Online Graduate School

Many people decide to take on a distance learning post-graduate degree because it is a necessary step in their career path. At the same time, it can be daunting. There are many steps along the way which feel intimidating.

Writing an online thesis or dissertation at the Master's or PhD level is one of those steps. Despite the fact that this kind of research-based writing is challenging, it is also something that can be achieved with the proper planning.

The first step is to figure out what kind of research you want to do. Not every thesis or dissertation needs to involve empirical research. For example, a phenomenological study looks deeply at the experiences of a small group of people. If you're interested in psychology, this could involve talking to a handful of families about their experiences with marriage, death or other life changes.
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There is no such thing as research problem defined by "no research" or "little research" in an area. In order for your study to contribute to collective knowledge and theory, it must relate to what is already known. The only research problem that does not relate to what it already known or believed to be true is one that no one in the field has any interest in or recognizes as a meaningful problem! While it is true in a trivial sense that every study is the first of its kind--everything in the universe happens only once!--because your research must contribute to theory, there will always be research and theory related to your topic.

Once you have a broad idea of what your research will entail, it's important to examine scholarly journals to make sure your research is original. This will take some time. You need to spend about three months reading everything on your topic to narrow down your interests. This will form your literature review.

After that, it's all a matter of taking the time to plan out each step with your online tutors, from your research questions to your methodology. Be careful and be creative, so that you don't have to repeat your literature review. Once you're finished, all it will take is a commitment to writing out your findings.