of 20,000 more people (Gomez, 2003: 137-139); or the $2.6 billion dollars of direct and indirect ‘aid’ to El Salvador between 1980 and 1989 facilitating the US backed rightists of the Salvadoran state in slaughtering the rural poor ( ibid : 112-113). It would be reasonable to expect that Maduro would be aware of these events. In actuality, Venezuela has been requesting aid and has been receiving it from the Red Cross (Dobson, 2019; ICRC, 2019) as well as medicine shipments from Russia (Nebehay, 2019) and further humanitarian aid from CERF, ECHO, WHO and UNICEF (WOLA, 2019). This, however, is ignored by the western corporate media in favour of constructing the aforedetailed false narrative with the intent of delegitimising Maduro in favour of legitimising Guaidó who claims presidential authority over Venezuela with US backing (Cohen & Blumenthal, 2019). The outcomes of these methods remain to be seen as they persist at time of writing. Within this milieu however, the wider public are experiencing significant resulting social divisions.

Part Three:

Demonstrating resulting social divisions in venezuela.

The culmination of the US modus operandi in Venezuela has been pronounced. In 2019, the number having fled Venezuela was around 4.7 million and expected to rise to 6.5 million in 2020 (UN News, 2019). Those who cannot, or will not, leave, face spiralling social divisions. So severe is the situation that Zakrison & Muntaner (2019: 2586) claim that the US is currently committing a genocide as defined under the UNCPPCG Article II to which the US is a signatory and is thus breaking their own agreements. Food prices are astronomical in comparison to wages due to corporate entities facilitating a market for US dollars causing hyperinflation of the Venezuelan Bolívar and in despite of government price controls to attempt to stabilise food prices (Graham-Harrison et al., 2019). Severe lack of food security has led many people to lose significant amounts of weight which, through the continuum of the crisis, has led to the reappearance of malnutrition (Doocy et al., 2019a; Sequera, 2018). Already by 2016, 32.5% ate less than two meals a day. In 2017 this had risen to 63.2% and in 2018 78.6% (Denova, 2018: 198). The media commonly report that supermarket shelves are empty (McGonigal & Cook, 2019; Rosati, 2018). There also exists a counter-narrative that some supermarket shelves are full (McEvoy, 2019; RT, 2019). It seems however, that those who have access to US Dollar currency can buy groceries, and those who do not find themselves unable to do so (Pons & Armas, 2018). At time of writing, the minimum wage for Venezuela was 40,000 Bolívars per month (Pereira, 2019). Buying one kilogram of apples costs around 40,000 Bolívars; 4 toilet rolls was 30,000 and basic cold medicine around 72,000, nearly two months wages (Expatistan, 2020). Rich Venezuelans are known for their connections to Miami, Florida which Macleod (2019: 7) refers to as ‘the unofficial capital of Latin America’ where the elite often travel for shopping trips or maintain property thus giving them access to the US currency market (Salas, 2015: 3, 107). What makes this particularly interesting is that the US FAA downgraded Venezuela’s air safety rating, essentially a sanction banning flights to and from the US, which raises the question on how the Venezuelan elite are making trips to Miami (Ash, 2019). The impact of this is that those who can afford such luxury are complicit with US sanctions insofar as aiding hyperinflation by importing US dollars. This essentially causes a major social chasm between the rich and the remaining 87% in poverty (Espana & Ponce, 2017). Additionally, this has empowered US currency itself in becoming a tool of colonialism. Aside from food retailers, there are many globalist brands such as Zara, Reebok and Adidas trading inside Venezuela and these only accept payment in US dollars (Long, 2019) thus the Neoliberal corporate world has its influence within Venezuela’s retail and excludes those without access to the correct currency.

Many more divisions are pronounced including mental health associated with migration (Schwartz et al., 2018), post-emigration adaptation (Salas-Wright et al., 2020), adolescent alcoholism (Vaughn et al., 2020) and shortened life expectancy (Garcia & Aburto, 2019). However, with a poverty rate at 87% (Espana & Ponce, 2017), effects on health are significant. Alongside the aforementioned malnutrition due to food shortages, other serious health implications have arisen and shall be collated to demonstrate the wide social division in Venezuela. Sanctions have contributed to an 85% shortage of medicines (Trejos, 2017; Rhodes & Valencia, 2019). This has directly affected child immunisation availability and coincides not only with sharp rises in infant mortality and maternal mortality, but significant rises in mumps, measles, tuberculosis and diphtheria which are traditionally prevented through child and adolescent immunisation (Beyrer & Page, 2019: 286; Garcia et al., 2019; Friedrich, 2019: 1041, Rodriguez et al., 2019: 5). Medicine shortages have also significantly affected diabetes and HIV patients including delayed diagnosis and clinical shortages (Weisbrot & Sachs, 2019: 4; Doocy et al., 2019: 86; Page et al., 2019: 1257). Malaria cases have gone from around 70,000 in 2013 to 400,000 in 2018 (PAHO, 2018) and numerous other vector-borne diseases have seen significant increases (Grillet et al., 2019). Weisbrot & Sachs (2019: 21) estimate that such sanctions have contributed to 40,000 additional deaths in 2017-2018 alone which the VSC (2019: 3-4) argues fits the definition of ‘collective punishment’ under both the Geneva and Hague International Conventions which the US was again signatory to. However, these conventions are regulatory frameworks applied in times of war, in the traditional sense, and may not stretch to geo-economic ‘wars’ or ideological ‘wars’ (Fruchterman, 1983: 304). This does not make the VSC wrong as sanctions in general are considered a form of collective punishment as they target a civilian population for the actions of governments over which the population has little or no control (Horvitz, 2006: 380). As such, there seems little in the way of protection for the population except in the form of aid from NGO’s. However, NGO’s themselves play perhaps an unexpected role.

Whilst the effects on social division within the population at large are demonstrable, there is a deeper, and possibly more concerning issue: that of political division, that is, political division between those who are supposed to assist the population in times of crisis: NGO’s. What makes this particularly problematic for Venezuelan society is that, rather than simply help and assist a people and country in need, a subversive element is ‘piggybacking’ covertly under the guise of NGO’s. The International Crisis Group (ICG) (2018: i), which claims to be independent, explicitly states that sanctions are aimed at achieving “negotiated transition” and are “the best path out of the crisis” thus supporting sanctioning and an ideological transition. However, on closer examination of ICG, it is backed by corporate donors including BP (or, as formally known as, Anglo-Persian Oil Company ) and has a corporate advisory council made up of neoliberal globalist corporations including Shell, Chevron and HSBC ( ibid , 27). Amnesty International has repeatedly, albeit almost imperceptibly, aligned itself with Trumps numerous suggestions of military intervention in Venezuela whilst ignoring US sanctions in favour of apportioning blame on Maduro for food shortages (Amnesty.org, 2019; Emersberger, 2019). Amnesty ( ibid ) suggested the use of ‘universal jurisdiction’ under which the ‘responsibility to protect’ can be invoked. Such protection can involve the use of military intervention which Schabas (2012: 205-206) argues is becoming ingrained within NGO discourse. These are two examples of a wider set including HRW, known for its anti-Venezuelan biased reporting (Human Rights Watch, 2008; COHA, 2008), and IBAHRI who are partners with the neoliberal OECD (Bouhali, 2015). Even taking the academic research into account shows that there is a deep political partisanship within the research and significant and uninvestigated assumptions being made regarding causation of the Venezuelan situation. For example, Beyrer & Page (2019: 287), Rendon & Price (2019: 3-4) and Alhadeff (2018) all highlight Maduro as the root problem. This is not to suggest that Maduro is infallible however, yet each author specifically finger-points whilst clearly ignoring key information regarding neoliberal and neo-colonial ideology. For example, Alhadeff (2018) does not acknowledge US sanctions within their report, subsequently blaming economic mismanagement on Maduro’s part and a crackdown on political opposition as if the aforementioned neoliberal political cleansing of leftists was not a thing. Perhaps economic mismanagement is doublespeak for ‘not in line with the Washington consensus’ thus implying a call to the IMF is needed for economic restructuring. Ultimately, the NGO’s and various academic actors seem fixated on reigniting and reinforcing neoliberal dominance as solution, a solution which has already demonstrably failed before (Santarcangelo, 2019: 1-2), as opposed to providing a human-centred temporary safety net to help the populace whilst the Venezuelan government focus on retaining Venezuelan sovereignty and a return to social stability.

The first goal of this paper was to establish a four-point modus operandi with which the US attempts to perform neo-colonial and neo-imperialist actions to implement neoliberal globalist ideological hegemony onto other nation states. By drawing upon the actions of previous US interference in Iran, Guatemala, Chile, Cuba, Syria, Nicaragua, Grenada, Vietnam, Brazil, Argentina and Haiti, this modus operandi has taken shape. Through the utilisation of geo-economic manoeuvres, it has been demonstrated that destabilisation of the nation state acts as a starting point. Through employing the use of economic sanctions aimed at disrupting Venezuela’s national income as well as sanctions aimed at disrupting trade in critical goods such as food and medicine for the people, the US not only destabilises the economy but also the leadership. Evidence presented shows additional leverage is applied through media propaganda financed though covert means and funded mobs. Secondly, once a country is destabilised, the US seeks to oust the leader. Evidence has shown that there is clear political and ideological purpose in this on two points: to remove a leader oppositional to US ideology and to facilitate a political cleansing of left-wing politics. Removal is often achieved through employing coup d’états when pressure alone is not enough. Thirdly, installation of a leader favourable to US interests occurs and is currently being attempted in Venezuela through the aforementioned methods and the delegitimising of Maduro whilst recognising Juan Guaidó as rightful leader. This is the current milieu within which Venezuela currently resides. If Maduro is overthrown, the third point will be complete: installation of US aligned leader. Subsequently, it is extremely likely that that the fourth point will begin: colonisation and the neoliberalisation of Venezuela through the forcing open of markets, particularly the oil and mining industries, and a return to the authoritarian, two tiered-society experienced in the pre-Chávez era of neoliberalism. In the meantime, the failure and corruption of mainstream NGO’s in assisting people through non-partisan humanitarian means are essentially abandoning the people of Venezuela to starvation and severe health inequalities whilst the US continues its neo-colonisation and geo-economic warfare.

Ultimately, US actions have contributed to the breaking down of Venezuela as a nation state. The Economist (2018) denotes Venezuela’s gradual slide into authoritarian rule since 2014, around the time of the US / Saudi oil price slump, but this perhaps belies the fact that, under such a united effort aimed at neo-colonisation of Venezuela, Maduro has been forced to defend it through more authoritative means. The US has clearly used its unique and powerful position on the world stage to spread its own brand of dominance around the world and particularly in Latin America. Through often covert methods incorporating the clandestine CIA, left-wing leaders in opposition to US hegemony have been purposefully ousted in favour of US aligned, often brutal dictators who have subsequently incorporated repressive regimes in turn leading to uncountable loss of human lives. Considering the US’ own home-grown social problems, for example, US healthcare as the leading cause of personal bankruptcy and education unaffordable for many (Austin, 2014: 2; Kornblum, 2012: 406; Senak, 2016; Poutre et al., 2017), 38 million people in poverty and drug addiction and killing at epidemic proportions (Semega et al., 2019; Ritchie & Roser, 2019), it demands further academic enquiry into what the fundamental purpose of violently spreading such an ideology actually is when one’s own backyard crumbles under it. As Cuba, Russia and China, all opponents of the US, support the Maduro government; whilst Mexico and Uruguay sought to be intermediaries between Venezuela and the US and while Norway tentatively acts as mediator, the US openly continues to disregard preventative diplomacy seeking only the solution they desire: overthrow of Maduro, leading to significantly heightened tensions between global superpowers (Ramcharan, 2020: 99-100), mass migration and a once positive Venezuelan people facing starvation and death.

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Venezuela Under Sanctions. (2019). Strategic Comments , 25 (5), Vii–Ix. Informa UK Limited.

Watt, P. (2012). Drug War Mexico: Politics, Neoliberalism and Violence In The New Narcoeconomy . London New York: Zed Books.

Weiner, T. (2007). Legacy of Ashes: The History Of The CIA . New York: Doubleday.

Weisbrot, M. & Sachs, J. (2019). Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment. The Case of Venezuela. CEPR .

Weisbrot, M. & Sachs, J. (2019). Punishing Civilians: US Sanctions on Venezuela. Challenge , 62 (5), 299–321. Taylor & Francis.

Westad, O. (2007). The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and The Making Of Our Times . Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press.

Wigell, M. (2016) “Conceptualizing Regional Powers’ Geoeconomic Strategies: Neo-Imperialism, Neo-Mercantilism, Hegemony, And Liberal Institutionalism,” Asia Europe Journal . Springer, 14(2), Pp. 135–151.

Williamson, J. (1990). Latin American Adjustment: How Much Has Happened . Washington D.C.: The Institute.

Wilpert, G. (2007). Changing Venezuela By Taking Power: The History And Policies Of The Chávez Government . London New York: Verso.

WOLA (2019) Meeting the Needs Of Suffering Venezuelans Will Require Expertise And Commitment To Humanitarian Principles. Retrieved 14 January 2020, From https://www.wola.org/2019/02/humanitarian-aid-venezuela-civil-society-statement/

Yaqub, S. (2004). Containing Arab Nationalism : The Eisenhower Doctrine And The Middle East . Chapel Hill: University Of North Carolina Press.

Ystanes, M. (2018). The Social Life of Economic Inequalities In Contemporary Latin America: Decades Of Change . Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Zakrison, T. L. & Muntaner, C. (2019). US Sanctions in Venezuela: Help, Hindrance, Or Violation Of Human Rights? The Lancet , 393 (10191), 2586–2587. Elsevier.

