Once you’ve started to work on your dissertation assignment, you’ll realize that you need to conduct extensive research in your topic of choosing. You’ll have to look through several books by different authors to get relevant information that’ll easily relate to your dissertation. Key points that you choose from works of different authors will form the grounds of your opinion; i.e. your agreement or disagreement with the author’s viewpoint.

Here are some questions that you should embed within yourself as a mental checklist to ensure that the material you’re researching is worthy enough to add to your dissertation:

A. Analysis of the text

This involves asking questions while you’re reading a particular book or article. Some of the salient questions that will help you analyze the text are:

1. What is the author’s central idea?

2. What is the author’s purpose of writing this piece?

3. What is the author’s intended target audience?

4. What arguments does the author utilize to support the main point?

5. What evidence does the author provide to support the arguments?

6. What are the author’s fundamental assumptions or prejudices?

B. Evaluate the author’s ideas

Once you’ve finished reading the text, the next step is to start evaluating the author’s ideas. Some of the salient questions that will help you evaluate the author’s ideas are:

1. Is the author’s argument logical?

2. Is the text clear, well-organized, and easy to read?

3. Are the author’s facts correct and factual?

4. Has the author clearly defined any & all important terms?

5. Has the author provided sufficient evidence for the arguments?

6. Do the author’s arguments support the main point?

7. Has the author used appropriate text for the intended target audience?

8. Does the author’s text effectively present and counter any opposing viewpoints?

9. Does the text used by the author help you to clearly understand the subject?

10. Are there any words or sentences that evoke a strong response from you? If yes, then what are those words or sentences & what is your reaction?

11. If you do have a strong reaction to the author’s text, what is the basis of your reaction? What articles, opinions, or discussions have influenced your views or created such an opinion?

12. What questions or observations does this article imply? That is, what does the article make you think about? What kind of influence may it generate among readers who are reading this work for the first time etc.?