Dissertations and Final Projects

Writing a Dissertation Proposal

Instructions for writing your proposal will be given by the course team. 

Review the information in your course notes and on Moodle. 

The advice of the course team always takes precedence over the general guidance from Academic Skills Tutors.

General guidance for writing a proposal

Begin by carefully reviewing the aims and learning outcomes for your module. It is important that your proposal demonstrates how it will meet the specific learning outcomes of your module. Your proposal must clearly identify the research problem to be studied and the general and specific aims of the proposed research. Use Moodle to review your assignment guidance, lectures and seminars and make a list of everything that must be included. A proposal typically includes the following:

The problem to be studied

The type of problem, why it matters and who it is significant to, must be clearly stated. Provide the reason why this specific topic should be covered now rather than at another time. Describe what academic research has taken place about the topic, who the influential authors are and why. This will contribute to your literature review. Research is built on the work of others and your proposal must explain how your research will add to the knowledge in this area.


A definition of the research aims

Clearly state the general and specific aims of your proposed research. The aims should demonstrate that you have narrowed down the topic to something that is both achievable and manageable.


The methodology and methods you plan to use

The methodology is the foundations your research is based on and the methods are the procedures you will use. Include the reasons for your choices and the type of data it will give you.


Access to data

State how you will find the information necessary to complete your research. Consider potential problems in obtaining the data and how you will overcome these.


Ethical considerations

It is essential to conduct ethical research. All potential ethical issues must be reviewed. State how you intend to overcome any foreseeable ethical issues arising as a result of your research. Data collections must not take place prior to receiving ethical approval.

Tips for a successful proposal

Top Tips on writing dissertation proposals 


1. Give hints, not conclusions: your proposal can hint at what you think the research might discover (that is what your hypothesis is for) but it should not contain definite conclusions or assertions that are not yet backed up by evidence.

2. Keep it impersonal: your work should be written in the third person, so instead of saying “I will look at the hibernation habits of polar bears”, it should say “This research will look at the hibernation habits of polar bears”.

3. Be methodical: you should make sure that your research methodology is designed to produce the information that you say the research will uncover. It is easy to design a research methodology that does not provide information to answer your research question.

4. It is never too soon: this is one piece of work you simply cannot rush, so start well ahead of time. You need to plan carefully to meet all of the criteria of a research proposal and ensure that it will work.

5. Choose wisely: choose your topic carefully! It is easy to start a topic that is far too big to address in a dissertation. Narrowing down the questions at this stage will prevent you from having to rework your ideas once you are doing the dissertation.

Writing a dissertation

If you are going to undertake a dissertation as part of your final year work, you will need to write a proposal. This handout gives general advice and information about writing a research proposal. It does not replace the requirements given in the Moodle module site. If there is a discrepancy between this handout and what your Moodle site says, always follow the advice given in the Moodle site.

Before you identify an area for research

Carefully review the aims and learning outcomes for your unit which you will find in the module handbook. It is important when choosing an area for investigation, that it demonstrates how it meets the specific learning outcomes for your module.

How to approach your proposal – general advice

Your proposal should clearly identify the research problem to be studied and the general and specific aims of the proposed research. Some issues you may seek to address in your proposal could include:

The problem to be studied


A definition of the research aims


Proposed methodology

* Hypothesis - a proposition assumed as a premise in an argument. You could consider this to be your idea of what the outcome of the research will be. Remember that it is only a starting point and may be proved wrong during the course of your investigation. If your final dissertation proves your hypothesis to be incorrect, it usually means that you have undertaken good research without bias. This is what is meant by testing your hypothesis.

Access to data


 Ethical considerations

Click to download a Dissertation Action Plan

Available in PDF or Word

Top tips for dissertations - video resource

Deciding on a research question and sub-questions

Is it a question or a statement?

Examples

“Investigating the perceptions of FTSE 100 CEOs regarding the financial crisis”

This topic would certainly provide enough material for research, but it would be difficult to gain access to the CEOs. Thus, it may be impractical.


“An investigation into the recruitment and selection processes of Dutch-owned, Chinese-operated piano manufacturers, between March-April 1924”

This topic is very specific, but it is unlikely that there will be enough existing research or material in existence to enable a detailed study to be undertaken.