Zepezauer, M. (1994). The CIA’s Greatest Hits . Tucson, Ariz. Emeryville, CA: Odonian Press Distribution to The Book Trade Through Publishers Group West

Appendix A:

Selection of nations subject to historical u.s. interference.

Whilst the list of countries which the US has subjected to colonial and imperialist interference stretches back to the 19 th century, the scope of the countries referenced in this work begins with Iran in 1953. A small selection and light description of each is mentioned here along with some suggested readings.

As outlined in the paper, Iran was targeted by the US after British requests to overthrow the democratically elected Mohammad Mossadegh to take control of Iranian oil. Under the guise of anti-communism, the CIA and Britain orchestrated a successful coup d’état to prevent the nationalisation of the Anglo Iranian Oil Company which later went on to become BP (British Petroleum). The project was codenamed TPAJAX.

Abrahamian, 2013; Kinzer, 2008; Gasiorowski, 2004; McMurdo, 2012.

Guatemala: 1954

Under the rule of Jacobo Arbenz, Guatemala sought to expropriate land from the powerful US corporation the United Fruit Company. The company was known for its near enslavement of Guatemalan peasants and its vast ownership of Guatemalan land. The United Fruit Company was the largest land holder in Guatemala at the time. Under the codename operation PBSUCCESS, the democratically elected Arbenz was overthrown in a violent US backed Coup d’état by Carlos Castillo Armas who went on to become the head of a brutal Guatemalan dictatorship ultimately killing thousands of civilians.

Chapman, 2007; Schlesinger et al., 2005; Colby, 2011.

Cuba: 1959 – Present

After seizing power in 1959, Fidel Castro set about a redistribution of Cuban wealth to the peasantry in addition to the expropriation of US corporate assets. Soon after, a wide ranging and complex web of US interference including sanctions and terrorism took place to try to overthrow or assassinate Castro. Cuba, aligned with Russia, became the centre stage for the Cuban-missile crisis, a standoff between the US and Russian over strategic weapons placement. The CIA partook in biological warfare, assassinations, including that of Che Guevara, and terrorism. US interference continues to this day.

Kornbluh, 1998; Dapena, 2004; Latell, 2012.

Chile: 1973

After almost winning an election in 1958, the US set up a major CIA operation to prevent Salvador Allende from becoming President at the next election. It succeeded through mass propaganda campaigns. This continued until 1970 when Allende, despite US interference, won the election. The US set about utilising a destabilisation program which led to an economic freefall. The US then assisted General Pinochet in a Coup d’état which lead to Allende’s ‘suicide’. Subsequently, Chile fell into violent military rule leading to the US backed state terror campaign Operation Condor which spread across Latin America.

François, 2018; Kornbluh, 2004; Qureshi, 2009.

Nicaragua: 1978-1990

Nicaragua was ruled by a family dynasty installed by previous US interference. Support by a US national guard indulging in murder, rape, contraband and drugs, helped maintain the dynasty. After this regime was overthrown by the Sandinista’s seeking to reconstruct an impoverished society created by the dynasty, President Jimmy Carter flooded Nicaragua with ‘aid’ directed at funding the ‘Contras’ and destabilising most of Nicaragua’s major industries. The Contras subsequently ran a campaign of barbarism against the Nicaraguan population including severe human rights atrocities encouraged by the provision of a CIA technical manual instructing them on how to run such a violent campaign. Eventually, after years of war, the US backed opposition political party UNO, in a bought election, saw the Sandinista’s lose power.

Perla, 2016; Garvin, 1992; Brown, 2001; Dickey, 1985.

Haiti: 1986-1994

After decades of violent oppression, Haiti’s violent ruling family, the Duvalier’s (AKA Papa Doc and Baby Doc), were forced from Haiti. In their place, a new election was to be held with a high likelihood that a priest, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a liberation theologist who helped teach the poor about ideas of resistance against authoritarian oppression, would win. The US along with the CIA launched a campaign to prevent him coming to power. Aristide triumphed even in the face of rigged elections against him. However, after a few months in power, and after providing hope to the Haitian people of a new beginning free of tyranny, a coup violently overthrew Aristide and a new military regime began a new era of human rights abuses. While there is no apparent evidence to suggest US interference in this coup, the military regime was CIA trained in brutality. The US, this time, rather than interfere, simply left the country to fall into violence on its own accord. 

Aristide & Wargny, 1993; Podur, 2012; Sprague, 2012.

Appendix B:

The washington consensus.

The Washington consensus is a set of 10 policy instruments with which the US believe can realistically be ‘implemented’ in other nations. These are:

• Fiscal restraint: as imposed by IMF conditionality to maintain low deficit (often through austerity)
• Public expenditure reduction : this is unnecessary as tax revenues can be increased but spending reductions are always preferred by the right wing
• Tax reform: widening the tax base and incorporating marginal tax rates
• Interest rates: should be determined by the market and be positive to prevent capital flight
• Exchange rates: to make exchange rates as competitive as possible
• Trade policy liberalisation: anti-protectionist measures, removal of restrictions
• Foreign direct investment: facilitating an inward influx of foreign investment. The US is anti-economic nationalism for other nations but not for itself.
• Privatisation: transfer of state assets into private corporate hands
• Deregulation: removal of restrictions to facilitate increased competition
• Property rights: strong property rights fundamental to the operating of the capitalist system

(Williamson, 1990; Marangos, 2008: 230-231).

Reviewer 01

The dissertation relies on an impressive body of literature. Its analysis of USA’s political interference in Venezuela, Latin America, and beyond is thus very detailed and has remarkable historical depth. The dissertation makes use of pertinent theoretical frameworks, although some of these would have deserved a more subtle use. For instance, more recent theories of neo-imperialism could have been introduced. Also, while the understanding of Venezuelan oil as ISA is interesting, Brian should have further defended this analysis, making it clearer how oil serves an ideological function. The historical reconstruction has the issue of not dealing with geopolitical context – for instance, the transformations occurred after the Cold War should have been taken into examination. Another problem of contextualisation has to do with the analysis of Venezuela, and this is, to me, the main problem with the work. There is little discussion of local politics, social organisation, and conflicts. Of course, while it is absolutely legitimate to consider the US strategy as the prime factor of social disgruntling, no social scientist would think societal conflicts purely derive from external influence. Some more attention to the local political dialectics should have thus been presented, linking it to discussion on the local elites joining the side of USA (which appears in the text). In the same vein, while no analysis of the Venezuelan crisis can ignore the geopolitical stakes it has, and US influence, the author should have at least discussed some endogenous theories of the crisis, such as the ones about the failure of many resource-based states in diversifying their economy. In this sense, the dissertation reads, at times, more like a pamphlet than like an academic analysis. Finally, the analysis of NGOs role in constructing consensus against Maduro should have been more consistently carried out.  

The dissertation lacks abstract and ethics form.  

Reviewer 02

Overall this is a piece of work which demonstrates strong research skills and a high level of competence in terms of academic writing and presentation.  It offers a rich case study of politico- structural origins of social divisions, providing an original synthesis of available research to identify a ‘4-point modus operandi’ which attributes current social divisions to US policy.  The value of this analysis is attested with a number of examples before applying this to the case of Venezuela. The dissertation is an accelerated immersion into substantive detail and analysis that deserves much credit.  It is a case study illuminative of political sociological concerns and as a piece of historical sociology.  It draws on Althusser’s notions of RSA and ISA to make sense of politically motivated structural adjustment.  The dissertation would have been further strengthened by further development of its framing as a political sociological and historical sociological analysis.  For example, the following deserve greater introduction to set the dissertation up: structural versus individual explanations for poverty and inequality; locating the case study vis-à-vis political sociology and economic sociology as sub-disciplines; critiques of methodological nationalism as insufficient to explain national issues and including in this a discussion of Government/ governance/ governmentalities in relation to the politics of economic globalisation; the notion of ‘structural adjustment’ as top-down policy and bottom-up experience. Within the word count restrictions, it would have been impossible to address all these elements and succeed in the depth of case study presented.  A suggestion, were the piece to be developed/ adapted for publication, would be to clearly locate a selective representation of the case study to particular theoretical debates and disciplinary foci.   

Maintaining Intellectual Honesty in Sociology

The lord of the rings: the one ring as metaphor for consumerism, brian waldock.

Brian is a current PhD student in sociology. His thesis focuses on a range of concepts including platonism, bureaucracy, and abstract space. When not destroying his mind with theories, he indulges in the occasional video game, anime, chinese takeaway, or maybe even a very rare pint.

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Dissertation examples

Listed below are some of the best examples of research projects and dissertations from undergraduate and taught postgraduate students at the University of Leeds We have not been able to gather examples from all schools. The module requirements for research projects may have changed since these examples were written. Refer to your module guidelines to make sure that you address all of the current assessment criteria. Some of the examples below are only available to access on campus.

• Undergraduate examples
• Taught Masters examples

What’s Included: The Dissertation Template

If you’re preparing to write your dissertation, thesis or research project, our free dissertation template is the perfect starting point. In the template, we cover every section step by step, with clear, straightforward explanations and examples .

The template’s structure is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects such as dissertations and theses. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your dissertation or thesis will have a smooth, logical flow from chapter to chapter.

The dissertation template covers the following core sections:

• The title page/cover page
• Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
• Table of contents
• List of figures /list of tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction  (also available: in-depth introduction template )
• Chapter 2: Literature review  (also available: in-depth LR template )
• Chapter 3: Methodology (also available: in-depth methodology template )
• Chapter 4: Research findings /results (also available: results template )
• Chapter 5: Discussion /analysis of findings (also available: discussion template )
• Chapter 6: Conclusion (also available: in-depth conclusion template )
• Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included practical examples to help you understand exactly what’s required in each section.

The cleanly-formatted Google Doc can be downloaded as a fully editable MS Word Document (DOCX format), so you can use it as-is or convert it to LaTeX.

FAQs: Dissertation Template

What format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The dissertation template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of dissertations/theses can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research projects such as dissertations or theses, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Will this work for a research paper?

A research paper follows a similar format, but there are a few differences. You can find our research paper template here .

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a dissertation, thesis or research project at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my dissertation/thesis be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, Masters-level projects are usually 15,000 – 20,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects are often in excess of 60,000 words.

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this dissertation template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our dissertation and thesis coaching services .

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Research projects & dissertations

Undergraduate dissertations.

The following guide has been created for you by the  Student Learning Advisory Service . For more detailed guidance and to speak to one of our advisers, please book an  appointment  or join one of our  workshops . Alternatively, have a look at our  SkillBuilder  skills videos.   

Initial questions

Two initial questions are paramount:

• What is going to be the central focus of the study?
• What is the best method for gathering the information needed?

It is normal for researchers to start out with just a hazy idea about their ‘research question’, or for the idea to evolve as you conduct your research. It is important, however, that at the start of the process you have a clear and defined topic; too vast and the results will be vague and generalised; too narrow and you will find it difficult to find sources to evidence your research. Keep asking: what do you really want to find out?

Similarly, what is the best way of approaching the project? How will you get all the information you need to do the job properly? Do you have easy access to the sources or participants you will need to work with? Are there ethical concerns that might prevent you from working as you would like?

Getting started

You may have to submit an initial research proposal before you start the research project. This is important because:     

• Your supervisor has responsibility for checking that your proposal meets the module and/or course requirements, and it is better to find this out at the start rather than the end of the dissertation process
• Your supervisor will want to know that the project is ‘do-able’ – that is, that you can achieve what you say you want to achieve in the time and with the resources available
• The Research Proposal is part of the process of refining your ideas; it helps to press home the question: what do you really want to find out?

Departmental procedures for Research Proposals vary. ALWAYS check the module/course handbook for precise information about the forms to be filled in and where/when a proposal has to be submitted. If in doubt, ask your supervisor.    

Research planning

Dissertations typically take longer than you think. Good planning and effective time management are thus essential. Start well ahead of the deadline and begin by drawing up a schedule of the different tasks you will need to complete, and when they should be completed by.

A significant amount of time will be required for the literature search and review, particularly if you are a slow reader. If your project involves empirical (raw) data you will need to allocate sufficient time to collect this. Similarly, allow plenty of time for analysis as, even with the help of computer programmes, the collation and analysis of empirical data is a long process and has to be done carefully. Build in ‘thinking time’ to gather your own thoughts on the data, and remember to allow enough time for drafting and editing the dissertation.

As you work back from the final deadline don’t forget to include ‘emergency time’. Be prepared for illness, computer problems, family or work crises and so on. Valuable marks are often lost because students try to look for short cuts. Instead, take these eventualities into account as you draw up a schedule of your personal targets and goals.

It may look something like this:

Reading the literature

Remember the tricks of the trade: be ruthlessly targeted - what do you really need to read? Do you really need to read every word of every book, or do you only need part of a section or chapter? Look for the clues to narrow down the focus – the index or chapter introductions, for example. Use a similar approach with journal articles: use the abstract to check out whether the article will help with your specific project.

Keep clear notes of all your reading - summarising key ideas, terms, theories or arguments as you go. It is crucially important that you keep a record of all the bibliographic information and page numbers you will need for your references.

When you have collected as much background material as you can, make a list of the key points. What is directly relevant to your work, and what is merely secondary? Consider: does this support your argument or is it merely interesting? Keep the focus.

The purpose of all this reading is to show that:

• You know your subject – you understand what is already known
• You can apply this existing knowledge to your specific research project

The aim is to set up a kind of dialogue between the theories and ideas you have read and the results of your own thinking: does your data confirm or challenge the ideas put forward in the literature? What are your own ideas? Where is the evidence to support your point of view? It may help you to look at our reading strategy guide .  

