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Robert BlakeStudent Learning Development

Centre, CELT

WRITING WRITING

DISSERTATIONDISSERTATIONS S

EFFECTIVE LEARNING EFFECTIVE LEARNING PROGRAMMEPROGRAMME

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DISSERTATION WRITING: OUTLINEDISSERTATION WRITING: OUTLINE

• Introduction

• What is a dissertation?

• Planning your study: generating a research question; background reading & method

• Planning a research schedule

• Structuring your dissertation

• Working with your supervisor

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WHAT IS A DISSERTATION :WHAT IS A DISSERTATION :

Depends on department• Extended lab/field report & conclusions• Extended study• Analysis of case study• Project work from company placement• Library driven examination of problem• Model testing [e.g. Acc & Fin]

Metaphor of a journey

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RESEARCH PROPOSALS RESEARCH PROPOSALS i.e. plan for the i.e. plan for the dissertationdissertation

Required by many depts. Example from Linguistics: • Area of research• Questions you aim to answer• Rationale i.e. reasons for researching this area- contribution to understanding & practical use• Your background in this area: previous knowledge & gaps• Data you will collect• How you will collect data and how you will analyse it • Initial bibliography i.e. review of key studies

* [progress report/ grant proposal-science]

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GENERATING A RESEARCH QUESTIONGENERATING A RESEARCH QUESTION

• Start with expected outcome or hunches

• Develop research question[s] or hypothesis

• Research question= well specified critical question rather than description of what aspect you want to find an answer to.

• 2 stages: What am I interested in? What questions can I make about this topic that could lead to an investigation?

• Examples of RQs in psychology from Oxford http://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/babylab/research.html

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GENERATING A RESEARCH QUESTIONGENERATING A RESEARCH QUESTION

• Hypothesis = A tentative proposition which is subject to verification through subsequent verification…. Guide to the researcher depicting & describing the method to be followed in studying the problem. In many cases hypotheses are the hunches that the researcher has about the existence between the variables [Verma and Bear 1981 in Bell 1993]

• Forms framework of study: i.e. which literature to investigate, how to select/devise methods; how you discuss results and write conclusions

• NB need to modify question as study develops

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• What data will you collect? • How will you collect this data?

-interviews, questionnaires, case study -lab or field work -writing code and trialling software designing a model or hardware

-simulating/testing -analysis of primary sources e.g. documents

[original historical, legal sources etc]; -secondary sources-

library & web sources- peer reviewed?

DECIDING ON RESEARCH METHODSDECIDING ON RESEARCH METHODS

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ANALYSING DATAANALYSING DATA

How will you analyse this data?

• theory or framework,

• quantitative or qualitative quantitative e.g larger scale, number/statistically based.

qualitative e.g. small scale, detailed description

• using software for analysis e.g. SPSS, Excel etc

How much data can you deal with in time allotted?

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READING: BACKGROUND THEORY OR LITERATURE READING: BACKGROUND THEORY OR LITERATURE REVIEW REVIEW

• Read efficiently using SQ3RSQ3R• SQ3R= Survey, Question, Read, Recall,

Review

http://www2.ntu.ac.uk/sss/studysupport/Information/Reading/SQ3R/SQ3R.htm

• Read critically- see Toronto Uni http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/critrdg.html

• Library –database searches –see subject librarian

• Keep a careful record of reading & where used in your dissertation

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PHD READING RECORD  Date of notes/pages

author    

title  

publ/place/year/ed  

topic  

keywords  

chap/section/rq  

 

notes  

               

comments  

      

YOUR COMMENTS ON READING…..

YOUR NOTES FROM READING

BIBLIOGRAPHIC

THIS PART-

DETAILS.

TOPIC & KEYWORDS

RESEARCH QUESTION.

