Good dissertation writing is not just
about the use of logical reasoning and a clear presentation of ideas.
A dissertation topic should also be able to hold the interest of the
people reading the dissertation. Clear writing shows clear thinking
on the student's part. Errors in dissertation writing, such as
fallacies, would weaken the arguments put forth in the dissertation
and will make it less credible.
Fallacies refer to errors in reasoning
and logical processes that might hinder the success of the
dissertation writing. Generally, this occurs when writers do not give
sufficient evidence to support their arguments or generalisations. A
formal fallacy is one that has a faulty structure or form. Informal
fallacies meanwhile, are errors outside of the violations of the
rules governing formal, structural reasoning.
Below are a number of common fallacies
fallacies that students should be careful to avoid in formulating
their dissertation ideas:
- Hasty generalisations. This refers to an informal fallacy that happens when a dissertation writer assumes that an idea is true based on just a few cases in general. This also occurs when writers assume that what is true for a certain part of an idea will remain true in its entirety. There are many cases when readily state something as being true without offering means to prove its validity. This fallacy can be avoided by not using the words “all”, “no”, “always” and “never” unless the writer can provide sufficient evidence for the statement. Instead, the writer should use ask for dissertation help in using qualifying words such as “some”, “many”, “most”, “often”, “usually” and “generally” because these imply that there are limitations to the assumptions previously given.
- False analogy. This occurs when writers describe only superficial similarities between two ideas or concepts that do not hold true in all situations. If the premises supporting the conclusion or assumption are not valid, it follows that the conclusion that is achieved will likewise be false. Dissertation help for avoiding this fallacy comes in the form of providing valid similarities between two ideas or concepts to strengthen the correlation they have established on the two ideas.
- Faulty cause and effect happens when a dissertation writer wrongly assumes that a latter event is caused by a former event without any concrete proof to support it. Dissertation help in avoiding this fallacy can be provided by giving clear evidential patterns to support a cause-and-effect claim.
Learning about the rules of logic, at
least in part provides a measure of dissertation help in spotting and
omitting these fallacies from the dissertation writing process.