Writing up the dissertation

Prepare a dissertation plan, setting out the data in the required format for your project (ALWAYS go back and re-read the instructions given at the start of the project. ALWAYS do as it says). A typical dissertation might follow a pattern something like this:

Introduction

Set the scene for the research project, show why it is important and/or interesting and indicate any problems or gaps in the current knowledge.

Set out a summary of your chosen method – and give a rationale

Why did you choose this method, and can you justify its use in this particular project? What alternative methods might have been used, and why were they not chosen?

Literature review

A brief summary of the key points made in the books and journals consulted, and a critique of this material – what is missing, do these ideas or theories work, and why/why not? What kind of overall picture starts to emerge from this literature, and what is missing? See guides on conducting a literature review .

Presentation of any empirical data

This will vary a little, depending on the quantitative or qualitative method used.

Analysis of the data

Identifying the key themes, trends or patterns.

Presentation of your findings

What do you make of this material and (if appropriate) what evidence can you produce from the empirical data to justify your point of view?

How what you’ve found out relates to the literature.

Conclusions

And check: have you actually done what you said you would do in the introduction?

Make sure your assignment is clearly structured, with good summaries at key points. There should be clear links between the sections, with everything set out in a logical order. Make sure your argument is coherent and well evidenced by your research. The higher marks are awarded to dissertations that provide an insightful or new approach to the field and that are persuasive and well presented.

Using your supervisor

University education is about developing the skills required for independent learning. This means that students are expected to take a high degree of responsibility for their own work. The role of the supervisor, therefore, is not to direct your research or help you conduct it. They are there to guide you and check that your work is on target. Your supervisor is essentially a mentor – a senior colleague who is able to offer helpful advice from their own experience and give some immediate feedback. They will advise, challenge, discuss and – if necessary – warn. But they will not do the work for you.

Normally, supervisors want to establish a kind of ‘contract’, which spells out mutual expectations as fully as possible: how often you will meet, what work the supervisor expects to be completed in advance of each session, how feedback will be arranged, and so on. Supervisors expect you to be self-disciplined and motivated enough to complete work by agreed deadlines. You should, therefore, contact them well in advance if you run into problems that will make it difficult to meet these deadlines. Supervisors expect – and have the right to expect – a fully professional approach from students. This means that you (and they) will:

• Keep appointments unless genuinely and unavoidably delayed.
• Keep in regular contact to check out how things are progressing.
• Complete agreed tasks on time.
• Check things out if you are uncertain about the correct process.
• Prepare a clear agenda for each meeting, outlining what you need to get from the session.
• Fix dates for your next supervision each time you meet.

Supervisors are extremely busy people, often engaged in demanding research of their own. So, if they sometimes appear elusive or difficult to contact please be patient and persevere; email is often a better way of raising initial queries or questions, and they can then arrange an additional meeting if necessary.    

Don’t forget: the Student Learning Advisory Service provides 1:1 tutorials, workshops and study guides on various elements of academic research – including effective reading, writing skills and working with stats and data.

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Geography and the Environment: Theses and Dissertations

Introduction.

Theses and dissertations are documents that present an author's research findings, which are submitted to the University in support of their academic degree. They are very useful to consult when carrying out your own research because they:

• provide a springboard to scope existing literature
• provide inspiration for the finished product
• show you the evolution of an author's ideas over time
• provide relevant and up-to-date research (for recent theses and dissertations)

On this page you will find guidance on how to search for and access theses and dissertations in the Bodleian Libraries and beyond.

Definitions

Terms you may encounter in your research.

Thesis: In the UK, a thesis is normally a document that presents an author's research findings as part of a doctoral or research programme.

Dissertation: In the UK, a dissertation is normally a document that presents an author's research findings as part of an undergraduate or master's programme.

DPhil: An abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy, which is an advanced research qualification. You may also see it referred to as PhD.

ORA: The Oxford University Research Archive , an institutional repository for the University of Oxford's research output including digital theses.

Theses and dissertations

• Reading theses and dissertations in the Bodleian Libraries
• SOGE Undergraduate Dissertations
• SOGE MSc Dissertations
• SOGE DPhil Theses
• DPhil Theses outside of Oxford

The Bodleian Libraries collection holds DPhil, MLitt and MPhil theses deposited at the University of Oxford, which you can consult. You may also be interested to read theses and dissertations beyond the University of Oxford, some of which can be read online, or you can request an inter-library loan.

Help with theses and dissertations

To find out more about how to find and access theses and dissertations in the Bodleian Libraries and beyond, we recommend the following:

• Bodleian Libraries theses and dissertations Links to information on accessing the Bodleian Libraries collections of Oxford, UK, US and other international theses.
• Oxford University Research Archive guide
• Help & guidance for digital theses Information on copyright, how to deposit your thesis in ORA and other important matters
• Guide to copyright The Bodleian Libraries' Quick guide to copyright and digital sources.

Prize winning undergraduate dissertations are available in print in the Social Science Library opposite the printing and photocopying room. These start from the year 2000 onwards. Prize winning dissertations from 1979 to 1999 are located offsite but can be ordered to the Social Science Library by searching for the title on SOLO. A full list of the titles is located with the dissertations in the library and is also  here .

Prize winning dissertations from 2019 are also available on the SOGE intranet  here .

There is also a a listing of all non-prize winning dissertations by year from 2003 which includes their abstracts, located by the dissertations. 

BCM, ECM, NSEG & WSPM MSc Dissertations

MSc dissertations with a Distinction are located in the Social Science Library opposite the printer and photocopier room. All dissertations with a Distinction are available in printed format for the years 1995 to 2017. Dissertations from 2018 onwards are only available electronically on the SOGE intranet  here .

DPhil theses in print format are kept off-site at the Bodleian Book Storage Facility. They can be found on SOLO by a keyword search including the word ‘thesis’. Alternatively there is a browseable list by year on the SOGE intranet with links to SOLO  here .

DPhil theses in print format can only be requested to the Weston Library for consultation.

Many of the more recent DPhil theses are also available to read online unless they have an embargo. These are on the university repository,  ORA . The SOGE intranet  browseable list  also includes links to the online full text in ORA where available.

Further information about finding theses, both in Oxford and in other universities can be found  here . 

Depositing your thesis

It is mandatory for students completing a research degree at the University of Oxford (registered to a programme of study on or after 1st October 2007) to deposit an electronic copy of their theses with the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) in order to meet the requirements of their award. To find out more, visit the Oxford University Research Archive guide.

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Trending Topics For Dissertation In 2024

Looking for hot dissertation topics for your research? Here is our list of top examples that will help you decide on a suitable idea for your dissertation.

Humanities Dissertation Topics

• An Analysis of The Role of Social Media in Shaping Public Discourse.
• The Representation of Gender in Contemporary Literature: A Comparative Study.
• The Politics of Cultural Heritage Preservation: Case Study of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• A Philosophical Inquiry of The Ethics of Digital Humanities Research.
• The Intersection of Religion and Politics in the Middle East: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.
• An Ethnographic Study of the Impact of Globalisation on Indigenous Cultures.
• The Aesthetics of Horror in Literature and Film: An Analysis of Contemporary Works.
• The Philosophy of Human Rights: A Comparative Study of Eastern and Western Perspectives.
• The Representation of Trauma in Postcolonial Literature: A Comparative Study of African and South Asian Texts.
• The Psychology of Humor: An Investigation into the Relationship Between Laughter and Mental Health.

Environment Dissertation Topics

• Climate Change Mitigation Strategies: A Comparative Analysis of Developed and Developing Countries.
• The Impact of Urbanisation on Biodiversity: Case Study of Major Cities in the World.
• The Politics of Environmental Justice: A Critical Analysis of Environmental Policies and Their Impacts on Marginalised Communities.
• The Role of Green Technology in Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Renewable Energy Sources.
• The Economics of Carbon Pricing: A Comparative Study of Cap and Trade Systems.
• The Implications of Deforestation on Ecosystem Services with Respect to the Amazon Rainforests.
• The Ethics of Animal Agriculture: An Investigation into the Impacts of Industrial Livestock Production.
• The Role of Environmental Education in Promoting Sustainability in the United Kingdom.
• A Study on The Intersection of Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Conservation.
• The Politics of Water Scarcity: An Overview of the Middle East and North Africa.

Education Dissertation Topics

• The Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning: A Comparative Study of Traditional and Online Education.
• An Investigation on The Role of Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Education.
• A Meta-Analysis on The Effectiveness of Inquiry-Based Learning in STEM Education.
• The Impact of Cultural Diversity on Student Learning Outcomes in the United Kingdom.
• The Politics of Education Reform: A Comparative Analysis of Policies and Their Impacts on Student Achievement.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Teaching Quality.
• The Impact of Globalisation on Higher Education: Case Study of Internationalisation Strategies in Universities.
• An Analysis of The Effectiveness of Social-Emotional Learning Programs.
• The Intersection of Education and Technology Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of EdTech Startups.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Funding and Student Outcomes in Public Schools.

Sports Dissertation Topics

• A Study on the Role of Sports in Promoting Social Inclusion.
• The Impact of Sports Psychology on Athletic Performance: An Investigation into Mental Training Techniques.
• An Analysis of The Ethics of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports.
• The Effectiveness of Injury Prevention Programs in Contact Sports.
• The Intersection of Sports and Technology: An Analysis of Wearable Technology in Athletic Training and Performance.
• A Comparative Study of National and International Sports Organisations.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Sponsorship and Brand Awareness.
• The Impact of Sports on Personal Development: A Comparative Study of Sports and Non-Sports Participants.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Fan Attachment and Identity.
• The Intersection of Sports and Social Media: A Case Study of Athlete Branding and Fan Engagement.

Psychology Dissertation Topics

• An Investigation into the Impacts of Social Media on Anxiety and Depression.
• The Role of Positive Psychology in Promoting Well-Being.
• The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Treating Anxiety and Depression.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Coping Strategies and Health Outcomes.
• The Intersection of Psychology and Neuroscience: An Analysis of Brain Imaging Techniques in Understanding Mental Health Disorders.
• A Critical Analysis of Research Methods and Their Implications for Participants.
• The Impact of Culture on Mental Health: Case Study of Western and Eastern Approaches to Mental Health Treatment.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Personality Traits and Addiction.
• An Analysis of Interpersonal Relationships and Their Impacts on Psychological Well-Being.
• A Comparative Study of Aging and Longevity in Different Cultures.

Gender Dissertation Topics

• The Impact of Gender Stereotypes on Career Choices.
• The Role of Gender-Based Violence in Perpetuating Gender Inequality.
• An Analysis of the Impacts of Intersectionality on Women of Color.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Politics and Women's Access to Healthcare.
• The Effectiveness of Gender Quotas in Promoting Gender Equality.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Masculinity and Mental Health.
• The Role of Gender Identity in Social Justice Movements.
• The Impact of Gender and Sexuality Education on Adolescents.
• A Comparative Study of Gender Pay Gaps in Different Industries and Countries.
• An Analysis of the Impacts of Ableism and Gender Discrimination on Disabled Women.

Law Dissertation Topics

• An Analysis of the Impacts of Digitalisation on Legal Systems.
• The Role of International Law in Addressing Global Challenges.
• The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice in Addressing Criminal Behaviour.
• A Comparative Study of Selection Processes and Their Impacts on Judicial Independence.
• An Analysis of the Impacts of Intersectionality on Legal Rights and Protections.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Advocacy and Professional Responsibility.
• The Impact of Gender and Race on Jury Decision-Making: An Analysis of Implicit Bias in Legal Proceedings.
• The Role of Human Rights Law in Addressing Corporate Responsibility: An Investigation into the Relationship Between Business and Human Rights.
• The Politics of Immigration Law: A Comparative Study of National Policies and Their Impacts on Migrant Rights and Protections.
• The Effectiveness of Alternative Dispute Resolution in Addressing Civil Disputes: A Comparative Study of Mediation and Arbitration.

Business, Finance & Management Dissertation Topics

• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance.
• The Role of Entrepreneurship in Economic Growth: An Analysis of Small Business Development and Job Creation.
• The Impact of Financial Technology on Banking and Finance: use of Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies.
• The Effectiveness of Corporate Governance in Preventing Corporate Scandals: A Comparative Study of Regulations and Practices.
• The Psychology of Decision-Making in Management: An Analysis of Cognitive Biases and Their Impacts on Organisational Behaviour.
• The Role of Leadership in Organisational Change: An Investigation into the Impacts of Leadership Styles on Change Management.
• A Comparative Study of Trade Agreements and Their Impacts on Global Economic Relations.
• The Impact of Organisational Culture on Employee Motivation and Performance.
• An Investigation into the Use of Social Media Marketing and Influencer Marketing.
• The Role of Human Resource Management in Talent Development.

Health & Nursing Dissertation Topics

• The Impact of Telemedicine on Healthcare Delivery
• The Role of Nursing in Patient Safety: An Analysis of Best Practices and Strategies for Preventing Medical Errors.
• The Effectiveness of Health Promotion Programs in Preventing Chronic Diseases.
• A Comparative Study of National Policies and Their Impacts on Access to Care.
• An Analysis of the Impacts of Co-Morbidities on Patient Outcomes.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Health Knowledge and Patient Empowerment.
• A Comparative Study of Pain Management Strategies in Different Settings.
• An Analysis of Best Practices and Strategies for Addressing Health Disparities.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Comfort Care and Quality of Life.
• The Effectiveness of Healthcare Teamwork in Patient-Centered Care.

