Planning your undergraduate dissertation

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Planning your undergraduate dissertation
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Aims, Objectives and Expectations
Issues and management
Research- what stage are you at?
Knowledge and experience
Project Management Skills
Structure and organisation
Planning how to write your research
Research and Methodology
Different styles and audiences
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The Elevator Pitch or Party Piece

• Offer a general outline of your research topic
• What is its purpose or aiming to achieve?
• Why is it interesting/important/noteworthy?
• How are you going to achieve the research aims?

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Getting Started

• Choose a topic which -
• inspires and interests you
• you can approach with analytical distance
• is practical and you can get access to
• has a sound research base on which to work
• Is an area of expertise within your department?
• Dont choose a topic which -
• Is well worn or lacks novelty
• Is too broad difficult to focus on
• Is too abstract or removed from academic circle

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• Inductive hypothesis

• Deductive hypothesis

• Use a theory to-
• Create a hypothesis
• Identify your research method
• Conduct your research
• Look, watch and record
• Conclude
• Move from the specific to the general
• Have you proved your point?

• Observe what is happening
• Use your observations to identify patterns
• Speculate that there may be some theory
  associated to these patterns
• Form a theory based on your observations
• Move from the general to the specific
• Do you have a point to prove?

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Critical thinking

• Infiltrates throughout your research process
• your review of other peoples findings
• your own research methods
• any limitations and questions raised?
• your results and findings
• your conclusions

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Fact what fact?

• Piltdown man
• In 1913 British paleoanthropologists accepted
  that an ape's jaw
• with a canine tooth worn down like a human's
  belonged to a single
• creature who had a human cranium and an ape's
  jaw. This was
• perceived as the missing link between apes and
  humans in the
• evolutionary chain. In 1953, Piltdown 'man' was
  exposed as a
• forgery. The skull was modern and the teeth on
  the ape's jaw had
• been filed down.
• Academic standards
• Cyril Burt, the 1960s guru of British psychology,
  produced research
• into the intelligence of identical twins which
  led to the assertions
• that academic standards were falling. Years later
  the statistics
• were found to be too perfect. The twins never
  existed.

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Brain power Scientists at the Institute for
Animal Health in Edinburgh secured a 200,000
government grant to find out whether BSE has
jumped the "species barrier" from cows into
sheep. An inquiry is now under way after it was
found that scientists had been mistakenly testing
cattle brains instead of sheep brains for five
years. Mein bumph Oxbridge historian Hugh
Trevor-Roper authenticated the Hitler Diaries,
unveiled as an exclusive by the German-based
Stern magazine. The diaries were later exposed
as a hoax. http//www.guardian.co.uk/education/
2001/oct/23/research.highereducation
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Research Risk Analysis
Potential risk Probability of occurrence Risk limitation actions

TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
Potential risk Probability of occurrence Risk limitation actions
Lack of participant consent Medium Email participants early Consult with tutor Have a variety of contact mechanisms
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Literature Review what is one?

• Your opportunity to-
• demonstrate you are well informed about the
  current
• thinking on your topic and if relevant, to trace
  the evolution of the argument. Beware of
  excessive background info.
• show how you have been able to differentiate
  between relevant and non relevant material to
  focus your research on the topic.
• signal your competence as a researcher
• enhance your lexicon

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Literature Review

• Show how it informs your work
• are there gaps in the literature?
• If so,do you plug them or avoid them?
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the
  theory.
• Aim to understand and critique the work of
  others.
• Interrogate their research methodologies
• Look for currency, relevance and topicality

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YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW
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Planning and Preparing

• Dealing with complex ideas and thoughts
• Creating a plan to accommodate ideas and provide
  a
• clear cohesive thread throughout your work.

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Generating ideas, creating structure

• Post it notes
• Rolls of wall-paper
• Index cards
• Story boarding
• Mood board

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Using computer software Mind Genius
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Concept mapping
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Assessment Criteria

• What are the percentage weightings for your
• dissertation?
• For example
• Plan and outline of your work 10
• Presentation 10
• Final Dissertation 80
• What is the assessment criteria for each stage?
• How does the criteria break down for the final
  submission?

