Writing a dissertation

What is a dissertation?
What does it contain?
What is a research proposal?
What is a literature review?
How do I choose my methodology?
What is quantative research?
What is qualitative research?
How do I collect data?
What do I write in the discussion section?
Dissertation top tips
For further information and the full range of study guides go to:
http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/learn

This is a general guide to writing dissertations. Your

departments policy must take priority over anything
contained in this guide. If you are unsure or unclear about
anything check with your dissertation supervisor.

What is a dissertation?
A dissertation is an extended piece of academic writing which
is often (but not always) based on a research project. The
average length of an undergraduate dissertation is usually
10,000 words. However, different programmes have different
requirements, so check your module handbook. Because it is a
long piece of work, you need to approach your dissertation in a
systematic and organized way.
Dissertations are usually divided into a number of chapters as
this helps the reader to negotiate their way through your work,
but thinking about chapters can also help you to organize and
structure your ideas, and to break the work down into more
manageable chunks.

What does it contain?

A dissertation will usually (but not always) contain some or all
of the following.

Title page
Table of contents (its a good idea to do this last as it
is important that your page numbers match up)
List of figures, tables, photographs etc.
Glossary of terms (if appropriate)
Statement of originality this is signed and dated and
confirms that you have fully acknowledged all your
sources and that where there is no such
acknowledgement the work is your own
Acknowledgements
Abstract at undergraduate level this is a
(approximately) 200 word summary of the aims,
methodologies, key findings and conclusions of the
dissertation.
Main body (remember each new chapter should start
on a new page)
Reference list
Bibliography (if appropriate)
Appendices these are supporting documents such as
graphs, maps, questionnaires, transcripts etc. that you
may wish to include because they provide
supplementary information that may be useful to the
reader but which may obstruct the flow of the actual
dissertation and/or not be directly relevant.

What is a research proposal?

You may be asked to submit a research proposal to your tutor
prior to undertaking your dissertation. A research proposal
outlines the purpose of your dissertation and how you intend to
go about doing your research. Writing a research proposal is
an extremely effective way to plan out your dissertation, and a
good research proposal can form the basis for the first three
chapters of your dissertation: Introduction, Literature review,
Methodology. Even if you are not required to formally submit a
research proposal, you will still need to go through the process
of identifying a suitable research question and an appropriate
methodology as part of your planning for your dissertation.

What is a literature review?

This is the starting point for your dissertation because it shows the
relevance of your research to your topic area and that the methodology
you have chosen is appropriate.
In an ideal world, once you have decided on the broad focus for your
research, you would spend time reading around the subject in order to
familiarise yourself with other research that has been conducted in the
project area. This would help you to identify what kind of research is
already out there and this would hopefully lead you to being able to
Writing a dissertation, Learning Development, Plymouth University, 2012

identify a gap in the research. Identifying a gap might mean noting

that a particular (methodological) approach to the topic that hasnt been
taken before or it might be that a particular group has been
underrepresented. It might simply be that you have a different
perspective (ontological stance) because you are a student, or female,
or from Plymouth, or because of any other relevant variable.
Identifying a gap or research space is very useful because it can
provide a strong justification for your research project. However, not all
research projects need to be totally original, there is a lot of value in
conducting a piece of research that replicates other similar studies
(albeit on a much smaller scale) because by undertaking your own
research project you will have the opportunity to confirm or question
what is already out there for yourself.
Therefore, the purpose of your literature review is to provide a sound
basis for the project you want to carry out by showing that you have a
clear understanding of current and relevant issues relating to your topic
and a good knowledge of the kind of research that has already been
carried out in your chosen area. It is important to remember though that
you are discussing not cataloguing the available literature. In many
ways, what you are doing is writing a mini essay, not so much about
the topic of your dissertation but rather what the current/relevant
literature says and/or does. Therefore, you might find it helpful to
organise the literature around themes, issues or methodologies rather
than simply discussing each individual piece of research in turn

How do I choose my methodology?