Technology Dissertation Topics

• An Investigation into the Ethical and Social Implications of AI Technologies.
• The Impact of Cybersecurity Threats on Business and Society.
• The Role of Blockchain Technology in the Future of Digital Transactions.
• An Analysis of the Impacts of Digital Health Technologies on Patient Outcomes and Access to Care.
• The Effectiveness of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Education and Training.
• A Comparative Study of National Policies and International Agreements.
• An Investigation into the Use of Data-Driven Decision Making.
• The Impact of Social Media on Society and Culture: An Analysis of the Impacts of Platforms like TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.
• The Effectiveness of User-Centered Design in Developing Technology Products.
• The Future of Quantum Computing and its Potential Applications in Different Fields.

Geography & Politics Dissertation Topics

• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Environmental Policy and Global Climate Change.
• An Analysis of Immigration and Refugee Settlement Patterns in Cities.
• A Comparative Study of National Interests and Strategic Considerations.
• A Review on The Intersection of Geography and Political Violence.
• A Study of Different Approaches to Addressing Economic Disparities.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Resource Distribution and Political Power.
• An Analysis of National Borders and Their Impacts on Migration, Trade, and Security.
• An Investigation into the Use of Geospatial Technologies and Digital Mapping in Political Analysis.
• A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Disaster Response and Preparedness.
• An Analysis of the Use of Spatial Analysis and Geographical Information Systems in Policy Making.

Fashion & Media Dissertation Topics

• An Analysis of the Impacts of Instagram, TikTok, and Other Platforms on Fashion Marketing and Consumption.
• The Role of Fashion in Representing Diversity and Inclusivity in Media.
• An Examination of the Influences of Celebrities on Fashion Trends and Consumer Behaviour.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Fashion, Power, and Identity.
• Comparative research of Different Approaches to Ethical and Environmentally Conscious Fashion Production.
• An Analysis of the Use of Photography in Fashion Communication.
• A Breakdown of the Relationship Between Wearable Technologies and Fashion Trends.
• The Effectiveness of Influencer Marketing in Fashion.
• The Impact of Fashion and Media on Body Image.
• A Study into the Use of Fashion as a Symbolic Representation of Political Messages and Movements.

Tourism Dissertation Topics

• The Impact of Sustainable Tourism Practices on Local Communities.
• An Investigation into the Use of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Tourism.
• A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Marketing Tourism Destinations.
• An Analysis of the Relationship Between Tourism Development and Political Power.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Tourism and Heritage Conservation.
• A Research of Different Approaches to Tourism as a Driver of Economic Growth.
• The Effectiveness of Tourism Policies in Addressing Overtourism: An Analysis of Different Approaches to Managing Tourist Crowds in Popular Destinations.
• An Investigation into the Impacts of Platforms like Instagram and TikTok on Tourism Marketing and Consumption.
• The Role of Tourism in Conflict and Post-Conflict Zones.
• An Investigation into Emerging Trends and Innovations in Tourism.

Science & Engineering Dissertation Topics

• An Investigation into the Use of Machine Learning and AI Techniques in Engineering Design and Optimisation.
• The Impact of Renewable Energy Technologies on Sustainable Development: An Analysis of Different Approaches to Promoting Renewable Energy Sources.
• An Investigation into Emerging Technologies and Innovations in Space Science and Engineering.
• Study of Different Approaches to Green Building and Sustainable Architecture.
• An Analysis of the Impacts of Biotechnology on Medical Diagnosis, Treatment, and Drug Development.
• The Impact of Climate Change on Engineering Infrastructure: An Investigation into the Relationship Between Climate Change and Infrastructure Resilience.
• The Effectiveness of Science Education Programs: A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Teaching Science in Schools.
• A Research on the Use of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies in Engineering Applications.
• An Investigation into Emerging Technologies and Innovations in Transportation Engineering.
• An Analysis of the Impacts of Additive Manufacturing on Industrial Processes and Supply Chains.

Marketing Dissertation Topics

• An Investigation into the Impacts of Influencer Marketing on Consumer Behaviour
• An Analysis of the Use of Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in Marketing Strategies.
• A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Targeted Marketing and Personalised Advertising.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Customer Experience and Consumer Loyalty.
• An Analysis of the Use of Narrative Techniques in Brand Communications.
• A Study of Different Approaches to Corporate Social Responsibility in Marketing.
• An Investigation into the Impacts of Customer Advocacy and Word-of-Mouth Marketing.
• A Research of the Use of Mobile Technologies in Marketing Communications.
• A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Creating Immersive Brand Experiences.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Marketing Communications and Brand Reputation.

Management Dissertation Topics

• A Research on the Impacts of Emotional Intelligence on Leadership Effectiveness
• An Analysis of the Use of Digital Technologies in Business Management and Operations.
• A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Building Diverse and Inclusive Workplaces.
• The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Management.
• An Analysis of the Use of AI and Machine Learning in Business Decision-Making and Strategy.
• A Study of Different Approaches to Managing Organisational Knowledge.
• An Investigation into the Relationship Between Organisational Culture and Performance.
• An Analysis of the Impacts of Globalisation on International Business Operations and Management Practices.
• A Comparative Study of Different Approaches to Measuring and Evaluating Employee Performance.
• The Role of Change Management in Organisational Transformation.

What You Get With Our Dissertation Topics Service

Subject specialists.

When you order custom dissertation topics from Research, a subject expert suggests the most relevant ideas for you to choose from.

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At ResearchProspect, we aim to provide unique, relevant and focused dissertation topics which will help you produce a high quality dissertation.

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We provide guaranteed plagiarism-free content. The topics delivered to you by our experts will never be resold to another client.

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Whether you want just the topics or the full dissertation writing service, our customer service is active 24/7 to help you with all your queries.

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Our packages are created to provide high-quality services at a reasonable cost to all students, regardless of their fields of study.

Customised Approach

We carefully select the most qualified writer for your topics’ order. This means you’ll only ever be paired with a writer who is an expert in your subject.

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service !

Dissertation Topic Examples

Here are some dissertation topics examples for you so you know what you can expect from our experts when you order a free dissertation topic from Research Prospect

Topic 1: Management Quality and Control- Assessing the role of project length in the UK Construction sector.

Research Aim: The construction industry is one of the most significant contributors to the country’s economy. This study investigates the role of project length on management control and quality in the UK’s construction sector. Also, the research will analyse the connection between project length and quality control, considering the moderating impact of management quality control on a project’s success.

Topic 2: Investigating how the Tourism Industry has taken Green and Sustainable measures- A case study of UK

Research Aim: This study will investigate the various aspects of the UK tourism industry towards making green and sustainable measures for the environmental benefits. It will also look into the consumer’s perspective towards green tourism and its positive and negative impacts on the tourism industry and the tourists. It is also helping you develop a better understanding of the concept of a green environment and its influence on the tourism industry.

Topic 3: Assessing the role of Communication Strategies in Fashion Marketing- a case study of UK

Research Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of communication strategies in the world of UK fashion marketing. This will also give us an understanding of how new fashion remanufacturing should be communicated to the consumers. Focusing on how information and messages about the brands or products should be labelled to attract the audience.

Topic 4: Building demolition- Analyse the efficacy of destroying and ruining Big city structures and their impact on the traffic.

Research Aim: Many big cities around the world have demolished a vast number of buildings that were functional with new structures. It not only has an economic impact but also results in the loss of urban culture, harms the environment, cause pollution, and also worsen the traffic situation. This study will evaluate the merits of building demotion and will provide economic, technical and environmental input.

Topic 5: Assessing the relationship between Information Protection and Journalism, how does the Data Protection Act of 1998 affect the problem of people in Media Exposure?

Research Aim: This study will examine how the Data protection act of 1998 plays an important role in protecting information. This study will provide vital knowledge by collecting information from the directors’ of a few media associations. Discussions with media members can also help in gaining an understanding of the actual circumstances in which material obtained by journalism should be protected.

Topic 6: An investigation of the blockchain's application on the energy sector leading towards electricity production and e-mobility.

Research Aim: This study aims to investigate the applications of blockchain within the energy sector. This study will identify how blockchain can be used to produce electricity from the comfort of home. Moreover, this study aims to introduce the concept of e-mobility through blockchain, according to which blockchain can be used to share the car ride with the other commuters residing at nearby places. Another objective of this research is to develop a framework that could assess blockchain’s use for the consumers staying within a budget and letting them assess how much money they have been spending so far.

Topic 7: Increasing Bitcoin Privacy and Security- Assessing the Role and Implementation of Confidential Transactions.

Research Aim: A confidential transfer is a technology that allows users to protect their money values from the public using new crypto techniques. The study aims to determine if confidential transactions can provide secret, secure as well as financial privacy. As a result, it is crucial to examine the function of confidential transactions in order to ensure that no digital currency is lost or produced when a transaction occurs without disclosing the precise number of transfers.

Topic 8: An analysis of the novel waste management techniques- A case study of United Kingdom oil and gas sector.

Research Aim: This study analyses the novel waste management techniques and practices in the UK oil and gas sector. It will also identify the challenges facing the oil and gas sector in achieving sustainable management of all the waste from production. This study aims to determine different forms of E and P waste being generated and reduce harmful E and P waste by using technology, focusing on the policies made by the government regarding hazardous waste from the oil and gas industry.

Topic 9: Assessing the parental perceptions and attitude towards the adoption of healthy behaviour patterns to control obesity and overweight concerns in young children.

Research Aim: This study aims to analyse the parent’s perceptions and attitudes in relation to healthy behaviours practises to control obesity and overweight disorders in young children. It will also focus on the obstacles parents or caregivers experience when it comes to obesity control in young children.

Topic 10: What are the Environmental Impacts of Water Waste Treatment of Cement Industry in South Korea?

Research Aim: This study aims to find the environmental impacts of water waste treatment of the cement industry in South Korea. With the help of a comprehensive survey across the cement manufacturing companies in South Korea, this study will first scrutinize the entire waste treatment process in the cement industry in South Korea. Then it will analyze the impact of each step on the environment. And after analyzing find the environmental effects of the water waste treatment of the cement industry in South Korea, this study will recommend modern ways to reduce the adverse effects.

Topic 11: Politics in a Digital Age- Assessing the impact of Social Media on Public Participation and Political Campaigns.

Research Aim: This study aims to find how the public has utilised social media during elections or political campaigns. This study will also focus on the impact of social networking sites on popular participation in the electoral vote and political debate. This research study will also investigate the effects of new technologies and the digital era on media and political party campaigns and media activities during elections.

Topic 12: The influence of price and brand on consumer preference during an economic recession: A case of the clothing market in Greece

Research Aim: The research will aim to examine the impact of prices and brands on consumer buying behaviour during an economic recession in Greece’s clothing market. During an economic crisis, not all types of products suffer the same consequences. During a recession, people are more sensible in their buying decisions, and they frequently continue to choose known product brands that meet their demands. The study will look at the impact of the recession on consumer purchasing preferences, taking into account variations in spending on various apparel brands based on price.

Topic 13: An investigation of the reasons for the Merger's failure outcomes and acquisition of Islamic Banks in gulf countries.

Research Aim: It is also evident from various studies that most Islamic banks in the Gulf countries, which put their efforts into Mergers and acquisitions to other know and well-established banking sectors, encountered some severe failures. Therefore, this study aims to develop an understanding of failure outcomes for the Islamic banks while going towards Merger’s decision and acquisition with other well-known banks in the Gulf countries.

Topic 14: The Role of International Criminal Laws in Reducing Global Genocide

Research Aim: This study aims to find the role of international criminal laws in reducing global genocide. It will be an exploratory study identifying the explicit and implicit effects of international criminal laws on the worldwide genocide. It will analyse different incidents of international genocide and find out how international criminal laws played a positive role to reduce these incidents. Lastly, it will recommend possible changes in the international criminal laws to effectively mitigate global genocide. And it will be done by comparing criminal laws of world-leading powers to reduce genocide.

Topic 15: How do our genes influence our lifestyle and behavior?

Research Aim: Inherited genetic predispositions largely determine individual differences in intellectual ability, personality, and mental health. Behavior also displays indicators of genetic influence; for example, how somebody reacts to stressful circumstances reflects some genetic influence. This research aims to find the impact of genes on a person’s lifestyle and behavior. The study will also examine the ratio of people likely to be affected by genetics.

Topic 16: An assessment of the Influence of Parents' Divorce or Separation on Adolescent Children in terms of long-term psychological impact.

Research Aim: This study aims to investigate the level of traumas experienced by the children of divorced or separated parents. The principal aim of this study is to explore the long-term psychological impacts of parents’ divorce on the life of children regardless of their gender and age in terms of mental wellbeing, academic performance, and self-worth.

Topic 17: Russia-Israel relationship and its impact on Syria and the Middle East.

Research Aim: Russia and Israel share significant aspects of their strategic cultures. Both countries have a siege mentality and are led by a security-first mindset and a predominantly military view of authority. p Russia’s relationship with Israel has grown in importance in the context of Russia’s military operation in Syria. This study aims to examine the relations between Russia and Israel and how they have impacted Syria and the middle east—focusing on different policies, agreements, and military interventions.

Topic 18: Assessing the Role of Social Media in Raising Awareness about Environmental Issues- A case study of Snapchat.

Research Aim: The main aim of this study is to find the role of social media platforms in raising awareness about environmental issues. This study will focus on the social media app Snapchat which is currently very popular among the youth, and millions of people use Snapchat daily and send each other snaps. Furthermore, this study will focus on how this platform plays a vital role in spreading awareness regarding environmental issues.

