RESEARCH DISSERTATION

WITH THE AID OF EXPLANATORY NOTES AND EXAMPLES ATTEMPT A WRITE-UP ON HOW YOU WILL WRITE YOUR RESEARCH DISSERTATION. SUBMITTED TO: THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY, FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCEINCES, POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL, NIGERIAN DEFENCE ACADEMY, KADUNA Introduction A dissertation, as defined by Cambridge dictionary is a” scholarly document”. It is generally lengthy (although we have all heard the stories of doctoral candidates in maths and science who present one, perfect equation and are awarded their degree). A dissertation should be focused on a narrow topic. Because it is a scholarly document, it contains extensive reference to the works of experts in the field in form of citations to journal, articles and books. The Master’s dissertation is an independent research project conducted by a master’s student in a dissertation project as a proof of competence. Its goal is to prove that the student acquired sufficient academic knowledge, skills and insight at the end of his/her study. The dissertation is the final stage of the Masters degree and provides you with the opportunity to show that you have gained the necessary skills and knowledge in order to organise and conduct a research project. It should demonstrate that you are skilled in identifying an area, or areas, suitable for research: setting research objectives; locating, organising and critically analysing the relevant secondary data and authoritative literature; devising an appropriate research methodology; analysing the primary data selected and drawing on the literature in the field; drawing conclusions; and if appropriate making relevant recommendations and indications of areas for further research. A dissertation is a ‘formal’ document and there are ‘rules’ that govern the way in which it is presented. It must have chapters that provide an introduction, a literature review, a justification of the data selected for analysis and research methodology, analysis of the data and, finally, conclusions and recommendations. Where the subject is based around a business or an applied situation recommendations for action may also be required. Advice on the range of suitable topics which relate to the subject area of your Masters degree will be approved by your Programme Director or course dissertation co-ordinator. The Masters level dissertation is distinguished from other forms of writing by its attempt to analyse situations in terms of the ‘bigger picture’. It seeks answers, explanations, makes comparisons and arrives at generalisations which can be used to extend theory. As well as explaining what can be done, it addresses the underlying why. The most successful dissertations are those which are specific and narrowly focused. This document is intended to guide you through the dissertation process. It can only offer suggestions; there is nothing that can be said which will guarantee the production of a fine piece of work, but these are suggestions which, through time, have been found to be both practical and effective. The following must be done before writing a successful dissertation: 1. Choosing a topic The process of writing a dissertation starts with choosing a topic, which is the most crucial part of a research work. How to choose a topic: It is important you choose a topic that is of interest to you, because you will be dealing with the topic for several months . If you are not motivated, you face the risk of having a hard time writing and completing the dissertation. 2. Dissertation Supervision 2.1. Supervision You will be supported through the dissertation by an academic supervisor. You will be advised by your Programme Director or dissertation co-ordinator of the process by which your programme either allocates academic supervisors or students seek a preferred academic supervisor. The academic supervisor will ideally have background expertise in your area of study. However, this may not always be possible and you may be allocated a supervisor with more general subject knowledge. Regardless of the subject background of the supervisor, the academic supervisor will understand the research process. Where a ‘non-expert’ academic supervisor is appointed you will still, under the guidance of your academic supervisor, be able to consult with a subject expert. The extent of that subject expert’s input will usually be limited to advice about the literature review. 2.2. Role of Academic Supervisor The academic supervisor performs many functions and is there to facilitate and not to lead, hence the responsibility for the quality and content of a dissertation is entirely that of yourself, the student. The supervisor role includes the following: 1. To advise the student whether or not the project appears to be feasible and the possible risks that may be involved, for example problems in trying to access information, potential poor response rates to surveys concerning commercially sensitive issues. 2. To assist the student in tailoring the proposal to the time and other resource constraints. 3. To assist the student at the outset in finding useful and relevant reading material and appropriate academic framework within which to place the topic. 4. To advise on the choice of suitable methodological approach(es). 5. To monitor progress and to advise on what is required to achieve a satisfactory dissertation. 6. Where relevant, to liaise periodically with the company supervisor and resolve any problems the student may have in obtaining access to company information or personnel (not relevant to LINCS students). 7. To first-mark the dissertation, and to submit a marker’s report; It should be emphasized that the dissertation is entirely your own work. However, you may ask your supervisor to read in detail a draft of a portion of your dissertation normally up to a maximum of two chapters, in order to give feedback on presentation, content and style. Academic supervisors may of course pass comment on chapter outlines and may scan quickly through other chapters at their discretion. 2.3. Responsibilities of the Student. 1. To maintain regular contact with the academic supervisor. It is the student's responsibility to inform their supervisor of progress and to lead the development of the dissertation. Difficulties must be communicated at the time they are encountered. Retrospective information is not acceptable. 2. To write the dissertation in a good standard of clear English using appropriate academic terms and citation and referencing conventions. It is not the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that this condition is met. 3. To write the dissertation with guidance from the supervisor. The dissertation and research work must be your own. The dissertation is to reflect your subject understanding and research abilities, not that of your supervisor. 