Research methodologies can be broadly divided into two main types;
qualitative and quantitative. Although it is important that you
understand the difference between these two approaches, it is also
equally important that you are also aware that much research
nowadays combines elements of both (mixed methods). Qualitative
and quantitative methodologies both have their own particular
advantages and disadvantages, and it is vital that you choose the
approach that is most suitable for the kind of research you want to
carry out.
Not all dissertations are based on primary research and it might be
worth considering whether secondary research would achieve your
aims more effectively. Secondary research entails looking at what is
already out there and evaluating its usefulness and importance,
perhaps in relation to a particular issue, context or development. In
many ways this is rather like doing an extended literature review, but
would obviously require you to go into a lot more depth in terms of
evaluation, analysis and critique.

What is quantitative research?

Generally speaking, quantitative research is very much concerned with
number-crunching and is often used to gather statistical data from
(often) large numbers of participants. The main advantage of this kind
of approach is that the data is easy to quantify and it is also often
regarded as more objective than qualitative data (although this is a
matter for debate).
Writing a dissertation, Learning Development, Plymouth University, 2012

What is qualitative research?

Qualitative research is often concerned with participants opinions,
ideas, perceptions and feelings. Some researchers argue that this kind
of data is much richer than pure numerical data; others suggest it can
be unreliable.

How do I collect data?

Most of us are familiar with questionnaires as a means of collecting
data, however, it is important that you think carefully about which data
collection tool is most suitable for your project, and the most practical,
before you decide. There are many different types of questions and
questionnaires ranging from closed types where the participants can
only choose from a pre-given range of options (multiple choice), to
more open types which invite individual comments and responses.
Obviously the type of question you ask will influence strongly the kind
of response you obtain, therefore questionnaire design has become
almost an art in itself. It is a very good idea to run a pilot if at all
possible, even if you just try out your questions on a small group of
friends. It is amazing how often questions are misinterpreted or even
misunderstood and if this happens it will negatively impact on your
data. Ironing out glitches early on can really improve the quality and
usefulness of the data you collect, and can be a great time-saver in the
long run. While sending out a number of questionnaires might initially
seem like an easy and attractive data collection method, it is important
to remember that people are busy and often dont respond to surveys
unless they have a very good reason to. It can be very disappointing if
you spend a lot of time and effort putting together a good questionnaire
and only to get a handful of responses.
Other means of collecting data are face to face interviews, focus
groups and/or case studies. In these contexts, the researcher is also
often more closely involved with the participants and as a result these
types of data collection tools are sometimes seen as producing data
that is more subjective. If you choose to undertake qualitative research,
it is important that you consider questions of influence and bias. It is
also essential that you consider different interviewing techniques and
are familiar with how qualitative data can be most usefully recorded,
transcribed and coded. Qualitative research often produces large
amounts of data, therefore it can be very time-consuming to analyse
and as a result qualitative research is often conducted with a small
number of participants. Whether you see this as an advantage or
disadvantage depends on your research perspective (epistemological
stance).
It is easy to get tied up in knots with data collection, but remember it is
what you do with the data that really counts, not how much you collect.
Therefore it is a good idea to choose a simple data collection tool
which is practical and easy to administer and which will provide you
with enough data to analyse effectively and meaningfully. Most
research, even if it is conducted over years at great expense by
professional researchers, is flawed in some way. Remember, at
undergraduate level, you are only expected to undertake a small-scale
project that will hopefully add another (perhaps tiny but hopefully
interesting) perspective to an ever-growing body of research in your
Writing a dissertation, Learning Development, Plymouth University, 2012

subject area. Your PhD may change the world, but at this stage in your
academic career what you are trying to demonstrate to your tutors is
that you have developed the kind of thoughtful research skills that a
successful graduate should possess.

What do I write in the discussion section?