Sub-questions

It can help to imagine the process of planning a project as being like an upside-down triangle. It is initially broad, and becomes narrower as you progress to the overall aim/objective and then the sub-questions:

Six steps to choosing a topic and questions

Below is an example process of how to narrow down an idea into a potential question (and sub-questions/objectives): 

Setting targets and goals

When you are doing your dissertation it is important to set targets and goals. It is a good idea to plan backwards from the submission deadline date and decide by when you need to have finished each task.

Remember that when you have finished writing you need time to proofread the work. That can take a few days with a large dissertation.

When you are setting time goals it is a good idea to think about who you need to see about your work and find out when they are likely to be available. If you are doing a dissertation over the summer vacation you will find that staff take holidays, find out when the librarians, your supervisor, the Academic Skills Tutors and anyone else you might want to see are on holiday. Make appointments to see them when they are available.

Mini-goals

Mini-goals are known as milestones.


Mini-goals work best when they are:

Research Methods

Literature reviews

Literature reviews - video resource

What is a literature review?

This section gives generic guidance and tips for producing a literature review. If you are unsure about the requirements of your assignment, check your Moodle site or speak to your course tutors for help. They should also be able to tell you how many pieces of literature you are expected to focus on.

Your literature review should be:

Key words:

Summary: a shorter version of the original highlighting the major points

Synthesis: combining two or more items to form something new 

Analysis: breaking down a complex topic into parts to gain a better understanding of it.

How do I get started?

Some top tips for literature reviews

What should I focus on?

Where can I go for help with finding sources?

The faculty librarians are there to help you find the literature you need. Click here for more information.

Organising sources

It is useful to arrange your literature into a table, and to make comments on it that will help you when you come to writing up the literature review.

Research question

"Would banning the use of palm oil save the orangutan species?"

A short fragment from a fictional literature review.

Research question

Would banning the use of palm oil save the orangutan species?


Literature review (sample)

The Sumatran Orangutan Society (n.d.) and World Growth (2011), who both advocate a ban on palm oil production, have found that destruction of Sumatra’s rainforests, for palm oil production, has pushed the Sumatran orangutan to the edge of extinction. World Growth’s research is eight years old and the date of the Sumartran Orangutan Society’s research is unknown. Thus developments in the industry since 2011 have not been explored, leaving a gap in the research. In addition it is not known what research methods these bodies used or what their background missions are.

Bicknell and Stuebig (2018), who interviewed a large number of farmers in the region and the World Wildlife Fund (2018), who work alongside palm oil producers, found that a ban on the use of palm oil would lead farmers to switch to other crops, to ensure their economic survival, which may cause equal or worse destruction of habitat. Thus these researchers advocate certification of sustainable production. This research is recent and the research methods involve producers of palm oil, which suggests that the findings may be reliable. However, they have not discussed what certification would entail and its possible effects, and this needs to be researched.

Can you see where the literature review:

Conclusions

As with any piece of academic work, it is a good idea to give a short summary or conclusion at the end of your literature review which draws together the ideas you have discussed. You will usually be expected to show: 

Click here to download a literature review checklist - in PDF and Word format

Writing your methodology

This section gives general information on what to include when writing a methodology for a BRP, dissertation or research project. Different terms are sometimes used to discuss aspects of a methodology (e.g. research framework/approach). Check with your course team if you have concerns, and always use guidance provided by your course tutors or on your Moodle site where available.

What is a methodology?

What goes into a methodology?

Some of the areas you may be expected to cover in your methodology include:

Your understanding of the concept of knowledge

This is where you state the philosophy behind your research and your approach to knowledge, as it will determine the way in which you conduct the research. These are theoretical positions, and so things may differ in practice, but two common opposing stances taken by researchers are as follows: 


Qualitative or quantitative?

Depending on your research philosophy, you may be more interested in using qualitative or quantitative research (or a mixture of both). If you are unsure about the difference between qualitative and quantitative information, see our handout on this subject, on our Moodle site. In some cases, even if you are conducting secondary research, you may still be asked to explain your approach to knowledge, and will need to consider the difference between qualitative and quantitative sources of information. 


