LAZARSKI UNIVERSITY Master of Arts in International Relations Master of Sciences in International Business Economics GRADUATE DISSERTATION MANUAL A Guide for Students (Updated in April 2015) 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1: INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 3 2: THE DISSERTATION ............................................................................................. 3 3: GETTING STARTED............................................................................................... 6 4: DISSERTATION SUPERVISION ........................................................................... 6 5: PREPARING THE DISSERTATION .......................................................................7 6: SUBMISSION OF THE COMPLETED DISSERTATION ..................................... 9 7: EXAMINATION OF THE COMPLETED DISSERTATION ................................. 9 8: PLAGIARISM AND UNFAIR PRACTICE............................................................ 10 9: DISSERTATION FORMAT.................................................................................... 10 10: EDITING AND REFERENCING ........................................................................ 12 APPENDIX A: THESIS REPORT FORM .............................................................................. 15 APPENDIX B: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 19 APPENDIX C: TITLE PAGE ..................................................................................................22 APPENDIX D: STATEMENTS PAGE .................................................................................. 23 APPENDIX E: REFERENCE STYLE GUIDE ...................................................................... 23 APPENDIX F: QUOTING AND PARAPHRASING GUIDELINES .................................... 30 1: INTRODUCTION This guide is designed to assist both students and supervisors who participate in the Master of Arts in International Relations and Master of Sciences in International Business Economics programmes. It is important to emphasise that it is a guide only, and that individual style should not be sacrificed. Programme regulations are intended to help, and to reduce potential wastage of time and effort. However, the instructions put forth in this guide should not replace direct consultation between students and their supervisors. The purpose of this manual is to establish the formal requirements and procedures for preparing and writing the graduate dissertation, and to provide further relevant information and advice. All administrative matters relating to the dissertation are the responsibility of the relevant Programme Director who may be contacted with queries about the dissertation. • MAIR Programme Director Christopher Łazarski, Ph.D., room 14, floor IX, sector F; e-mail: k.lazarski@lazarski.edu.pl • MScIBE Programme Director Olha Zadorozhna, Ph.D., room 265; phone no. 22 54 35 567; e-mail: olha.zadorozhna@lazarski.pl. 2: THE DISSERTATION The Dissertation module constitutes Part II of MA in International Relations and MSc in International Business Economics degrees and carries a credit rating of 60 CATS (20 ECTS). Students are only allowed to proceed on to the dissertation stage of the scheme after they have passed Part I. The dissertation is an important component of the taught programme. It is seen as a means of enabling students to apply the theory learned, both substantive and methodological, to an in-depth specialised study. The module requires independent thought and action, and should encourage the integration of the course material with areas of individual expertise and interest. The context, data, analysis and conclusions of the students’ research are to be presented for assessment in a dissertation that should not exceed 20,000 words in length (excluding the bibliography and appendices). Dissertation assessment will be based on an agreed mark between the supervisor and two internal examiners (following the blind marking procedure) and confirmed by an external examiner of Coventry University. The pass mark for the dissertation is 40%, a distinction is awarded to any student who scores 70% or more in both Part I and Part II of the programme. Students with a Part I average of 65%–69% will also be awarded a degree with distinction where (Part I average + Part II average)/2=70% or more. 2.1: DISSERTATION TOPIC You need to select a closely defined topic for study, in which you can demonstrate the application of theories, concepts and techniques that you have learned in your study of other modules. 3 While all thesis proposals will be considered, the department reserves the right to withhold approval if a proposal is considered unsatisfactory. Reasons for the rejection of dissertation proposals might include: duplication of topics, insufficiency of published literature of adequate standing, insufficiency of published data, the unavailability of a member of staff with expertise appropriate to the proposal, or a proposal which is unrelated or unsuitable to the degree programme. One of the hardest aspects of self-directed research activity is to define exactly what you will do. It is important to keep in mind that what is needed is not just a subject area but also a specific line of inquiry. This may involve, for example, a specific issue for review, or a particular hypothesis to be tested. However, in all cases there must be a purpose beyond the mere collection of information. Furthermore, a good dissertation must be analytical, not just descriptive, and you will need to evaluate literature and empirical evidence, use reasoned argument, and work systematically towards a conclusion. When choosing a specific area of study, you should make sure that your topic: 1. deals with an issue of current major concern. 2. is sufficient in scope and depth to form the basis of a Master Dissertation. 3. is manageable, given time and resource constraints. 