Dissertations

The Abstract - this is a 150-300 word summary or précis of the whole Dissertation. It is often published separately by indexing journals, so it should include the objectives, the method and the conclusion. Imagine you are phoning a friend to tell them that you have finished your dissertation - they appear interested and say "What's it about -  in 150-300 words?". It is not a place to say what you are going to do in the following chapters. When your Dissertation is being marked, the first section is "Objectives -  Purpose and rationale for the investigation of the dissertation. Clarity of objectives will be viewed as a central issue".  This last sentence means that clear objectives are very important (no - I don't know why, either, they couldn't say that!). Therefore - if you can get your Abstract to include these points, you are well on the way to getting a First. 

Harvard Referencing - the system used at undergraduate and postgraduate level by Anglia Polytechnic University. On the APU Library website you will find some information, and a link to Bournemouth University website where there is a detailed explanation of the Harvard System. Or - download a simplified Word 97 version. by clicking here:

Write Good English!  There is a belief that dissertations look better if the words and sentences are long and complex. I don't know about this, but I prefer to read reports written in Plain English, as advocated by the Plain English Campaign. A sample of their recommendations, covering Report Writing, in Word 97 format, may be downloaded here:

Exceeding the Word Count: All tutors are to advise their students to both declare and keep within the word limit. the assignment cover sheet does require a word count to be included and this must be completed. Those assignments which are submitted without a word count can be marked, but the mark withheld (from the student) until the student has indicated the word length. Students to be given guidance on what is and what is not included in the word count - see the following Note of Guidance from the Curriculum Management Handbook.

Note of Guidance - Exceeding the Word Count
Word limits will be required for all written (text-based) assignments. These word limits will be maxima, although it will, of course, be possible to provide further guidance on good academic practice. The penalty for exceeding a word limit will be the deduction of 10% of the maximum mark available.

Here is the extract from the University Regulations which cover this point:-

Exceeding word limits

6.56    A written assignment must not exceed the maximum word limit set for that assignment. Students are required to enter an accurate word count on the Assignment Cover Sheet. Any Assignment Cover Sheet which does not contain an accurate word count is not accepted.  

6.57    Any assignment exceeding the word limit is penalised by the deduction of 10% of the maximum marks available. The MDF for a module which is graded on a pass/fail basis must specify whether submission of a written assignment exceeding the word limit results in failure in the module.

6.58    In determining the text to be included within the maximum word limit, the following items are excluded:

      • abstracts
      • indented quotations (of more than 50 words)
      • tables
      • figures
      • diagrams
      • footnotes/endnotes used for reference purposes and kept within reasonable limits
      • list of references and/ or bibliography
      • appendices.

 

Students to be advised that the software will count "all" words and that there may therefore be some margin of error in the count returned, which the student will need to address. Tutors must apply the regulations and deduct 10 marks where the word count has been exceeded. 

(with thanks to Brenda Eade)

Assessment
To get a good mark - think about the ant and the fruit (old Handy proverb) - what does success look like? Imagine your marked Dissertation with a big red "80" marked on the cover sheet. What will the inside look like? How will the structure be followed? See the marking and assessment guidelines which tutors at AIBS Cambridge follow:

Undergraduate level               Postgraduate level

Hints and Helpful Tips: There is much written about writing reports and dissertations. Here are links to downloadable documents which may help you:

Essay Guide:  This page was originally constructed by Dave Hughes, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Bradford

Mike Hart, Professor of Business and Informatics, King Alfred's College, Winchester, UK - a really useful guide to doing Dissertations and Projects

Finishing your Dissertation: Sometimes the problem is getting started, sometimes it's just keeping going. This article gives a few hints on organizing.

Dissertation Guidelines: The official publication from the IFG office, room 429 (edn 2002/3)

Dissertation Structure - an explanation of what goes in which bit, which bit goes where, and how it all links together.