dissertation critical reflection

Critical Reflection

A Critical Reflection (also called a reflective essay) is a process of identifying, questioning, and assessing our deeply-held assumptions – about our knowledge, the way we perceive events and issues, our beliefs, feelings, and actions. When you reflect critically, you use course material (lectures, readings, discussions, etc.) to examine our biases, compare theories with current actions, search for causes and triggers, and identify problems at their core.   Critical reflection is   not   a reading assignment, a summary of an activity, or an emotional outlet.   Rather,   the goal is   to change your thinking about a subject, and thus change your behaviour.

Tip: Critical reflections are common in coursework across all disciplines, but they can take very different forms. Your instructor may ask you to develop a formal essay, produce weekly blog entries, or provide short paragraph answers to a set of questions. Read the assignment guidelines before you begin.

How to Critically Reflect

Writing a critical reflection happens in two phases.

• Analyze:   In the first phase, analyze the issue and your role by asking critical questions. Use free writing as a way to develop good ideas. Don’t worry about organized paragraphs or good grammar at this stage.
• Articulate:   In the second phase, use your analysis to develop a clear argument about what you learned. Organize your ideas so they are clear for your reader.

First phase: Analyze

A popular method for analyzing is the three stage model: What? So What? Now what?

In the  What?  stage, describe the issue, including your role, observations, and reactions. The   what?   stage helps you make initial observations about what you feel and think. At this point, there’s no need to look at your course notes or readings.

Use the questions below to guide your writing during this stage.

• What happened?
• What did you do?
• What did you expect?
• What was different?
• What was your reaction?
• What did you learn?

In the second  So What?   stage, try to understand on a deeper level why the issue is significant or relevant. Use information from your first stage, your course materials (readings, lectures, discussions) -- as well as previous experience and knowledge to help you think through the issue from a variety of perspectives.

Tip:  Since you’ll be using more course resources in this step, review your readings and course notes before you begin writing.

Below are three perspectives you can consider:

• Academic perspective: How did the experience enhance your understanding of a concept/theory/skill? Did the experience confirm your understanding or challenge it? Did you identify strengths or gaps in your knowledge?
• Personal perspective:   Why does the experience matter? What are the consequences? Were your previous expectations/assumptions confirmed or refuted? What surprised you and why?
• Systems perspective:   What were the sources of power and who benefited/who was harmed? What changes would you suggest? How does this experience help you understand the organization or system?

In the third   Now what?   stage, explore how the experience will shape your future thinking and behaviour.

Use the following questions to guide your thinking and writing:

• What are you going to do as a result of your experiences?
• What will you do differently?
• How will you apply what you learned?

Second phase: Articulate

After completing the analysis stage, you probably have a lot of writing, but it is not yet organized into a coherent story. You need to build an organized and clear argument about what you learned and how you changed. To do so,   develop a thesis statement , make an   outline ,   write , and   revise.

Develop a thesis statement

Develop a clear argument to help your reader understand what you learned. This argument should pull together different themes from your analysis into a main idea. You can see an example of a thesis statement in the sample reflection essay at the end of this resource.

Tip: For more help on developing thesis statements, see our   Thesis statements  resource

Make an outline

Once you have a clear thesis statement for your essay, build an outline. Below is a straightforward method to organize your essay.

• Background/Context of reflection
• Thesis statement
• Introduce theme A
• Writer's past position/thinking
• Moment of learning/change
• Writer's current/new position
• Introduce theme B
• Introduce theme C
• Summarize learning
• Discuss significance of learning for self and others
• Discuss future actions/behaviour

Write and revise

Time to get writing! Work from your outline and give yourself enough time for a first draft and revisions.

Even though you are writing about your personal experience and learning, your audience may still be an academic one. Consult the assignment guidelines or ask your instructor to find out whether your writing should be formal or informal.

Sample Critical Reflection

Below are sample annotated paragraphs from one student’s critical reflection for a course on society and privilege.

Introduction

Background/context of reflection : I became aware of privileged positions in society only in recent years. I was lucky enough, privileged enough, to be ignorant of such phenomena, but for some, privilege is a daily lesson of how they do not fit into mainstream culture. In the past, I defined oppression as only that which is obvious and intentional. I never realized the part I played. However, during a class field study to investigate privileged positions in everyday environments, I learned otherwise.   Thesis:   Without meaning to, I caused harm by participating in a system where I gained from others’ subtle oppression. In one of these spaces, the local mall, everything from advertisements to food to products, to the locations of doorways, bathrooms and other public necessities, made clear my privilege as a white, heterosexual male.

Body paragraph

Topic sentence : Peggy McIntosh describes privilege as an invisible knapsack of tools and advantages. This description crystalized for me when I shopped for a greeting card at the stationary store. There, as a white, heterosexual male, I felt comfortable and empowered to roam about the store as I pleased. I freely asked the clerk about a mother’s day card.   Writer’s past position:   Previously, I never considered that a store did anything but sell products. However, when I asked the sales clerk for same sex greeting cards, she paused for a few seconds and gave me a look that made me feel instantly uncomfortable. Some customers stopped to look at me. I felt a heat move over my face. I felt, for a moment, wrong for being in that store.  I quickly clarified that I was only doing a report for school, implying that I was not in fact homosexual.   Writer’s current position:   The clerk’s demeanor changed. I was free to check, she said.  It was the only time during the field study that I had felt the need to explain what I was doing to anyone. I could get out of the situation with a simple clarification. But what if I really was a member of the homosexual community? The looks and the silence taught me that I should be feared.  I realized that, along with its products, the store was selling an image of normal. But my “normality” was another person’s “abnormality.”  After I walked out of the store I felt guilty for having denied being homosexual.

Summary of learning:   At the mall I realized how much we indirectly shame nonprivileged groups, even in seemingly welcoming spaces. That shame is supported every time I or any other privileged individual fails to question our advantage. And it leads to a different kind of shame carried by privileged individuals, too.   Value for self and others:   All of this, as Brown (2003) documents, is exacerbated by silence. Thus, the next step for me is to not only question privilege internally, but to publicly question covert bias and oppression. If I do, I may very well be shamed for speaking out. But my actions might just encourage other people to speak up as well.

Sample paragraphs adapted from James C. Olsen's Teaching Portfolio from Georgetown University .

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Critical Reflection

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Writing Critical Reflection

Reflective writing is a common genre in classrooms across disciplines. Reflections often take the form of narrative essays that summarize an experience or express changes in thinking over time. Initially, reflective writing may seem pretty straightforward; but since reflective writing summarizes personal experience, reflections can easily lose their structure and resemble stream-of-consciousness journals capturing disjointed musings focused on only the self or the past.   

Critical reflection still requires a writer to consider the self and the past but adopts an argumentative structure supported by readings, theories, discussions, demonstrated changes in material conditions, and resources like post-collaboration assessments, testimonial evidence, or other data recorded during the collaboration . Common arguments in critical reflections present evidence to demonstrate learning, contextualize an experience, and evaluate impact. While critical reflections still require authors to reflect inwardly, critical reflection go es beyond the self and examine s any relevant contexts that informed the experience. Then, writers should determine how effectively their project addressed these contexts. In other words, critical reflection considers the “impact” of their project: How did it impact the writer? How did it impact others? Why is the project meaningful on a local, historical, global, and/or societal level? H ow can that impact be assessed?  

In short: reflection and critical reflection both identify the facts of an experience and consider how it impacts the self. Critical reflection goes beyond this to conceive of the project’s impact at numerous levels and establish an argument for the project’s efficacy. In addition, critical reflection encourages self-assessment—we critically reflect to change our actions, strategies, and approaches and potentially consider these alternative methods.  

Collecting Your Data: Double-Entry Journaling

Double-entry journaling is a helpful strategy for you to document data, observations, and analysis throughout the entire course of a community-based project. It is a useful practice for projects involving primary research, secondary research, or a combination of both. In its most basic form, a double-entry journal is a form of notetaking where a writer can keep track of any useful sources, notes on those sources, observations, thoughts, and feelings—all in one place.  

For community-based projects, this might involve:  

• Recording your observations during or after a community partner meeting in one column of the journal.  
• Recording any of your thoughts or reactions about those observations in a second column.   
• Writing any connections you make between your observations, thoughts, and relevant readings from class in a third column.  

This allows you to document both your data and your analysis of that data throughout the life of the project. This activity can act as a blueprint for your critical reflection by providing you with a thorough account of how your thinking developed throughout the life of a project.   

The format of a double-entry journal is meant to be flexible, tailored to both your unique notetaking practice and your specific project. It can be used to analyze readings from class, observations from research, or even quantitative data relevant to your project.  

