Writing Your Dissertation.docx
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Writing Your Dissertation.docx
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WritingYourDissertation
WritingyourDissertation
DescriptionofthisGuide
Thisguidefocusesontheskillsandstrategiesneededtoplan,writeandreviewadissertation.
LearningOutcomes
1.Recognisethepurposeofadissertation,theimportanceofworkingeffectivelywithyoursupervisorandthechallengeofmanagingyourstudytimeeffectively
2.Selectandresearchatopic,withdueattentiontomethodologyandrelatedtheory
3.Structureandwriteupthedissertationeffectively,thinkingcriticallyandwritingwithaccuracyandstyle
4.Evaluateownperformanceagainstalistofgenericassessmentcriteriafordissertations
Contents
1.0TheDissertation:
anOverview
1.1Whatisadissertation?
1.2Howtomanageyoursupervisor
1.3Theimportanceoftimemanagement
2.0SelectingandResearchingyourTopic
2.1Choosingyourtopic:
thehuntforanidea
2.2Conductingaliteraturesearchorreview
2.3Researchingandexploringthetopic:
methodsandmethodologies
2.4Theimportanceofhavinga‘thesis’andevaluatingitcritically
2.5Managingyournotes
3.0WritingupyourFindings
3.1Planningandstagingyourdeadlines
3.2Creatinganappropriatestructureforthedissertation
3.3Maintainingacademicprinciples:
ethics,referencingandintellectualhonesty
3.4Writingwithaccuracyandelegance
4.0BeingyourownCriticbeforeSubmittingyourWork
4.1Usingaself-evaluationchecklist
4.2Relatedapproaches
5.0Overtoyou
_______________________________________________________________________
Thematerialinthisguideiscopyright©2003theUniversityofSouthampton.PermissionisgivenforittobecopiedforusewithintheUniversityofSouthampton.Allotherrightsarereserved.
WritingyourDissertation
DissertationshavebecomeanincreasinglyimportantcomponentofHigherEducationoverthepastfewyears,andareoftenincludedinthirdlevelundergraduatework,aswellasforminganimportantpartofanyMasterslevelprogramme.Dissertationsprovideyouwithanopportunitytoworkindependently,atlength,onatopicthatparticularlyinterestsyou.Itisalsoaneffectivemeansofresearchtraining,whichhelpstodevelopadvancedintellectualskillssuchasevaluation,analysisandsynthesis,aswellasmanagementskills.Thisguidegivesadviceabouthowtoapproach,undertakeandevaluateyourowndissertation,sothatyoucanmakethemostofthischallenge.
Usingthisguide
Thefollowingadviceismadeupoffourparts:
4.
Beingyourowncritic
Usingachecklisttoevaluateyourowndissertationbeforeyousubmitit:
usingyourtutor’sassessmentcriteria
1.
Thedissertation:
anoverview
Whatisadissertation?
Howtomanageyoursupervisor
Theimportanceoftimemanagement
2.
Selectingandresearchingyourtopic
Choosingatopic:
thehuntforanidea
Conductingaliteraturesearchorreview
Researchingandexploringthetopic:
methodsandmethodologies
Theimportanceofhavinga‘thesis’andevaluatingitcritically
Managingyournotes
3.
Writingupyourfindings
Planningandstagingyourdeadlines
Creatinganappropriatestructureforthedissertation
Maintainingacademicprinciples:
ethics,referencingandintellectualhonesty
Writingwith
accuracyandelegance
1.0TheDissertation:
anOverview
Aspreparationforamoredetailedconsiderationofvariousaspectsofdissertationpreparation,inthissectionwereviewwhatismeantbytheterm‘dissertation’.Wealsosuggesthowto‘manage’twokeyresources,yoursupervisorandyourtime.
1.1Whatisadissertation?
Beforeyoubegintothinkaboutpossibletopicsforinvestigation,makesureyouareclearinyourownmindaboutwhatadissertationis.Youwillbefamiliarwiththeprinciplesofessaywriting,themostcommonformofacademicwriting,butitisworthreviewingbrieflywhatanessayisreallydesignedtodo,andlookingathowadissertationmayechobutalsodifferfromastandardessay.
Differentsubjectdisciplinesmayemphasisedifferentfeatures,but,broadlyspeaking,anessayisacontinuouspieceofwriting,arrangedinclearlydemarcatedparagraphs,inwhichanargument(aclearlineofthought)isdeveloped,inresponsetoacentralquestionorproposition(thesis).Thelineofargumentissupportedbyevidenceyouhaveacquiredthroughresearch,whichyouarerequiredtoanalyse,andwhichsupportsorcontradictsthevariousperspectivesexploredinthecourseofthatargument.Theessaythenreachesaconclusioninthefinalsection,whichpullstogetherthethreadsofyourargument,supporting,qualifyingorrejectingtheoriginalthesis.
Itisworthbearinginmindthatanacademicessayisnotapieceofwritingdesignedtoreproduceinformationavailableelsewhere,butsomethingnewandexpressiveofyourindividualabilitiestoanalyseandsynthesise.
