Aims and objectives Producing a dissertation demonstrates a development of your academic and research skills and also enables you to apply the knowledge gained during the course of your study to a...

Aims and objectives
Producing a dissertation demonstrates a development of your academic and research skills and also enables you to apply the knowledge gained during the course of your study to a specific research problem, question, issue or line of inquiry. In addition, by completing a dissertation, you demonstrate an engagement with academic literature that covers a subject linked with your degree pathway.

A dissertation requires various skills and capacities which can be demonstrated through and measured by your capacity to:
•    Consolidate and build upon your previous learning.
•    For example, you may wish to draw on and develop subjects that you have studied in the course of your degree.
•    Demonstrate the competencies required to undertake a thorough piece of in-depth research through:
•    Identify and then link a research topic with theory/concepts/policies/etc.

•    Communicate effectively by expressing your ideas in verbal and written form.
•    Communicate your research approach and any specific/significant methods you employed. This can include a discussion of how and why you located or generated relevant literature and other materials.
•    For some of you this may also mean designing and conducting your own empirical research (sometimes also called ‘primary’ research that involves interviews, observations, questionnaires, etc.)
•    Gain an in-depth knowledge of a selected issue that sits within your chosen specialism
•    By the time you have completed this module, you will have some expertise on the specific subject matter or research area. Again, it is vital that your topic is connected with your degree.
•    Contextualise your knowledge within current and relevant debates
•    Regardless of the subject matter you have chosen, you need to demonstrate the capacity to link your work with what is going on in the discipline/subject today. Even in the case of a ‘classical’ sociology based dissertation, this can be done through discussing contemporary interpretations of earlier theorists, or indeed, assessing the extent to which earlier theories/concepts/ideas remain relevant to contemporary society.

•    Manage your time effectively
•    You will be working to deadlines over the year so managing your time is therefore a key aspect of your dissertation studies.
•    You should keep appointments with your supervisor and ensure you submit drafts and assessments on time. You will need to organise the production of your dissertation by breaking it down into a series of smaller tasks.

•    Engage with your peers and tutor/s and evaluate their advice and guidance before accepting it.
•    We expect you to be active, engaged and motivated students. Although you have a Dissertation Supervisor whose role is to guide your studies, you are by no means expected to be passive and unquestioning: it may be necessary for you to evaluate, critique and challenge points of view that conflict with your research and analysis.

•    Take responsibility for your own work.
•    This includes some reference to the area of intellectual property rights and plagiarism. Additionally, there may be a need for you to consider the ethical dimensions of your study, especially if you choose to conduct empirical research of a sensitive nature or with vulnerable groups.