Just the Facts, Please: What, So What, Now What

Getting started is often the hardest part in writing. To get your critical reflection started, you can identify the What , So What , and Now What? of your project. The table below presents questions that can guide your inquiry . If you’re currently drafting, we have a freewriting activity below to help you develop content.  

Freewrite your answers to these questions; that is, respond to these questions without worrying about grammar, sentence structure, or even the quality of your ideas. At this stage, your primary concern is getting something on the page. Once you’re ready to begin drafting your critical reflection, you can return to these ideas and refine them.  

Below are some additional prompts you can use to begin your freewriting. These reflection stems can organize the ideas that you developed while freewriting and place them in a more formal context.  

• I observed that...  
• My understanding of the problem changed when...  
• I became aware of (x) when....  
• I struggled to...  
• The project's biggest weakness was…  
• The project's greatest strength was…   I learned the most when...  
• I couldn't understand...  
• I looked for assistance from...  
• I accounted for (x) by...  
• I connected (concept/theory) to...  
• (Specific skill gained) will be useful in a professional setting through…  

Analyzing Your Experience: A Reflective Spectrum

Y our critical reflection is a space to make an argument about the impact of your project . This means your primary objective is to determine what kind of impact your project had on you and the world around you. Impact can be defined as the material changes, either positive or negative, that result from an intervention , program , or initiative . Impact can be considered at three different reflective levels: inward, outward, and exploratory.

Inward reflection requires the writer to examine how the project affected the self. Outward reflection explores the impact the project had on others. Additionally, you can conceptualize your project’s impact in relation to a specific organization or society overall, depending on the project’s scope. Finally, exploratory reflection asks writers to consider how impact is measured and assessed in the context of their project to ultimately determine: What does impact look like for the work that I’m doing? How do I evaluate this? How do we store, archive, or catalog this work for institutional memory? And what are the next steps?  

This process is cyclical in nature; in other words, it’s unlikely you will start with inward reflection, move to outward reflection, and finish with exploratory reflection. As you conceptualize impact and consider it at each level, you will find areas of overlap between each reflective level.   

Finally, if you’re having trouble conceptualizing impact or determining how your project impacted you and the world around you, ask yourself:   

• What metrics did I use to assess the "impact" of this project? Qualitative? Quantitative? Mixed-methods? How do those metrics illustrate meaningful impact?  
• How did the intended purpose of this project affect the types of impact that were feasible, possible, or recognized?  
• At what scope (personal, individual, organizational, local, societal) did my outcomes have the most "impact"?  

These questions can guide additional freewriting about your project. Once you’ve finished freewriting responses to these questions, spend some time away from the document and return to it later. Then, analyze your freewriting for useful pieces of information that could be incorporated into a draft.  

Drafting Your Critical Reflection

Now that you have determined the “What, So What, Now What” of your project and explored its impact at different reflective levels, you are ready to begin drafting your critical reflection.  

If you’re stuck or find yourself struggling to structure your critical reflection, the OWL’s “ Writing Process ” [embe ded link ] resource may offer additional places to start. That said, another drafting strategy is centering the argument you intend to make.  

Your critical reflection is an argument for the impact your project has made at multiple levels; as such, much of your critical reflections will include pieces of evidence to support this argument. To begin identifying these pieces of evidence, return to your “reflection stem” responses . Your evidence might include :  

• H ow a particular reading or theory informed the actions during your partnership ;  
• How the skills, experiences, or actions taken during this partnerhsip will transfer to new contexts and situations;  
• Findings from y our evaluation of the project;  
• Demonstrated changes in thoughts, beliefs, and values, both internally and externally;  
• And, of course, specific ways your project impacted you, other individuals, your local community, or any other community relevant to the scope of your work.  

As you compile this evidence, you will ulti mately be compiling ways to support an argument about your project’s efficacy and impact .  

Sharing Your Critical Reflection

Reflective writing and critical reflections are academic genres that offer value to the discourse of any field. Oftentimes, these reflective texts are composed for the classroom, but there are other venues for your critical reflections, too.  

For example, Purdue University is home to the Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement ( PJSL ) which publishes student reflective texts and reflections with research components. Although PJSL only accepts submissions from Purdue students, other journals like this one may exist at your campus. Other venues like the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Impact publish reflective essays from scholars across institutions, and journals in your chosen discipline may also have interest in reflective writing.  

Document explaining the theories, concepts, literature, strategies that informed the creation of this content page.  

Reflective Writing

• Book a session
• Introduction
• Planning Reflective Writing
• Reflective Frameworks & Models
• Compare your experience to the literature

Critical Reflective Writing

• Questions to ask about your analysis
• Reflective writing books
• ⬅ Back to Skills Centre This link opens in a new window

Questioning your analysis of the experience is an important element of reflective writing, and is a good way to include critical writing in your essay.

In our writing, we need to to evidence that we have questioned our analysis .

Questions to ask

Here are more examples of how you can be critical of your analysis. 

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How To Write A Critical Reflection Assignment

29 April, 2022

13 minutes read

Author:  Tomas White

The act of discovering, examining, and evaluating our deep-seated beliefs and writing about these is known as critical reflection (also known as reflective essay). The assignment can concern our knowledge, our perceptions of events and issues, and our beliefs, feelings, and behaviors. When you critically reflect, you utilize study material (lectures, books, discussions, etc.) to […]

The act of discovering, examining, and evaluating our deep-seated beliefs and writing about these is known as critical reflection (also known as reflective essay). The assignment can concern our knowledge, our perceptions of events and issues, and our beliefs, feelings, and behaviors.

When you critically reflect, you utilize study material (lectures, books, discussions, etc.) to analyze the prejudices, compare theories with present behaviors, seek reasons and triggers, and discover underlying problems.

A critical reflection essay is neither a reading assignment, a description of events, nor an outlet for emotions. Rather, the goal is to alter people’s perceptions of the issue and, as a result, their behavior.

Why Are Critical Reflection Assignments So Popular?

Critical thinking writing is frequent in student assignments, although it can take several forms. Your teacher may require you to submit a common essay, make weekly blog updates, or respond to a series of questions in a limited amount of time.

Together with the tasks, you’ll have to do during your college and university courses, and this activity allows you to express yourself the most. It motivates you to see things from many angles and discuss your perspectives with others.

Without exaggeration, it is useful for both academic advancement and your journey of self-knowledge. So, let’s see how to create a paper that would amaze everyone.

The Main Purposes Of Critical Reflection

Rather than merely providing information, a critical reflection essay allows you to take a personal perspective and voice your ideas on the subject. It might be about anything, from your favorite movie to touring the Grand Canyon and debating evolution theories. An educational, professional, or personal critical reflection paper is possible.

They all have somewhat different styles:

• Answer to a previously studied book, video, or lecture is educational.
• Professional – a typical duty for teachers and social workers, focuses on analyzing a person’s conduct.
• Personal one shows how you feel about a more personal topic.

Which to select is determined by the subject. If you’re having trouble with this, talk to your supervisor.

How To Write A Critical Reflection Essay: Step-by-Step Guide

There are two steps to writing a good critical reflection essay:

• Analyze the situation and your involvement in it by asking critical questions. Freewriting is a great approach to coming up with new ideas. Don’t bother about paragraph organization or grammar at this point.
• To correctly formulate, use your analysis to clarify what you’ve learned in the second phase. Organize your thoughts so that the reader can understand them.

To help you, we’ll provide you with a general guide on how to choose a topic.

Come Up With the Topic

As a beginning point, consider any major moments in life that have significantly impacted you, either favorably or badly.

Real-life experience, imagined experience, a remarkable object or location, a person who has inspired you, or something you have ever seen or read are all common critical reflection essay topics.

If you’re writing a critical reflection essay for college, your professor will probably want you to focus on a certain incident. It’s also worth noting that in a critical reflection essay, the event’s impacts are vital. If you don’t include them, you’ll just be telling stories.

Uncover The Topic

It may seem self-evident, but the act of reflection is the foundation for writing such a paper. Therefore you must get it right from the start. It would be best to consider how the experience you have chosen to focus on has affected or changed you. Determine the effects for you individually using your recollections and experiences.

Once you’ve decided on an essay topic, start researching it thoroughly and devote a significant amount of time thinking about it. Make a list of everything you remember about the experience, explaining it as clearly and completely as possible.

Remember your sentiments and utilize terms to describe the experience when doing so. You can write notes using brief words at the start of writing, but you must ensure that you are capturing all responses, views, and experiences.

Make The Analysis Of Main Ideas And Problems Of The Critical Reflection Assignment Topic

It would help if you began thinking to evaluate your memory’s contents effectively. Picking a few questions to consider is a good way to start. They will assist you in delving deeper into your experiences. Here are some good questions to think about:

• What did your experience or event analysis teach you?
• Did you change as a result of it? How?
• Has it influenced your life positively or negatively?
• What would you do if you could go back in time?
• Why do you believe you made the decision you did? Do you believe it was the best decision you could have made?
• What did you think of the whole experience? Has it been beneficial for you? What specific talents or views have you gained?