Your research strategy

This means the overarching approach to your research. For example, will you be conducting an experiment? Using secondary research? Doing a survey? You may need to tell your marker which strategy you are choosing and why.


Your research methods

This is where you explain how you are actually going to undertake your research. You will need to explain and justify why you are choosing a particular method (e.g. questionnaires or interviews), and exactly how your research will work.


Your sample

You need to explain who or what you will be researching on (your sample). Your marker will expect you to justify your choice of sample, and any criteria you have used to select it. They may also expect you to demonstrate how the data that you obtain will be reliable.


Ethics

This section is very important for both primary and secondary research. You are always expected to produce work which is reliable and ethically sound. Some key things to consider are:


Pilot study

If you are conducting primary research, you may also be expected to conduct a pilot study (a small test version of your research). For example, if you are conducting a questionnaire, it is a good idea to get some participants to complete it first, to check that the questions make sense.

What does a methodology look like?

Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill have produced a model that shows how some of these elements of a methodology fit together. This can be a good way of checking that you have thought about all of these elements, even if you are not expected to write about them in your methodology. This model is often referred to as the research onion:

Adapted from Research methods for business students (5th ed.) by Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill (2009)

Your supervisor or course tutor may not want all of these areas to be covered in your methodology, so check with them if you are unsure about this. The Academic Skills Tutors are available to help with the academic principles of producing a methodology.

Writing up your results

What should be included within a discussion/analysis section?

The purpose of your discussion/analysis section is to:

What should not be included within a discussion/analysis section?

How do I do this?

Top tip: making sure your results are clear

Our resource on producing strong arguments explains a three-part rule for making sure your argument is logical. A similar approach can be taken in your results section.

Clear and well-explained results will include:

1. The location of the data or findings you are talking about (e.g. “Figure 1 shows...”)

2. A summary of the data or findings (e.g. “One third of bankers agreed...”)

3. Your own reasoning to show the significance of the data or findings for your research (e.g. explaining trends, or demonstrating which results are most important)

Example:

Chart 3 shows the number of responses from male and female managers. It can be seen that the majority of responses came from females, which may suggest that females have a greater degree of interest in this subject, or are perhaps more willing to respond to  questionnaires in general.

Signposting

Signposting - video resource

As the writer you are guiding your reader through your work.  Imagine you are on a journey and you fall asleep, when you wake up it can be disorientating and confusing, but if you see a signpost you immediately know where you are and what is coming next. 

Without signposting your work could be confusing and your reader will be unable to follow your thought process. Certain words direct your reader, add more emphasis or introduce an alternative viewpoint.  They can help the reader to connect themes and provide explanations to ensure the writing flows in a logical order and is understandable.

Signposting is especially important when you are writing a large project, such as a dissertation.  Although it will consist of multiple parts, the document needs to read as one complete piece of writing.  Signposting words will help the document fit together and keep the reader on track; following your overall argument and the transition from one idea to another.  For example:

One large document with a consistent theme such as a dissertation.

Each chapter should also contain an introduction and conclusion with signposting in paragraphs to show the move from one theme to another.  Each paragraph can also contain an introductory sentence and a concluding sentence with signposting words to the next theme/paragraph.  So signposting takes place throughout the document from the start to the finish and all the themes in between.

Do not overdo it however, only use signposts when they add clarity to your work; too many will obscure your meaning. Ensure you are using the correct word, for example only use 'consequently' if the following sentence is a consequence of the previous one

What is Signposting?

Signposting or linking words are found in good academic writing, linking what has been said with what is about to be discussed.  They show the logic behind an argument, thought transitions and direction and flow.

Signposting can be single words, short phrases, long phrases or whole sentences.

A list of linking words is provided below.

Look at our writing introductions and conclusions resource if you need more information.  

List of signposting/linking words

Adding to a point already made

Writing in lists

Putting the same idea in a different way

Introducing examples

Introducing an alternative viewpoint

Returning to emphasise your earlier viewpoint

Showing the results of something

Summing up or concluding