4. is relevant to the realm of your studies. It is important to stress points 3 and 4, as many students fall into the trap of choosing a topic that is too ambitious. Students frequently underestimate the time required for each stage of the research process and choose objectives which are better suited for a Doctoral Dissertation rather than a Master’s Dissertation. This should be avoided. Gill and Johnson (1991) include the following in their list of the characteristics of a good research topic: 1. Access – will you be able to obtain the data required for the research? Will you have access to key people, documents, etc.? 2. Achievability – can the work be completed in the time allocated for the dissertation? This may refer more to the timing of required information than to the total amount of work involved. 3. Symmetry of potential outcomes – will the research be of value regardless of the outcome? 4. Student capability – students should choose a topic that suits their own analytical skills. This may seem obvious, but there are examples of students choosing topics which do not play to their strengths. 5. Value and scope of the research – to quote Gill and Johnson: ‘There are several reasons why the value of the research should be considered when topics are selected. Both students and supervisors are likely to be more highly motivated if the work has obvious value and examiners, too, are likely to be more interested and aware higher marks if the work is clearly making a contribution to the solution of a significant problem’. In order to ensure that you do not embark on work which is unnecessary or unlikely to lead to successful completion, it is VITAL THAT YOU KEEP YOUR SUPERVISOR INFORMED OF YOUR INTENTIONS. 2.2: WHAT CONSITUTES A GOOD DISSERTATION? There is no single model to follow when writing a dissertation. However, it is sometimes helpful to look at successful dissertation copies which are available in the main library or from staff in the department. The main point to remember is that you need to demonstrate a good understanding of the principles of research-based academic inquiry, while exploring a theme which will contribute to what is known already in their chosen area of study. Attributes of a good dissertation include (modified from the advice given at the University of Bath, School of Management): Content 1. A careful selection of a problem/issue which is relevant to your sphere of interest. 2. A clear definition of the problems/issues to be investigated. 3. A clear statement of aims. 4. An appropriate literature review. 5. An appropriate research design to investigate the specified problem area including an awareness of alternative approaches and a defence of the chosen method. 6. A consistent and careful implementation of the adopted methodology. 7. Where applicable, the selection of appropriate data. 8. A systematic, objective and efficient analysis of the collected data. 9. The drawing of relevant conclusions from data analysis. Conclusions should be supported by the data, and should be compared and contrasted with the findings of previous studies and put into the context of existing literature. 10. A demonstration that you have a good grasp and understanding of the relevant theory and have integrated it into the dissertation. 11. A demonstration of originality and initiative in pursuing the objectives of the study. Presentation 1. A consistent outline of the material and logical flow of arguments. 2. Inclusion or reference to all material and evidence supporting the conclusions. An appropriate collection of appendices. Assessment Criteria In general, the dissertation is assessed by the following criteria: 1. Originality. 2. A clear definition of the issue under investigation and a clear statement of the aims of the study. 3. An understanding and use of an appropriate research methodology indicating skills in data collection and analysis. 4. The extent to which all of the above result in a set of conclusions that are consistent with the research. 5. The setting out of clear recommendations for action, adoption or otherwise. 3: GETTING STARTED 3.1 MA / MSc Seminar Before selecting the topic you must first choose your dissertation supervisor (no later than the end of November), and then, with the supervisor’s advice, choose the subject of study. Prior to contacting your potential supervisors, you should conduct preliminary research regarding their topic, so that your consultations with the supervisor are fruitful and productive. While deciding on the choice of the supervisor, you may refer to the CVs of LU academic staff included in your Student Handbook. Students will begin working regularly with their supervisors in the sixth semester, during the MA/MSc Seminar. It must be stressed however that the supervisor will not do the work for their pupils! The onus is on students to make their own decisions about what goes into their dissertation, and that includes deciding whether to accept or reject suggestions made by the supervisor. 4: DISSERTATION SUPERVISION 4.1 The Student / Supervisor Relationship Supervisors and students are expected to form an agreement based on a 'partnership', with both parties providing input and having responsibilities. In this case the term 'contract' with its all connotations of terms and conditions, and its remedies for non-performance or compliance, is avoided. The ideal relationship should be a co-operative one with benefits arising for both student and supervisor. Supervisors are expected to provide guidance as to structure, organisation and presentation of the work, and students are expected to undertake the appropriate research and discovery, employing an agreed approach and methodology. At an early stage, the supervisor and student should meet and agree on an approach to the management of the dissertation. Working together they should determine answers to questions such as the following: • where will meetings take place? • what are the arrangements for internal and external communications? 