Tips for a Successful Dissertation
1. Start Early and Plan Thoroughly: Create a detailed timeline with milestones for
each chapter.
2. Stay Focused on Your Research Question: Relate your content to your research
question regularly.
3. Write Regularly, Revise Often: Write frequently, even in small sections, and revise
often.
4. Critically Engage with the Literature: Engage with the literature critically rather
than simply summarising.
5. Use Clear and Cohesive Structure: Ensure that each section flows logically into
the next.
6. Proofread and Edit Thoroughly: Proofread your dissertation multiple times and
consider using peer review or software tools.
7. Utilise Feedback from Supervisors: Actively seek feedback and use it to improve
your work.
8. Back Up Your Work: Regularly back up your dissertation in multiple locations.
9. Use Visuals to Enhance Clarity: Make your data more accessible using charts,
graphs, and tables.
10. Be Honest About Limitations: Acknowledge and reflect on any limitations in your
study.
11. Stick to the Word Count: Ensure that every point you include is relevant and
contributes to your overall argument.
12. Stay Organised with References: Use reference management software to keep
track of your sources.
13. Be Original and Innovative: Offer new insights or approaches in your dissertation.
14. Stay Connected with Your Supervisor and Peers: Form study groups or writing
circles to share progress.
15. Take Breaks and Manage Stress: Ensure you maintain a healthy work-life
balance throughout the dissertation.
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Dissertation title
Student number
Module name
Module code
Name of supervisor
Due date
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Abstract (200-300 words)
A summary of the research question, methodology, key findings, and implications.
Write this last to capture the entire project.
Key Action Words: summarise, highlight, present, describe.
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
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Declaration
I confirm that this dissertation is my own work, is not copied from any other person's
work (published or unpublished) and has not previously submitted for assessment
either at the University of East London or elsewhere. I confirm that I have read and
understood UEL’s regulations on academic integrity.
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to those who have assisted you.
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Table of contents
Abstract....................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction.............................................................................................................. 2
Methods...................................................................................................................2
Results.....................................................................................................................2
Discussion............................................................................................................... 2
Conclusion............................................................................................................... 2
Declaration..................................................................................................................3
Acknowledgements.....................................................................................................4
Table of Contents........................................................................................................5
Introduction................................................................................................................. 6
Chapter 1: Literature Overview/Background...............................................................7
Rationale..................................................................................................................7
Research questions.................................................................................................7
Aims and Objectives................................................................................................7
Chapter 2: Methodology/Methods/Management.........................................................8
Methodology............................................................................................................ 8
Methods...................................................................................................................8
Data management................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 3: Findings/Results/Data Analysis.................................................................9
Chapter 4: Discussion...............................................................................................10
Statement of Principal Findings.............................................................................10
Implications of the findings.................................................................................... 10
Comparison to other studies..................................................................................10
Limitations..............................................................................................................10
Recommendations.................................................................................................10
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Future research..................................................................................................... 10
Conclusions.............................................................................................................. 11
Reference list............................................................................................................ 12
Appendices............................................................................................................... 13
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Introduction (600-800 words)
A presentation of your research questions and the hypothesis/argument you are
putting forward in this research project. It will provide a brief outline of the structure
of the forthcoming project, the data analysed and the outcomes. Introduce the
research topic and briefly explain the rationale. Provide a brief outline of the
dissertation structure.
Key Action Words: Introduce, outline, explain, define, explore.
Example: "Air pollution has been recognised as a leading cause of respiratory
diseases, particularly in densely populated urban areas (xxx, 2019)."
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Chapter 1: Literature Overview/Background (1200-1500 word)
A brief overview of the current academic work on the subject contributes to
formulating your research. You can draw on policy, grey literature, and previous
studies – you should aim to use scholarly resources for your literature background.
The aim is not to answer your research question but to arrive at it by identifying the
population, problem, and intervention with details about each. Critically evaluate
existing research on the topic. The literature review should inform the research
question and identify gaps that justify the study. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT THE
SAME AS DOING A LITERATURE REVIEW AS YOUR CHOSEN METHOD!
Key Action Words: Review, analyse, synthesise, compare, evaluate.
Example: "Thompson (2018) identified a lack of comprehensive studies
addressing the long-term effects of urban air pollution on vulnerable
populations."
Chapter Overview
Provide a brief overview (around 100-150 words) of what the reader can expect to be
covered in this chapter.
Rationale
This is the reason for conducting your study. Your rationale should answer the need
for conducting this research. It offers a justification for the significance and novelty of
your work.
Research questions
The main research question will include a population, a problem and the
intervention/issue needed for the study. Sub-research questions can help draw out
specific details that the main question implies but might not make explicit.
Aims and Objectives
Aims = what you want the research to do and what you hope it will achieve.
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Objectives = what you are doing in the research, as action(s), to reach your aims.
