{"id":1577,"date":"2026-04-30T12:37:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T11:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/?p=1577"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:33:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T10:33:08","slug":"writing-your-dissertation-working-with-your-supervisor-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/30\/writing-your-dissertation-working-with-your-supervisor-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing your dissertation: Working with your supervisor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\" \"><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">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 remember that this is <\/span><strong style=\"font-size: 16px\"><em>your<\/em><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 16px\"> project, and your supervisor will not provide you with content or additional lessons on a particular topic. Their role is to help you find your own pathway to success.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<h2><strong>Get organised<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">University staff are very busy people, and your dissertation is only a small part of the duties and responsibilities they have to carry out. <\/span>So in order to get the most out of your supervisor and maintain a positive and productive professional relationship with them, you need to get organised.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some important guidelines to follow:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Agree how you will communicate with your supervisor and a timetable of meetings at the start of your project<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Ensure that each meeting has a focus. For example, \u201cSetting a research problem\u201d or \u201cAnalysing the data\u201d, and that you have a clear set of questions to ask with this focus<\/li>\n<li>Keep your supervisor informed of progress and before each meeting send relevant work to your supervisor. This could include:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/25\/writing-your-dissertation-research\/\">Your research plan<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Early results of your data collection<\/li>\n<li>Draft chapters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Arrive on time to each meeting you have arranged. At the end of each supervision meeting agree action points for you to focus on before your next meeting<\/li>\n<li>Keep a record of what you decide in supervision sessions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you're not happy with an aspect of your supervision, discuss this with your supervisor. If this is too difficult or awkward, your personal tutor may also be able to offer advice.<\/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\/28\/writing-your-dissertation-making-an-action-plan-2\/\">Making an action plan<\/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>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...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1962,"featured_media":1582,"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-1577","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_Working-with-your-supervisor-1.png","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1079,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2023\/10\/02\/navigating-the-dissertation-process-my-tips-for-final-years\/","url_meta":{"origin":1577,"position":0},"title":"Navigating the dissertation process: my tips for final years","author":"Vanda Sigel","date":"October 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Imagine for a moment... After months of hard work and research on a topic you're passionate about, the time has finally come to click the 'Submit' button on your dissertation. You've just completed your longest project to date as part of your undergraduate degree. The weight of your efforts suddenly\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":"Vanda Sigel and another HSS student working on laptops.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/10\/Vanda-Sigel-2-800x450-1.jpg?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\/2023\/10\/Vanda-Sigel-2-800x450-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/10\/Vanda-Sigel-2-800x450-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/10\/Vanda-Sigel-2-800x450-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1575,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/28\/writing-your-dissertation-making-an-action-plan-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1577,"position":1},"title":"Writing your dissertation: Making an action plan","author":"Kyra Ings","date":"April 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"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\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 'Making an action plan'","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/05\/Writing-your-dissertation_Making-an-action-plan-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_Making-an-action-plan-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_Making-an-action-plan-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_Making-an-action-plan-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":1577,"position":2},"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":1577,"position":3},"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":462,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/05\/03\/writing-your-dissertations-structure-and-sections\/","url_meta":{"origin":1577,"position":4},"title":"Writing your dissertation: Structure and sections","author":"Tom Reid","date":"May 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In this post, we look at the structural elements of a typical dissertation. A well-structured dissertation should be enjoyable to read. It should be logical and coherent, and your argument or line of reasoning should be convincing and easy to follow. Of course, this is easier said than done, so\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 'Structure'","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/07\/Writing-your-dissertation_Structure.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\/2020\/07\/Writing-your-dissertation_Structure.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/07\/Writing-your-dissertation_Structure.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\/2020\/07\/Writing-your-dissertation_Structure.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"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":1577,"position":5},"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":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1577","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=1577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}