4.2 Formal Supervision Procedure To facilitate an effective supervision process, there is a formalised procedure whereby students are expected to make appointments with their supervisor, and show evidence of progress at each meeting. When arranging meeting times, you should suggest suitable dates via email or in person, and you are expected to keep the appointments that they have made. You are supposed to keep your Dissertation Report Form (see Appendix A) that records each meeting with your supervisors. You must bring this record to every meeting and after each supervision return it to the English-language Studies Registrar for the Programme Director’s further verification of progress. Keeping a clear record of meetings is an essential element of the dissertation process. Supervisors, subject to mutual agreement, might also see their pupils during other times in addition to, but not instead of, their formally scheduled meetings. Supervision time will be limited to 10 meetings per academic year. This figure may change at the discretion of the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management. 4.3 Work Plan Clearly it will not be possible at the outset to determine a comprehensive plan of work as this will develop and evolve as the work progresses. Nevertheless, it is desirable that discussions between students and their supervisors take place at an early stage with the view of determining an agreed work schedule, which can be used to monitor student progress. A dissertation timetable is available on zasoby.lazarski.pl. However, you should treat this timetable as a guide, there are no absolutes in this business. Nevertheless, deadlines for submission are absolute. 4.4 Roles and Responsibilities of the Supervisor and the Student Supervisors should ensure that: • adequate time is available for supervision and encouragement; • the student fully comprehends the complexity of the proposed task; • the student is focusing on the work in the intended direction; • the student has access to primary research materials. The supervisor acts as a mentor and guide to the student, and should take a professional interest in the work of the student. The student will: • ensure that an appropriate amount of time and effort is applied to the dissertation; • be receptive to counsel from the supervisor; • properly acknowledge text, material and ideas created by others; • meet all regulations relating to the work; • communicate any problems likely to prejudice the quality or timeliness of the work to the supervisor as and when such problems arise. 5: PREPARING THE DISSERTATION 5.1 Word Processing Facilities Windows-based software is available in the Library, computer laboratories and in the University halls. Most of the machines have electronic mail facilities and Internet access. Windows-based printing facilities are accessible in the room of the Students’ Union and are free of charge. In the event of difficulties with the above, you should contact the IT Department at it@lazarski.edu.pl. 5.2 Writing the Dissertation You should try at an early stage to envisage the final shape of your dissertation, i.e. the whole as the sum of its parts, including the balance between the chapters and the way that each chapter links to the next. There is no single ideal dissertation structure, and much will depend on the topic chosen, but there are some points of advice which have general application. A dissertation should be systematic in approach, and clear in exposition. Having decided what issues or questions are going to be studied, you should choose your methods of examination. You should ask yourself: ‘How can I best explain my line of enquiry, and what will be the logical steps by which I can build up to a conclusion?’. You may use theory to identify what you expect to happen, then check against evidence of what actually happened to identify conformity with, or divergence from, the theory, and then offer interpretation. Alternatively, you may review the existing literature relating to your topic and identify the extent of common ground or differences of opinion, and then collect and evaluate information to reflect on how the general debate helps understand the case in question. These are examples of methodical research design, and they will be explained in further detail, along with other methods, in the Research Methods course. However, the important thing to remember is that you should avoid having a disorganised, rambling, series of points of information that fills up pages but does not lead anywhere. Having a good research design with a definite layout of chapters, each corresponding to a logical next step in a progressive investigation, is necessary for the reader to understand what is written in the dissertation. Your should keep in mind that even if something is clear in your own head, a lack of logical expression will leave the reader unsure or confused about your argument. In that regard, you must also be careful to avoid ambiguity and to be precise. You should support assertions with evidence or reasoned argument. You should add appropriate qualifications to general statements. And you should be thorough and well organised in their thinking, conveying your ideas through the judicious use of language as well as charts, tables, and graphs if necessary. Although methodology is of central importance, the dissertation also requires communication and presentation skills. In preparing a dissertation it is obviously useful to draw from earlier work in the same topic area (properly acknowledged – see below). Most theses include a literature review, which is not an end in itself but rather a basis from which to consider how best to move forward to deal with the task at hand. You should select what is relevant and useful, and adapt the literature to suit. Appendix B provides some practical suggestions on how to conduct a literature review. In writing your dissertation, you learn the skills by which academics advance knowledge and understanding. A strict requirement here is for you to always acknowledge what is taken from