These starter questions should assist you in beginning your reflective process. Remember that the key to thinking thoroughly and critically about your experiences is to ask yourself many questions. It is a crucial talent for creating a fantastic critical reflection essay.

Develop Logical Chains Between Research Stages

The creation of logical chains helps to remember and comprehend a large amount of information to identify the pattern of any events or phenomena. Logical chains are necessary for developing critical thinking and the ability to think logically.

A logical chain is a chain of sequential judgments and conclusions leading from the initial factors to the conclusion of logical construction.

The logical chain in the critical reflection essay is always present. Always, even if the judgment seems illogical. A judgment may come from incorrect factors, erroneous information – and therefore be incorrect, but there should be logic in any judgment and conclusion of a critical reflection essay.

Create a Critical Reflection Assignment Checklist

It is worth analyzing your article on three levels to produce a decent checklist.

Level of criticality

• Is there any relevant theory or professional references in the text?
• Are you able to back up the claims with evidence?
• Has the event touched your professional experience?

Level of description

• Is your professional experience consistent with your personal experiences?
• Is it accurate in its information?
• Is it a problem or an opportunity to solve it?
• Is it a description of one or two solutions to a problem?

Level of analysis

• Is your text able to describe both the immediate and deeper causes?
• Is it an issue or an opportunity for other people to solve it?
• Do you have any immediate concerns about your career progress due to the experience?

Try to figure out the aim of your reflective writing. Different goals necessitate different materials, organization, and styles.

The necessity to show proof of learning based on experience is common in all varieties of critical reflection papers.

Aim for a mix of descriptive, analytical, and critical reflective writing aspects.

Template For Critical Reflection Essay

Traditional and creative (which are quite useful but hazardous) techniques for writing critical reflection essays are available:

• In a traditional way, the thesis should state the key concept, develop it throughout the main paragraphs with supporting reasons, and finish with the facts confirming the thesis.
• If you want to use creative options, begin a discussion on the subject and imply a conclusion. Assume where the discussion will lead, but leave some uncertainty. Make and write the personal analysis. Consider a conclusion that differs marginally or totally from what the audience expected at the start.

You will be able to write your critical reflections without problems if you use this or that option. By choosing one of the options, you can easily start writing a template for your paper.

Introduction Of Critical Reflection Paper

The most significant aspect of writing a critical reflection essay is expressing your views about a topic. Just don’t get too worked up over it. Instead of being emotional, you should convey your ideas logically. 

Give the reader a sense of what to expect in the next few paragraphs. Create a compelling concept: encapsulate the important statement in one sentence to draw attention.

It is when you delve deeper into the thesis. In a few paragraphs, you must describe the essential. Use a three-paragraph structure. Tell the audience more about your experience and how it influenced you. 

Compare and contrast other people’s experiences. Then tell the audience what you’ve discovered as a result of it.

The conclusion must be comprehensive and persuasive. The document’s conclusion demonstrates that your thoughts are completely developed. 

Strong accents are used to bring the conversation to an end. To offer readers food for thought, make a creative image of your experience.

Correct Formatting Of Critical Reflection Paper

The essay writer primarily discusses life experiences. The objective of writing such a paper is to allow the authors to explore how they have changed or learned from a particular life experience and how that experience has changed them.

You can present the critical reflection assignment in various ways, but learning logs or diary entries are the most common. Diary entries, in particular, are utilized to show how the author’s thoughts changed over time.

Everyone who has written at least one scientific paper in the past is familiar with the reflection paper format.

• A4 paper is the most popular.
• Each side of the field is 1 inch.
• The material is divided into 12 paragraphs.
• The font is easy to read (Arial, Helvetica, Calibri, Times New Roman, etc.)
• Two spaces separate the lines.
• Citations in APA, Chicago, and other styles are available (determined by the supervisor).
• The word count ranges from 250 to 750.

Depending on the intended audience, the format might change. The critical reflection essay can be scientific or given more general meaning, such as as a component of a larger work. Although the presentation structure may alter, the goal remains the same. Teachers hope to encourage students to think thoroughly and critically about a specific learning experience or series of events.

It is all you know how to write critical reflection paper.

Need Help Or Advice With Your Critical Reflection Paper?

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• Learning and Teaching

Critical reflection for assessments and practice

Critical reflection for assessments and practice: homepage.

• Reflective practice
• Critical reflection
• How to reflect
• Critical reflection writing
• Recount and reflect

About this guide

Critical reflection is core to any professional role. It allows you to develop greater self-awareness, engage in ongoing learning, and improve your practice. In fact, reflective practice, using critical reflection, impacts everything from writing an essay to leading a work project or providing health care!    

This guide provides strategies, tools and ways of thinking to build your critical reflection skills. Through engaging with the content and activities you will learn how to: 

Recognise the main features of critical reflection

Use critical reflection models in your assessments

Build your critical reflective language and writing skills

Distinguish between recount and reflection

Critical reflection and assessments

Reflection is a core skill for your uni work. Deakin University units and courses often have critical reflection based assessments. The assessments can take different forms, everything from a reflective essay to a video presentation, a reflective art piece to a digital portfolio blog post. While the focus of reflective writing can include:

• describing how a critical experience in your life has shaped your world view
• making connections between your learnings and your workplace practice
• critiquing your art performance or creative output
• analysing your experience of working on a group project
• evaluating a teaching or learning activity.

This guide will share a few approaches to critical reflection. However, always check your assessment instructions in case there is a particular reflection model or set of questions that you need to use.

Getting started

When you move through any learning, whether for study or workplace needs, it’s important to take a minute to ask yourself three related questions:

What do I already know?

What's the next step in this knowledge?

How will this knowledge influence my doing?

Consider your confidence as a critical reflector, draw from your practice and previous experiences. Identifying your current skills and knowledges in an area are the first step to developing them further.

If you need further digital or academic skills help:

• Contact your Librarian
• Contact a Language and Learning Adviser (Study Support)

Attribution and acknowledgement

Crediting creators or attributing content is a core part of both academic integrity and of being a digital citizen more broadly. This guide was co-created by Deakin Library and Deakin Language and Learning Advisers (Study Support). Academics from Early Childhood Education, Creative Arts and Global Studio also provided feedback or writing examples that impacted this guide. 

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• Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024 4:53 PM
• URL: https://deakin.libguides.com/critical-reflection-guide

9X6 – Dissertation Preparation for Honours History (2020/1)

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Final Reflection

Please reflect on your progress with the dissertation to date and put up a short post of between 250 and 500 words in which you consider:

a) What have been the major obstacles you have faced in putting a research project together?

b) What strategies have you adopted to overcome these obstacles?

c) What has this taught you about approaching your dissertation?

d) Which aspects of the 9X6 module have been the most useful in helping you get your project ready to start?

16 thoughts on “Final Reflection”

a) What have been the major obstacles you have faced in putting a research project together? I have found accessing the essential literature problematic in putting together my research project. My area of research lacked a variety of online accessible sources which often left me lacking information on key aspects of the Viking age.

b) What strategies have you adopted to overcome these obstacles? To overcome this, I have been in contact with my supervisor who has helped to provide me with multiple sources to enable me to continue working on my research project. I have also made numerous journeys to the university library to access to resources in person and prevent my work from falling behind the planned deadlines.

c) What has this taught you about approaching your dissertation? This has taught me that it is important to have a detailed plan to ensure that there is sufficient time to deal with any problems or issues which may arise. Writing the dissertation will be a long process and issues will always come up, but provided I remain calm and stick to my plan I will overcome them with ease. Also, to overcome these issues help from the supervisor will be available throughout the entire process which can help to keep you on the right track.

d) Which aspects of the 9X6 module have been the most useful in helping you get your project ready to start? I found that putting us students into contact with our supervisors from an early stage has been extremely beneficial. While Cawood has been very helpful when it comes to questions regarding a specific aspect for the dissertation it has been helpful to speak to someone who is an expert on the topic. Furthermore, the seminars regarding the assignments have also been extremely helpful as they have laid out examples, made the project much clearer, and helped me understand what is expected.

