Dissertations

What is a dissertation?
Before you begin to think about possible topics for investigation, make sure you are clear in your
own mind about what a dissertation is. You will be familiar with the principles of essay writing,
the most common form of academic writing, but it is worth reviewing briefly what an essay is
really designed to do, and looking at how a dissertation may echo but also differ from a standard
essay.

Different subject disciplines may emphasise different features, but, broadly speaking, an essay is
a continuous piece of writing, arranged in clearly demarcated paragraphs, in which an argument (a
clear line of thought) is developed, in response to a central question or proposition (thesis). The
line of argument is supported by evidence you have acquired through research, which you are
required to analyse, and which supports or contradicts the various perspectives explored in the
course of that argument. The essay then reaches a conclusion in the final section, which pulls
together the threads of your argument, supporting, qualifying or rejecting the original thesis.

It is worth bearing in mind that an academic essay is not a piece of writing designed to reproduce
information available elsewhere, but something new and expressive of your individual abilities to
analyse and synthesise.

In addition, the process of academic writing will, of itself, help you to learn, by enabling you to
work with concepts and information relevant to your subject, and thereby developing your
intellectual skills.

A dissertation follows the fundamental principles of academic writing, but bear in mind the
following key points.

It is an extended piece of writing, usually divided into chapters.

Make sure that you know the lower and upper word limits acceptable for your
dissertation, and what that will look like in terms of word-processed pages.
Be sure to find out whether you should be following a particular sequence of chapter
headings for example, introduction followed by literature search followed by an
experiment or a survey and/or an analysis of your research - or whether you are expected
to devise your own sequence and structure.

It contains a detailed exploration of evidence. The evidence referred to may comprise evidence
from published texts, for example if you are exploring the literary texts of a particular writer, or it
may consist of primary data gathered by your own, first-hand research, for example a sociological
study of attitudes to gender roles based on research methods such as interviews and
questionnaires.

You are required to be clear about the nature of the methodology you will use for gathering the
evidence why are you collecting data or analysing evidence in that way rather than in another
way?

It must be underpinned throughout by awareness of theory your argument should be placed

within the context of existing theory relevant to the subject.
It has to be presented in a professionally finished manner. Your tutors should give you precise
details about the format, layout and stylistic requirements of your assignment. Make sure that you
know exactly what these are.

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Which of the following statements apply to you?

Statement Yes/No

1
I am good at managing my own work and dont need any reminders from a
supervisor about where I should be up to, or how much time is left. Just leave me
to it.

2
I am quite good at organising my own work, but would still appreciate some
interim deadlines and reminders from time to time.

3
Time management can be a real problem for me. I tend to leave work till the last
minute and can only get going when a deadline is looming fast!

4
I do not find it easy to bother my tutors they are all so busy, I do not like to cause
a fuss.

5
I need lots of reassurance and probably contact my tutors more often than I really
need to.

6
I am clear about the requirements of the dissertation and can translate these into a
plan for ensuring that I meet the final deadline.

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Choosing your topic: the hunt for an idea

So how do you choose a topic in the first place? You will probably already have an inkling about
the kind of topic that appeals to you, and its likely that you will have been asked to engage in
background reading before the start of the term or semester in which you begin your dissertation
unit. This should narrow down the possibilities. Finding a topic of particular interest is a bit like
a treasure hunt you pick up an interesting idea, perhaps from something you have read or
discussed in class, and follow it up through published texts such as books, journals, and websites
by following up references, until you fix on a particular aspect which you feel needs to be
addressed.

Keep the following points in mind:

Is the topic of academic significance, and not trivial? It would be possible to find out
whether Shakespeare used the word and more often in his comedies than in his
tragedies, but would it be of genuine interest??
Is the topic really manageable in the time available? It is a common mistake to imagine
that you can cover far more than is actually feasible, so keep a suitably narrow focus. Do
not ask too big a question. Make sure that you take advice from your supervisor on this.
Be aware of your own standpoint your own take on the topic. How do your own
attitudes, values and beliefs affect your research? No one can be entirely objective be
honest about your own interests and values.
As early as possible, write down your thesis the proposition that you are investigating.
Keep this to hand whenever you are analysing evidence or writing out your argument, so
that you do not fall into the trap of simply collecting facts rather than unfolding a clear
argument relating to a narrowly defined issue.

The importance of having a thesis and evaluating it critically

Remember that you are constructing an argument or defending a thesis, from the beginning to the
end of your assignment. Keep your thesis the statement you are defending or central argument
you are asserting in the forefront of your mind as you write. Think of this central idea, and the
logical development of your argument (train of thought) around this, as being the central path of
your dissertation, and make sure that you do not have sections or paragraphs which are somewhere
in the shrubbery out of sight of the main path. Every paragraph should further the central
argument, by providing another angle on it, additional evidence, and evaluation of that evidence in
relation to the central thesis.

