Dissertations and Extended Essays

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Dissertations and Extended Essays

• Shaun Theobald
• The Student Learning Advisory Service

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The workshop structure

• Preliminary information/discussion
• Maximising project potential
• Preparing a synopsis or abstract
• Time management managing reading
• Summary/final discussion

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Your final subject choice

• Engagement intellectual curiosity academic
  fun
• Choose a subject you enjoy
• Then (with the right organisation preparation
  etc) the results will follow
• Your opportunity to negotiate your own area of
  interest

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Preliminary

• What questions do you have about extended
  essays/dissertations?
• What kind of document are you going to produce?
• Word limit?
• No of chapters?
• Visual material?
• Secondary sources?
•  

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Preliminary-dissertation structure

• Normal process
• (Abstract)
• Ch 1 Introduction
• Ch 2 Literature review (but may be integrated
  into other chs.)
• Chs 3-6/7 Discussion
• Each chapter unfolds a topic/argument
• Ch 7/8 Conclusion
• References/bibliography
• Appendices

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Preliminary the characteristics of a
dissertation

• How does a dissertation (extended essay) differ
  from an academic essay?
• More depth
• Topics explored in more detail
• More angles covered
• Greater amount of literature used
• More formal survey of this literature
• More critical/summative evaluation of the
  literature
• More independent, original research

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Preliminary Originality

• How can you articulate independent evaluation
  at dissertation level? (cf a PhD)
• 1. Wider use of sources your selection
• Stronger evaluation
• Detailed analysis of the argument
• Comparison of sources
• Identifying underlying themes/approaches
• Rigorous embedding as evidence in your writing

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Preliminary-Originality

• 2. Your writing may include an element of
  empirical/original research
• Field observations/data
• Surveys/questionnaires
• In general, you are still working with existing
  research carrying out a limited amount of
  original research
• Keep things in proportion! Your dissertation is
  not a PhD where you will be mainly on your own
• BUT MAKE ROOM FOR YOUR OWN VIEWS!

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Preliminary- types of dissertation

• Case study
• Relates a specific example to a theoretical
  perspective/ generic argument
• Comparative
• Two different scenarios compared within a
  theoretical perspective/ generic argument
• Quantitative investigation
• Data used to test/extend existing arguments
• Critical analysis
• Review of argument using existing sources, but
  making independent evaluations and comparisons

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Maximising project potential getting started

• Start as soon as possible
• Record any early ideas
• Compile a list of any terminology/discipline-speci
  fic terms
• Keep track of references and reading!
• Talk widely to others fellow students the
  department
• Record things all the timeso you can retrieve
  ideas/information later on

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Maximising project potential organisation

• Organisation is vital
• Organisation in one place
• Study space - the base camp for your work
• Filing away - research material to hand!
• Continuity needed
• Maintain reading records
• Working with others?
• Agreeing space/time
•  

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Maximising project potential preparing for
reading/research

• Prepare your bibliography
• Understand department/module referencing
  conventions
• http//www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/ai/
• Keep an active record of your reading
• Material you will read
• Recommended material
• Rejected material

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Maximising project potential planning and
choosing the topic

• What? Why? How? Where? When?
• Guidance from Department/Module
• Your instincts
• Your interests
• Width and depth
• Current academic thinking
• Consulting journals to access this
•  

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Maximising project potential planning and
choosing the topic

• Build on the spark of interest
• Start with specific ideas/ data/ observations/ a
  piece of reading
• Think how this could be extended to a hypothesis
• Think about further reading
• If time allows, read further nowbut at the
  skimming/abstract level!
• Refine hypothesis from reading as well, if
  possible

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Maximising project potential planning and
choosing the topic

• Consult librarians
• Use electronic data
• http//www.kent.ac.uk/library/online/index.html
• Initial literature reviews
• Budgetary constraints-time money?
• Access to materials/libraries?
• Methodological/fieldwork constraints?
•  

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Literature reviews

• Think about your own ideas before you search
• Relate the literature review to your ideas
• Show sensible focus and selection
• Be guided by others dept. supervisor librarian

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Literature reviews

• Integrate your literature review into your
  writing
• Discuss your material
• Dont just tack-on a summary of research!
• Use the opening-out approach (Dunleavy p119)
• Download available Managing and organising the
  literature review

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Preparing a synopsis

• Hypothesis-How?
• Aims-Why?
• Argument-What?
• A document to guide you
• A document to discuss with your supervisor
• A document that can be revised

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The pretend abstract

• Just an idea to get your started
• Works like a real abstract
• Will be totally revised in the long-term
• Positive forward-looking syntax grammar
• A confidence booster?
• Concretises crystallises your thinking
• Starts you writing!

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ACTIVITY

• Ten-minutes
• Either
• a. Writing up what you can on the synopsis pro
  forma
• b. Trying a mock abstract

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Supervision

• Take charge?
• (Diplomatically!)
• Anticipate questions in advance
• Plan actions to discuss them
• Then record agreed actions
• Always have a specific agenda
• Plan meetings strategically regularly

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Time management

• Priorities
• Schedules
• Using gap time effectively
• Working to a deadline
• Working backwards from a deadline
• Leaving time for disasters!
• Leaving time for creative thinking
• Writing in chapter stages?
• Or one draft, then review?

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Time management 4 big tips!

• Write-up empirical research as you go along
• Work to a time/word limit
• Allow about 25 of total time for writing up
• Remember the time needed at the end for binding,
  paginating, sorting appendices etc!
• Downloads Study planner Ten tips on time
  management

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Managing reading

• Seek guidance
• Establish priorities
• Read actively always carry forward questions
  skim scan read for detail
• Practice rapid-access reading
• Work with an active and accurate bibliography

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Notes from reading

• Make notes selective
• Not summaries!
• Use a variety of methods
• Systematic organisation
• Systematic filing
• Bibliographical details
• page nos.
• Separation of source material from your
  paraphrases
• Avoiding the plagiarism trap

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Managing writing

• PLAN ahead time-manage
• Overall plan
• Detailed plans
• Academic paragraph structure?
• Write in 2hr (?) bursts
• Set day/hour word targets
• Light review constantly
• Careful editing later
• At the end of the writing day?
• (Time for final editing)

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Over-view

• Download Making projects productive final
  points on getting a good mark
• http//www.rlf.org.uk/FELLOWSHIPSCHEME/writing/dis
  writing/intro.htm

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Good luck with your writing

• For further support, contact us
• www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/learning