DISERTATION HELP

Academic research is not simple information gathering nor is it personal opinion, it is an intellectual process which requires specific skills. Academic research further demands impartiality, objectivity, academic reading and reflexivity (careful thought). Above all, it demands planning, a lot of writing, and needs to be seen as a process rather than a result.

Planning for a Dissertation topic Research Essay
Preparing to begin may seem mystifying, but it will include:
Choosing the topic and seeking a title
Literature searches and reading
Selecting research methods
Timetabling the stages of the project
Self-imposed goals and deadlines
Tutor-imposed goals and deadlines

Finding a title will include keyword brainstorming. This title should express a doubt, not state a fact or pose a question. However, a question that has niggled at you through your previous studies may well be the foundation from which to brainstorm keywords. From a tentative title a hypothesis may begin to emerge. Thinking about what kind of research will be needed to test the hypothesis should lead to further brainstorming about the topic and clarification of wording of the title.

What to do Before Commencing Research

A research essay has certain essential elements but the project develops 'organically', during the process, as much the product of lateral thinking as logical thought. This poses organisational challenges to which the quality of student response is part of what is assessed. Keep organised by bearing in mind the framework of the finished essay:



Introduction, including hypothesis
Review of the literature (academic reading) with discussion of existing pertinent ideas and theories and development of an academic argument
Methodology, using and demonstrating understanding of technical vocabulary of research method
Description of methods chosen and the process of using them to gather data
Presentation of data with an evaluation and interpretation of data
Conclusion, stating whether or not the hypothesis was proven
Bibliography organised into lists of primary and secondary sources
Appendix

Be informed before beginning to gather data. Conduct a survey of relevant reading for information on issues and debates and on previous related research projects, and to consider how published researchers present evidence, analysis and evaluation of their research. This reading can later be incorporated into the Literature Review, often a preliminary paper in its own right, which will go through several drafts.

Considering Research Methodology

Method is how to gather and interpret research data, while methodology is a discussion of possible method, of methods considered, and methods chosen and why. Methods influence the type of data gathered and explanation of methodologies in your writing demonstrates understanding of the task in hand. Data are the results of your research; they will be quantitative and also qualitative.

Quantitive data can be organised and represented in graphs and charts and tables which usually go into an appendix. Qualitative data usually involves people and what they tell the researcher in interviews, group discussions, and questionnaires.

Write a Preliminary Proposal for Tutor Evaluation

After some initial workshops and beginning reading, a proposal will be written which will then be discussed with the supervisor, usually a specialist in the area of focus you have chosen. In the proposal,

State the hypothesis
Examine or at least indicate awareness of previous published relevant research
Discuss possible methods that could be used
Describe the favoured methods that you want to use
Justify why these methods have been chosen to answer this particular question
State what data this is expected to gather (how this may answer the founding question)
Evidence of reading of previous research can be contained in a short annotated bibliography, perhaps with a detailed evaluation of one main text that informs the approach to the task. At the feedback interview expect to have to:
Clarify initial reasoning
Outline the emerging argument
Discuss further reading (1) recently completed (2) as yet omitted
Outline how research approaches are emerging
Use notes to answer questions about what happens next
Have written questions prepared to ask about any problems, and what to do next
Have a research timetable mapped out

Students are usually restricted to a maximum of four hours of tutor supervision once the proposal has been discussed and the way forward agreed. Never go to an appointment with the tutor without written work in hand, even if it is rough notes; have plenty to discuss. The next step is writing and handing in the Literature Review, which will be followed by detailed writing on Methodology as you formulate and execute your research plan.

An undergraduate dissertation is a substantial piece of work, part of the final assessment for a bachelors degree, and requires careful writing. It is presented in book form although spiral binding is often allowed; two or more copies will be required. It is usually 8,000-10,000 words long, not including the bibliography and appendixes. This is a research essay and will take most of a year to write from start to finish.

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