Writing Up Your Dissertation or Research Report
Writing Up Your Dissertation or Research Report
Writing Up Your Dissertation or Research Report
Everyone's dissertation/project is different and the advice given here does not necessarily
apply to everyone. Check with your supervisor or department if you are unsure about any
aspect of the process of writing up your work.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Make sure that the readers of your work will be able to find the answers to these
questions in Chapter 1:
For more help contact Study Skills Support: studyskills@bbk.ac.uk, 0207 631 6683
www.bbk.ac.uk/studyskills
If you wrote a good proposal you should be able to use this as the basis for your
introduction. Remember that this is the introduction to your project, and not an
introduction to the topic of your project.
Chapter 3: Methodology
The Methodology chapter is used to justify the choice of methods employed during the
research project. You need to demonstrate that you understand that there are various
options for conducting research. For this reason you will need to refer back to the notes
you took in any research methods classes that you have attended, as well as textbooks
and/or articles on research methods. Although much of the methodology chapter focuses
on data collection, it is also worth acknowledging the techniques used for the other
activities related to the research project: literature searching, sampling or case study
selection, data analysis.
Check with your supervisor if you are unsure as to whether all the hints given below apply
to your project. Make sure that the answers to the questions below can be found in
Chapter 3:
Introduction to Chapter 3
What does this chapter discuss?
Why is it necessary to include this discussion in the dissertation/project?
Discussion of literature search technique
For more help contact Study Skills Support: studyskills@bbk.ac.uk, 0207 631 6683
www.bbk.ac.uk/studyskills
Can you summarise the basic questions the research set out to answer in a few
straightforward statements?
What role did the findings of the literature review have in determining the data
collection requirements?
Did you need to collect quantitative or qualitative data? Why/why not?
Which methods might have been appropriate for data collection (observation,
questionnaire, etc.)?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods of data
collection with reference to your own research project? (This may be best
summarised as a table.)
How many different response formats did you use? Why did you use them?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each response format you used in
your questionnaire?
Discussion of sample
Note that this applies if you distributed a questionnaire or have based your work on case
studies.
For more help contact Study Skills Support: studyskills@bbk.ac.uk, 0207 631 6683
www.bbk.ac.uk/studyskills
Did you encounter any problems with the methodology implemented? What were
these?
How could you have avoided these problems?
If you were to run the project again what improvements would you make to the
methodological approach adopted?
How did your method rate for reliability and validity?
Chapter 5: Conclusion
This should be a conclusion to the whole project (and not just the research findings).
Check that your work answers the following questions:
Did the research project meet its aims (check back to introduction for stated
aims)?
What are the main findings of the research?
Are there any recommendations?
Do you have any conclusions on the research process itself?
Where should further research be focused?
Bibliography/References
For more help contact Study Skills Support: studyskills@bbk.ac.uk, 0207 631 6683
www.bbk.ac.uk/studyskills
Your bibliography or reference list should be set out following a recognised standard such
as Harvard, APA or numerical footnoting. If you have not yet learned how to use
EndNotes, now is the time!
Appendices
Appendices generally follow after the bibliography, but again check with your department.
They should be used for genuine purposes; for example, to provide a copy of the research
instrument. Appendices should not be used as a dumping ground for material that you
have not managed to incorporate into the main text. You may also be required to adhere
to a word count.
Further Reading
Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (2006, 3rd ed) How to research, Buckingham: Open
University.
Bell, J. (2005, 4th ed) Doing your research project: A guide for first-time researchers in
education and social sciences, Buckingham: Open University Press.
Booth, W.C., Colomb, G.G., & Williams, J.M. (2003) The craft of research, Chicago:
University of Chicago Press (Chicago Guides to Writing, Publishing and Editing).
Bryman, A. & Bell, E. (2003) Business research methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Also see companion website below.
Denscombe, M. (2003, 2nd ed) The good research guide: For small-scale social research
projects, Buckingham: Open University.
Field, A. & Hole, G.J. (2002) How to design and report experiments, London: Sage.
Hart, (1998) Doing the literature review: releasing the social science research
imagination, Sage: London.
Murray, R. (2006, 2nd ed) How to write a thesis, Buckingham: Open University Press.
Robson, C. (2006) How to do a research project: A guide for undergraduate students,
Blackwell.
Rudestam, K. & Newton, R. (2000, 2nd ed) Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive
guide to content and process, London: Sage.
Swetnam, D. (2000, 3rd ed) Writing your dissertation, How To Books.
White, B. (2003) Dissertation skills for business and management students, Thompson
Learning.
Links
For more help contact Study Skills Support: studyskills@bbk.ac.uk, 0207 631 6683
www.bbk.ac.uk/studyskills
For more help contact Study Skills Support: studyskills@bbk.ac.uk, 0207 631 6683
www.bbk.ac.uk/studyskills