4. To inform the Programme Director and academic supervisor of any absence (sickness, personal, family visits, holidays, work experience) during the time nominated for working on the dissertation. 3.1. The Research Proposal The research proposal is an important working document and which over the next few months becomes transformed into the dissertation. You will see that the main sections replicate the structure of the dissertation. The research proposal if Used correctly, the proposal will become your road map through the dissertation process. Because of a wide variety of circumstances the focus of your research may change. If this happens then you should change your proposal document and also agree with your academic supervisor that such a change is appropriate. The research proposal shows that you have thought through what the main research objectives are to be, that you have identified the main sources of primary and secondary data and that you have given thought as to the research methodology. The Proposal should provide your academic supervisor with a ‘detailed skeleton’ of the whole dissertation; the fine details are added when the literature review is completed and the primary research has been undertaken. The research proposal should include: (a) A working title Your title can and probably will change but using precise wording even at this early stage will help to keep your dissertation properly focused. b) An Introduction to the Topic This will include a brief description of the topic, the aim, research objectives and research questions to be addressed You will find that moving from research aim to research objectives, to research questions is quite a difficult task. This, however, will provide a clear focus to your research and help you structure both this research proposal and the final dissertation. The aim of the research provides a description of what you want to achieve from carrying out this research. The objectives of the research outline the particular issues that you need to address in order to achieve the aim above. They are more specific than the aim, in that they outline the particular dimensions of your research topic, which are relevant to the overall aim of your research. The research questions are more specific than your research objectives and specify the various insights/information that need to be collected in order to achieve the objectives. Keep in mind that the research question often starts with a Why, How, or What. (c) A Preliminary Literature Review which indicates: (i) that you have studied the work of the major authors in your research field (ii) that you are familiar with the major themes relevant to that subject area (iii) what further investigations you intend to pursue as part of this dissertation. You should bear in mind that you are reviewing the literature in order to develop sharper, more insightful and focused research questions about your topic. Therefore, your literature review should lead to and justify your research objectives and questions. (d) The Detailed Research Methodology which you intend to employ. The methodology section should discuss what methods you are going to use in order to address the research objectives of your dissertation. You need to justify why the chosen methods were selected as the most appropriate for your research, amongst the many alternative ones, given its specific objectives, and constraints you may face in terms of access, time and so on. Reference to general advantages and disadvantages of various methods and techniques without specifying their relevance to your choice decision is unacceptable. Remember to relate the methods back to the needs of your research question. (e) Timetable detailing how you anticipate completing the dissertation by the submission date and, if a company-based project, the means of liaising with the company to ensure the specific objectives are achieved. 3.2. Writing the Dissertation Deadlines: There is no single start date for you to begin your dissertation as you will be preparing the early ideas and initial reviews in the course of Semester 2. You will be given a formal notification to proceed following the Progression Board in mid-May. You will be given a specific date to submit which cannot be changed. 3.2.1. Title Page: 3.2.2. Abstract The dissertation should contain an abstract of up to 250 words. A good abstract is difficult to write and can only be completed after the full dissertation has been written. It represents a brief summary of the results of the dissertation research. By summarizing the results of the research, it allows other people to get an idea of what was accomplished without having to read through the whole dissertation. Other scholars can read an abstract to decide if looking at the full work will be worthwhile. The abstract should provide sufficient information about the results of the research that reading the full dissertation is not necessary, although your markers will read the full dissertation. If writing a dissertation by translation/commentary, your abstract should contextualize the source text, summaries the translation brief, the theoretical framework and the overall results of your translation strategy. Hints as to what to include in your abstract: • Aim and objectives: What are the main themes, ideas or areas of theory being investigated? • Boundaries: What is the context and background to this dissertation? In what areas of theory or business practice should the reader concentrate their attention? • Methodology: What was/were the main method(s) employed to generate the results? • Results: What were your main findings? • Conclusions: What are the main conclusions that you arrive at when viewing the entire dissertation? • Recommendations: (if appropriate) What solutions do you offer in answer to the problems posed in the research objectives? 4.2.3. Acknowledgements A brief statement, signed by the student, should be provided which: 1. Acknowledges all help received in writing the dissertation. Try to keep more personal comments about family and friends to a minimum and concentrate on those who have given direct assistance. 2. Gives an assurance that the dissertation is your own work. You may need to supply evidence of how you arrived at your findings. You should retain copies of all their fieldwork and analysis in a separate folder (including interviews and transcriptions), should they need to be consulted by internal examiners. The folder should not be submitted with the dissertation and will only be required on demand. 