Uses for your dissertation once you have submitted it

Submitting your dissertation is likely to be a strong sense of achievement (and relief) to students. However, what exactly do you do with your dissertation once you have submitted it? Understandably some students may never want to look at it again. But for those of you who would like another reason for keeping it there are some other uses for your dissertation.

Use it to boost your employability

The topic of your dissertation may be of interest to future employers especially if your findings will benefit them. You might want to mention your research during a job interview to demonstrate your knowledge of the industry or subject. After all, employers expect applicants to know a bit about the sector and how it impacts the organisation.

Publish it

Most undergraduate dissertations are not usually published entirely although you may have an opportunity to rewrite some of it as a peer-reviewed journal article. It is unlikely you will be able to do this yourself though and you will probably need to work alongside your supervisor. It is probably more likely that your supervisor will publish a journal article about the topic but use part of your dissertation (with credit to you of course). However, it is still a great opportunity to have your name and research included in an academic journal.

Keep it for future reference

If you plan to undertake postgraduate study it is likely you will need to write another dissertation. Having your undergraduate dissertation to refer back to will likely be very helpful. The feedback you received will also prove useful as you will know how you can improve your writing.

Do not be tempted to copy your previous dissertation or reuse a paragraph. This is called self-plagiarism (when someone reuses their own work in another assessment) and is usually against university policy.

Donate it to your university

Some universities keep an archive of old dissertations for reasons including quality assurance, accreditation processes and to show examples to current students who are currently writing their own dissertation. If this is something you are happy to do you can let your university know you are happy for them to use your dissertation. Some universities may even ask students if they would be willing to share their work.

Any dissertations kept by the university are usually anonymised so no one knows who the author is but it is likely that the grade will be displayed.