Inaddition,theprocessofacademicwritingwill,ofitself,helpyoutolearn,byenablingyoutoworkwithconceptsandinformationrelevanttoyoursubject,andtherebydevelopingyourintellectualskills.ForamoredetailedexaminationofthistopichavealookattheWritingEffectivelyGuide.
Adissertationfollowsthefundamentalprinciplesofacademicwriting,butbearinmindthefollowingkeypoints.
Itisanextendedpieceofwriting,usuallydividedintochapters.
∙Makesurethatyouknowthelowerandupperwordlimitsacceptableforyourdissertation,andwhatthatwilllooklikeintermsofword-processedpages.
∙Besuretofindoutwhetheryoushouldbefollowingaparticularsequenceofchapterheadings–forexample,introductionfollowedbyliteraturesearchfollowedbyanexperimentorasurveyand/orananalysisofyourresearch-orwhetheryouareexpectedtodeviseyourownsequenceandstructure.
Itcontainsadetailedexplorationofevidence.Theevidencereferredtomaycompriseevidencefrompublishedtexts,forexampleifyouareexploringtheliterarytextsofaparticularwriter,oritmayconsistofprimarydatagatheredbyyourown,first-handresearch,forexampleasociologicalstudyofattitudestogenderrolesbasedonresearchmethodssuchasinterviewsandquestionnaires.
Youarerequiredtobeclearaboutthenatureofthemethodologyyouwilluseforgatheringtheevidence–whyareyoucollectingdataoranalysingevidenceinthatwayratherthaninanotherway?
Thiscanbeadifficultareaandthereisaseparatesectiononitin2.2below.
Itmustbeunderpinnedthroughoutbyawarenessoftheory–yourargumentshouldbeplacedwithinthecontextofexistingtheoryrelevanttothesubject.
Ithastobepresentedinaprofessionallyfinishedmanner.Yourtutorsshouldgiveyouprecisedetailsabouttheformat,layoutandstylisticrequirementsofyourassignment.Makesurethatyouknowexactlywhattheseare.
NOTE
Pleaserememberthatthecontentsofthisguidearegenericandthatitisimportanttoensurethatyouadaptthemtomeettheparticularrequirementsofyourdiscipline.
1.2Howtomanageyoursupervisor
Sinceadissertationisanindividuallydevisedpieceofwork,youwillbeallocatedapersonalsupervisortosupportyouwhileyouarewritingit.Donotdelayinhavingyourfirstmeetingwithherorhim,asitisvitaltodiscussnotonlywhattopicyouwillstartbyexploring,butalsohowyoucanbestworkonyourdissertation.Inordertohelpyoursupervisorhelpyou,haveagoattheshortself-analysisquizbelowandtakeyourresponseswithyoutoyourfirstmeeting.
Whichofthefollowingstatementsapplytoyou?
Statement
Yes/No
1
Iamgoodatmanagingmyownworkanddon’tneedanyremindersfromasupervisoraboutwhereIshouldbeupto,orhowmuchtimeisleft.Justleavemetoit.
2
Iamquitegoodatorganisingmyownwork,butwouldstillappreciatesomeinterimdeadlinesandremindersfromtimetotime.
3
Timemanagementcanbearealproblemforme.Itendtoleaveworktillthelastminuteandcanonlygetgoingwhenadeadlineisloomingfast!
4
Idonotfinditeasytobothermytutors–theyareallsobusy,Idonotliketocauseafuss.
5
IneedlotsofreassuranceandprobablycontactmytutorsmoreoftenthanIreallyneedto.
6
IamclearabouttherequirementsofthedissertationandcantranslatetheseintoaplanforensuringthatImeetthefinaldeadline.
Theabovearejustsomeofthethingsstudentssaytheyfeel:
wearealldifferent–wehavedifferentstylesoflearningandlevelsofmotivation.Therearenorightorwronganswers.Howeveryouhaveresponded,thechallengeistoestablishthebestwayofworkingwithyoursupervisor.
Tohelpyoufurtherwiththisaspectofyourdissertationthenextactivityisintheformofachecklist.Thisconsistsofthingsthatneedtobeconsideredinmanagingrelationswithyoursupervisor,notjustinitiallybutthroughouttheperiodthatyouareworkingonyourdissertation.
Usethefinalcolumntonotewhetherornotyouhavedealtwithaparticularaspectofthedissertationprocess.
Aspectsofmanagingyourtutorandthedissertationprocess
Yes/No
1
Letyoursupervisorknowhowmuchcontactandsupportyouwouldlike
2
Acceptthattherearelimitstotheamountofhelpthatcan,andshould,begivenwithadissertationstudiedatanadvancedlevel
3
Agreetogetherattheoutsetonwhenyouwillmeetandhowbestcontactcanbemade(forexample,byphoneorbyemail)
4
Plantogethersomeinterimdeadlinesforthework,sothatyouareabletomanageyourtimeeffectively
5
Makesurethatyouknowfromthestarthowyourdissertationwillbeassessed–whatassessmentcriteriawillbeappliedtoit–andthatyouunderstandthese,discussingthemwithyoursupervisorifyouneedto
6
Askforaccess,wherepossible,top
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