3. A declaration that the work is your own and complies with University regulations on plagiarism. Writing An M.Sc dissertation in full context 1). The dissertation report is divided into three (3) parts which are: i). Preliminary pages ii). Main body iii). The last part i). Preliminary pages The preliminary page shall be numbered in Roman numeral and consist of the following: a. The fly leaf b. Title page c. Declaration d. Certificate (to be attested by supervisor(s) e. Approval page (to be attested by supervisor(s), Head of Department, Dean faculty, Dean Postgraduate School, and External Examiner) f. Acknowledgements g. Dedication h. Table of contents i. List of tables j. List of figures k. List of plates (where appropriate) l. Abstract ii). The main body of the report This shall be broken into chapters as shown below. a) Chapter One -Introduction b) Chapter Two- Literature Review/material Review c) Chapter Three-methods/Methodology d) Chapter Four-Analysis and presentation of findings e) Chapter Five-Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation(s). iii). The last part This should be made of the following: a). References b). appendix (where applicable). 2). Quality and size of paper The paper shall be white and of good quality and shall be of size A4. However, for drawing especially maps, imageries and tables, there is no restriction on size. 3). Typing Format The dissertation must have Times New Roman as the only approved type face and it shall be typed 2 spaced, leaving adequate margins on the four side of the paper. The handling of the various parts of the dissertation shall be typed as following: -The heading of the major parts of the dissertation listed above shall all be capitalized, bold and located centrally at the top of the first page of each part. The heading shall not be underlined. However, the headings of first line shall appear in the work as CHAPTER followed by the chapter number in words e.g. CHAPTER TWO. For purposes of illustration and clarity the chapter title shall appear on the second line and directly below the first. ii). The main body of the report This shall be broken into chapters as shown below a. Chapter One- Introduction The introduction comprises the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, significance of the study, scope of the study and research questions and or hypotheses. Background of the Study It portrays various angles of the educational phenomenon that the researcher wishes to describe. It could be an event that he has observed and wishes to attempt to explain or find a solution to it. It gives an insight into the topic of the research. It naturally leads the reader to the understanding of the problems under investigation. It should give the focus of the study. Statement of the problem This is a major step in developing a research project. An important criterion for its selection is that it should be of interest to the researcher and it is possible to solve. The statement should be clear and original. As a beginner, it is easier to state the problem in question form. Purpose of the Study It explains the reason for embarking on the study. It gives general and specific reasons, usually stated using action verbs (example: to find out), It gives direction to the study and a pointer to the formulation of the research questions and hypotheses used to address the researcher's mind to the problem. The purpose of the study statements is relevant to the statement of the problem. Significance of the Problem This explains the need for the study. It identifies those findings of the study would be of benefit to and how. How could the study justify the expenditure of time, energy, and money in carrying it out? What contributions to theory and practice in education will the results of the study make? In writing this, the researcher has to be academically modest. Scope of the study It refers to the aspect of a general problem the study will cover. This is because no one study carry over all aspects of an educational problem and so the scope delimits the research and the delimitations is in the content, location, and variables of the study. Research Questions These are questions posed by the researcher in an attempt to address the problem of the study. Research questions are answered based on collected and analyzed data. It is recommended that each specific purpose of the study should be converted to a research question. Hypothesis These are statements in null or alternative forms which examine the problem at a different, albeit higher level, than the research questions. A hypothesis assumes certain relationships between the variables of the population of the study area. Hypothesis is tested based on data collected from the sample at a given level of significance stating hypothesis in null form is recommended at this level. A study may have research question or hypotheses or both. b. Chapter Two-literature review: An exhaustive but incisive, coherent and up-to-date review of relevant literature in the research area shall be given. In undertaking literature review, i. Candidates are expected to show high proficiency in information retrieval and interpretation. The literature review shall be geared towards justifying the defined objectives of the research. Consequently, the style of presentation of retrieved information and their interpretation shall be purposeful, directed solely at establishing the premises for the research work. ii. Candidates shall also demonstrate in concise manner the relevance of the reviewed literature to research work. This section is organized into two broad sections - conceptual/theoretical framework and empirical studies and then into sub-headings. Literature review involves locating, reading and evaluating reports of casual observations, opinions and field studies that are related to the study. Sources for this are categorized as secondary and primary. Secondary source materials are derived from any publication written by an author who was not a direct observer or participant in the event described. Primary source is a direct description of an occurrence or a study by the individual who carried it out. Review of literature is better based upon primary sources than secondary sources. Literature review enables the researcher come in contact with the works already investigated by previous researchers, to modify or sharpen research hypotheses, in defining the problem better and also to find out existing gaps to be filled. The books and works utilized should be recent. Older works should be given less attention. c. Chapter Three- Research Methodology For Human Geography related researches, the chapter is titled methodology. It shall contain