One of the most interesting and important parts of your dissertation is
the analysis/discussion of results. This is where you will try and draw
some useful conclusions from the research you have carried out. What
you are trying to do in this section is to put your findings into the
context of previous research (most usefully this would be the research
you identified in the lit review). Questions you might want to consider
when writing this section are: have you confirmed your expectations
and those of other researchers in the field or have you found
something different/new/contradictory/anomalous? Can you make
sense of your findings? Can you offer some sort of explanation,
however tentative? What are the professional/practical/political
implications of your findings (Hannan, 2008)?

Dissertation Top Tips

Before you do anything make sure you know your
programmes exact dissertation requirements

What length is required?

What is the exact submission date?

Are there any intermediate deadlines?

Do you need an ethics protocol?

Make a timetable

Get a year planner or calendar.

Note all formal deadlines.

Give yourself a final deadline well in advance of the official deadline

- you need to allow time for proof reading, binding and for things
that might go wrong.

Divide up the time you have available and set dates for the
completion of specific tasks.

Work backwards what do you need to have done by when?

Plan the next 4 6 weeks in terms of specific tasks.

Remember most things take longer than expected - surveys

and questionnaires etc. can be very time consuming to
administer and analyse.

Writing a dissertation, Learning Development, Plymouth University, 2012

Remember you may not be able to get the information you

want quickly and easily busy organisations may not
respond to your requests as and when you need them to.
Try and have a plan B just in case.

Allow plenty of time for printing, collating and binding

Find a manageable research focus

Do NOT rush through this stage

Write down ALL your ideas

Focus on topics that interest YOU

See how many research projects you can identify and choose ONE
remember you cant cover everything

Read around your topic to see whats already out there

Try and come up with a well-defined research question before you

begin any empirical work

Keep notes

Make clear notes on your reading and keep them organized

Keep a full record of your sources it can be very time

consuming trying to find this information later on

Work with your dissertation tutor

Arrange to see your supervisor as soon as possible. Your

tutor is there to guide you in terms of the way you tackle the
research and write the final product. People who do not see
their tutor are more likely to fail or fail to submit their
dissertation.

Prepare for each tutorial make a list of precise queries

and areas that need clarifying, but dont expect to be spoonfed the answers.

Dont avoid meeting with your tutor because you havent

made any progress. Talking to them might help motivate
you.

At the end of the tutorial set a date for your next meeting.

Writing a dissertation, Learning Development, Plymouth University, 2012

Write as you go along

Dont wait until you have finished your research to start writing.

Write the sections you are most comfortable with first.

Write your dissertation using real names you can change them
later.

Save each draft carefully and in various locations. It might be a

good idea to email each new version to yourself, or to store
them in the cloud rather than on a memory stick (which may be
lost). Make sure it is clear which draft is which use dates or
numbers to help you.

Beware of plagiarism

You must give full credit to the peoples words and ideas
you refer to in your writing. If you do not do this you will be
accused of plagiarism and there are very serious
consequences for this. See www.plymouth.ac.uk/refman for
guidelines, and follow the advice on good writing practice
given in our study guides on essay writing and critical
thinking.

Pay attention to spelling, punctuation and grammar

Be accurate and consistent

Leave time for proofreading one good technique for

spotting mistakes is to read the work out loud.

Remember the spell check on your computer will not pick

up correctly spelt words used in the incorrect context

Writing a dissertation, Learning Development, Plymouth University, 2012

Useful links
The Royal Literary Fund website has two particularly useful resources for dissertation writing:
For undergraduates, on what tutors want; literature reviews; planning and structure; and making
an argument: http://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/writing/undergraduatedissertations/index.cfm
For post-graduates, on starting to write; keeping going; editing and finishing; plus quotes and
advice from students who have gone through the process:
http://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/writing/diswriting/intro.htm

References
Hannon, A. (2008) Writing Up Research. Faculty of Education, University of Plymouth. Available
from: http://www.edu.plymouth.ac.uk/resined/resedhme.htm [Accessed 31/05/2012]

For further information and the full range of study guides go to: http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/learn
An extended version of this study guide is also available on our website.

www.plymouth.ac.uk/learn
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Writing a dissertation, Learning Development, Plymouth University, 2012