others, and not to present borrowed ideas as your own. In this respect, the bibliography of consulted references is an important part of any dissertation. It is also important to quote data sources. You should start a bibliography at an early stage of your work, and update it regularly as you progress. While reading through research materials, it is also useful to keep a record of important page numbers for later reference – all quotations need specific attribution. The recommended style of presentation is covered in a later section of this document. The dissertation should be within the prescribed length limits, i.e. 20,000 words (excluding bibliography and appendices). Part of this exercise is to experience the discipline of writing within stated confines, necessitating that you make judgements about what is relevant and important. The early stages of dissertation work involve searching for material, reading, planning: these are all inputs. What matters ultimately is the output. The transition from preparation to production can be traumatic! It is suggested that you do not write the introduction first, but rather leave it until you know exactly what you are introducing. A good approach is to start with substantive chapters of the dissertation that review the literature first, or introduce relevant theory, or present the evidence. The next step is to move on to chapters that set up the methodology, undertake the analysis, and provide interpretation. Finally, the last stage is to write the introduction and conclusion. Moreover, towards the end the dissertation writing process it is a good idea to discuss with your supervisors the exact wording of your dissertation title. A dissertation usually evolves over time and the focus can move slightly away from what was initially envisaged. This is normal. Ultimately, you should choose a title that is brief and which accurately describes what your dissertation is all about. 6: SUBMISSION OF THE COMPLETED DISSERTATION Two bound copies of the completed dissertation, preapproved by the dissertation supervisor must be submitted to the English-language Studies Registrar at the end of the sixth semester (the exact date is specified each year, see Dissertation Timetable available on zasoby.lazarski.pl). Late submission will result in capping your final mark at 40% and may result in delaying graduation until the fall, or even the next academic year with the obligation to repeat the seminar course worth 20 ECTS points. 7: EXAMINATION OF THE COMPLETED DISSERTATION Each dissertation is marked by two internal examiners independently (blind marking). The agreed grade of the supervisor and the internal markers is also subject to final approval by the external examiner of Coventry University. In assessing the dissertation, markers will consider such factors as the difficulty of the subject matter, the use of sources, the quality of ideas expressed, the quality of analysis, the relevance of the material to the argument, and the general presentation of the study. The standard of English expression and spelling will also be taken into account. The dissertation is evaluated as a completed entity, with markers exercising their professional judgement about overall quality. After the dissertation is marked, all Lazarski University students (validated and nonvalidated) must pass a dissertation defence examination before the Dissertation Board which consists of the supervisor, the internal examiners, the Dean of the Faculty, or the Programme Director acting on his/her behalf. This does not relate to students applying for Coventry University degree only (i.e. validated students who do not intend to obtain Lazarski University degree). 8: PLAGIARISM AND UNFAIR PRACTICE Plagiarism occurs when you present the work of others as if it were your own. This is a serious academic offence which necessitates disciplinary action. Students found guilty of presenting a wholly or substantially plagiarised dissertation will be expelled from the University without a degree. Unfair practice can take many forms. With the dissertation it is expected that students will draw from the work of others, but at every instance this must be acknowledged with a reference to the author. Direct quotations of other people’s words must be placed in quotation marks (or for longer quotes, indented block quotations), and there must be an exact reference to the source location. A recommended style of referencing is presented below. A dissertation which is excessively dependent on referenced material from other sources, without much individual input from the student, is not guilty of an offence but will be marked down for poor scholarship. Unacknowledged copying of work that has been done by another person is unacceptable. The falsification or fabrication of data or results is also a form of objectionable practice. The above is of course not an exhaustive list of forms of misconduct in research. Any indication of malpractice of any kind in a dissertation will lead to an enquiry and results may be withheld until that is completed. In cases of proven significant malpractice a zero mark is recorded and the student is then subject to disciplinary proceedings. Lazarski University requires that each student sign a statement of originality and include it in their dissertation. 9: DISSERTATION FORMAT Although there is no set style for writing a thesis, every dissertation should have the following components in the subsequent order: a title page, a statement of originality, acknowledgements (if any), an abstract, a table of contents, a list of tables and figures (if any), a list of abbreviations (if any), an introductory chapter, substantive chapters, a concluding chapter, a bibliography, and appendices (if any). The format of these components are as follows: 9.1 Title Page The precise title of the thesis (in English and in Polish) is to be typed in capital letters on the first page inside the binding. Below this comes the title of the degree for which the thesis is submitted, the students’ name, the name of the supervisor, and the year of presentation. There should also be no page number on the title page (see Appendix C). 