Final Reflection on 9X6 My Research project will assess the impact of counsel on Mary queen of Scots and Elizabeth I. For me so far as the proposal essay went the main obstacle is the vast amount of literature on both queens that is available. I have often found myself lost in books – then realising they are not as useful as I had hoped at the outset. The sources have also been a challenge, the state papers are vast and looking at them is a challenge to grasp what is relevant for my topic. The main strategy is condensing the time period. I was worried at the outset that the time period was to large. Having discussion with Dr Cathcart I have narrowed it down to predominantly Mary’s personal reign c.1560-1567. This has allowed me to be more direct in approaching literature. Looking at key works on the queens and delving through the most relevant chapters has been the main lesson I have learned. Instead of reading information – that although interesting, is not relevant. 9X6 has provided me with the tools I need to start this project well. The Methodology paper was a great way to make me think about how to use the sources and what particular methodology would be most relevant. The support and guidance on this module have really helped me develop the skills I need to carry out a decent research dissertation. I was a bit overwhelmed in January worrying about how I would approach. But looking at archives etc has allowed me to grasp how to interpret sources and thus will help me when writing my dissertation towards the end of the year.

I think motivation has been a significant obstacle that peers can agree with. As it is necessary for us to become excited and enthused by our own topics in order succeed, it is difficult to do so alone and through only reading sources found on our computers. Another obstacle I faced specifically was accessing articles on Jstor and other outlets that were only accessible to American universities as my subject choice centres around an American and his legacy. Thirdly, I found it difficult specifying my research questions and slimming down from a vague, general topic of discussion.

To overcome these obstacles, I developed several different strategies. When it came to motivation, it was incredibly useful to have my enthusiastic Dissertation Supervisor to bounce ideas and sources off of. I also wanted to order books so that I could vary my working habits instead of just staring at a screen all the time – these unfortunately didn’t arrive in time but it’s the thought that counts! The second obstacle is still slightly present, but with some of the articles I managed to contact authors and ask for specific permission. Those who got back to me were very willing to give me access and cite their sources in my work. Lastly, narrowing down my arguments was much easier once I had widened my knowledge base and was able to more clearly see where there gaps and what specific parts of Paul Robeson’s life interested me the most.

These things have taught me that it will be incredibly important, throughout the process of creating my dissertation, to remain in constant communication with my supervisor, academics and tutors, so that I can absorb knowledge, advice and support.

I found the seminars with Dr. Cawood extremely useful, especially when looked over the structures and marks for example essays/assignments. Personally, this really helps me map out and plan what I want to express and also allowed me to be less self-critical of my abilities (especially when we all marked an essay significantly lower than it actually achieved).

– Aylie Fucella

a) What have been the major obstacles you have faced in putting a research project together? – The main issue I ran into with my research project was the overabundance of sources, both primary and secondary, meaning it was difficult to sift through the sources and pick useful ones.

b) What strategies have you adopted to overcome these obstacles? – I narrowed down my research question significantly, and made use of advance search on Jstor to keep my inquiries related to my research project.

c) What has this taught you about approaching your dissertation? – This has taught me that it’s important to stick to your plan and to waste no time on tangents

d) Which aspects of the 9X6 module have been the most useful in helping you get your project ready to start? – I found the seminars based around the assignments the most useful, because they helped make the project clearer.

In putting my research project together, I found narrowing down my research question particularly difficult in the early stages. Gaining access to secondary materials online proved to be a slight issue, as many of the key studies in my topic area were not available to read online, and access to some primary evidence was also difficult. In order to overcome these challenges, I used reviews and pieces of secondary literature which explored the arguments of the sources I could not read myself in order to gain an understanding of the content laid out in the central texts. I used further secondary materials which utilised the unavailable primary evidence so that I could gain some comprehension of the initial information in the subject area. Having to face and overcome these challenges has taught me that, when writing my dissertation, I will have to adapt to changes and that my plan will have to be altered as it progresses. I also found that researching for a dissertation is different from researching for a standard essay as you are required to do more on your own (no resource list for example), and so found this module helpful in terms of practice and gaining an idea of what research later in the year will be like. I found the feedback on the methodology essay very helpful in increasing my understanding of both the topic and the ways in which I will use primary materials. The example assignments and dissertation were particularly beneficial as they gave a clear idea of what was expected of me. Carrying out the literature review for the proposal essay was useful as it forced me to think seriously about existing arguments and ideas on the topic and to challenge these before writing my own arguments in my dissertation.

Whilst putting my research project together I encountered various obstacles. Firstly, devising my initial question was quite difficult, I had a few ideas but turning them into a suitable project and a question that had good detail and was not too broad I found quite challenging initially. Also, making sure not to recycle ideas was something I was wary of. Secondly, and I’m sure most people have encountered similar issues, was the problem of services being unavailable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Places where I may gather research, such as libraries and archives have been closed for a long period of time and restrictions will still be in place when they re-open.

To overcome these obstacles, in terms of my initial question; I emailed back and forth with my supervisor who was very helpful and helped to develop my ideas by suggesting different authors and places to look for further analysis. This allowed me to then decide on my final question which was suitable and accepted by my supervisor. In terms of searching for materials given the current situation, I researched online through various archives to see if there was enough digitised materials in the event that physical archives may remain closed for a further period of time.

This module has taught me various aspects of the dissertation and the research project I probably wasn’t aware really existed. Learning how to look for materials and the different methods used to approach these materials has been invaluable, as I am now able to confidently research and know exactly what I am looking for, and how I will use this within my dissertation. The two assignments have also helped me approach my dissertation better as reviewing literature, deciding on a methodology etc has helped form the basis of my project and I feel I am in a good place to continue on myself once university is finished for the summer.

Finally, the most useful aspects of the module to me were the two assignments. They allowed my project to take shape initially with the methodology paper, laying out exactly how I would carry it out and some of the issues previous authors have discussed allowed me to also from the basis of an argument which was really helpful when it came to writing my dissertation proposal which I have found challenging but also has aided in forming an argument by reviewing more sources and setting out my aims and objectives has made the project feel like it is eventually taking shape. The module overall has been very valuable as it has helped to understand more about what the dissertation will consist of and with a year until it is due, having a good start on it in terms of research and reading will prove invaluable when it comes to working on it over the summer and into 4th year.

-Eilidh Sinclair

a) What have been the major obstacles you have faced in putting a research project together? – The biggest obstacle I have faced in putting this research project together is grappling with historical methodology and its application. – The vast majority of secondary sources regarding the Russian Civil War (RCW) has made it difficult to narrow down the most important and relevant historiography for this research project. – Another obstacle was finding suitable translated primary sources. b) What strategies have you adopted to overcome these obstacles? – Extensive reading on methodological approaches (archival research, cultural etc.). – Time management. – Prioritising the reading of the most recent and commended secondary sources on the RCW. c) What has this taught you about approaching your dissertation? – The importance of originality and ambiguity when it comes to identifying a suitable research topic. – The importance of time management so deadlines are met. – The importance of carefully reading secondary sources as to ‘read between the lines’ so important ideas aren’t missed. Also, the importance of making notes on what may be useful about a source (after reading it) should I need to return it in the future. – Most importantly, this course has taught me the importance of getting ahead and doing a lot of reading over the summer to put me in a better position come 4th year. d) Which aspects of the 9X6 module have been the most useful in helping you get your project ready to start? – Understanding methodology has been a big help in getting me started working with the relevant primary sources. – Some weeks without seminars has eased the pressure and has helped me with doing extra dissertation work and alternative coursework. – Getting students into contact with supervisors from the beginning was most useful in starting to think about and share ideas from an early stage. – The example methodology and proposal essays provided in seminars were very useful when it came to writing and submitting coursework.

The major obstacles I faced while putting a research project together mostly focused on methodology. This is something that I have not consciously thought about prior to the HISU9X6 module and initially struggled with.

Another obstacle was attempting to understand what the dissertation involved and how to approach such a piece of work.

Following the first assignment (Research Methodology Paper), with the group work and feedback, the different types of methodology have become clearer. The main strategy therefore is perhaps reflection.

From listening to the lectures and contributing to the seminars it appears that to approach the dissertation independent hard work will be the key strategy to undertake this extensive piece of work. By setting goals and having self-reliant deadlines I should be able to meet the deadlines for my dissertation and utilise my time more wisely.

This has taught me that reflection throughout the researching, and eventual writing of my dissertation, will help simplify complex ideas and solidify my argument.

This has also taught me that I will have to use my summer wisely. This will be the only opportunity to extensively research different historians’ arguments and discussions and, towards the later half of the summer, engage with the primary sources.

I found the group work with others regarding the Research Methodology Paper extremely beneficial as it made me reflect on my own dissertation and allowed me to understand how my classmates attempted to address their own dissertations.

I also found the Proposal Essay extremely beneficial as it prepares the research for my dissertation in a format that I can add to over the summer. Ultimately, the Proposal Essay has provided me with a format that I feel comfortable with to continue researching my dissertation over the summer.

The lectures and seminars were particularly helpful, especially at relieving the stresses of approaching such an extensive piece of work. By outlining possible approaches and providing suggestions, the lectures and seminars have helped me identify what the next stages are for writing my dissertation.

