The format of the dissertation should be as follows:
a. Title page (see appendix 1 for example)
b. Declaration (see appendix 2 for example)
c. Abstract
The aim of this section is to give the reader an overview of the work contained in the dissertation. It should be no longer than about 300-400 words, single spaced and should make reference to the aims and objectives, methods of investigation, main findings and conclusions reached. It is not a description of your contents page.
d. Acknowledgements
You should refer to those people who have assisted you in your research. For example, your supervisor, advisors, and those who completed questionnaires and interviews etc. Please ensure you spell names correctly and ensure that you conform with ethical issues.
e. Contents page
Your contents page should list the sections and subsections of your dissertation followed by references and then appendices. You should provide the title of each appendix, and it is common practice to number the pages in the appendix A1, A2, A3 etc. Pages in the contents table are normally numbered in small-case Roman numerals.
f. List of tables and figures
List all, figures, tables and diagrams by number, title and page number.
g. List of abbreviations
Abbreviations should be listed. In the text, the abbreviation should only be used after its first mention, which should be written in full.
h. Introduction (word length guide 1,500 words)
This should set the scene and give the reader a complete overview of what you intend to do. It should include a general introduction, a rationale for doing the research which is based on secondary data, an aim and three to four supporting objectives and/or hypotheses, the proposed methodology, limiting and delimiting factors and an outline of the organisation of the study.
i. Literature review (word length guide 5,000 words)
A literature review is an interpretation and synthesis of published work (Merriam, 1986, Case Study Research in Education) and it is not simply an extended essay. Note that it should be analytical not merely descriptive.
Quality of information
Information overload has become a familiar term recently but it is a concept that is likely to be clear to you after your search. Your problem may not be finding information, but selecting what you should use (particularly with Internet searches). Internet sources are of very variable quality; you need to be particularly critical in your use of these sources. It is often worth asking yourself: who supplied this information and why did they supply it? An evaluation of, say, Customer Relationship Management software from a peer-reviewed journal may carry more weight than one offered by the leading supplier of that type of software.
Use of information
At this level, it is essential that you observe scholarly conventions for the attribution of the work of others: plagiarism is a serious offence. References are those sources (written and unwritten) which were consulted in the course of your research and which are actually referred to in your text. During the literature search of your dissertation topic, you will find published material (books, book chapters, scientific articles, magazine articles, press articles, commercial reports, etc.). It is essential to refer to your source when quoting actual text, when referring to numerical data, and when using a diagram or figure found in the literature. Figures (pictures, diagrams, models, maps, etc.) and tables (numerical data usually) should be clearly labelled and of a sufficient size to be readable. The source of each map, picture, diagram or statistical table should be clearly acknowledged. Thus each figure or table should have:
* a number (so that you can refer to it as an explanation or illustration of your argument in the main text – reciprocally, all figures and tables should be referred to and used in the text);
* a title;
* the source, if the figure or table has been found in a book, article or report (if it is a result of your own work, it does not need a source).
In the interest of accuracy and to avoid having to waste time checking sources at the last minute, it is very strongly recommended you take careful notes when material is being collected during your investigation, when using primary sources (people you interview for instance) or secondary sources (books you have read, i.e. work done by someone else). Be careful to accurately record name of author, title of work, page numbers, date, publisher, etc. or name of the person interviewed, job title, date, company, location, etc. and indicate clearly in your notes from published work what is copied exactly and what is a prcis (a summary in your own words).
Where original sources have been studied only in a reprint edition or published collection of readings, this secondary source should be documented as well as the original publication. Incidentally, direct and indirect quotations (both of which should be referenced to their original sources) should be used only sparingly – the object of the dissertation is to establish the student’s own personal understanding and contribution in the area of study. Similarly, an outline style or the excessive use of short paragraphs should be avoided in the dissertation; in the dissertation each topic should be rigorously and deeply discussed as practicable, which normally requires longer paragraphs. This should culminate in a chosen theory or theories with an outline expressing how these are to be tested. The design of this is reported in the next section.
Finally, do not cite your lecture notes: it is not appropriate.
j. Methodology (word length guide 2,000 words)
You must give reasoned arguments for your choice of research methodology, including any alternative methods that have been deemed less suitable. Selections of your sample should be discussed along with details of how you implemented your methodology (how? where? when? who? why?); information on pilot studies should be included, together with details of any changes made as a result. You must discuss and justify how the field work was undertaken, what happened, and the methods used to analyse data. Reliability and validity issues should be discussed including the steps you have taken to ensure your findings may be relied on by others as accurate and trustworthy. The main emphasis of this chapter is on justifying what you have done and the process you have applied in data collection and analysis.
k. Results and Discussion (word length guide 5,000 words)
The results should be presented in a logical manner using tables and figures as necessary. You should discuss the meaning of the results as you present them. Remember to relate your results back to your aim and objectives and literature review. This section should not be just a description of your results but should include a discussion and evaluation of the findings you have made.
l. Conclusions and Recommendations (word length guide 1,500 words)
Your conclusions are a summary of your overall findings and should relate to your original aim, objectives and hypotheses. The conclusions should be based on your results and discussions section but should NOT be a regurgitation of this section. The key parts of the literature must be revisited in this section and where appropriate your conclusions should assess implications of your work.
Your recommendations should be based on your conclusions chapter. Where appropriate, your recommendations should include aims, implementation strategies, resource costs and resource benefits.
m. Evaluation of Study and Scope for Further Research
This section gives you the opportunity to reflect on what you have done. There may be obvious opportunities for further research other than the same work carried out in a different geographical area or using a different sample.
In your evaluation dont be afraid to state what went wrong, preferably with ways in which this could be avoided if the research were to be carried out again. Critically evaluate your methodology again with ways that this could be improved. Discuss the limitations of your work.
n. Reference List
Throughout your dissertation you will be referring to the work of others. You must provide a list of those sources which you use and refer to in the dissertation. All sources you use must be referenced and must be included in this list. Each source in the list must be in a form that is traceable by the reader, thus, you need to include the authors names, the year, the title of the source, etc. The school insists that you use the Harvard style for referencing. Failure to acknowledge and reference correctly may lead to accusations of plagiarism and if proved, you will be subjected to the disciplinary process of the University.
o. Appendices
Appendices are not marked and hence should not be included in the word count. They should include only relevant information to aid in the understanding of the text, e.g. questionnaires, interview questions, letters and responses to and from third parties, relevant raw data, etc. There is no need to present each complete questionnaire although it is extremely important that this is saved and as it may be required for inspection. This also applies to taped transcripts of any interviews.
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