The journey of writing a thesis can feel both daunting and fulfilling. It certainly was an overwhelming experience for me when I wrote my LLM thesis last year. Like many of you, I faced the blank page, the tangled thoughts, and the pressure to produce something meaningful within a limited time. This article aims to make the stressful journey of working on dissertations more comfortable for LLM students. Whether you are working on human rights, environmental law, trade law, or any other branch of legal study, this roadmap might be something you can rely on to navigate your journey.
What is a Thesis?
For most LLM programs, the thesis is a substantial research project focused on a specific area of law. It requires you to establish your knowledge in a chosen topic by critically engaging with existing legal scholarship. It is a disciplined and methodical process of inquiry, grounded in careful planning and intellectual curiosity. Rather than simply summarising the law, an LLM thesis should show one’s ability to analyse complex legal issues, evaluate different viewpoints, and connect legal theory with real-world practice. The thesis should demonstrate novelty by offering fresh analysis, new perspectives on existing debates, or applying legal principles to under-explored issues. However, unlike a PhD thesis, where it is expected to offer original contributions or new theoretical insights, an LLM dissertation primarily focuses on analysis, interpretation, and presenting informed findings within an existing legal framework.
Choosing a Topic:
The process of research and writing is neither linear nor the same for everyone. Yet I believe one step might be similar for all. That is to choose a topic. It is essential to start thinking about potential topics quite early. This allows time to refine ideas and ensures that once a topic is chosen, it is the right one. When choosing a topic, you should always try to select something that you are passionate about. Some LLM programs, including mine, offer a list of broad topics from relevant courses to choose from. I chose the course that I have coveted since my second year of law school. But one disclaimer is that while you should choose the topic of your interest, you should definitely do some research about the topic. You especially need to go through the existing literature to determine whether there is enough literature for you to build the foundation of your thesis. While originality of thought is very much appreciated, our LLM programs usually do not allow us much time to work on projects like PhDs. After selecting the broader topic, narrow it down to a feasible option that you can work on within a limited timeframe.
Literature Review:
The research process begins by conducting a literature review. While you may have done some preliminary research during the selection of the topic, this is the stage where you must do a comprehensive literature review and begin writing in small sections about the core arguments of any materials you review. The literature review must critically engage with major academic works and primary sources. You need to identify gaps in existing scholarship and justify the necessity of the study. It should not merely summarise but analyse the debates within the field. At this point, you will find gaps or at least have formulated some arguments or hypotheses that you want to test. At the end of your journey, these hypotheses could be proved or disproved.
Crafting Research Question:
Once you have developed a solid understanding of the existing literature and possibly formed a hypothesis, you can begin to craft your research questions. A well-formulated research question not only provides focus but also ensures that your inquiry remains coherent and purposeful. It is crucial that the research question clearly reflects the central theme or title of your thesis, creating a direct link between your objectives and the issues you seek to explore. Often complex research topics require more than one question to fully capture the scope of the study, allowing you to address different dimensions of the problem and offer a comprehensive analysis.
Write the Research Proposal:
Careful planning is essential in crafting the dissertation, starting from selecting and defining the topic, identifying gaps in knowledge, constructing precise research questions, and building a coherent structure that supports the legal analysis. For this, writing a research proposal is a crucial step as it serves as an organised blueprint for the entire research journey. A research proposal brings together the key components of your study, namely your chosen topic, research questions, hypothesis, literature review, methodology, and anticipated structure into one coherent plan. The proposal should include a clear title, an abstract summarising your study, an introduction and background of the research problem, a review of existing literature to identify gaps, a theoretical and conceptual framework, relevant legal and policy context, well-formulated research questions, objectives, rationale, scope, limitations, and a detailed methodology outlining whether you will use qualitative, quantitative, doctrinal, comparative, or empirical approaches.
Here is an anecdote. Often, this research proposal will become the introductory chapter of the thesis. As you continue to work on your thesis, keep on developing the research proposal. Go back and forth editing the proposal to reflect on the new insights that you find along the way. After drafting my initial proposal, I set it aside and revised it at the very end. There is a very high chance that at the end of your journey, it will not look the same as the first draft.
On Writing and Studying:
The dissertation writing process should be an ongoing process. You need to draft sections alongside research to maintain organisation and flow. Do not wait to start writing until you have reviewed all the literature. You will find new literature as you continue to study every day. Therefore, you should craft and refine your arguments along the way and write them all down.
Thesis Structure:
The thesis typically follows a three-part structure: an introductory section outlining the research problem, objectives, literature review, hypothesis, methodology, and chapter plan; a middle section that provides descriptive and analytical discussions of legal sources and debates; and a concluding section that synthesises findings, offers final arguments and recommendations, and reflects on the research’s broader significance. A strong conceptual and theoretical framework is essential, connecting relevant legal theories to the research and providing the foundation for analysis and recommendations. Ensure that there is a proper flow of writing and connection among the chapters. Every argument must be tied together to answer the research question you formulated. However, I refined my research questions until the very end to reflect my arguments, and you can too.
Referencing:
Throughout the thesis, all arguments must be well-supported by evidence and situated within the academic discussions. Academic integrity, particularly proper citation, is mandatory to avoid plagiarism. You should not leave references for later, as often we forget where a particular sentence comes from. Therefore, in your schedule, accommodate plenty of time for research, writing, and revision.
Now that you have an idea about how to proceed with the writing and research, plan a realistic schedule. A thesis requires continuous refurbishment. Therefore, in your schedule, accommodate plenty of time to research, writing and revision. Research should be well-organised, considering both supporting and opposing viewpoints, and one should remain open to unexpected conclusions. Before you start to write, read previous dissertations to understand the expected structure and presentation. Planning the dissertation’s structure, including headings and sub-headings, is important for clarity and flow. Again, the writing process does not have to be strictly linear. You can start with sections you feel confident about and adjust as new research insights emerge. Finally, the thesis always goes through multiple drafts. Therefore, we always need to set aside time for revision and refinement.
Writing an LLM thesis is not merely an exercise in summarizing existing laws but an opportunity to critically engage in legal debates, evaluate differing perspectives, and present well-reasoned arguments grounded in both theory and practice. From choosing a topic that sparks your interest to conducting a thorough literature review, crafting precise research questions, preparing a detailed research proposal, and gradually developing each chapter, every step contributes to building a meaningful piece of scholarship. Throughout this process, be open to refining your ideas and keep writing.
No Comments
Leave a comment Cancel