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SCHEDULING YOUR DISSERTATION SCHEDULING YOUR DISSERTATION WORKWORK

• Make a timetable or wall chart e.g. Gantt Chart

• Identify best work times and keep to a daily writing slot

• Split your dissertation into bite size-chunks

• Be realistic about daily targets• Include time for input [supervisor &

critical friends] & for drafts & redrafts• Familiarise yourself with deadlines* &

plan accordingly

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3 key questions1. Do I have the skills & knowledge to

carry out this research?2. What time is needed? 3. Do I have time within my schedule?• E.g. need to learn/improve knowledge

of statistics• Learning software: Excel SPSS, • Learning new techniques & other skills

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIREDSKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED

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MAKING A DISSERTATION TIMETABLEMAKING A DISSERTATION TIMETABLE

How many words? How much practical work & analysis?2 ways of timetabling dissertations:• Whole dissertation timetable: examples 1 & 2• Weekly timetables: example 3Important to break down dissertation into realistic weekly tasks to make it more achievableLook at the 2 examples of dissertation timetablesWhat level of detail would work best for you? [Examples 1 &2 are from Strathclyde University's Centre for Academic practice webs pages on Dissertation writing. See: http://www.strath.ac.uk/Departments/CAP/dissertation/frameset4.html

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MAKING A DISSERTATION TIMETABLEMAKING A DISSERTATION TIMETABLE

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MAKING A DISSERTATION TIMETABLEMAKING A DISSERTATION TIMETABLE

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MAKING A DISSERTATION TIMETABLEMAKING A DISSERTATION TIMETABLE

The next slide shows how the plan for the whole dissertation can be broken into weekly tasks.

Allows you see progress at manageable level- • focus on individual tasks • tick off these tasks• not be overwhelmed by totality• know exactly where you are or should be

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MAKING A WEEKLY DISSERTATION MAKING A WEEKLY DISSERTATION TIMETABLETIMETABLE

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WHAT DOES A DISSERTATION LOOK LIKE?WHAT DOES A DISSERTATION LOOK LIKE?

Dissertation structure can vary significantly from dept to dept & whether it’s based on an empirical study or analysis of literature.The former are based on a scientific report structure:• Introduction • Methods • Results• Discussion• Conclusions

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AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHAPTERS: AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHAPTERS: INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION

This sets the scene, by introducing: • the research area • previous studies • gap in research to be filled • your research questions/hypotheses• brief signposting of dissertation structure

NB In some dissertations, the background information is in a separate chapter called Literature Review

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METHODSMETHODS

• Explains what methods you used to collect data

• Explains how you collected the data• Not just a description as it should explain

reasons for various choices made • Goal of your explanation is to allow future

student to repeat your study• Grammar! Past tense & passive used e.g.

Twenty five interviews were conducted…..

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RESULTS RESULTS

• Presents the results collected from the method[s] you used • But does not analyse these results• May use a series of tables and figures to present the results more effectively• Talks the reader through the series of results i.e. refers to figures Figure 4.2 shows that the incidence of x rises when… • Highlights key patterns

NB Some writers combine the Results & Discussion headings and organise by topic

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DISCUSSIONDISCUSSION

• Interprets the results i.e. explains what they mean

• Broadens from discussion of your results to how they can be compared with the results of others who’ve done similar research

• Refers to the previous studies you introduced earlier

• Discusses any problems with results• Doesn’t include tables & figures, except

when comparing your results with others

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CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS

• A short, succinctly written summary

• Must addresses the research

question/hypotheses presented in the

introduction

• May include limitations of your study

and suggestions for further work

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OTHER BITSOTHER BITS

FRONT• Title page• Acknowledgements• Contents• List of figures* • Glossary*

BACK

• References

• Appendices*

*if your study requires this

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WORKING WITH YOUR SUPERVISORWORKING WITH YOUR SUPERVISOR

• What can my supervisor? • What won’t my supervisor do?• Will they approve the research

proposal/research questions? • Will they read with drafts of work & if so, to

what extent?• Will they advise on methodology & help

with difficulties~~~

NB Make agendas for supervision meetings/ Tape as a record

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SOME DISSERTATION WRITING TIPS [i]SOME DISSERTATION WRITING TIPS [i]

• Keep a research journal with you to record ideas

• Write a dissertation timetable: whole process & weekly

• Start writing early• Set a daily writing slot• Allow time for problems:personal & with your

data collection• Set plenty of editing and rewriting time• Get a critical friend to read through drafts and

feed them!

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MORE DISSERTATION WRITING TIPS [ii]MORE DISSERTATION WRITING TIPS [ii]

• Read at a couple of past dissertations• Compare their structure by tracing through

the research questions from the introduction to conclusion.

• Start writing in the middle- methodology or background

• Write the introduction and abstract last, when you know what you’ve found

• Introduce and conclude chapters. Guide the reader through with signposting & cross referencing