Writing good dissertations takes months of hard work. Then, after submitting the final work, many students are left with this feeling of “what know?”. Putting in all the brains, sweat and tears just for the final dissertation to be stored away somewhere in the library? It doesn’t necessarily have to be like that! Here are 3 things to do with your dissertation that nobody tells you.
1. Publish it
This may be the most obvious thing that no one tells you about. After writing a successful dissertation, you always have the option to publish your work. You can self-publish, or you can look into ways of publishing your work in an academic journal. This is especially relevant if you’ve achieved very high marks in your final project.
Talk to your dissertation supervisor to get advice if you are thinking of publishing your work.
A published piece of academic work is also a great reference for your future job applications
2. Submit it to an award committee
Especially in Germany, there are certain initiatives and organisations that reward the efforts students put into writing their dissertations (bachelor’s, master’s, PhD). There are awards for various disciplines from different institutions available. Winning an award usually also means either getting some sort of monetary prize or receiving a different form of career promotion. So, it’s definitely worth looking into the availability of such programs in your country!
If you’re in Germany, e-fellows is a good resource.
3. Sell it
During your thesis you’ve gained in-depth insight into a topic that might also be highly relevant outside of your degree program. Especially other researchers or companies might be interested in the findings from your research project. If you don’t want to give all your hard work for free, you can upload you work to platforms that allow others to download your work for a certain fee.
There you have it: 3 things to do with your dissertation that nobody tells you. If you consider any of the above suggestions, your dissertation supervisors are always a goof first place of contact. If you want to benefit from your research project long-term, these 3 suggestions might be worth considering for you.
If you have more suggestions regarding what to do with a finished thesis, let us know in the comments below!
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See you soon,
Hannah