Final Reflection a) For me so far the main obstacle has been narrowing down and picking out the right and most useful sources, doing the Nuremberg Trials there is thousands of literature that is all available but picking the right one has been proven difficult as I have wasted time reading ones that ultimately didn’t do me any advantages when I was writing my proposal essay. b) To overcome this, learning and following the guidance we have been given from our supervisors on how to narrow my searching down so i know exactly what I’m looking for for example when searching about the Nuremberg Trials to type in key words to do with my dissertation like Britain and America, 1945-1946 or Human Rights. c)This has taught me that I can use and ask my supervisor for help and support even if i think the questions I’m considering might seem easy that’s what they are there for! Knowing how much reading and work will be going into my dissertation is a scary thought but this has taught me that i am able to make it as easy as i can for myself with resources and literature that is only relevant to my specific topic. d) I have found that his entire module has been useful, it has gave us head start in the process of our dissertation from choosing our topic, learning how to write about methodology and pairing us with our supervisor that are most suited to our topic. The assignments and seminars have been challenging but in a way that we know it will be beneficial to us next year when it comes to writing our dissertation and it has prepared me a lot more for what i know will be expected.

a) What have been the major obstacles? – My biggest obstacle was finding secondary sources because my topic (attitudes towards Russia during French Revolutionary & Napoleonic Wars) has not been the topic of many if any published items but is instead just featured or mentioned briefly in seemingly unrelated books or articles. – Another big obstacle is just the sheer volume of primary information. At the moment my topic covers twenty years which means a lot of newspapers and periodicals. b) Strategies to overcome these obstacles? – One of the little things I have been trying to do is read and take notes on a piece of primary and a piece of secondary material everyday or as much as I can around other module work. – Another strategy has been narrowing down newspaper and periodical searches to surround key dates or figures rather than just the blanket term of ‘Russia’. c) What this has taught me about approaching the dissertation? – That it is important to keep chipping away at it, this is not a regular essay where you can read a half a dozen to a dozen books and then write it, this takes really detailed and specialised knowledge of names, dates, places and links between people. – And that going down a rabbit hole of research is both helpful and not. It has taught me to be extremely selective of my readings in a way I haven’t had to be before. d) What aspects of this module have been most useful? – As much as we are all very critical of ourselves and each other I think it is very useful to get other students input and ideas on our work because if there happens to be overlap then they can maybe help point you in the right direction. It is useful to know that it is a solo piece of work but it isn’t a solo project and that reaching out for secondary input or getting someone else to glance over your work is very helpful and though-provoking. – It’s also useful to gain a proper understanding of methodology as compared to other modules where you just ‘do’ the reading and the essay and your methodology is just whatever it happens to be naturally, whereas this module gives you a sense of how to properly research and put your thoughts out there.

a) What have been the major obstacles you have faced in putting a research project together? The major obstacles I have encountered have been narrowing down my research area to a manageable project and not having access to archival materials due to the current pandemic. Although many archival materials have been digitised, the majority of the archives I require for my topic have not yet been digitised. I struggled greatly with my methodology paper and despite engaging fully with the resources, seminars and lectures, I still found this particular element very difficult. I have also struggled with the lack of open access to the library and not being able to discuss thoughts and ideas with peers as would be the norm in seminar groups.

b) What strategies have you adopted to overcome these obstacles? I have spent time reading more broadly around the subject area to try and narrow down my specific topic area, as well as regular discussions with my dissertation supervisor who has been extremely supportive and helpful. In terms of archival materials, I have been in touch with the archive centres so I am prepared for when they open and know where I can access the materials I require. I spent time going over the feedback I received for the methodology paper and have taken the comments on board and will take them forward with me into the next semester. I have spent more time engaging with peers from previous modules, discussing our ideas and progression with projects.

c) What has this taught you about approaching your dissertation? I have learned I need to spend a lot more time reading around the topic area, taking notes and following references from key pieces of work to find further resources. I have realised I need to spend more time making detailed plans of work, before heading straight into my task. I have realised I need to be flexible and adaptable in my approach to the dissertation in case archive centres are not open in time for me to access materials. Going over the feedback I received has given me a better idea of what is expected of me and I will take this on board going forward, I realise it is also important to use the knowledge and expertise of my supervisor, tutors and academics.

d) Which aspects of the 9X6 module have been the most useful in helping you get your project ready to start? The whole module has been very helpful in understanding what is to be expected of us in our history dissertations. I felt being able to see, analyse and discuss good quality papers from previous students was extremely useful and good to understand what the “finished article” will look like as it is difficult to see how it will go from an idea in my head to a finished dissertation. Getting started so far ahead of the deadline has definitely helped to calm nerves and disperse overwhelming feelings had we not have done this module.

What have been the major obstacles you have faced in putting a research project together?

Reflecting on my personal progress with the dissertation up until now the major obstacle I have faced in putting a research project together is narrowing down my study. When we did the methodology peer marking my question it was noticed by a peer that my analysis is not matching my introduction and thought I was in danger of comparing too much. I have now decided to discard the role and attitudes to women in the workplace and now focus on attitudes to women in the workplace. Another obstacle I faced in putting a research project together was establishing a gap in the historiography when writing my methodology paper. I think I did not completely understand this task at the time but now that I have narrowed down my study and had discussions with my tutor, I find it really easy to notice gaps in historiography in relation to my research.

What strategies have you adopted to overcome these obstacles?

For both of these obstacles I approached my supervisor and the module coordinator to discuss my methodology paper and the research my project is planning to address. After working closely with my supervisor my research has become a lot clearer. I was overwhelmed with information in the middle of the module and my supervisors support has strengthened my research skills.

What has this taught you about approaching your dissertation?

I have learned to not overwhelm myself with too much information and to take my time and take each reading slowly in order to establish a full understanding. I have had a lot of practice of this throughout the module and I think I have come out of this module a better researcher.

Which aspects of the 9X6 module have been the most useful in helping you get your project ready to start?

Overall, the 9X6 module has been extremely useful for my understanding of what is expected in a dissertation. I particularly liked how we got given an example of each paper we had due to see what is expected and an example of a final dissertation. I am glad that we have been given this module at this point, it has calmed my nerves on what time scale a dissertation should be written and has given me the opportunity to do some solid starting research in light of writing my dissertation in the next year.

a) For me, I struggled with narrowing down my research focus. The history of interracial relationships is full of nuances and theme overlaps. This became most apparent when reading the secondary literature as I would often read articles that were interesting but maybe not the most useful. Also, I struggled with understanding and identifying all the methodologies I would likely use and how they work together. All in all, starting my research has been quite a complicated area to navigate.

b) Giving myself plenty of time to establish solid themes within my research. After that, I could spend my time reading more effectively. This was helped further by knowing whether it was better to give articles a close reading or brief overview. Also, I listened carefully to all the advice my supervisor gave me which helped tremendously in narrowing everything down.

c) I think time management is key. To make sure I understand everything in the detail I need and that I don’t miss anything out, I need to set out large blocks of time to fully immerse myself in the reading.

d) The course itself has made me view my dissertation much more critically. Exploring methodology and ‘the history of history’ helped me consider what type of historian I want to be- something I haven’t exactly thought about before. Also, as starting a dissertation can be quite daunting, the assignments were particularly useful to give me the push I needed to begin my research. Generally, it has me to feel more confident in developing my dissertation over the next year.

Final reflection

I decided on my topic quite quickly but have made some changes to it after meetings with my supervisor. When I started researching the Channel Islands Occupation, I thought I would be able to go to the Islands and conduct some research there, such as by visiting museums, heritage trails and bunkers, but with the uncertainty of the pandemic, I had to direct my dissertation to a more online-based theme and research. This meant, for example, analysing how exhibitions, trails and such represent the Occupation will have to happen through an online analysis which changes the focus a little bit compared to what I had thought about at the start. On the plus side, the pandemic has led to many resources and information being put online, which has, for example, also led the Liberation events to change from a street party to an online celebration making it possible for me to analyse how these showcase the narrative in which it is presented without actually visiting the Channel Islands on Liberation day.

I am aware of the obstacles that I have to overcome, and I can address them by looking at ways to gain information differently. For example, it would have been interesting to visit an exhibition on the Occupation, as that is, as of now not possible. I decided to approach heritage professionals and interview them to gain insights into their exhibition and museum strategy. Contacting archives and museums from the Channel Islands directly is another way through which I hope to gain access to some information on the Occupation, its commemoration and liberation.

These obstacles have taught me that there might be some problems in gaining information for my dissertation topic, but there is quite often a different way of finding information; it might just take longer. Another aspect raised in this module is to have good time management over the summer, and until the dissertation has to be submitted, I feel like that is very important, especially as the dissertation involves a lot of thorough research.