Use strong verbs (collect, construct, classify, develop, devise, measure, produce,
revise, select, and synthesise) which outline your process toward achieving
outcomes.
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Chapter 2: Methodology/Methods/Management (1000-1200 words)
Justify the research design and explain why it is appropriate for your research
question. Describe how data will be collected, including sampling methods and tools
used. To demonstrate critical writing, it is essential to use academic literature to
justify.
Key Action Words: Justify, describe, collect, explain, evaluate.
Example: "A cross-sectional design was selected due to its ability to capture a
snapshot of health impacts at a specific time (Carter, 2017)."
Chapter Overview
Provide a brief overview (around 100-150 words) of what the reader can expect to be
covered in this chapter.
Methodology
The methodology part of this section reveals the logic for answering your research
question via a particular method. This part will use academic literature to defend the
choice.
Methods
The methods part of this section outlines the processes or tasks you used to find the
data to answer your research question. Academic literature may be present in this
part, but so will what you did to gather your data.
Data management
Please tell us how you processed your data and under what guiding theory—
thematic analysis, outcome variables, etc. Please include the relevant academic
literature to defend. This can also contain references to CASP or STROBE
assessments, though the analysis will be too wordy to be included here and should
be in an appendix.
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Chapter 3: Findings/Results/Data Analysis (1000-1200 words)
In this section, you reveal what you found. It is about describing and presenting the
data or evidence you found through employing your methodology and methods. In
this section, you share the data in an organised way – such as through a thematic
analysis – so that generalisations within the data are revealed. It DOES NOT
include comparisons to other literature. Only comparison within the data set can
be included here. Present the data or evidence gathered without interpreting it.
Organise the data logically through thematic categories or tables.
Key Action Words: Present, describe, organise, summarise.
Example: "Analysis of the data revealed three main themes: air quality
awareness, health impacts, and policy perceptions."
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Chapter 4: Discussion (1200-1500 words)
This chapter develops analytic and critical thinking on data and analysis with
reference to theoretical arguments grounded in the background section and other
research relevant from outside of your findings. It can also offer a three-way
conversation between the background or additional literature discussed, the
methodology adopted, and the findings presented. This is the heart of the
dissertation and must be more than descriptive. Critically analyse your findings in
relation to the literature reviewed. Discuss the significance of your results, compare
them with other studies, and reflect on limitations.
Key Action Words: Interpret, compare, evaluate, reflect, explain, critique.
Example: "The findings support those of Davis (2016), who similarly found that
policy initiatives around air quality have been ineffective due to limited public
awareness."
The discussion section is best structured around this format:
Chapter Overview/Statement of principal findings – restate the generalisation of the
findings in one paragraph (the themes and a reminder of studies that contributed to
each theme).
Implications of the findings – Please tell us what is important about your findings.
This is about interpreting the findings, moving beyond just restating them.
Comparison to other studies – Engage in academic discussion with other
studies/data from the background and compare these and your findings. What might
be the causes for any differences? Or similarities? What does this tell us?
Limitations – Be honest about the limitations of your research with respect to the size
of your sample, methods used and ability to generalise more widely; this includes a
critique of sample sizes or methods in your primary work as well as a critique in the
methods used in research articles for narrative reviews or data limitations in
secondary data analysis. It is less about how much time you did not have or the
articles you could not access.
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Recommendations – Tell us what the findings imply for public health practitioners,
policymakers or others interested in your topic.
Future research – What remains unanswered, or what new questions have arisen
that could not be addressed by the current work?
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Conclusions (400-600 words)
These should revisit your central question and recap the findings and implications.
Revisit your research question – was it answered? THERE ARE NO NEW IDEAS
OR NEW INFORMATION AT THIS STAGE – THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEALT
WITH IN THE DISCUSSION SECTION – NO REFERENCES – THIS IS A
SUMMARY. It could offer generalisations about what to do moving forward as
philosophical points rather than recommendations already given in the discussion
section.
Key Action Words: Summarise, conclude, highlight,
Example: "In conclusion, this study underscores the need for enhanced public
health policies addressing air pollution, as urban populations remain
disproportionately affected."
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Reference list
A complete list of your sources, correctly formatted, according to the Harvard
system. Complete list of all sources cited in the dissertation. Use Harvard
referencing style. Check your module guide and library services to see how to
reference them correctly.
Example: "Smith, J. (2020). Air Pollution and Health: A Cross-sectional Study.
Journal of Environmental Health, 45(2), pp. 101-110."
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Appendices
Any information not central to your main text or too large to be included: data tables
collating info from the findings; CASP or STROBE assessment tables for narrative
reviews; interview questions or survey questions for primary research; supervision
session meeting notes; ethics applications and approval letters; etc. Include
supplementary material such as survey questionnaires, interview transcripts, or data
tables. This section does not count toward the word count.
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