As a final-year student of History, Politics and Economics at UCL, Mitch is currently in the process of writing a 10,000-word dissertation, which accounts for 25% of his final-year grade. Many universities and courses require such extended research projects, and so this article, Mitch will provide his best tips for making sure you achieve a 1st in your dissertation.
Start Early
This is the tip that underpins everything. It is imperative that one begins to research their project, or at least think about what they intend to write on, at the earliest possible convenience. My personal recommendation would be to start in the summer before you begin final year in the September/October.
That way, you have time to overcome any unforeseen difficulties, and consult a wide-enough range of sources and experts. I initially intended to write my dissertation on the KGB and the other secret police forces of the Communist bloc, and so began to consult sources on that topic.
A few months down the line, however, I decided I would like to write on Soviet and Russian foreign policy in Africa during the Cold War, and in the modern period. If I had started late in the first term of third year, I would have been fighting against the clock from the get-go. Make sure this doesn’t happen to you and begin to plan (at a minimum) in late summer, after you’ve recovered from exams of course!
Pick a topic
The choice is often completely yours when it comes to writing your dissertation – which is the beauty and the drawback of the whole project. The temptation for many is to write something about social media, pop music, films or something along those lines.
While that certainly can be done, and done very well, in my opinion, the best option is to pick a topic that is ‘respectable’ and closely related to your degree or area of study. In various interviews, including at Deloitte, I have been questioned, often in significant depth, on the topic of my dissertation, and why I chose said topic. It is difficult, in a professional setting, to justify writing 10,000 words on something trivial or un-academic.
Not only that, your dissertation supervisor will likely specialise in something related to your degree subject(s) – so it is best to utilise their expertise maximally, rather than writing on something they are unable to help you with.
On a related note, try, as best as possible, to pick a topic that is at least marginally unique. There is every chance your dissertation will get published if it is of the requisite standard. If you aim to contribute something new to the existing literature on the topic, the chances of this are greatly increased.
Obviously, with limited time and resources, it is difficult to produce a truly ground-breaking piece of work (though not impossible), but even a suggested new approach or interpretation of existing evidence will go a long way to seeing your work recommended for publication. 
Read, read and read some more!
Your dissertation truly will be made in the library. Unless your topic is extremely niche (likely not the best idea), there will be a great deal of resources on the topic.
Try to consult as many of these as possible – try all the relevant libraries and faculties at your university, online resources such as JStor, other university libraries, public libraries, documentaries, podcasts, and anything else you can get your hands on.
Ask academics for suggestions – don’t just stick to conversing with your assigned dissertation supervisor, try anyone who may have an interest or research past in your field. 
Thus far, I have consulted 4 different experts within my university. I will genuinely (at some point) consult all the books in the picture above. I already have over 30,000 words of notes, and I’m nowhere near finished!
When you get stuck on a section, try reading some more until the issue is further clarified. A formidably researched dissertation will be far more successful than one that has not considered all the relevant literature, which runs the risk of missing crucial developments in the field.
Finally, try to enjoy the process. At points, it will be fiendishly difficult and tiresome, but the skills it will provide you with can be applied in a range of settings – from job interviews to part-time and full-time work. After all, you could end up with a professional publication on your CV!
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