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20 - 30 70 and over
Coverage Limited range of ideas weak association with sources ideas unfocused Thorough coverage of sources evidence of scholarship in understanding and synthesis of data
Analysis Disjointed organisation unsupported argument little use of relevant experience descriptive and without critical analysis Systematic critical questioning of received ideas and suggestions of alternative perspectives through, well-supported analysis insightful evaluation and discussion of implications
Support Little acquaintance with source in the literature use of unattributed material Through and critical coverage of sources integration of diverse sources experiences (where available ) into systematic whole
Structure Disorganised no clear structure identified Systematic and explicitly organised without any significant lacunae or repetition
Presentation Length requirements not observed incomplete referencing presentation consistently marred by language errors affecting comprehensibility inadequate proof reading Concise and effectively argued within the length allowed skilled use of academic conventions accurate proof-reading
Investigation/Research Where appropriate Research questions unclear Rationale weak theoretical background limited research methods misapplied analysis sketchy or unjustified by data Where appropriate Perceptive identification of research questions critical appreciation of underlying theory and rationale appropriate research design carefully and critically applied insightful and critical analysis of data critical interpretation of implications
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What might your dissertation look like?
Title Page
Table of Contents with page references
List of Tables or Figures (if any)
List of Abbreviations (if any), alphabetically ordered.
Do you need an abstract? Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Results or Findings(with clearly identified sections)
Discussion
Conclusions(are you expected to make recommendations?)
Reference Page and/or a Bibliography(a list of all the sources that you have cited (reference page) or read (bibliography)
Appendices (e.g. questionnaires, interview transcripts, pilot reports, detailed tables etc.)
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GANNT Charts
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Week Date Event Task time allotted Week Date Event Task time allotted
Week Date Phase Task time allotted Week Date Phase Task time allotted
Week Date Task Task time allotted Week Date Task Task time allotted
14th Dec Ph 1. LR Identify app texts 8 hours 20th Jan DISS PRESENTATIONS 6 hours
15th Dec Ph 1. and note taking 5 hours 2 hours
16th Dec Ph 2. Draft schedule plan 3 hours 21st - 23rd Jan Arctic Monkeys concert
17th Dec Ph 2. Finalise schedule plan 3 hours 24th Jan Ph 3. Identify interviewees and email 3 hours
18th Dec 25th Jan Draft introduction 4 hours
22nd 4th Jan Christmas Holidays 26th Jan Career log 1 deadline
3rd Feb Dissertation Tutorial
5th Jan LR Reading focus on Aspect 1 8 hours 4th Feb Ph 4. Amend questions if required 1 hour
6th Jan Exam Revision 5th Feb Write introduction 8 hours
7th Jan LR Reading - focus on Aspect 2 8 hours 6th Feb Distribute questionnaires 8 hours
8th Jan LR Review and plan 8 hours 7th Feb Write up methodology section
9th Jan Writing LR 8 hours 8th Feb Review/redraft introduction 4 hours
10th Jan Ph 3. Arrange interview date 2.00 hours 9th Feb Ph 5. Research Interviews 8 hours
10th Feb Ph 5. Transcribe interview 3 hours
12th Jan Library assignment deadline 11th Feb
13th Jan Module 5040 exam 12th Feb Analyse and interpret interview data
14th Jan Ph 2. Check schedule, amend 13th Feb
15th Jan Prepare dissertation topic pres. 4 hours 14th Feb Translate data into graphs
15th Feb Ph 6. Plan and draft results section 6.5 hours
16th Jan COMPLETE AND SUBMIT LITERATURE REVIEW 16th Feb Write up results section 3 hours
17th Jan Complete group presentation 4 hours 17th Feb Ph 7. Proof read methodology and results section
18th Jan Ph 4. Review methodology 1 hour 18th Feb Ph 7. Print out first two sections 2 hours
19th Jan Ph 4. Draft questionnaire 1 hour 19th Feb SUBMIT SECTIONS 12

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Transition to task Setting SMART Objectives
Specific I will write the first 1,500 of my introduction tonight Measurable My introduction will be around 3,000 words. First part will be 1,500
Action Orientated I have already done the research, organised my notes and produced a mind map with an outline plan. The introduction will evolve from my plan Realistic This will be about 3 pages of writing.
Time Bound I will be home by 3.30 and with a half hour break at 6 for tea I will have worked for 5 hours if I finish at 900pm
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Managing your supervisor

• Whats your entitlement?
• Plan and prepare in advance.
• Be organised.
• Create a template - questions answers.
• Be specific. Ask focused questions
• should I use a focus groups to gather this
  data?
• Agree manageable deadlines.
• Make your next appointment.
• Set yourself SMART objectives.

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Examples of good practice

• Copies of dissertations
• Geography theses and dissertations
• http//library.leeds.ac.uk/info/200152/geography
• Examples from Lancaster University Geology
• http//www.es.lancs.ac.uk/studentshome/ug_disserta
  tion/examples.htm
• Computing
• http//library.leeds.ac.uk/info/200142/computing

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Research Methods across the disciplines

• ENGAGE Research Resource of Bioscience students
• http//www.engageinresearch.ac.uk/section_3/differ
  ent_research_methods.shtml
• Ethnography in the Performing Arts A Student
  Guide. Kruger.S., (2007)
• Available at http//www.palatine.ac.uk/files/1377.
  pdf
• Last accessed 01.11.09
• Questionnaire Design
• http//www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/kate/qmcweb/qcont.htm