Topic 19: Is Cybercrime a Threat to Banking Sector in Developing Countries? A Case Study of Banking Sector in Pakistan

Research Aim: This study aims to analyze the impact of cybercrime on the banking sector in developing countries. It will identify the possible threats faced by the banking sector due to increasing cybercrimes. These threats are related to the information security of the banks in developing countries. This research will be using Pakistan as a case study to find the threats posed by cybercrime to fragile banking. And after identifying the threats, the study will try to recommend possible solutions to ensure information security.

Topic 20: Examining Multi-dimension in facial emotion detection.

Research Aim: When it comes to communications, human expressions are extraordinary. Humans can identify it very easily and accurately. Getting the same outcome from a 3D machine is a difficult task. This is because of the present challenges in 3D face data scanning. This study will examine the facial emotion identification in humans using different multi-point for 3D face landmarks.

Why You Might Need Dissertation Topic and Proposal Help?

Submission of your dissertation is the crux of your academic life, and it starts by first cracking your dissertation topic. Refrain from plucking out a topic from thin air because that’s not how it works. Before you start your journey into the world of research, you need to do a bit of self-exploration. And by such, we don’t mean meditating over your dissertation ideas in your yoga class or during the soul cycle, if that’s what you would love to do.

It means taking the time to truly understand your academic goals, which may overlap with your professional goals. Maybe you’re thinking about becoming a leading expert/scholar in, let’s say…The Beatles (yes, there is an actual degree program, check out Liverpool Hope University) or professionally pursuing a career in the music industry. Then it would be best if you defined that goal before you jump into your dissertation.

For some students, a dissertation at the Master’s level lays the foundation for their PhD studies. For others, a dissertation may be the only requirement stopping them from achieving a graduate degree to improve their prospects in the job market. Whatever your academic or professional goal may be, it is essential to incorporate it into your dissertation proposal as it lays the foundation for the pursuance of your goals.

We genuinely hope by reading this, the task of making a dissertation topic no longer seems daunting, but instead rewarding. Now before you embark on your Herculean adventures of writing your dissertation always remember – this dissertation is you. It’s an accumulation of everything you studied so far and where your interests lie!

For sparking your creative side in developing an idea, you can always run through our dissertation samples to get an idea of how to go about writing your dissertation. Your topic should be an idea of what you are passionate about learning more about. As an academic researcher, you never stop learning. Therefore, you should always choose a topic that brings out your expertise and strength.

Remember: There is no need to go down the path of trying to impress your supervisor with some topic that is way beyond your comfort zone. You can still be impressed with your original idea that plays to your strengths.

That’s why you need to take the time out for some brainstorming and jotting down ideas that may randomly pop up in your head. If only you can see our writer’s desk, they have ideas written down on post-its, my desk calendar, all over random notebooks; it looks like the work of a madman, but it’s just the brainstorming process in action. And remember, throughout this time, your supervisor and those on your committee are your best friends from now until you make your final defence.

There is no conspiracy of trying to fail you and/or make your life miserable. Be sure to take the time and have a chat with your supervisor about your dissertation ideas. Talk to them about what outcomes you want to see from your research or how you would like to contribute to the academic literature present. Also, read, read, read, and read some more! These thousands of academic journals you have access to will help you in constructing a balanced dissertation topic. Read through what previously has been accomplished in your field of study and some limitations in current research. Also, these academics provide us with suggestions for further research in their body of work.

Dissertation Help

Now for some of you thinking: I’ve already done the deep dive into my inner soul but am still stuck and need dissertation topic help, well then look no further. If you are still struggling with your dissertation ideas ResearchProspect can help you every step of the way.

We’re a band of super nerds who are experts in their fields, from biochemistry to rococo art history and everything in between (and hold PhD degrees!). So if you are unsure about what topic to write about, you can stop Googling ‘how to find dissertation topic’ and start contacting our customer service reps. All you have to do is fill out a simple form online here on our website. We’ll get back to you with quotes within 30 minutes. Once you place the order, our super-nerd writer will start working on your dissertation immediately once you’ve made the necessary payment transactions. And like magic, your dissertation, along with a free plagiarism report, will be in your email address well before your deadline. It would be best to get some colour back in your face knowing that you have unlimited options in developing a first-class dissertation. So buckle up and enjoy the ride. It’s going to come with lots of ups and downs, but in the end, it will have a reward most worth it!

How To Choose The Best Dissertation Topic

It can be a demanding task for many students to choose a suitable topic for their dissertation. These tips will help you choose the best dissertation topic.

• Start by identifying areas of study that you find interesting and exciting. You should consider the topic you have enjoyed studying and think about how to apply that knowledge to a new research project.
• Conduct a literature review of your chosen field of study to identify gaps in knowledge or areas that require further research. Try looking for topics that are currently trending and in demand in your field of study.
• Consult with your advisor to get their opinion on potential research topics. They can suggest areas of study that have not been explored or provide insight into what is currently being researched in your field.
• Narrow your focus to a specific area of study or research question. A well-defined topic will make your research more manageable and focused.
• Consider the feasibility of your topic regarding the availability of resources, access to data, and the time frame for completion.
• Brainstorm a list of potential topics and evaluate each based on feasibility, relevance, and interests.
• Once you have identified potential topics, test them by conducting preliminary research to determine the data availability and the research project’s feasibility.

Get 3+ Free Dissertation Topics From ResearchProspect

Yes, you heard that right! You will now get 3 free dissertation topics from ResearchProspect when you place an order. Along with a huge database of free ideas for dissertation topics for you to choose from, you can avail of our free custom dissertation topic service and kickstart your research now. Send in your requirements using our simple order form and get free services from the top industry experts.

Why is a Dissertation Topic Outline or a Proposal Important?

A dissertation topic outline plan or a research proposal sets the stage for your dissertation project. It provides the necessary framework for you to conduct your research and write an authentic paper that will add value to your area of study. A dissertation outline provides topic background information, a justification of your choice of topic, the hypothesis you are testing, your proposed methodology and a brief literature review. It ends with a project timeline and a list of references. To be honest, that is what you need to get started with your dissertation.

In creating a worthy research topic, it is important to be manageable, interesting, and add value to the body of knowledge in its respective field. To help students narrow their search for a research topic, ResearchProspect writers have brainstormed new dissertation topics that are innovative and relevant to the current body of knowledge available and can aid in the brainstorming process.

Our band of super nerds have designed the latest dissertation topics across a variety of subjects that are intriguing and look to fill research gaps present in their respective academic literature. These free dissertation topics are great for starting the process of writing your dissertation , thesis or proposal . So take a breather, ResearchProspects has got you covered with our dissertation writing services.

Looking for our latest offers? Or want topics with a proposal at an outstanding price? Click here

The Importance Of Dissertation Topics

Dissertation topics are of utmost importance in academic research because they can greatly impact the quality of research and the project’s ultimate success. Coming up with the right ideas for dissertation topics can be complicated for a few students. Here are some reasons why choosing the right dissertation title is significant for your research:

• Sets the tone for the research: Your dissertation topic is the starting point for your research project. It sets the tone for the entire research and determines the scope and direction of the study.
• Demonstrates knowledge and expertise: A good dissertation topic also helps demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in your particular study area. It is an opportunity to showcase your mastery of the topic and your ability to engage in independent research.
• Significance: The right dissertation topic is significant and relevant in the field of study. It addresses a knowledge gap or a research question that has not been adequately answered.
• Feasibility: The topic should be feasible and realistic. It should be possible to conduct research on the chosen topic within the given time frame and with resources.
• Interest and motivation: The dissertation topic should interest the student and motivate them to conduct the research. This will make the research process more enjoyable and increase the likelihood of success.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i choose a dissertation topic.

• Identify your interests.
• Review current literature for gaps.
• Consider the feasibility of research methods
• Consult with advisors or mentors
• Reflect on potential contributions to your field.
• Ensure the topic aligns with your career goals and aspirations.

How do I get ideas for my dissertation?

• Explore recent publications and academic journals in your field.
• Attend conferences or seminars to discover trends and topics.
• Engage in discussions with peers and professors.
• Conduct preliminary research to identify gaps.
• Reflect on personal experiences or observations that sparked curiosity.
• Consider societal or industry challenges needing solutions.

Can I change my dissertation topic?

Yes, you can change your dissertation topic with approval from your advisor or committee. Ensure the new topic aligns with your interests, resources, and research goals. Communicate openly about the reasons for the change, and be prepared to adjust your timeline and research plan accordingly.

How long is a dissertation topic?

The length of a dissertation topic typically ranges from a concise phrase to a short sentence, encompassing the central theme or focus of the research. It should be clear, specific, and reflective of the scope and objectives of the study, typically spanning around 5 to 15 words .

What is the ideal length of a dissertation topic?

The ideal length of a dissertation topic is concise yet descriptive, typically comprising around 5 to 15 words . It should encapsulate the central theme or research focus, providing clarity to both the researcher and the audience while allowing flexibility in exploring the chosen title.

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An Undergraduate's Guide to Funding and Publishing Research

• URECA and other SBU Research Programs and Opportunities
• Funding Your Research
• Publishing Your Research: Why and How?
• Publishing Your Research: List of Undergraduate Journals

SBU's own publications

Note that among the journals listed here are SBU's own publications such as  SBU Brooklogue ,  Young Investigator's Review  and the Stony Brook Undergraduate History Journal . 

How do I know whether my discipline is considered a Humanities or Social Science field?

Humanities includes fields such as Art History, Classics, English, Comparative Literature, History, Musicology, and Philosophy. Sometimes History can be considered broadly as either a Humanities or Social Science discipline, but for the sake of this list, most history journals are listed in the Arts & Humanities category. Likewise, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and related fields often use methods from both Humanities and Social Science research, so you might find related topics on either the Humanities or Social Science list. Psychology is another borderline discipline that might be classified as either a social science or STEM field. For the sake of this list, Psychology is listed with the Social Sciences. STEM fields are those affiliated with science, technology, engineering, or math.

Journals that publish undergraduate research

There are many journals that focus specifically on publishing undergraduate research. The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) keeps an ever growing list of journals that feature undergraduate work . However, many of those listed by CUR are hosted by a specific institution and might only publish the work of their own students, and others might not be peer-reviewed or have publishing fees, so read the descriptions carefully. And, as always, carefully review each journal's website, published articles, and the author submission guidelines before submitting your work.

Below is a list of selected journals that SBU undergraduates are eligible to submit to, organized into the following categories:

• Broad Scope: Journals that publish research in any disciplinary area.
• Arts and Humanities : Fields such as Art History, Classics, English, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, History, Musicology, Philosophy, Theology, and Writing & Rhetoric. Sometimes History-related fields are also classified as a Social Science, but on this page, most history journals are in the Arts & Humanities category.
• Social Sciences: Fields such as Sociology, Psychology, Economics, International Affairs, Geography, Sustainability, Political Science, and Human Rights are included here.
• STEM : Fields in the hard sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Broad Scope: Journals that publish research in any discipline

• Aletheia: The Alpha Chi Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship Peer-reviewed journal for undergraduate scholarship run by the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society.
• American Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR) AJUR is a national, independent, faculty peer-reviewed, open-source, quarterly, multidisciplinary student research journal.
• Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research (BJUR) Submission of original, scholarly research articles is open to undergraduates from any accredited college or university. BJUR publishes scholarship across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
• Discussions: The Undergraduate Research Journal of Case Western Reserve University The journal accepts research papers written by current undergraduate students from accredited colleges and universities around the globe. The research can be on any topic.
• Inquiries: Social Sciences, Arts, & Humanities An open access academic journal focusing on publishing high quality original work across a range of disciplines, especially on work in the social sciences, arts, and humanities.
• International Journal of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (IJURCA) Peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to the publication of outstanding scholarship by undergraduates and their mentors. Accepts submissions from all academic disciplines, including original research in the the form of articles and literature reviews, as well as creative work in a variety of media.
• Journal of Student Research Multidisciplinary and faculty-reviewed journal devoted to the rapid dissemination of current research done by high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.
• Midwest Journal of Undergraduate Research Multidisciplinary scholarly journal produced by a team of Monmouth College student editors and faculty members with peer and faculty reviewers for each article.
• SBU Brooklogue SBU's exclusively undergraduate, peer-reviewed journal for humanities and social sciences.
• Undergraduate Research Journal Double-blind, educator-reviewed print and electronic journal published annually. A forum for multidisciplinary undergraduate research and creative endeavors including case studies, conceptual pieces, creative writing, journalism writings, literature reviews, original art, photography, and scientific studies. Highlights mentored undergraduate scholarly products across all disciplines from all types of higher education institutions.
• UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity The official undergraduate journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council. Submissions are accepted from undergraduates in the following categories: STEM, Social Science, Humanities, Fine Art, and Creative Writing.

