The (free) course to get you started
Take the first step towards crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project with our free mini-course.
– 100% free – no costs, no signup or email required
– Easy to understand explanations and examples
– Extensive video, audio and text-based content
– Free downloadable templates and tools
Everything you need to get started.
This flexible mini-course is built from a carefully curated selection of our best video and text content. Working through the course content, you’ll learn:
- How to find a high-quality research topic
- How to develop a convincing research proposal
- How to craft a high-quality introduction and literature review
- How to choose a suitable methodology and present your results
- How to polish your dissertation or thesis for the highest marks
You can start wherever makes sense for you, and you can work at your own pace. While you will get the maximum benefit from working through all the content in order, you’re welcome to skip around.
If you have any suggestions, please let us know. If you’d like 1-on-1 support with your research project, have a look at our private research coaching service here.
Get Started
If you’re completely new to research, start at 1. If you’ve already got some understanding, jump ahead to whichever topic you’re struggling with.
Part 1: Topic Ideation & Proposal
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1. Dissertation 101: What you need to know
Learn about the ABCs of academic research and how the core research process comes to life in a dissertation or thesis.
2. How to find a high-quality research topic
Learn how to look for, identify and evaluation research topic ideas that are both unique and important, so that your topic has the best chance of first-time approval.
ALSO SEE: finding a good topic means finding a good research gap. We unpack the research gap in this post.
3. Topic ideation and refinement: 5 time-saving tips
Learn how to optimize your approach to finding and evaluating potential research topic ideas with 5 tips from David Phair (PhD) and Amy Murdock (PhD).
4. Research aims, objectives and questions (the golden thread)
Learn about the research aims, research objectives and research questions (i.e. the golden thread), which are central to defining and scoping your research project.
5. Research proposal 101: What you need to know
Learn about the ABCs of the research proposal – what it is, what essential ingredients it needs to include, how long it needs to be and how to structure it correctly.
6. How to write a research proposal
Learn how to craft a high-quality research proposal, step by step in this video & blog post combo. We explain each section using plain language and clear examples.
7. Common mistakes in the proposal stage
In this video and post combo, Derek and David discuss 8 common mistakes that tend to come up in the research proposal, so that you can avoid these common pitfalls.
8. Research proposal template (Download)
Download our free MS Word template to help you get started with your dissertation or thesis research proposal.
Part 2: Starting Your Dissertation Or Thesis
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1. How to structure your dissertation or thesis
2. Introduction chapter 101 – Why, what and how
3. Delimitations and limitations
4. Common mistakes in the introduction chapter
5. Dissertation/thesis template (Download)
Download our free dissertation/thesis template to help you get started.
Part 3: The Literature Review
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1. Literature review 101: What you need to know
2. How to write a literature review: big-picture process
3. How to find high-quality literature (quickly)
4. How to review journal articles efficiently
Learn how to fast-track your review process by focusing exclusively on a few important sections of each journal article your encounter.
5. Literature review Excel template (Download)
6. How to structure the literature review chapter
7. Literature review chapter template (Download)
Download our free literature review template (Word Document) to help you structure your literature review chapter.
8. Common mistakes in the literature review
Derek and David discuss 7 common mistakes that students run into in the literature review chapter so that you can avoid these mark-destroying pitfalls.
9. Tips & tools to fast-track your literature review
David and Amy discuss 5 handy tips and tools to help you fast-track your literature review.
Part 4: Research Design & Methodology
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1. Research methodology 101: What you need to know
2. Qualitative vs quantitative research
Learn about the core differences between qualitative and quantitative research, data and analysis methods.
3. How to choose a research methodology
4. Saunder's research onion: Overview
5. How to write the methodology chapter/section
6. Sampling methods and strategies
Learn the basis of sampling strategies and explore 7 common sampling methods that you can use in your research.
7. Qualitative data collection and analysis
8. Quantitative data collection and analysis
9. How to write the methodology chapter
Learn how to structure your research methodology chapter for maximum impact, covering all the key research design choices.
10. Methodology chapter template (Download)
Download a copy of our methodology chapter/section template, free of charge.
11. Common mistakes in the methodology chapter
David and Alexandra discuss 6 common but costly mistakes students make when it comes to the methodology chapter, and the methodology in general.
12. Avoiding bias in your research
Learn about the common forms of research bias and how you can avoid or minimise them.
Part 5: Results & Discussion
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1. The results chapter: Qualitative
2. The results chapter: Quantitative
3. Common mistakes in the results chapter
In this video, David and Alexandra unpack 7 costly mistakes that are commonly made in the results chapter.
4. The discussion chapter 101: What, why & how
5. Common mistakes in the discussion chapter
In this video, David and Ruth look at 7 mistakes that students commonly make when writing up their discussion chapter.
6. Discussion chapter template (Download)
A free template for the discussion chapter.
Part 6: Wrapping Up
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1. The conclusion chapter 101: What, why and how
2. Research limitations and implications
3. Common mistakes in the conclusion chapter
In this video, David and Ruth discuss some of the most common mistakes students make when crafting their final chapter.
4. Conclusion chapter template (Download)
A free, editable template for your conclusion chapter.
5. The abstract 101: What, why and how
Learn all about what makes a strong abstract in a dissertation or thesis. We talk you through the process, step by step.
6. Writing the abstract: 5 common mistakes to avoid
In this video post, you’ll learn about 5 common (and costly) mistakes you’ll need to avoid when crafting the abstract for your dissertation or thesis abstract.
7. Defending your dissertation or thesis
In this video, Derek and David discuss 13 common questions that come up in dissertation and thesis oral defences, so that you can prepare for your own.
8. Referencing: How to use Mendeley & Zotero
Learn how to use two popular pieces of reference management software, Mendeley and Zotero
9. Referencing: 7 common mistakes to avoid
In this video, David and Ruth discuss 7 of the most commonly made mistakes in terms of referencing and share loads of useful resources to make referencing your sources a little easier.
Part 7: General tips & tools
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Essential apps for the research journey
Learn about 8 useful apps, services and pieces of software that can help you move through the research process efficiently.
Descriptive vs analytical writing
How to reduce word count
Learn how to trim down excessive word count in your dissertation or thesis without sacrificing a large portion of marks.
How to craft strong arguments in your dissertation
How to choose the right charts and graphs
Academic misconduct
Dissertation vs thesis
If there’s something you’re looking for that’s not covered in the course material, check out the Grad Coach blog for more free content.
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