2006/07

NB. Where the text above is in [square brackets] you should replace them with your own details.

Coursework Assignment Sheet Before binding you must include a fully completed Coursework Assignment Sheet; which should appear immediately after the Title Page.

Acknowledgements This should list assistance given in the production of your Dissertation both inside and outside of the University; e.g. by your Dissertation Supervisor, other Academic Staff, Organisations, and other individuals. NB. Whilst family, partners and friends may have been generally very supportive this is NOT the place to record that support.

Abstract This must be no more than ONE Page in length; and include the purpose, methodology, findings and main conclusions of your Dissertation. NB. It should allow a busy reader to assess the value of this Document in the minimum of time; i.e. like the flyleaf of a book.

Contents Your Dissertation must include an accurate Contents Page. NB. A busy reader may not want to read your entire Dissertation; so make it easy for them to find what they do want to read.

List of Tables & Figures The order in which these should be presented is: Charts, Figures, Maps, Tables & Photographs. The numbering convention for the above is the Chapter number followed by the number in the sequence next; e.g.: Chart 1.4 (i.e. the 4th Chart in the 1st Chapter) Fig 3.2 (i.e. the 2nd Figure in the 3rd Chapter) Each should include a heading that concisely describes it; e.g.: Chart 1.4 – Average Rainfall in Scarborough from 1999 to 2004. Place these in an appropriate place in the text; i.e. when you first refer to them, and, if you need to refer back to them, make sure that you reference their number and page number; e.g.: It would appear that the average rainfall in Scarborough has fallen quite dramatically over the past few years (Chart 1.4, Page 8).

Chapter 1 - Introduction The introduction should explain what the broad topic/subject area of this Dissertation Document is; and then go on to state the main Aim & specific Objectives of your Research. The general introductory paragraph should lead to the statement of the main Research Aim, followed by the statement of 3 to 4 specific Research Objectives that were achieved during the Dissertation process. NB. These should be investigative objectives and therefore problem-based rather than solution-based, and bear in mind the need to analyse rather than merely describe.

Chapter 2 - Literature Review The idea here is to place your Research into relevant contexts; i.e. matched to specific Objectives (i.e. from your Introduction). No investigation starts from scratch; someone else MUST have done something relevant to the Aim & Objectives of you Research in the past. NB. It is NEVER sufficient to say, “There has been little work done in this area before…” Appropriate contexts might be subject-based; e.g. “What has been done in this subject area before?”, or problem-based; e.g. “How has this kind of problem been approached in previous studies?” NB. Only include citations/extracts from relevant literature here (i.e. relevant to the topic/subject of your Dissertation).

Chapter 3 - Methodology This section must detail the way in which each of the Objectives of your Research were achieved. NB. This means not only a description of the methods to be used, but also a discussion of the logic of those methods. It should answer the question; “Why were these methods chosen/used? NB. The discussion should, therefore, include consideration of alternatives and demonstrate the appropriateness of the chosen approach. This section must go beyond merely itemising your data-collection approach. NB. What you really need to do here is to justify the inclusion & content of each Chapter of this document. If you have based your research upon a previously used methodology, then it should also answer the question; “Which methods have been judged to be appropriate in the past in previous work?” NB. You need to demonstrate that you have moved beyond this previous work in some clearly identified way (therein lies your originality).

Chapters 4 to n-1 It is impossible to be prescriptive about how many Chapters your Dissertation should contain; but it is a good idea to try to keep them all of a similar length. NB. The Introduction & Methodology should have already explained to the reader why each Chapter is included; i.e. in order to explore a specific Objective. Make sure that each of your Chapters does not read like one long ‘essay’; i.e. by breaking each up into a number of sub-sections. NB. This sub-sectioning should reflect the main points you wish to make within each Chapter. Sub-sections should be numbered to reflect their position within each Chapter, e.g.: 4.5 (i.e. the 5th sub-section in Chapter 4) NB. Make sure that you include these sub-sections in your Contents Page, as this will make it easier for the busy reader to find their way quickly to any part of your Dissertation they might be interested in.

Chapter n - Conclusion Your Dissertation MUST reach a Conclusion; and this should be more than a single page in length; 3 or 4 pages might suffice. NB. Many Dissertations receive a poor final mark, because of the lack of any conclusions. Make sure that you refer back to your original Research Aim (i.e. what you set out to do) and your Research Objectives (i.e. reach conclusions about each of these). NB. There should NEVER be any new material introduced in the Conclusion; any references should be internal, i.e. to earlier sections of your Dissertation Document.

References A reference list for each of the citations in your Dissertation Document should appear under this heading. NB. Only include those references which you have actually cited. This list MUST be presented using the Harvard System, see the ‘Study Skills Handbook’ - available at http://www.hull.ac.uk/hubs/05/informationfor/current.htm. NB. Pay particular attention to “Chapter 8 – Referencing, Bibliography and Plagiarism” & “Appendix A – Referencing and Bibliographies”.

Appendices If you have anything that does not ‘fit’ within the main body of your document, but you feel it is essential that the reader can easily/quickly refer to this material; then this is the place to put it. NB. Appendices are NOT counted in the 8,000 to 10,000 word limit for a Dissertation Document Examples of such material might be: • Questionnaires or Structured Interview Questions; which you have used in your Primary Research. • The ‘raw’ results either of the above; i.e. when you have collated these individual results and presented them as Tables & Charts. • Extracts of documents which it would be difficult/impossible for the reader to access in a short space of time. Appendices should be numbered sequentially, i.e.: Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Etc. Make sure that you reference these Appendices effectively; i.e. from within the main body of the document, e.g.: It is useless to say things like “I developed a questionnaire …” without telling the reader where to find out what questions were asked. “I developed a questionnaire (see Appendix 2, Page 56) …” is a much more useful way of referencing/using your Appendices effectively.

Appendix 1 – Dissertation Document (Structure)

Title Page

Coursework Assignment Sheet

Acknowledgements

Abstract

Contents

List of Tables & Figures

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 2 - Literature Review

Chapter 3 - Methodology

Chapters 4 to n-1

Chapter n - Conclusion

References

Appendices

NB. The Title Page should NOT be numbered.

The next five sections, i.e. up to and including the List of Tables & Figures, should be numbered i, ii, iii, etc.

All subsequent Pages, i.e. from the Introduction onwards, should be numbered 1, 2, 3, etc.