Arts and Humanities

• Animus: The Undergraduate Classical Journal of the University of Chicago Supports undergraduate scholarship in the Classics and related fields.
• Apollon Undergraduate Journal A peer-reviewed journal run by faculty and students at Fairfield University. Any undergraduate student whose research was produced through coursework in the humanities may submit.
• Archive: An Undergraduate Journal of History Accepts submissions of History scholarship, including scholarly papers, articles, book reviews, and historical essays from undergraduate students of all majors from colleges and universities in the U.S. or abroad.
• Berkeley Undergraduate Journal of Classics Original manuscripts on any topic related to Classics from undergraduate students in any major at an institution which confers a bachelor's degree are eligible to submit.
• Clio's Scroll: The Berkeley Undergraduate History Journal The journal publishes articles by undergraduates and recent graduates of any university on historical topics.
• Dies Ligibiles: An Undergraduate Journal of Medieval Studies The journal accepts research papers, book reviews, translations, and art in English, French, and Spanish from any undergraduate student at any college or university. The work must pertain to the time period 400 - 1600 CE.
• Epistemai: An Undergraduate Philosophy Journal A student-run philosophy journal at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. The journal publishes short, original philosophical work done by undergraduates from universities across the country, and internationally.
• Falsafa: Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy Run by the Philosophy Club at the University of California, Irvine, this journal highlights philosophical ideas and research by undergraduates.
• Forbes & Fifth This undergraduate journal of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh considers both scholarly and creative work from students at any accredited university in the world.
• The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era Open access peer-reviewed undergraduate journal that publishes academic essays, public history essays, and book reviews on the Civil War Era.
• History Matters: An Undergraduate Journal of Historical Research An undergraduate history journal published annually by the Department of History at Appalachian State University. The journal is indexed by EBSCOhost's America: History and Life.
• Journal of Art History and Museum Studies (JAHMS) An undergraduate peer-reviewed journal that publishes undergraduate scholarship by a diverse coalition of student artists and historians.
• The Kennesaw Tower: Undergraduate Foreign Language Research Journal Annual undergraduate double blind and peer-reviewed journal publishes scholarly work of advanced undergraduates students in Chinese, FLED, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
• Mysterion: The Theology Journal of Boston College Publishes undergraduate research from around the world on topics related to theology.
• Nota Bene: Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Musicology Publishes essays written by undergraduate students from universities around the world. Topics include historical musicology, ethnomusicology, popular music studies, music theory, music education, and interdisciplinary subjects. Double blind review by professors across Canada.
• The Oswald Review: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Criticism in the Discipline of English Published annually, and requiring a faculty member's endorsement, the refereed journal in indexed in EBSCO and accepts undergraduate criticism and research in the field of English from students throughout the U.S. and abroad.
• Queen City Writers: a journal of undergraduate writing & composing Refereed journal that publishes essays and multimedia work by undergraduate students affiliated with any post-secondary institution. Topics covered include writing, rhetoric, reading, pedagogy, literacy broadly conceived, popular culture and media, community discourses and multimodal and digital composing.
• Rock Creek Review An undergraduate journal edited, produced and published at Heidelberg University in partnership with the English Department. The journal publishes literary research from schools around the world for an annual publication. Check the website for the "call for papers," which will explain the theme of the next issue.
• RhetTech Undergraduate Journal Run by students at James Madison University, this journal showcases exemplary work being done in undergraduate writing, rhetoric, and technical communication courses around the country.
• Simpliciter: Brandies Philosophy Journal Run by students at Brandeis University, this journal aims to recognize excellent works of philosophy produced by undergraduates from universities anywhere in the world.
• sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies A peer-reviewed journal devoted to the diverse voices of emerging scholar-activists, authors, and artists in Women's Gender & Queer Studies and related fields. First established at McGill University, sprinkle is now published at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and welcomes submissions from around the world.
• Stance: An International Undergraduate Philosophy Journal Peer-reviewed journal publishes original work by undergraduates from around the world.
• Stony Brook Undergraduate History Journal Peer-reviewed publication that showcases the research of SBU students writing about history at the local, national and international levels.
• UC Berkeley Comparative Literature Undergraduate Journal Publishes undergraduate research in comparative texts and media, treating a broad range of topics including theoretical literary discourse, international trends in literature, and comparisons for national literature. Showcases the best work across the U.S. and also highlight more contemplative writing by students regarding multicultural issues, culture shock, or transnational experiences such as studying abroad.
• UC Santa Barbara Undergraduate Journal of History A space for undergraduates to share original research other scholarly works of history. Reviewed by graduate students with faculty mentorship.
• The Word: The Stanford Journal of Student Hiphop Research Continually solicits research papers and blog content related to hiphop culture. An open-source, open peer-refereed journal. Open to undergraduates from any college or university.
• Xchanges: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Technical Communication, Rhetoric, and Writing Across the Curriculum The fall issues publishes these and research projects of upper-level undergraduate students. Submissions may be traditional articles or multimodal "webtexts." Based in the English Department at the University of New Mexico.
• Yale Historical Review Welcomes works from undergraduates at any institution on any historically relevant topic.
• Young Scholars in Writing (YSW) An international peer-reviewed journal. Publishes original research and theoretical articles by undergraduates of all majors and years on the subjects of rhetoric, writing, writers, discourse, language, and related topics.

Social Sciences

• Afkar: The Undergraduate Journal of Middle East Studies International peer-reviewed journal that accepts research articles, essays, and book reviews that focus on the politics, history, culture, and society of the Middle East and North Africa.
• Al Noor Boston College's Middle Eastern Studies journal. It is run by undergraduates and publishes work from students around the world.
• Chicago Journal of Foreign Policy: University of Chicago's Premiere Undergraduate Journal of International Affairs Accepts submissions from undergraduates from around the world on articles related to foreign policy, international relations, and related topics, preferably pertaining to the period since 1945..
• Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas A joint project of Northern Illinois University and Arizona State University, Compass publishes work related to American democracy understood in the broad contexts of political philosophy, history, literature, economics, and culture.
• Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development To encourage an international community to think more broadly, deeply, and analytically about sustainable development, the journal publishes work by students, researchers, professors, and practitioners from a variety of academic fields and geographic regions.
• Critique: a worldwide student journal of politics Peer-reviewed journal that publishes scholarship by students of political science. The journal is recognized by the American Political Science Association and indexed by EBSCO.
• The Developing Economist Student-run undergraduate economics research journal, published with support from the Longhorn Chapter of the Omicron Delta Epsilon Economics Honor Society and the Department of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin.
• Issues in Political Economy Co-edited by undergraduates at Elon University and the University of Mary Washington, the journal publishes undergraduate research in the field of economics and is indexed in Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Economics and Finance.
• Journal of Integrated Social Sciences A web-based, peer-reviewed journal committed to the scholarly investigation of social phenomena. We especially encourage students and their faculty advisors to submit the results of their investigations in Psychology, Sociology, and Gender Studies.
• Journal of Interpersonal Relations, Intergroup Relations, and Identity (JIRIRI) Affiliated with the Universite de Montreal, the international peer-reviewed journal publishes the work of undergraduates on new theoretical ideas in the fields of psychology, identity, interpersonal and intergroup relations. It publishes both theoretical and empirical articles.
• Journal of Politics and Society Published by the student group Helvidius at Columbia University, the journal focuses on undergraduate interdisciplinary research in the social sciences.
• The Journal of Undergraduate Ethnic Minority Psychology (JUEMP) Open access, double blind, peer-reviewed journal devoted to publishing research authored or co-authored by undergraduates. The journal is especially interested in submissions that are from ethnic minorities perspectives, that focus on the thoughts and behaviors of ethnic minority populations, or both.
• New Errands: The Undergraduate Journal of American Studies Sponsored by The Eastern American Studies Association and the American Studies Program at Penn State Harrisburg, this journal publishes undergraduate research in the field of American Studies.
• The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Review International undergraduate journal housed in the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Virginia Tech. Through a double blind review process, the journal publishes original research in the humanities and social sciences from undergraduates worldwide.
• Process: Journal of Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Scholarship Published quarterly, the journal publishes undergraduate writings that rigorously engage with issues of social justice, transformative education, politics, identity, and cultural production. Publishes both critical essays and non-traditional or multimodal compositions.
• Righting Wrongs: A Journal of Human Rights Based at Webster University's Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, this peer-reviewed academic journal publishes undergraduate research papers, book reviews, opinion pieces, and photo essays that explore human rights issues.
• Social Moments: A Student Journal of Social Relations Interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal examining the social and cultural world through a social science lens. All undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit work in any social science discipline.
• Sociology between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics Undergraduates, graduates, and professionals in sociology and related fields may submit their articles, books and film reviews, and point of view essays. Double blind peer review.
• Undergraduate Economic Review (UER) Supported by the Department of Economics and The Ames Library at Illinois Wesleyan University, this is an open access peer-reviewed journal that publishes undergraduate research in the field of economics from around the world.
• Undergraduate Journal of Global Citizenship Based at Fairfield University, the journal publishes undergraduate research on topics related to International Studies such as global awareness, interdependence, environmental responsibility, social justice, humanitarianism, and other themes that promote the understanding of global citizenship.
• Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning & Community-Based Research Refereed, multidisciplinary, open access undergraduate journal that publishes articles from students all around the world. Accepted articles contribute to the literature on service learning and community-based research through reflection, research, or analysis. Based at University of North Carolina Wilmington.
• The Undergraduate Research Journal of Psychology at UCLA (URJP) Based at UCLA, but accepting submissions of undergraduate research from institutions all over the world, this peer-reviewed journal aims to empower undergraduate students to engage in and with research and facilitate scientific conversation and inquiry in the field of psychology.

STEM Fields

• Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal (CUSJ) Open access science journal that publishes manuscripts resulting from significant scientific research or analysis. Each paper undergoes a double-blind peer review process and a faculty review by the CUSJ Faculty Advisory Board.
• EvoS: The Evolutional Studies Consortium A peer-reviewed open access journal, EvoS welcomes work from all academic disciplines and interdisciplinary scholarship that incorporates evolutionary theory.
• Illumin Magazine: A Review of Engineering in Everyday Life An online magazine dedicated to exploring the science and technology behind the things we encounter every day. Features the work of University of Southern California undergraduate engineers, as well as submissions from universities across the U.S.
• Impulse: The Premier Undergraduate Neuroscience Journal International online neuroscience journal for undergraduate publications.
• International Journal of Exercise Science This journal engages undergraduate and graduate students in scholarly activity as both authors and reviewers. Articles on exercise science undergo peer review.
• Intersect: The Stanford Journal of Science, Technology, and Society An open access international science, technology, and society research journal that accepts undergraduate, graduate, and PhD submissions at the intersection of history, culture, sociology, art, literature, business, law, health, and design with science and technology. Students from around the world are invited to submit.
• Involve: A Journal of Mathematics High quality mathematical research involving students from all academic levels. Submissions should include substantial faculty input; faculty co-authorship is required and the submission should come from a faculty member.
• Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research Peer-reviewed journal that publishes undergraduate students' work in chemistry, including analytical, organic, inorganic, physical, polymers, and biochemistry.
• Journal of Undergraduate Kinesiology Research Published by the Kinesiology Department at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, the peer-reviewed, journal is dedicated to original undergraduate research in Kinesiology. Currently, the research originates from students at the University of Wisconsin, but undergraduates from all institutions are invited to submit.
• Journal of Undergraduate Reports in Physics (JURP) Peer-reviewed publication of the Society of Physics Students comprised of undergraduate research, outreach, and scholarly reporting.
• Journal of Young Investigators (JYI) JYI publishes original work in the sciences written by undergraduates mentored by a faculty member. The mission of the journal is to improve undergraduate science training by providing innovative, high quality educational experiences in science writing, publication, and the peer-review process.
• Psi Chi Journal Undergraduate, graduate, and faculty submissions welcome year round to this peer-reviewed psychology journal.
• Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal Devoted entirely to papers written by undergraduates on topics in the mathematical sciences. Sponsored by the Mathematics Department at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the journal accepts submissions from undergraduates around the world and faculty co-authors are not permitted.
• RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences Faculty-refereed international journal devoted to the publication of high quality research by undergraduates in all agricultural research problem areas.
• SIAM Undergraduate Research Online (SIURO) Run by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), SIURO publishes articles written by undergraduates from all over the world in the field of computational mathematics. Each paper must be submitted with a letter from a faculty advisor.
• Spectrum Published by the University of Alberta, this multidisciplinary journal publishes research completed by undergraduates in a variety of formats including research articles, review articles, music, video, visual arts, and creative writing.
• Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics Published by Illinois State, this is an open access refereed research journal dedicated to publishing high quality manuscripts by undergraduate or graduate students that describe mathematical and statistical techniques to solve problems in biological settings, as well as in experimental biology. Requires an article processing charge.
• PUMP Journal of Undergraduate Research PUMP stands for Preparing Undergraduate Mathematicians for Ph.D.s, and the journal publishes articles by undergraduates students who want to pursue doctoral studies in the Mathematical Sciences. The journal especially encourages submissions by students from underrepresented groups. Topics include pure and applied mathematics and statistics and authors may submit research papers, papers containing new proofs of known results, and expository papers which propose original points of view.
• Undergraduate Journal of Experimental Microbiology and Immunology (UJEMI+) Based at the University of British Columbia, the journal has two versions -- one that publishes only UBC students (UJEMI) and the other that is open to external submissions (UJEMI+). Dedicated to the publication of undergraduate articles in fields related to microbiology and immunology, the journal requires a formal endorsement from a course instructor or researcher who mentored the student authors.
• Young Investigator's Review Stony Brook's own student-run science journal!
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The annual Undergraduate Thesis Symposium was a resounding success

Last week (04/24) we hosted the annual Undergraduate Thesis Symposium, where 39 of our senior concentrators presented their research to peers, faculty, and junior concentrators interested in writing a dissertation.

Held at CGIS Fisher Family Commons, the well-attended event saw a wide range of topics and presentations, from contemporary American politics – such as “Teach Me Why and How to Vote, Then I’ll Vote! The Effects of High School Voter Registration Drive on Youth Voter Participation” by June Park – to the intersection of political theory, race, and gender – such as Ebony Smith’s thesis “Consuming Chocolate and Blackness: Reparative Imagery to Address the Triple Oppression of Black Women in the Cocoa and Chocolate Industry”.

Three of our senior concentrators told us more about their thesis research.