This module was beneficial, as reading other people’s dissertations and assignments provided me with examples and a direction to what is expected of me. Moreover, working with my supervisor has helped immensely as she gave me ideas of what to consider in my dissertation, what is possible to do, and in general, having someone to discuss aspects of my topic with was beneficial. I also think that having this preparation module this semester gives us a lot of time over the summer to conduct in-depth research, which hopefully includes some visits to archives and libraries. Even if this will not be possible, I hope to conduct interviews with professionals from the Channel Islands museums and exhibitions through an online platform such as Microsoft Teams, which is more likely to happen.

Final Reflection- Chloe Nash My research project is on the depiction of the enemy in propaganda in WWII, comparing Britain and Germany.

The most difficult thing I found when putting my research project together was figuring out what I actually wanted to study, research and write about. I had many different ideas but I couldn’t decide what one would be best. I also found it hard to get used to finding the appropriate sources and I also found it hard initially to figure out what sources were useful and good quality. After learning what websites had reliable information and sources I found it a lot easier to see what topics had enough sources and information and therefore, it was a lot easier to decide what I wanted to research and write about. I also felt anxious about writing my dissertation at the start as I found the idea of the dissertation itself daunting but after attending the classes and speaking with my supervisor I felt a lot more comfortable and I am now enjoying organising my dissertation and doing my reading for it.

One of the strategies I found that helped me overcome these obstacles was trying to plan my time equally through the semester, for example, look at when all my due dates were and schedule specific time to sit down and read and write my assignments up whilst also taking time to go a walk and take time out. I also think speaking to my supervisor helped as it allowed me to be reassured on any questions I had and also it allowed me to ask for help when I felt stuck or overwhelmed. Speaking to other students has also helped me as I can see that they either feel the same or they sometimes have answers to some of my questions. The classes each week have also helped clarify everything for me and hear other students’ opinions and questions.

This has taught me how to plan my time out appropriately whilst not overwhelming myself with everything at once. It has also taught me to sit back and look at what I have to do and planning it in a way that allows me to meet deadlines and also take breaks to do something else to make sure it doesn’t all get too much. This has definitely helped me find a good balance. It has also taught me the importance of reading for my dissertation as I have actually enjoyed sitting down and doing the reading as all of my assignments were submitted on time.

The class each week has been really helpful as it has clarified a lot of things for me. I also find the meetings with my supervisor has helped as it allows me to ask any questions I may have. The examples my supervisor has provided of other peoples’ work has also really helped me as it has allowed me to look at what they have done and it has helped me with any worries I may have had around structuring my assignments. The module overall has really settled my mind about the dissertation and I feel like it has gave me a clear plan of what I have to do over the summer and in my dissertation on a whole.

During the time I’ve spent trying to put together the start of my research project I’ve came up against a few obstacles, one of these was actually deciding what topic I wanted to write my dissertation on and trying to narrow it down to be more specific. To overcome this issue I tried to think about what topics I actually enjoy learning about and find myself drawn to in my spare time. Once I finally managed to decided on a more general and broader area of study to narrow it down I began reading up on the current literature available on the topic and found myself being drawn to more specific areas that met my interests, luckily enough my area of interest was also one that several historians have regarded as being neglected. I then emailed my tutor with my idea and he made suggestions to help me narrow it down even farther to make it more manageable for an undergraduate dissertation topic. This obstacle has taught me that when approaching a dissertation or a large piece of work it soon becomes a lot easier if you actually enjoy the topic. During the 3 years I’ve spent in university I’ve never really came across a topic I actually enjoyed in any of my modules, so every essay has been a massive chore but hopefully I’ll enjoy this one a bit better. It has also taught me to make realistic targets and expectations when carrying out a project by ensuring I have chosen a manageable area of study that I am able to cover in detail in the given time and available resources. Another lesson I have learned after facing this obstacle is to accept and consider the suggestions of others and that should you ask for help and guidance it will most likely be given. The HISU9X6 module has been extremely helpful in helping me begin my dissertation, before this module I never really knew or understood what methodology was, whenever I’ve written essays or carried out work before I’ve never thought about how or why I am doing it I’ve just done it without a second thought. However, after the first assignment and the seminars we spent discussing methodology I now realise the importance and value of choosing the right method for my research topic. The example essays and assignments have also been a good guide on where to start, also marking them by going through the rubric scheme has also given me a better idea of what will be and is currently expected of me and my work.

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How to Write a Thesis & Introduction for a Critical Reflection Essay

How to Write an Introduction to an Analytical Essay

A common assessment tool used across disciplines in higher education, secondary education and even at the elementary level, an essay is an effective way for students to express their understanding of a topic. An essay that requires students to open with a thesis statement moves beyond the simple expression of understanding as it requires the writer to compose a debatable argument supported by evidence. How you craft a strong thesis and introduction for a critical reflection essay depends on the requirements of the assignment.

Essay Requirements

In an essay that requires reflection, students give their own thoughts and opinions on a topic, drawing conclusions based on careful observations -- in other words, reflection. For essays that are simply reflective, you can rely on your opinion and personal experience with the subject matter. Critical reflection essays demand higher academic standards, as the writing must evaluate, interpret and analyze the topic. To write a strong, defensible critical reflection essay, you must have a strong, defensible thesis statement.

Thesis Statement

Structurally, a thesis statement comprises one or two sentences that concisely state the central idea and argument of your essay. A well-written thesis should make a debatable claim and include a supportable reason for that claim. A strong thesis has a narrowed focus that answers a specific question and takes a concrete position on the issue at hand. Statements that are too broad and vague or based solely on opinion are considered weak. While a critical reflection essay might include personal observations, reflections and opinions on the topic, the thesis statement should have a solid basis in supportable facts, even if it also stands as your individual viewpoint.

Introductions That Set Up and Support

While the thesis statement is the core of an essay, it is not necessarily the opening sentence in your paper. The thesis statement doesn’t even need to be included in the opening paragraph of your essay. Whether you include the thesis in the opening paragraph or not, the introductory paragraph should contain information that sets up and supports that thesis. In an introduction paragraph, present the topic in a way that shapes the reader’s perspective, and establish the structure and focus of the essay. You should also incorporate any background information the reader might need to understand the thesis statement.

Coming up with a solid thesis statement and a clearly written introduction can lead to writer’s block for some students. This occurs when students insist on coming up with a thesis first, rather than letting one develop as they work on their essay. Rather than giving into the frustration of the blank page, begin by brainstorming ideas. Writing down potential thesis statements leads to deeper, more complex thinking on a topic. Once you’ve narrowed the perspective of your essay, outline the structure and write the main body instead of starting with the introduction. Save the writing of the thesis and introduction until last, as the focus of your essay can shift while you develop the main paragraphs.

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A former art instructor, high school counselor and party planner, Christine Bartsch writes fashion, travel, interior design, education and entertainment content. Bartsch earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in communications/psychology/fine arts from Wisconsin Lutheran College and a creative writing Master of Fine Arts from Spalding University. She's written scripts for film/television productions and worked as the senior writer at a video game company.

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A critical reflection must be carefully planned, written, edited, and proofread, just like any other piece of writing. In other words, you must begin thinking, making notes, and writing before the deadline.

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It's easy torn craft critical reflection poorly. It can result from rushing through the assignment at the last minute without considering the writing process or providing adequate evidence for your claims. A critical reflection should contain as many precise, convincing arguments as an essay. The following guide is designed to help you understand all you need to learn about how to write a critical reflection .

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What is critical reflection.

Critical reflection is a method of thinking through how to interpret an event. Critical reflection can be expressed verbally, in writing, or via art creation. It is descriptive, analytical, and critical. It could also be referred to as the process of discovering, evaluating, and analyzing deeply held assumptions – about knowledge. How we interpret events and problems, our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours are called critical reflection, sometimes a reflective essay .

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Purpose of Writing Critical Reflection

The main objective of critical reflection is to alter your perspective on a matter in order to change your behaviour. All academic fields require critical reflection, although they can take many different forms. Your instructor could require you to write a formal essay, publish weekly blog posts, or write a few paragraphs to respond to a series of questions.

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The following pointers highlight the purpose of writing critical reflection: 

• To increase awareness of all the choices, experiments, failures, rewrites, altered concepts, and darling skills that go into producing a quality work of literature.
• To increase your understanding of the numerous sources that writing draws from.
• To develop your ability to analyze both your own work and that of your peers by utilizing the appropriate technical and critical terminology.
• To improve your capacity to discuss your writing process in an authorly manner.
• Improve as a writer by taking notes on your attempts, achievements, and mistakes.
• To determine your writing's strengths and areas for improvement.
• Help improve your reading comprehension as a writer.
• To share my thoughts on your writing goals and ambitions.
• It increases your understanding of the process you used to write a poem, story, script, or work of creative non-fiction.
• You get a deeper grasp of how you write while acknowledging the literary influences that shaped and influenced your work.
• A broader literary, conceptual, historical, social, cultural, or political framework, as well as finally being able to situate your works within it.

