{"id":1575,"date":"2026-04-28T12:32:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T11:32:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/?p=1575"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:28:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T10:28:48","slug":"writing-your-dissertation-making-an-action-plan-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/28\/writing-your-dissertation-making-an-action-plan-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing your dissertation: Making an action plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every successfully completed dissertation begins with a practical and workable action plan. An action plan is a vital tool to help you stay focused, on track, and motivated. It's highly likely your supervisor will ask you to make a plan, so that they can advise on time frames, targets, and goals.<\/p>\n<p>Before you begin to plan your write-up, you need to decide when, where, how, and with what or whom you'll <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2025\/05\/19\/writing-your-dissertation-research\/\">do your research<\/a>, and how you'll collect and analyse your data.\u00a0You also need to think about how long it will take to collect and collate your data and research, and then build that into overall time frames.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have worked out how much time you will need for data collection, you can devise your action plan.<\/p>\n<p>Use the following rules to help you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Assume you will write a page a day<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Work backwards from at least two weeks before the submission date to calculate when you need to start your writing. (A page is about 500 words, so if your dissertation is 15,000 words long, you'll need at least 30 days to do the writing.)<\/li>\n<li>Leave two or more weeks at the end for editing and proofreading<\/li>\n<li>Include interim achievable targets to help you stay focused and on track<\/li>\n<li>Work on different sections and if you get bogged down, switch from one to another<\/li>\n<li>Ask a close friend to read it bit by bit and provide feedback on clarity, accuracy, and relevance<\/li>\n<li>Build in meeting slots with your supervisor. Make sure these are strategically placed to catch possible problems at different stages of the write-up, or sections of your dissertation<\/li>\n<li>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/xerte.bath.ac.uk\/play.php?template_id=3575#page7\">time-management tools<\/a> to help you stay on track, e.g. a Gantt chart, or a planning app on your phone<\/li>\n<li>Once you have devised your plan, stick to it... It's there for a reason!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Remember it may take you up to three times longer than you expect to write up your dissertation, so build this contingency into your schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Hopkins, D. and Reid, T., 2018.\u00a0<i>The Academic Skills Handbook: Your Guid<\/i><i>e to Success in Writing, Thinking and Communicating at University<\/i>. Sage.<\/p>\n<h2>Related blog posts<\/h2>\n<p>We have a number of blog posts about writing your dissertation. Make sure you check these out so that you're ready to get started:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/05\/07\/writing-your-dissertation-choosing-a-topic\/\">Choosing a topic<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/30\/writing-your-dissertation-working-with-your-supervisor-2\/\">Working with your supervisor<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/05\/01\/writing-your-dissertation-literature-reviews\/\">Literature reviews<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/25\/writing-your-dissertation-research\/\">Research (developing your research question, creating your working title and developing your research proposal)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/05\/03\/writing-your-dissertations-structure-and-sections\/\">Structuring your dissertation (including contents, sections, and designing an effective structure)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/22\/writing-an-abstract-a-six-point-checklist-with-samples\/\">Writing an abstract - a six point checklist<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Further support<\/h2>\n<p>If you'd like some further support on writing your dissertation, we offer 1:1 tutorials both online and in-person. Tutorials are available throughout the summer, and slots become available 14 days in advance. <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/05\/05\/writing-your-dissertation-tutorials-that-make-sense\/\">Find out more about dissertation tutorials<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every successfully completed dissertation begins with a practical and workable action plan. An action plan is a vital tool to help you stay focused, on track, and motivated. It's highly likely your supervisor will ask you to make a plan,...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1962,"featured_media":1581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[90,50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-writing","category-dissertations"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Making-an-action-plan-1.png","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1577,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/30\/writing-your-dissertation-working-with-your-supervisor-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1575,"position":0},"title":"Writing your dissertation: Working with your supervisor","author":"Kyra Ings","date":"April 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Before you begin your dissertation, it's highly likely you'll be assigned a supervisor to oversee your progress from first steps to completion. Your supervisor will help you formulate ideas and give you guidance on how best to develop your research topic and course of action. But you need to always\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academic writing","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/academic-writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A tree with leaves featuring names of different dissertation topics. A cloud and a squirrel holding a banner that says 'Working with your supervisor'","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Working-with-your-supervisor-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Working-with-your-supervisor-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Working-with-your-supervisor-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Working-with-your-supervisor-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":851,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2022\/07\/25\/writing-your-dissertation-navigating-the-messy-middle\/","url_meta":{"origin":1575,"position":1},"title":"Writing your dissertation: navigating the \u2018messy middle\u2019","author":"Alexandra Paramour","date":"July 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Writing a dissertation can be a deeply rewarding experience, but it can sometimes feel like a confusing and solitary process. If you\u2019re feeling a bit lost in the \u2018messy middle\u2019 of the project, these tips may help. Understand that this is normal We all have different circumstances and respond differently\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic skills&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academic skills","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/07\/Picture-1-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/07\/Picture-1-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/07\/Picture-1-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1571,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/05\/07\/writing-your-dissertation-choosing-a-topic\/","url_meta":{"origin":1575,"position":2},"title":"Writing your dissertation: Choosing a topic","author":"Kyra Ings","date":"May 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the biggest challenges when getting started on your dissertation can be choosing a suitable topic. If you're lucky, you may have a clear idea of what you wish to write about. But often, it's a lot more complicated than that and your search may seem daunting and overwhelming.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academic writing","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/academic-writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A tree with leaves featuring names of different dissertation topics. A cloud and a squirrel holding a banner that says 'Choosing your topic'","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Choosing-a-topic-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Choosing-a-topic-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Choosing-a-topic-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Choosing-a-topic-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1585,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/25\/writing-your-dissertation-research\/","url_meta":{"origin":1575,"position":3},"title":"Writing your dissertation: Research","author":"Kyra Ings","date":"April 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Developing a research question When you have selected your research topic, the next stage of the process is to sharpen, refine and define your topic, and identify a specific problem that is worthy of investigation. Here you need to set out: The issue that you will investigate and why it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academic writing","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/academic-writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A tree with leaves featuring names of different dissertation topics. A cloud and a squirrel holding a banner that says 'Research'","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Research.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Research.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Research.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Research.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1579,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/05\/01\/writing-your-dissertation-literature-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":1575,"position":4},"title":"Writing your dissertation: Literature reviews","author":"Kyra Ings","date":"May 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A literature review is designed to demonstrate your knowledge and\u00a0understanding of the academic literature on a specific topic.\u00a0 A literature review also includes a\u00a0critical evaluation of the material. The three main objectives of a literature review are to: Identify and examine relevant research, theories and evidence Conduct a critical evaluation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academic writing","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/academic-writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A tree with leaves featuring names of different dissertation topics. A cloud and a squirrel holding a banner that says 'Literature reviews'","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Literature-reviews.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Literature-reviews.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Literature-reviews.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Literature-reviews.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1835,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/05\/05\/writing-your-dissertation-tutorials-that-make-sense\/","url_meta":{"origin":1575,"position":5},"title":"Writing your dissertation: Tutorials that make sense","author":"Kyra Ings","date":"May 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you writing a dissertation this summer? Are you confident and sure about what you\u2019re doing, or do you have questions and doubts you would like to find answers for? Are you feeling under confident or overwhelmed? A dissertation tutorial might be exactly what you need. What is a dissertation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic skills&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academic skills","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An illustration of an owl sitting in a tree","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/05\/Blog-post-images-37.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/05\/Blog-post-images-37.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/05\/Blog-post-images-37.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/05\/Blog-post-images-37.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1962"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}