James René Jolin: “A Tale of Two Pandemics: The Differential Effects of COVID-19 Infection and Death on Voter Opinions in the United States”

What is your thesis about?

My focus was on discovering the effect COVID-19 infection and death had on Americans’ attitudes towards their political leaders.

What conclusions did you draw?

Using two nationally representative surveys, I found that, on average, knowing someone who died from COVID-19 reduces Americans’ support for Trump and lower-level Republican candidates but increases support for Biden and Democrats. Conversely, individuals who contract COVID-19, recover, and do not know anyone who died show significantly higher support for Republicans and lower support for Democrats. These effects hold across Democrat- and Republican-identifying survey respondents but are most pronounced among Independents.

These effects are likely explained by how these distinct COVID-19 experiences alter individuals’ perception of the pandemic’s severity. Those who contract COVID-19 but do not know anyone who died show significantly less concern over the coronavirus and strongly oppose pandemic economic restrictions such as business closures, corresponding to increased support for Republicans. The reverse is true for those who experience a COVID-19 death.

These novel findings improve existing theories of crisis politics, which heretofore have neglected to explore how distinct crisis experiences reshape voters’ perceptions of a crisis itself. More broadly, my findings suggest personal crisis experiences can meaningfully alter Americans’ attitudes toward their political leaders, even in an era of acute partisan polarization.

Why did you choose this topic for your thesis?

My interest initially sparked in a Gov50 class in my Sophomore year – the crisis politics literature is replete with theories but has, by and large, neglected the heterogeneity of crisis outcomes. I therefore felt there were some interesting data gaps that I wanted to explore, specifically investigating the impact of diverse crisis experiences on voter attitudes and behavior.

What are your next steps following graduation?

I will be going on to do a Masters at Cambridge University in England.

Alexander E. Chan: “To Regret or Not To Regret: Understanding the Nature of Brexit Regret in the United Kingdom”

My thesis asks what factors cause people to regret their vote for Brexit and why. I argue that motivations for voting for Brexit were led not by economic reasons or policy preferences, but by cultural and values-based differences between political elites and voters. As a result, the absence of significant documented Brexit regret in light of clear evidence of policy failure is unsurprising.

To evaluate the argument, my project employs data from ethnographic interviews conducted in two English towns in addition to a novel survey experiment that exposes respondents to different sources of information on the effects of Brexit both culturally and economically.

The key takeaways were:

• Evidence against my first and second hypotheses (which were: 1. Voters’ pro-Brexit stances will not be changed by information that shows Brexit has failed along policy dimensions. 2. Voters’ pro-Brexit stances will be changed by information that shows that changes to political culture have not occurred.)
• More pro-Brexit views after treatment in groups that had ‘cultural failure’ treatment versus those that did not
• Evidence that ‘cultural success’ does have an impact, but seems to be less strong than policy factors
• Overall, policy factors seem to have more weight in this survey than cultural factors

What are the next steps?

To move this research on, the next steps would be to run a larger survey for more statistical significance as well as multiple surveys over time to understand how public opinion will continue to evolve. The piece would also benefit from research regarding populism and referendums in other countries.

Brandon L. Kingdollar: “A Sleeping Watchdog? Examining the Impact of Declining Local News on Coverage of Corruption”

My thesis examines the decline of local journalism in the U.S. and its impact on news coverage of corruption cases. I examined data on newspaper closures and employment in the newspaper publishing industry and found a sharp contraction in newspaper publication and staffing across the country.

Taking a closer look at seven states, I identified pairs of comparable corruption cases for each and found a decline in local coverage for all but two of the case pairs. This evidence suggests that local coverage of corruption has suffered from the decline of the newspaper industry.

The newspaper industry has shrunk considerably in the last two decades, and my findings suggest that coverage of corruption has declined as a result. This analysis must begin with the newspaper industry already amid its contraction —and some of the absences in coverage for even the earlier cases in my dataset show major shortcomings by local outlets.

Generally, states that lost more newspaper employees between the times of each case also saw sharper declines in local coverage and vice versa. My findings do not definitively show that local journalism’s decline caused this reduction in coverage, but they are suggestive of that dynamic.

I will be doing an internship at the Tampa Bay Times, looking specifically at investigative politics – so I look forward to bringing my studies and thesis research to this role.

Well done to all our senior thesis writers! Find out more about the undergraduate course at gov.harvard.edu/undergraduate

Senior Honors Thesis Advice for Students

Academic advising and support resources.

Academic Resource Center  offers writing consultants who meet individually with senior thesis writers to help them with anything from making and meeting deadlines to planning out chapters to polishing final drafts.

Senior Writers Action Group  is a writing group through the Academic Resource Center that holds workshops on such topics as time management and accountability, research resources, tips for STEM writers, preparing for the defense, and more. Plus: Writing Bootcamp sessions! Undergraduate Research Fund  may be used toward some research-related expenses.

Dean of Undergraduate Studies  upholds senior honors thesis policies, grants waivers, and can answer questions about policies and deadlines. Your  Advising Dean  can help you decide whether do an independent study rather than a thesis.

Tisch Library Resources

Research consultations  with a reference librarian can expedite your research process. Savvy Researcher Workshop Series  offers instruction on citation methods, software programs to manage citations, and other research skills Online  citation information  from Tisch Library

More Resources

How to Write a Senior Thesis Proposal  Before you get started on your thesis, you’ll need to prepare a proposal. Surviving the Defense  What to expect and how to prepare for your senior thesis defense.

Formatting Your Manuscript  How to format your thesis so it can be added to Tufts’ digital archives.

Thesis Advice from Successful Tufts Seniors

"Don't wait until too late to decide on a topic, to do the research, and to write the actual paper. Start early. And make a timeline for yourself and your committee." "For the writing stage, free writes are my best suggestion. While writing an 80-odd page thesis in a foreign language, free writing in English (for 20 minutes at a time, no more) helped me get my thoughts together." "Make deadlines for yourself and submit as many drafts as possible to your professors and writing tutors." “Having a defense earlier rather than later gave me plenty of time to do my other classwork and not have to worry about my thesis too around exam time."

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• Dissertation

How to Write a Dissertation Proposal | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on 14 February 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 11 November 2022.

A dissertation proposal describes the research you want to do: what it’s about, how you’ll conduct it, and why it’s worthwhile. You will probably have to write a proposal before starting your dissertation as an undergraduate or postgraduate student.

A dissertation proposal should generally include:

• An introduction to your topic and aims
• A literature review  of the current state of knowledge
• An outline of your proposed methodology
• A discussion of the possible implications of the research
• A bibliography  of relevant sources

Dissertation proposals vary a lot in terms of length and structure, so make sure to follow any guidelines given to you by your institution, and check with your supervisor when you’re unsure.

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Table of contents

Step 1: coming up with an idea, step 2: presenting your idea in the introduction, step 3: exploring related research in the literature review, step 4: describing your methodology, step 5: outlining the potential implications of your research, step 6: creating a reference list or bibliography.

Before writing your proposal, it’s important to come up with a strong idea for your dissertation.

Find an area of your field that interests you and do some preliminary reading in that area. What are the key concerns of other researchers? What do they suggest as areas for further research, and what strikes you personally as an interesting gap in the field?

Once you have an idea, consider how to narrow it down and the best way to frame it. Don’t be too ambitious or too vague – a dissertation topic needs to be specific enough to be feasible. Move from a broad field of interest to a specific niche:

• Russian literature 19th century Russian literature The novels of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky
• Social media Mental health effects of social media Influence of social media on young adults suffering from anxiety

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Like most academic texts, a dissertation proposal begins with an introduction . This is where you introduce the topic of your research, provide some background, and most importantly, present your aim , objectives and research question(s) .

Try to dive straight into your chosen topic: What’s at stake in your research? Why is it interesting? Don’t spend too long on generalisations or grand statements:

• Social media is the most important technological trend of the 21st century. It has changed the world and influences our lives every day.
• Psychologists generally agree that the ubiquity of social media in the lives of young adults today has a profound impact on their mental health. However, the exact nature of this impact needs further investigation.

Once your area of research is clear, you can present more background and context. What does the reader need to know to understand your proposed questions? What’s the current state of research on this topic, and what will your dissertation contribute to the field?

If you’re including a literature review, you don’t need to go into too much detail at this point, but give the reader a general sense of the debates that you’re intervening in.

This leads you into the most important part of the introduction: your aim, objectives and research question(s) . These should be clearly identifiable and stand out from the text – for example, you could present them using bullet points or bold font.

Make sure that your research questions are specific and workable – something you can reasonably answer within the scope of your dissertation. Avoid being too broad or having too many different questions. Remember that your goal in a dissertation proposal is to convince the reader that your research is valuable and feasible:

• Does social media harm mental health?
• What is the impact of daily social media use on 18– to 25–year–olds suffering from general anxiety disorder?

Now that your topic is clear, it’s time to explore existing research covering similar ideas. This is important because it shows you what is missing from other research in the field and ensures that you’re not asking a question someone else has already answered.

You’ve probably already done some preliminary reading, but now that your topic is more clearly defined, you need to thoroughly analyse and evaluate the most relevant sources in your literature review .

Here you should summarise the findings of other researchers and comment on gaps and problems in their studies. There may be a lot of research to cover, so make effective use of paraphrasing to write concisely:

• Smith and Prakash state that ‘our results indicate a 25% decrease in the incidence of mechanical failure after the new formula was applied’.
• Smith and Prakash’s formula reduced mechanical failures by 25%.

The point is to identify findings and theories that will influence your own research, but also to highlight gaps and limitations in previous research which your dissertation can address:

• Subsequent research has failed to replicate this result, however, suggesting a flaw in Smith and Prakash’s methods. It is likely that the failure resulted from…

Next, you’ll describe your proposed methodology : the specific things you hope to do, the structure of your research and the methods that you will use to gather and analyse data.

You should get quite specific in this section – you need to convince your supervisor that you’ve thought through your approach to the research and can realistically carry it out. This section will look quite different, and vary in length, depending on your field of study.

You may be engaged in more empirical research, focusing on data collection and discovering new information, or more theoretical research, attempting to develop a new conceptual model or add nuance to an existing one.

Dissertation research often involves both, but the content of your methodology section will vary according to how important each approach is to your dissertation.

Empirical research

Empirical research involves collecting new data and analysing it in order to answer your research questions. It can be quantitative (focused on numbers), qualitative (focused on words and meanings), or a combination of both.

With empirical research, it’s important to describe in detail how you plan to collect your data:

• Will you use surveys ? A lab experiment ? Interviews?
• What variables will you measure?
• How will you select a representative sample ?
• If other people will participate in your research, what measures will you take to ensure they are treated ethically?
• What tools (conceptual and physical) will you use, and why?

It’s appropriate to cite other research here. When you need to justify your choice of a particular research method or tool, for example, you can cite a text describing the advantages and appropriate usage of that method.

Don’t overdo this, though; you don’t need to reiterate the whole theoretical literature, just what’s relevant to the choices you have made.

Moreover, your research will necessarily involve analysing the data after you have collected it. Though you don’t know yet what the data will look like, it’s important to know what you’re looking for and indicate what methods (e.g. statistical tests , thematic analysis ) you will use.

Theoretical research

You can also do theoretical research that doesn’t involve original data collection. In this case, your methodology section will focus more on the theory you plan to work with in your dissertation: relevant conceptual models and the approach you intend to take.

For example, a literary analysis dissertation rarely involves collecting new data, but it’s still necessary to explain the theoretical approach that will be taken to the text(s) under discussion, as well as which parts of the text(s) you will focus on:

• This dissertation will utilise Foucault’s theory of panopticism to explore the theme of surveillance in Orwell’s 1984 and Kafka’s The Trial…

Here, you may refer to the same theorists you have already discussed in the literature review. In this case, the emphasis is placed on how you plan to use their contributions in your own research.

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You’ll usually conclude your dissertation proposal with a section discussing what you expect your research to achieve.

You obviously can’t be too sure: you don’t know yet what your results and conclusions will be. Instead, you should describe the projected implications and contribution to knowledge of your dissertation.

First, consider the potential implications of your research. Will you:

• Develop or test a theory?
• Provide new information to governments or businesses?
• Challenge a commonly held belief?
• Suggest an improvement to a specific process?

Describe the intended result of your research and the theoretical or practical impact it will have:

Finally, it’s sensible to conclude by briefly restating the contribution to knowledge you hope to make: the specific question(s) you hope to answer and the gap the answer(s) will fill in existing knowledge:

Like any academic text, it’s important that your dissertation proposal effectively references all the sources you have used. You need to include a properly formatted reference list or bibliography at the end of your proposal.

Different institutions recommend different styles of referencing – commonly used styles include Harvard , Vancouver , APA , or MHRA . If your department does not have specific requirements, choose a style and apply it consistently.

A reference list includes only the sources that you cited in your proposal. A bibliography is slightly different: it can include every source you consulted in preparing the proposal, even if you didn’t mention it in the text. In the case of a dissertation proposal, a bibliography may also list relevant sources that you haven’t yet read, but that you intend to use during the research itself.

Check with your supervisor what type of bibliography or reference list you should include.

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Three Recent College of Education Graduates Receive 2024 Outstanding Dissertation Awards

Three recent NC State College of Education alumni were recognized for their scholarship when they were presented with Outstanding Dissertation Awards during the college’s May 2024 graduation ceremony. 

Luke Boden Carman ’24PHD won for the Department of STEM Education , Courtney Samuelson ’23PHD won for the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences and Dana Thomas ’23PHD won for the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development.  

You can learn more about these recent graduates and their dissertations in the pieces below.

