This checklist is, as noted below, intended for guidance only – to act as a reminder of some of the issues discussed elsewhere in this booklet and the research methodology literature. You may not find it entirely applicable to your work, in which case please ignore it. If you do decide to make use of it, however, we would be very pleased to hear from you about how useful, or otherwise, you found it.
Originally adapted from Hansen, K J and Waterman, R C (1966) ‘Evaluation of Research in Business Education’ National Business Education Quarterly 35: 81-84 by J Gill for ‘Managing a Thesis’ [unpublished], and amended by R Johnston and C Hunt, with permission.
This checklist may be useful to keep by you when you reach the ‘final draft’ stage of your dissertation. At this stage, it is much easier to make alterations or notes for re-organisation than when you have completed your formatting.
Bear in mind that, depending on the nature of your research, not all of the questions listed below will be applicable. They are provided for general information and guidance only.
1. Is the research problem/issue clearly stated and defined?
2. Why is the problem important to you?
3. Was the problem really researchable? Are any logical or practical limitations of the research considered?
4. Is the problem properly delineated? A thorough investigation of a narrow problem is generally superior to a cursory examination of too broad a problem.
5. Are the limitations inherent in the study recognised and stated? Most studies are limited by one or more of the following: data-gathering techniques and instruments; sources of data; ability of the researcher. Both the researcher and the reader should be aware of these limitations in interpreting the data.
6. Are the questions to be answered clearly stated? These should be developed from the theoretical framework of the study.
7. Where applicable, is the background or historical development of the problem adequately described?
8. Is the researcher properly ‘placed’ in the research? If the researcher made any assumptions, or was taking a very particular approach, are these clearly stated? Frequently, a researcher will actually have certain assumptions in her/his mind while doing the study and s/he may feel that these will be obvious to readers, but this feeling itself may be a false assumption! Often it is helpful to include a statement about your ‘world view’ and the influence it may have on the process and findings of your research.
9. Are all special terms, and general terms used in a special way, clearly defined?
10. Is the emphasis on literature pertinent to the problem or is the impression given that the researcher included almost everything s/he had read on the problem? Is an appropriate range of sources used?
11. Is the relationship between the previous research on the problem and the current research described? A critical review of previous research emphasising the strengths and weaknesses is important, but it is even more important to point out the similarities and differences when previous research is compared with the current research.
12. Is there a review of research and literature in related disciplines or fields which might have implications for the present study?
13. Is the literature on research researched?
14. Is the methodology used appropriate to the research question?
15. Is the research process described completely and clearly?
16. If appropriate, are the population and the sample and their significance clearly identified?
17. Is any sampling method used clear, appropriate and comprehensive?
18. Are any variables that might influence the study recognised and, if appropriate, controlled by the research design? Are any limitations to the research design acknowledged and discussed?
19. Are the data collected appropriately and with due regard to ethical issues?
20. Is there evidence of care and accuracy in recording and summarising the data? Are the ‘voices’ of people contributing to the research included appropriately?
21. Are appropriate methods used in analysing the data and are the methods correctly applied?
22. Is a concise and clear statement of the important parts of the study included?
23. Are the findings and conclusions supported by the data presented? No matter how logical or important a statement may be, it has no place in the conclusions if it is not supported by the data presented in the study. Avoid new material that should have been reported in previous chapters suddenly appearing out of the blue in any final summary.
24. Are the findings compared with findings of similar studies reported in the review of the literature?
25. Is the question of researcher bias acknowledged and discussed? Remember that bias may be shown in what is not said as well as what is.
26. Are recommendations made for further research? No-one has worked as closely with the problem as the researcher, and s/he should draw attention to possibilities for further research that may not be immediately obvious to others.
27. Where relevant, are the implications of the study for practice stated completely and clearly?
28. Is the title clear, complete and as concise as possible?
29. Is the organisation of the dissertation logical and clear to the reader? Are the chapter headings and subheadings appropriate and helpful in this respect?
30. Is the final report correct in terms of the ‘mechanics’ e.g. typing, spelling, grammar, tables, footnotes, references and bibliography? Carelessness of this kind may be assumed to indicate the attitude the researcher took towards the work in general. At the very least, careless errors distract the reader and may prevent her/him from receiving the important messages contained in the study. Several ‘mechanical’ errors may result in an otherwise successful dissertation being referred by the Board of Examiners for amendments before the award of the degree can be recommended.