a description of methods and procedures employed in the design and validation of instrument, testing hypothesis, statistical analysis of raw data, and method of discussion and presentation of result. In this chapter a section should be devoted to detailed explanation of the statistical analysis used for the research work. The following are presented in this chapter: Design, Area of Study, Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques, Instrument for Data Collection, Validation of the Instrument, Reliability of the instrument, Method of Data Collection and Method of Data Analysis. i. Design: The particular design should be stated, and the justification using the - variables of the study presented. ii. Area of Study: This refers to the geographical location of the place the study is to be conducted. The population and sample subjects inhabit this location. It may be a school, local government area(s), education zone(s), state(s), country (ies). iii. Population: The totality of subjects over which the results of the study will be generalized. iv. Sample and Sampling Technique: The sample, i.e. the subjects to be used for the study should be identified. The method or technique used in selecting the sample from the population should also be identified and elaborated. v. Instrument for Data Collection: This may take the form of the questionnaire, observation schedule, checklist, tests, etc. The particular instrument(s) should be identified and described. vi. Validity of the Instrument: Kinds of validity include: face, content, concurrent and predictive. The more common ones are face and content validity. The type of validity applicable to the instrument and the procedure for establishing it should be stated. vii. Reliability of the Instrument: Types of reliability measures include: stability, equivalence, internal consistency. The particular reliability measures found for the instrument should be stated together with the numerical value. The procedure used in establishing the reliability coefficient should be presented in the appendix. viii. Method of Data Collection: If the study is an experimental or quasi-experimental study, what is required here is the experimental procedure. If it is a survey, what is required is the method of administration and collection of the instrument. ix. Method of Data Analysis: The statistics required to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses should be identified. For descriptive statistics, the benchmark should be indicated, while for inferential statistics, the probability level and the justification for the choice of statistics should be presented. d. Chapter Four- Analysis and presentation of results This chapter shall consist at least the following among other things, as described below: i. Data Analysis and Presentation of data The outcome of the research shall be presented and explained in this section. Significant and novel findings shall be identified. The findings shall be stated in prose and references made to tables, figures, charts, or plates in texts, in a tabular form or graphs or any combination of these. However, if the subject of the dissertation and the findings are primarily of a qualitative nature, the above guidelines need not be followed. The findings may be presented in the descriptive and analytical modes appropriate. ii. Discussion of Findings This section shall be devoted to giving a comprehensive account of the findings of the research and relating them to published work. Special attention should be given to significant or novel findings. Research students can however with the approval of their supervisors undertake the presentation and discussion of data concurrently piecemeal, not as separate sections. Presentation according to the research questions/hypotheses, or according to the specific purposes of the study. Only summaries of analysis and calculations are presented here, usually in tables and figures. The tables and figures should be numbered serially in Arabic numerals and titled. For the tables, this should be at the top of the tables, while for the figures; it should be below the figures. The tables should be presented after the statement of research questions /hypotheses/purposes. The research questions/hypotheses arc to be answered or tested here. e. Chapter Five- Discussions, Implications, Limitations to study, Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation This chapter shall highlight the major findings of the research work and the inferences made from them. i. Discussions: This involves attempts at interpretation and explanation of the results; and relating the results to the findings of previous empirical studies. ii. Implications: These refer to what the results of the study suggest. They may also refer to uses to which the findings can be put. Implications can be theoretical and or practical in nature. Last part i. Reference All references cited in the text shall be collated at the end alphabetically. iii. Limitations to study: these are the factors which tend to decrease the generalizability of the results. They refer to weaknesses in the design rather than factors such as inadequate resources. iv. Summary: This is a brief write-up on the study, highlighting important areas of the work done from beginning to the end. v. Conclusion: This is the final stage of the research dissertation it also which conclude the entire work of the dissertation. vi. Recommendation: These refer to suggested activities, based on the findings of the study and the implications, which it is hoped will solve the problem or at least improve the problematic setting vii. Appendices: List of sampled schools, instrument, determination of the validity and reliability of instrument, marking scheme, instructional materials and the likes that can be presented. CONCLUSION But the bottom line, and one that is all too easily forgotten is that the dissertation is a scholarly document. It is not a paper, and it is not a journal, article and it is not a book, although it shows some characteristics with, each of these documents. It is not a collection of abstracts; it is not an annotated bibliography, it is not an overview of a topic, it is not a discussion of the writer’s point of view. REFERENCE Becker, H.S., 2007: Writing for Social Scientists. How to start and finish your thesis, book, or article. Second edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Bui, Y.N., 2009: How to write a master's thesis. Los Angeles: Sage. Hissinkmuller and Vanderwelle(2016). A manual for students: Human Geography and Urban and Regional Planning. Ajibuah, B. J, and Dadan Garba, A (2016). Hand Book On Postgraduate Programme, Department of Geography, Nigeria Defence Academy.