Taking stock and moving on Dissertation workshop Friday 28th November, 2008

Taking stock How would you assess your progress to date? Think about progress on your Research question (manageable project?) Literature Review (started? finished?) Methodology (is it working? Should I change it?) What do you need to change/develop in order to further your progress?

Moving On? Breakdown the big task into smaller ones – set yourself deadlines Make a time-line – counting backwards from the deadline [the deadline is May 5 th – 22weeks and one day away,,,,] Have you left enough time for…. Research tasks Practical matters, e.g. meeting participants/repondents, time for transcription Time to read Time for analysis Writing tasks Words per chapter or section Time for revision or re-drafting

Ethics forms Due today!!! No empirical research should be started until the completed form has been submitted You will not be allowed to submit your dissertation if we haven’t received your completed ethics form. From the Dissertation Guidelines booklet ‘ Students must not commence any field-work until this form has been submitted, and penalties at the usual daily rate may be imposed if ethics forms are not submitted by the deadline.’

What does a dissertation look like? Look at the sample dissertations in Jane C’s office Read the dissertation guidelines Consult this dissertation resource: Look at the marking criteria for assessed work work

Dissertation structure Table of contents Abstract Introduction Literature review Methodology Findings / discussion Conclusion Bibliography Appendix

Dissertation structure Introduction Field of study Research question (and why this is important / interesting) Summary of contents – signposts for the reader

Dissertation structure Literature review To demonstrate wide reading Define the broader academic context of your study To prove rationale for the research question Enable you to build on work already conducted

Dissertation structure Literature review Write as if you are answering the essay title: ‘how does my research fit with existing work in this area’ At some point, you need to stop reading and start writing! You can always find more to read, but your literature review is only part of the dissertation.

Dissertation structure Methodology 'why I chose the methods I chose to answer my particular question’ the strengths and weaknesses of that approach as a tool for generating knowledge how I actually did it – and why. Include a discussion of ethics (reference ethical guidelines – e.g. BSA)

Dissertation structure Findings / discussion Findings – the analytical presentation of what you have found in your research, e.g. stats tables, verbatim quotes - organised by themes or key concepts. Analyse; don’t just describe. Discussion – linking the findings back to the literature discussed in the literature review.

Dissertation structure Conclusion Don’t introduce new material. Review your work as a whole; identify key points Point out limitations of the study and possible further avenues for research Demonstrate how you have addressed your research question

Finishing your dissertation Prepare drafts well in advance if you want your supervisor to read them. From the guidelines… ‘ Supervisors may read early drafts of chapters (up to 50% of the dissertation) and suggest improvements, but they will not normally read draft work after the end of the Spring term and they will not read the final draft of your dissertation’ Ensure that your argument is developed through your writing (sentence to sentence; paragraph to paragraph). Is your ‘signposting’ accurate? Check that the title matches the argument

Finishing your dissertation Check that the bibliography reflects the texts cited in your dissertation Pay attention to rules on plagiarism (careful note-taking now is a good protection) Back-up repeatedly and in multiple locations Read the submission guidelines on presentation Your dissertation needs to be bound You need to submit TWO copies