Considerations While Writing Critical Reflection

Writing a critical reflection is more than merely summarizing or describing an experience or something you have observed.

• A critical reflection requires description for background, but the essence of effective reflective writing is delving into the meaning of events ("why" and "how") by offering analysis and insights into your thoughts.
• A critical reflection should contain as many precise, convincing arguments as an essay.
• A critical reflection must be carefully planned, written, edited, and proofread, just like any other piece of writing.

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How to Write a Perfect Critical Reflection:

You must consider two specific stages for writing a perfect critical reflection:

• Analyze: In the first phase, ask yourself critical questions to analyze issues surrounding your topic and your role in the area of the subject. To develop good ideas at this stage, you may use free writing. You don't have to worry about writing organized paragraphs or good grammar at this stage.
• Articulate: In the second phase, you may develop a clear argument about your learnings by using your analysis. After that, organize your ideas so they are clear for your reader.

First phase: Analyze

Generally, a Three-stagged model is used for this analyzing stage which includes

" What?----> So What?------> Now what?"

In the  What? Stage, you must describe the issue associated with the area of the subject. This may include targeting your role, observations, and reactions. This stage helps you to observe your feelings and thoughts before writing a critical reflection . You can use the following questions as a guide for this initial observation:

• What happened?
• What did you do?
• What did you expect?
• What was different?
• What was your reaction?
• What did you learn?

In the second  So What? stage, you must try to understand on a deeper level. Take a comprehensive insight into why your targeted issue is important or relevant. Here it would help if you considered the following perspectives to answer this question:

• Information from your first stage
• Your course materials, such as readings, lectures, and discussions
• Previous experience

In the third  Now what?  Stage, you must try to explore how the experiences will reconstruct your future thinking and behaviour. It would help if you considered the following questions as a guide:

• What will be your actions as a result of your experiences?
• What will you do differently?
• How will you apply your learnings?

Second phase: Articulate

After accomplishing the analysis stage, you may have collected a pile of useful information in the form of writing. However, it is still not organized into a coherent story to write a critical reflection . Therefore, in the second stage of articulation, you must build an organized and clear argument about your learnings and the change you have experienced or brought about. For this purpose, you must develop a thesis statement, make an outline, and write and revise the content. 

Developing a thesis statement

Develop a clear argument and write a relevant thesis statement so your reader can understand what you learned. The argument, however, should combine different themes from your analysis into the main idea. 

Make an outline

Once you have achieved a clear thesis statement for your essay, build an outline for the Critical Reflection. You can consider the following structure to organize your essay:

•      Background/Context of Reflection
•       Thesis statement
• Introduce theme A
• Your past thinking
• Moment of learning or change
• Your current thinking
• Introduce theme B
• Your past position/thinking
• Your current/new position
• Introduce theme C
• Moment of learning/change
• Discuss the significance of learning for self and others
• Discuss your future actions or behaviour
• Write and wise 

Review the following:

• How to Write a Reflective Essay: Expert Advice
• How to Write a Self-Reflection? Practical Tips for Sucess
• The Ultimate Guide to properly format Your Essay

Need help with writing an excellent Critical Reflection?

We hope this article has assisted you in understanding how to write a critical reflection on a basic level and given you some ideas on what to include. If you need help getting started on your critical reflection writing or would like us to take care of the entire process for you, please don't hesitate to contact our team at Premier Dissertation by simply dropping us a message on Whatsapp  or by  Email , and we will get back to you within 24 hours. We would be pleased to help you in any manner we can. Thanks again for reading!

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Personal Reflection Sample on Completing a Dissertation on CSR

The Development of Secondary Research Skills

The author had some basic secondary research skills before engaging in this research; however those skills were greatly improved as a result of conducting the current study.

The 21 st century has been characterised as the information age, and in this age companies can obtain competitive advantage through analysing information about various aspects of the marketplace, as well as, information related to internal and external factors affecting the company. However, dealing with information from such a perspective requires secondary research skills. Therefore it can be said that the secondary research skills gained by the author during the course of conducting this research will contribute immensely to his career progression in the near future.

Specifically, the author gained competency in the following two directions of secondary research:

First, prioritising the secondary data . Nowadays a large amount of data is available regarding any business or other subjects in various secondary data sources including books, journals, magazines, newspapers, internet etc. The current research experience has taught the author that it is not physically possible to analyse all the available data related to the research question for obvious reasons.

Accordingly, during the literature review stage of the research the author had learned to prioritise the secondary data related to the research questions according to a set of important criteria such as the authority and credentials of the author, date of publication, the credentials of publisher etc.

For instance, a vast amount of secondary data related to the CSR issues in general, and range of CSR activities engaged by telecommunication companies in particular have been found initially found as a result of literature review. However, as a result of prioritising of work according to above mentioned criteria only the most substantial contributions to the research area, such as the works of Hill et al (2003), Kotler and Lee (2005), Henriques (2007), Blowfield and Murray (2008), Boeger (2008), Mallin (2009), Oliver (2010), and Horrigan (2010) have been discussed in the literature review chapter of the work.

The skills of prioritising the secondary data according to the criteria provided above, that the researcher has acquired, offers a range of substantial benefits such as time-saving and increasing the level of validity of secondary research findings.

Second, the critical analysis of secondary data . Another great contribution of the research experience to the level of competency of the author as a researcher relates to the formation of critical mindset towards the secondary data. It has to be acknowledged that prior to engagement in this research the author was prone to accept most of the viewpoints formulated in books as facts, reasoning that if an individual has published a book, he or she must have a deep knowledge in the topic discussed within the book. However, the current research experience has caused this viewpoint to be changed. Moreover, the author of this paper was able to identify a range of shortcomings associated with some works discussed in literature review.

For example, some aspects of the works of Hill et al (2003), Cowe (2004) and Swartz (2011) have been criticised in the literature review by the author and shortcomings associated with their viewpoints and ideas have been highlighted.

The critical mindset acquired by the author in terms of analysing secondary data will prove to be highly beneficial in his future professional life, because the author will be equipped with necessary skills in order to identify the shortcomings associated with secondary data and offer inputs for improving the contents of materials.

Acquiring Primary Research Skills

The author has acquired valuable primary research skills during the course of conducting this study. It was an unprecedented experience, where the author has been engaged in a research of such a scale that involved primary data collection and analysis in an individual manner. The most popular qualitative and quantitative research methods have been learned during the study and the author had a practical experience of conducting a general survey through administering questionnaires.

Although the primary data has been obtained by the use of questionnaire primary data collection method only, the author has analysed advantages and disadvantages of alternative primary data collection methods as well such as interviews, focus groups, observations etc, and thus obtained in-depth knowledge about these data collection methods.

The importance of sampling in general and the choice of the most suitable sampling method in particular have been also appreciated by the author and the author has gained an in-depth knowledge about sampling through critically analysing the most popular sampling methods.

Engagement in primary data collection and analysis has made the biggest contribution to the development of the author as a researcher and scholar. The positive role of dissertation supervisor needs to be stressed in here, who offered valuable and practical advises to deal with the issues that arose at different stages of the research, particularly in the stage of dealing with methodology issues.

In today’s highly competitive marketplace the importance of market intelligence is greater than ever before. Now, being equipped with primary research knowledge and skills the author is able to create competitive advantages for businesses through acquiring valuable primary information about various aspects of the business, as well as, factors affecting the business, that can be used in strategy formulation.

Improvement of Time-Management Skills

On personal and professional levels the author has also greatly benefited from the research experience through improving his time-management skills. Specifically, the research process required extensive preparation and planning for each stage of the study and each stage of the study had to be conducted in an organised manner form time perspectives.

Initially the author faced challenges in terms of ensuring the progress of the study according to the timetable. These challenges mainly arose at literature review stage of the research. Namely, the author had initially underestimated the duration of time required for literature review and was constantly behind the schedule in terms of the number of literature reviewed. The issue has been dealt with through re-adjusting the time-plan for the study, as well as, increasing the level of personal discipline in terms of following set plan.

Specifically, all the unnecessary activities were avoided during the research process, and daily plans have been set in order to do a specific proportion of the study every day. At the same time, provisions for occasional days off study have been ensured within the plan in order to avoid being pressurised and burnout which could negatively affected the study.

In general, the research experience has contributed to the improvement of time-management skills which provides considerable benefits for the author in personal, as well as, professional levels.

Increasing the Level of Self-Confidence

The level of self-confidence of the author has increased significantly as a result of conducting this research. This was mainly achieved through overcoming insecurity and communicating with primary data sources – members of the sampling group in a confident manner.