Luke Boden Carman

Ph.D. in Learning and Teaching in STEM mathematics and statistics education concentration

Advisors: Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education Robin Anderson and Associate Professor of Mathematics Education Temple Walkowiak

Luke Boden Carman has always been interested in how people with different sets of expertise and different amounts of power can learn together across different contexts and roles, and realized that student teaching experiences can be a unique context for this type of learning to occur. 

When he came to the NC State College of Education for his doctoral program, he was excited to think about the ways in which student teachers, cooperating teachers and university faculty could learn in the same space as well as how math education, specifically, could become more equitable. 

Carman explored these ideas in his award-winning dissertation, entitled “Student Teaching, Power Structures, and Equitable Mathematics in a Third Space Teacher Learning Community of Practice: A Qualitative, Critical Case Study.” 

“I am incredibly honored to have received this award from the college this year. Only one person

gets to put their name as author of a dissertation, but I could not have won this award without an

extremely supportive community. This includes my committee (Drs. Robin Anderson , Temple

Walkowiak , Cyndi Edgington , Sammie Marshall , and Sunghwan Byun ), my family and friends,

my fellow graduate students, and the mathematics educators who participated in this project as

members of the learning community,” he said. 

Carman’s dissertation examined how learning happened for a group of pre-service teachers, cooperating teachers and mathematics teacher educators in a third space learning group known as “The Math Ed Collective,” with a specific focus on how the learning community engaged with issues of equity and how sociopolitical and teacher learning power structures shaped participants’ opportunities to learn.

Findings showed the importance of shared facilitation in engaging participants in learning about equity as facilitators brought their experiences and artifacts from other communities of practice to the conversation and that participants frequently engaged with sociopolitical power structures in ways that reinforced dominant discourse narratives. 

Findings also showed that third space forms of engagement such as the collective and its shared facilitation responsibilities rendered teacher learning less hierarchical. 

“Experienced teachers and university faculty who welcome student teachers into the profession also need to learn alongside those novices in order to be effective mentors and improve their own pedagogies,” Carman said. “Throwing all of these learners together was just a really rich opportunity to learn from a community of really thoughtful mathematics educators.”

As he prepares to graduate and take on a role as director of Community Schools partnerships at Student U, Carman is excited to build on his dissertation work and lessons learned in the College of Education as he thinks about ways to bring together parents, students, teachers, school staff, community members and partners in one space to develop more supportive and effective Community Schools. 

“I’m going to be putting into practice so much of what I have been researching. Moreover, my time at NC State gave me both the ability to synthesize the research on CommunitySschools, and the opportunity to build my skill set in visiting schools and supporting staff there, which is exactly what I’ll be doing in supporting Community Schools coordinators at Student U,” he said. 

Courtney Samuelson

Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences literacy and English language arts concentration 

Advisor: Associate Professor of Literacy Education Dennis Davis 

Courtney Samuelson has a passion for teacher education and wanted to be able to support and prepare pre-service teachers with the knowledge and skills to engage in culturally responsive literacy instruction for a diverse student population. 

For that reason, she enrolled in the NC State College of Education to earn her doctoral degree and learn more about how to better prepare and support teachers in meeting the needs of students who struggle with reading. Specifically, she wanted to examine why reading interventions in public schools may not adequately support teachers in cultivating the assets of culturally and linguistically diverse students. 

She had the opportunity to explore this subject through her award-winning dissertation, entitled “Conflicting Priorities: An Ethnographic Case Study of Literacy Practices and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Upper Elementary School.”

“I feel honored and grateful to be recognized for this award,” Samuelson said. “I think of my dissertation as just one among a collective body of amazing research that my fellow Teacher Education and Learning Sciences doctoral graduates conducted this year. Together, our work is aimed toward improving the teaching profession and advancing equity for culturally and linguistically diverse students.”

Saumeulson’s dissertation was a case study that used cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to examine instructional and intervention practices at an elementary school as they worked to implement a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework, providing insight into the role of personal, interpersonal and cultural-institutional factors that impacted instructional decision making and students’ literacy experiences. 

Findings showed that conflicting priorities and responsibilities impacted the implementation of the MTSS program and mediated upper elementary students’ literacy learning, practices and identities. These conflicting demands contributed to inconsistent MTSS program implementation and created challenges to providing literacy support to students.

“My in-depth study highlights the myriad of challenges and demands that elementary school teachers face as they work to meet the diverse literacy needs of their students, especially as they work in schools with staff shortages and a lack of instructional support that has resulted since the COVID-19 pandemic,” Samuelson said. “The brilliant and wonderful fourth and fifth graders in my study did not always receive the support they needed and the support that was promised to them through the MTSS program. My findings highlight the need for literacy support and intervention systems in our schools to put more trust in the knowledge and expertise of our elementary teachers and to empower and coach them to plan and create meaningful literacy experiences for their students.”

Now an assistant professor of education at Methodist University, Samuelson is continuing to support educators’ literacy practices through her teaching and research, and said her time in the College of Education helped prepare her for this role. 

“My doctoral studies in the College of Education have equipped me with the knowledge and passion for engaging in this work, and I look forward to engaging in research to further understand and reimagine literacy instruction and intervention practices,” she said. 

Dana Thomas

Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development higher education opportunity, equity, and justice concentration

Advisor: Department Head and Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor Joy Gaston Gayles 

In 2019, Dana Thomas’ advisor in the College of Education, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor Joy Gaston Gayles , received a request from Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor of Physics Laura Clarke to bring an education researcher into a study she was conducting about how physics majors’ experiences in course-based experimental mini-labs shaped their self-perceptions and disciplines. Specifically, Clarke was interested in a researcher who was interested in studying factors that support or deter the persistence of students who have been traditionally excluded or marginalized in physics. 

Thus began the collaboration between Thomas and Clarke, which ultimately led to Thomas’ award-winning dissertation, entitled “Exploring the Contextually Situated Experiences, Perceptions, Beliefs, and Intentions of College Physics Majors Enrolled in Physics Courses that Incorporate an Interactive Instructional Approach.”

“I am incredibly honored and grateful to receive this award! It means so much to me,” Thomas said. “My specific dissertation topic emerged over time through conversations with Dr. Clarke and Dr. Gayles as well as many hours spent reading literature and reflecting on methods that could best address the overarching research problem at hand.” 

The dissertation consisted of three studies, each focusing on discerning factors that influence the experiences, beliefs, perceptions and intentions of undergraduate physics majors enrolled in courses that incorporated an interactive instructional approach. 

The first two studies examined the contextualized dynamics of students’ physics ability beliefs, sense of belonging, disciplinary identification and persistence intention over time while the third study explored the lived experiences and disciplinary identity development of physics students with marginalized identities in the context of the power dynamics within physics learning environments. 

Findings showed that the short-term malleability of students’ physics ability beliefs related to the extent that they felt recognized by others as exemplary physics students and, in the long-term, that students with more malleable physics ability beliefs conveyed a greater sense of belonging and intent to persist in the physics major. Additionally, the study found that women, as well as Black and Latine students, reported a lower sense of belonging within their physics major compared with men and students who identified as white or Asian. 

As the current director of biological sciences advising and evaluation in NC State’s Department of Biological Sciences, Thomas is using what she learned in the College of Education about research methods, tools and theoretical frameworks to inform not only her scholarship but her approach as an advisor, teacher and administrator. 

“My doctoral program provided me with opportunities and connections that will benefit me for the rest of my career! I am grateful that I was able to complete the program as a part-time student, as that worked well for my professional trajectory,” she said. 

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Associate Professor of Educational Psychology Christy Byrd Receives Chancellor’s Creating Community Outstanding Faculty Award 

Associate Professor of English Education Crystal Chen Lee Receives College of Education’s Inaugural Faculty Strategic Excellence Award 

Education Council's 2024 Spotlight Awards Reception Celebrates Undergraduate Student Success 

The 5 Stages of Thesis Grief

Posted on May 2, 2024 by ethivers

Writing a thesis consumes you, much like the grief that consumes one who has lost a beloved ego. It’s a constant battle of coming to terms with the fallacy that your thesis will be perfect and read by even a handful of people. However, what’s great about this class is that everyone is grieving over their respective theses together, and grieving together is far better than grieving apart. While I offer these words (mostly) in gest, I think it’s helpful to understand how personal the experience of writing a thesis and being part of an Honors cohort is. Below, I have described the 5 stages of “thesis grief” that a student may experience. It’s best to be aware of and prepared for these unavoidable feelings. However, the feelings may be less severe if one set’s writing goals and sticks to their writing schedule! (Which your Honors instructor and advisor will undoubtedly encourage you to do.)

This stage lasts from when class first starts to roughly Spring Break when the first full draft is due. A time during which one attends class and completes class assignments, but only intermittently works on the writing part of their thesis. During this stage, the student is so overwhelmed by the work ahead of them, that they choose to remain assured that they will finish their thesis on time, even though they’re ignoring the issue. The deadline is far away and hopes are still high.

All of a sudden it’s Spring Break and you realize that you have about a month to finish your thesis and you are angry, you are belligerent, because you want your thesis to be earth-shatteringly interesting when you have a month to do so. You have already done more for your Honors thesis in half a semester than you would do in an entire semester for any other class and you still have vastly more to do. You begin to feel very anxious and stressed about said thesis.

It’s early April and you’ve realized that you bit off way more than you could chew when it comes to this thesis and it’s time to realistically decide what you can finish in time for graduation. Finally, a realistic plan materializes and you just gotta go for it. You’re writing day and night, but all the while you think of how much better this could be if you had more time, and knew what you were doing six months ago. 

Wow, you look at what you’ve written and it just makes you sad. You fixate on the imperfections despite your Honors instructor and advisor pointing out the numerous contributions and insights that you have also generated by this point. Their glass half-full “good grief” nonsense visciously ignores the part that remains half empty. You care so deeply and wish for your paper to be monumental, but it’s not and never had a chance to be. Your advisor cuts the limitations section in your discussion from a mountain of confession into a measely paragraph of prudent professional acknowledgement. Tears follow (hopefully not too many, haha). 

Once you’ve finished your thesis, you reflect on how traumatizing this process of composing a thesis has been, but also note how much better your next one will be because you’ve endured the harsh trials of your first thesis. While your thesis may still seem subpar to you, it’s likely that it’s still decent and you should be proud of what you produced, but even more proud of the fact that YOU DID IT! It’s not what you wrote: it’s what you learned. I was only able to write about 4 of the 10 trees species I was planning to write about in my thesis, but the writing I complete on future species will be so much better because I at least was able to cover 4. Finishing an undergraduate thesis is a crash course in understanding the realities of writing scholarly papers. You are now far more familiar than you were before and are ready to tackle the next one!

Ethan Iversen is a senior at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

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Category: Animal and Food Sciences

UD’s non-thesis M.S. in Animal Science prepares Kayla Pettiford for veterinary school

May 02, 2024 Written by Molly Schafer | Photos by Jeremy Wayman

Growing up with guinea pigs, hamsters, parakeets, turtles, and fish, University of Delaware alumna Kayla Pettiford planned a career in veterinary medicine from a young age. 

"It's always been what I wanted to do,” said Pettiford, an alumna of UD’s non-thesis master’s in Animal Science . “And I can't see myself doing anything else." 

Veterinary school acceptance is notoriously competitive, and the rigorous training can make for a stressful experience. 

“I know many students feel overwhelmed and stressed in veterinary school, and I didn't want to feel that way,” said Pettiford. “Everybody's journey to vet school can look a little different. I knew I needed more technical understanding and background.” 

Pettiford graduated with an undergraduate degree in pre-veterinary science from Delaware State University in 2021. Pettiford took her time researching master’s programs. UD's concentration in Veterinary Biosciences, Biotechnology, and One Health (VBBOH) stood out.

“I wanted to put myself at a university where I would gain the most experience,” explained Pettiford.

At UD, Pettiford worked closely with Behnam Abasht , professor of animal genetics, on his research into wooden breast, a muscle disorder in commercial broiler chickens.

“We hatched the eggs, cared for the chicks, performed necropsies, looked through the microscope,” Pettiford remarked. “Seeing the research from beginning to end was eye-opening. And Prof. Abasht walked me through the process.”

Pettiford found the study of histopathology, the microscopic examination of tissue and cells to diagnose disease, exciting.

“Histopathology wasn't even on my radar before the non-thesis master’s program,” she emphasized. “Now, it will become my focus; my lab and research experience at UD gave me that direction.”

After finishing her UD graduate program, Pettiford is ready for veterinary school. She is thankful to Prof. Tanya Gressley, associate dean of graduate programs, who answered Pettiford's many questions from the application process through graduation.

“She helped prepare me,” acknowledged Pettiford. “I feel confident that when I go to vet school, I will have a solid background to help me. That is the most important thing: having a solid foundation.”

Pettiford believes good communication skills are essential to succeed as a veterinarian. Her role as a teaching assistant for Prof. Gressley’s Animal Handling (ANFS 112 ) course helped her grow these skills. Communication is vital in her current role as a veterinary technician at Animal Haven Veterinary Center in Bear, Delaware. 

“I just love meeting new pet parents,” said Pettiford. “It's always a good experience to teach them new things and answer questions that they might have.”

Working with small animals and cancer patients as a veterinary technician broadened her animal handling experience. 

“I love what I do as a technician: making sure the pet is comfortable, doing the best I can for their care,” attested Pettiford “That's something I take pride in doing.”

Pettiford prepares her veterinary school applications with an eye to the future. She plans to focus on exotic animals and wildlife along with histopathology. 

“I want every day I show up to work to be unique and spontaneous!”

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