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Wk Main task to be completed by end Find time this week also to explore: Possible interim
of this week: deadlines
1 Background reading Follow interesting trails, until one leads
to a provisional question or thesis
2 Finalise topic and title More background and focused reading on Agreement of title
your chosen aspect of the topic
3 Literature search what has already Investigate methodological issues, Brief annotated
been written about your topic? Seek implications of particular methods and bibliography
out up-to-date resources, asking for ethical issues. See the Developing an
help from library staff Effective strategy Guide and Using
Endnote Bibliographic Software Guide
for help with constructing and maintaining
a bibliography
4 Dissertation plan, informed by your Reflect on methodological issues in Overview of
literature search writing and revising your dissertation plan design of
dissertation plan
5 Develop dissertation plan Begin to conduct your research and gather
evidence or data
6 Gathering evidence or data
7 Gathering evidence or data Begin to analyse evidence or data
8 Gathering evidence or data Begin to analyse evidence or data
9 Use initial findings to begin to draft Continue to analyse and evaluate evidence Interim report to
the dissertation or data supervisor
10 Refine assignment plan and develop Focus on adopting an appropriate
draft, referring to self-evaluation academic tone and style, together with
checklist in Section 4 accurate, reader-friendly presentation of
evidence
11 Continue drafting and refining
12 Complete draft Refine style Completed draft
13 Apply self-evaluation checklist Last refinements of written style and
again presentation; final check of data and its
presentation
14 Produce final assignment Submit dissertation

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Questions Yes/No/
Not sure
1 Dissertation topic
Is the topic clear and well defined? Does it involve a problem, question, or
hypothesis that sets the agenda and points precisely to what needs to be explored or
discovered?

Is the topic of genuine relevance or interest within your subject discipline? Does it
pick up on important or interesting themes or subjects arising from your studies?

2 Literature review
Have you accessed the most recent literature of relevance to your topic, as well as
seminal sources from the past?

Do you refer to major books, articles, artefacts? Since quality is more important
than quantity how well have you selected your material?

Does the literature review hang together, to show how the ideas and findings have
developed, or is it merely a shopping list of books and articles?

Is the review critical? Does it briefly evaluate, showing how your dissertation fits
into what is mistaken or lacking in other studies? The literature review should
provide a critically appraised context for your studies.

3 Theoretical underpinnings
Does theory permeate the structure from beginning to end, from statement of
problem to conclusion? Are you asking yourself a key question, presenting a thesis,
or defending a statement? Be clear about your approach.

Theory is the framework of your study not a luxury. Your dissertation will be
judged, in part, by how well you express and critically understand the theory you
are using, and how clearly and consistently it is connected with the focus and
methodology of your dissertation.

4 Methodology
Two chief criteria:
Is your choice of methods and research techniques well suited to the kind of
problem you are studying? Methods work if they provide a persuasive response to
your question, positive or negative.

Is your description of the methods you have adopted clear enough to take a
blueprint and replicate?

5 Results
Are your findings faithful to what you actually found do you claim more than you
should? Dont massage your evidence or findings

Have you provided enough evidence to make a convincing case?

Have you presented everything directly relevant to the question in such a way that
the reader doesnt have to flip back and forth to make her or his own connections?
Are results or findings clearly and accurately written, easy to read, grasp and
understand?
6 Conclusions
Have you answered the question So what?. What should we do with your findings
and conclusions? What do they imply?
Findings dont speak for themselves they need to be analysed. Have you
explained what your findings mean and their importance, in relation to theory and
practice?

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Features of Qualitative & Quantitative Research

Qualitative Quantitative
"All research ultimately has "There's no such thing as qualitative data.
a qualitative grounding" Everything is either 1 or 0"
- Donald Campbell - Fred Kerlinger
The aim is to classify features, count them, and
The aim is a complete, detailed description. construct statistical models in an attempt to
explain what is observed.
Researcher may only know roughly in advance Researcher knows clearly in advance what
what he/she is looking for. he/she is looking for.
Recommended during earlier phases of research Recommended during latter phases of research
projects. projects.
All aspects of the study are carefully designed
The design emerges as the study unfolds.
before data is collected.
Researcher uses tools, such as questionnaires or
Researcher is the data gathering instrument.
equipment to collect numerical data.

Data is in the form of words, pictures or objects. Data is in the form of numbers and statistics.

Subjective - individuals interpretation of events is Objective seeks precise measurement &

important ,e.g., uses participant observation, in- analysis of target concepts, e.g., uses surveys,
depth interviews etc. questionnaires etc.
Qualitative data is more 'rich', time consuming, and Quantitative data is more efficient, able to test
less able to be generalized. hypotheses, but may miss contextual detail.
Researcher tends to become subjectively immersed Researcher tends to remain objectively
in the subject matter. separated from the subject matter.

QUANTITATIVE DISSERTATION OUTLINE

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Background of the Problem

Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Theoretical Framework
Research Hypotheses
Importance of the Study
Scope of the Study
Definition of Terms
Summary

Chapter 2: Review of the Literature

Chapter 3: Research Methods

Research Design
Participants
Instrumentation
Research Procedures and Pilot Testing
Data Analysis
Assumptions of the Study
Limitations of the Study
Summary

Chapter 4: Research Findings

Chapter 5: Conclusions, Discussion, and Suggestions for Future Research

Summary
Conclusions
Discussion
Suggestions for Future Research

QUALITATIVE DISSERTATION OUTLINE

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Background of the Problem

Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Research Questions
Importance of the Study
Scope of the Study
Definition of Terms
Delimitations and Limitations

Chapter 2: Review of the Literature (often reviewed after rather than before data collection in
qualitative studies)

Chapter 3: Research Methods

The Qualitative Paradigm

Qualitative Methods
The Researcher's Role
Data Sources
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Verification
Ethical Considerations
Plan for Narrative OR Pilot Study Results

Chapter 4: Research Findings

Chapter 5: Conclusions, Discussion, and Suggestions for Future Research

Summary
Conclusions
Discussion
Suggestions for Future Research