At the initial point of the research the author was a bit hesitant with a choice of primary data collection method because it involved approaching unfamiliar people in the street and offering them to participate in the survey. It needs to be acknowledged that the author had been approached in the streets many times with the offers of participating in various surveys and the author had declined most of the offers of such nature. As such, the prospect of being refused by the perspective members of the sampling group was negatively affecting the level of self-confidence of the author before the primary data collection process.

However, as a result of tremendous efforts which included spending many hours for preparations for primary data collection, as well as, thanks to the encouragement given by tutor, friends and relatives the author was able to overcome sense of insecurity and conduct the survey in a confident manner. Moreover, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the level of communication skills of the author has also been greatly enhanced as a result of conducting the survey for the research.

It is beyond any doubts that the author will greatly benefit from the increased level of self-confidence in the future as an individual, as a researcher and as a business manager as well. In a highly competitive marketplace of today businesses can not survive without strong and effective leadership. And business managers have to possess a high level of self-confidence and communications skills in order to be able to communicate their vision to for the business to all the stakeholders of the company. In this way it can be said that being engaged in the study has contributed to the leadership skills of the author in indirect way as well.

• Schools & departments

Reflections on my experiences of having my dissertation manuscript published in a peer reviewed Journal

A student reflection blog post by Ludoviko Zirimenya a graduate of The University of Edinburgh.

In August this year, following publication of my dissertation in PLOS NTD , I was invited to share my experiences surrounding my dissertation and the publication that resulted from it.

I enrolled for MPH online learning at University of Edinburgh in 2016. I decided on Edinburgh as I had successfully completed an MSc (Internal Medicine) at the same university in 2014. At the time of my enrolment, I was working full time in palliative care organisation as the clinical director. In my last year of study, I changed jobs to a full time research position. I'm a research scientist working at Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute & London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit. I obtained my bachelors of medicine from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science, Tanzania (Former medical school of university if Dar-es-salaam).

The decision to undertake a systematic review as my dissertation project arose from the interest I had following the attendance of the systematic review module in year two. This module was a five-week course unit that provided me with an opportunity to develop my critical understanding of why, when and how to carry out systematic reviews in public health contexts. As I had now joined the research field fulltime, I felt that this experience would help me in my research career as systematic reviews are the highest level of evidence.

After tremendous support from my dissertation supervisor, I decided to focus on the association between urogenital schistosomiasis and HIV infection.

In Uganda where am from, there are 2 common types of schistosomiasis infections, one due to Schistosoma Mansoni and the other due to Schistosoma Haematobium. Most papers I encountered were focusing on schistosoma mansoni but from a naïve point of view, surprisingly my interest was on schistosomiasis Haematobium the main causative agent of urogenital Schistosomiasis. I concluded on focusing on schistosoma haematobium infection as the literature I encountered pointed to a public health impact as it was being suggested that of its associated with HIV/AIDS infection.

My approach

When I finally submitted in my dissertation project, it was a very big weight off my shoulder following the long periods of intensive work. So when it happened, I was both excited and exhausted from the whole process.

The journey to publication

The decision to consider publishing was not an easy one to make. I had just started a new job with many expectations to achieve and I was honestly exhausted. I felt I had had enough stress to complete the course so to repeat it, no, I thought to myself. I lacked confidence as I lacked experience publishing in a peer reviewed medical journal. Furthermore, I was being told that I should expect failure as there was no guarantee to have a publication acceptance as refusals are common.

Fortunately, as I work in an academic unit, one of my work outcomes are publications and my work colleagues had experience in publications. In a way, this expectation and sharing with my work  colleagues made me wake up to seriously consider submitting my manuscript for publication. Where to start is where I did not know. Fortunately, at my work place, we have a training department that regularly shares training opportunities that staff can undertake. On one fateful day, a training opportunity in research writing was shared that came with a scholarship for some participants. This online course was run by INASP targeting scientists from LMICs.

Once I enrolled and undertook the course, I was able to improve my knowledge and skills in scientific writing that made me confident to proceed with preparing my manuscript for publication. When I was equipped with these skills, the journey to have my manuscript published started. I engaged my dissertation supervisors who offered to support me through the whole process. They requested that I propose a list of at least three journals to consider as rejections are unfortunately high which may require me to consider other journals in case it is rejected in the first journal.

Based on my work experience and the journal, my work colleagues were publishing in, on top of my list was PLOS NTD. From the research writing course, one guidance recommended was to always consider journals you colleagues publish in. Hence this drove my decision to consider PLOS –NTD.

Next was to familiarize myself with the author guidelines as mastering these are important if one is to have his or her manuscript published. Adhering to these guidelines provides one more chances of receiving an acceptance. So I embarked on the familiarizing myself with the guidelines alongside aligning my manuscript to it. This in a way was like writing again the manuscript as It contained a lot of information that was not required by the Journal.

The other tip I obtained from the course was to familiarise myself with articles of the journal. In my case as I had done a systematic review, I searched out for all the systematic review articles that had been published. Once I identified them, I read them a couple of times and referred to them routinely to improve my manuscript. This helped me a lot as it gave my ideas of how to structure my manuscript so that it is accepted.

During this process of realigning my manuscript, as some time had passed since completing my dissertation, I had to do things like it was the first time. This was frustrating and increased my nerves. For example, Journals don’t require a section on literature review but yet in a dissertation, this was included. So what I had to do was to identify information to select out and what to remove. But still ensure that what am writing makes sense and makes a good case for my manuscript. The meta-analysis was the other part of the manuscript that created nerves. The software I used for my dissertation was R programme though it is the one we were taught; I was still having difficulties using it. Despite the various attempts to refresh my knowledge, I was reaching nowhere. So I contacted my supervisor who throw me an olive branch. He advised that I use another software – MetaXL. This I found simpler to use, as I was able to develop and manage the analysis codes myself. I was finally able to refine my meta-analysis and include other analyses that had not been included in the dissertation to strengthen my paper. During all this time I had to refer back to authors’ guidelines to ensure that I don’t deviate from it.

Once I was finished with revising the manuscript, I had to share it with my supervisors for reviewing and commenting on. The feedback helped to improve my work and tailor it to the accepted standards of scientific writing.

When I received the go ahead from my supervisors, next was to finally submit it. I logged onto the journal’s website, created my account and proceeded to submit it in. Once completed, the next was to cross my fingers and wait for the decision from the editor. This took a couple of weeks but finally I received the decision. These included comments from the editor and the reviewers. Overall, the comments were positive, as they requested me to address them and submit my responses within four weeks. With support from my supervisors, I was finally able to draft all responses to the comments and editing the manuscript accordingly. During this process of responding to the comments, I did understand how important to always consider reviewers’ comments. It is advisable as reviewers are experts in the field and their role is to support you to improve your manuscript to the standards of the journal. The next set of comments I received from the editor was to proof read the manuscript before it is published online. Once I completed the proof reading, it was finally published.

What went well

Reflecting back now on this experience, some of the things that went well included being able to identify the appropriate journal that was not a predatory journal. These are out there to trick unaware researchers.

I benefited a lot from the experience and skills of my supervisors. Though I was done with my university studies, their willingness to walk with me in this final stage was very helpful. At times when I felt like giving up, their encouragement and constant communication kept me going. I benefited a lot from my work colleagues experience and skills, discussing with them and seeing them publish papers encouraged me to keep going. Though decision to change work places in my final year was a difficult one, it introduced me to many possibilities that helped me unleash my potential. It created in me a lot of anxiety and uncertainty which has made me learn to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations.

Advice for those starting out

Start early

Due to the amount of work required to revise my manuscript, not working on it immediately on completing my studies increased the amount of effort I needed to standardize my manuscript in order to have it published.

Maintain your university network

I found it very helpful having my supervisors available as I was preparing my manuscript. Their advice came in very handy and definitely ensured that the manuscript was accepted by the first journal we considered.

Never stop learning

Honestly self-reflect to identify your weak points. Once identified, set out plans on how best to address them. I had no experience in publishing in a peer reviewed journal so basically did not know what to do. The research writing course helped me a lot to understand the process required for a publication to be done and what to avoid.

Be patient, having a manuscript published takes times and has its ups and down.

Initially I thought that it is something one can do in one go. I have appreciated how drafting and revising the draft not once or twice but many times produces better results.

Be open minded

Sometimes the comments you receive from the senior authors in my case supervisors or journal reviewers will require you to be open minded. Such comments will require you be flexible to look at issues in a different way.

It is good to think of life after the dissertation and most times if well thought out your dissertation project can be stepping stone to greater things. What I'm looking at is to undertake a PhD and I hope to build on this achievement to achieve this goal.