9.2 Statement of Originality The second page the thesis should have the statements of originality (Appendix D) along with the student’s written signature (in blue ink), and date (also in blue ink). The page containing the statement of originality should not include any page numbers. 9.3 Acknowledgements (if any) If you choose to acknowledge the help or input of anyone who has aided you during the writing of the thesis, then you may do so on the third page of the dissertation titled ‘Acknowledgements’. This page should not include any page numbers. 9.4 Abstract An abstract or synopsis of about 300-400 words must be given on the fourth page of the thesis (or third page if there are no acknowledgements). This is for the benefit of a potential user of the thesis who, having been attracted by the title, wants a brief outline of the method of approach, the coverage and the results in order to know whether it is relevant to their own work. This page should not include any page numbers. 9.5 Table of Contents The next page of the thesis should be the ‘Table of Contents’, which lists all of the contents of the thesis and their page numbers, as well as the number and title of each chapter and the number of the page on which each chapter begins. The Table of Contents page itself should not have a page number. 9.6 List of Tables and Figures (if any) Following the Table of Contents page, you should include a list of any tables or figures that appear in the thesis (along with the page numbers where they can be found in the thesis). The ‘List of Tables and Figures’ page should be the first page in the thesis which will be numbered, and this number ought to correspond to the order in which it appears in the thesis (so if the student dedicated one page for Acknowledgements and one page for the Table of Contents, then the ‘List of Tables and Figures’ page should be numbered 6). Every page in the thesis from this point forward ought to have a page number. 9.7 Key to Abbreviations (if any) If the thesis features abbreviations, then these should to be listed in a separate ‘Key of Abbreviations’ section. 9.8 Introductory Chapter This chapter will spell out the main issues addressed in the thesis and might, for example, establish the context of the thesis and provide some background to the issues examined. This may take the form of a statement of a hypothesis, or of a problem, and a general discussion of the methodology and procedures used in the study, as well as the sequence in which these are discussed in subsequent chapters. 9.9 Substantive Chapters Each major theme ought to be presented in a separate chapter, which should be clearly supported by relevant literature, references, and other evidence as appropriate. Details of the reference system are given below. Each chapter should begin on a new page and the chapter heading should be a concise description of the contents of the chapter. 9.10 Summary and Conclusions The final chapter will summarise the entire study and state the conclusions reached and their implications, as well as any recommendations which may come out of the thesis. As this is often the focal point of the thesis, you are advised to give this chapter particular attention. 9.11 Bibliography The bibliography should include a list of all the sources referenced in the text of thesis. Guidelines for the proper referencing of sources are provided below. The content of the bibliography is not taken into consideration for the final word count of the thesis. 9.12 Appendices Appendices may include source documents, charts, tables, pictures, or other materials which might enhance the reader’s understanding of the subject matter tackled in the thesis. Each new piece of material should have its own appendix. The content of the appendices is not taken into consideration for the final word count of the thesis. 10: EDITING AND REFERENCING 10.1 Font and Line Spacing The thesis text should be double spaced, and the text ought to be in Times New Roman Font, size 12. A larger size and different font style may be used for chapter headings at the student’s discretion. The text of the thesis should also be ‘justified’, and the first line of each new paragraph must begin with an indentation. However, the first line at the beginning of each chapter or sub-chapter should not be indented (see example below). 10.2 Page Numbers All pages in the thesis must have page numbers except for the title page, statement of originality, acknowledgements (if any), abstract, and the table of contents. Page numbers must be written at the bottom of each page and should be centred. 10.3 Referencing System Referencing is a standardized way of acknowledging the sources of information and ideas that you have used in your document. It is important to avoid plagiarism, to verify quotations and to enable readers to follow up what you have written and locate the cited author’s work. There are many styles which follow the author-date convention, including the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Chicago Manual of Style. For the BA Thesis at Lazarski University, the preferred referencing system is the ‘Harvard Style’. For information on the Harvard Reference Style please refer to Appendix E and/or the Harvard Reference Style Quick Guide available on zasoby.lazarski.pl. 10.4 Use of Italics in Text Italics are used to distinguish certain words from others within the text. Below are some basic rules for when to use italics while writing. Titles Generally, italics are used for the titles of things that can stand by themselves. Thus, the titles of novels and journals must be differentiated from, say, and the titles of poems, short stories, articles, and episodes (for television shows). The titles of these shorter pieces would be surrounded with double quotation marks. In writing the titles of newspapers, ‘the’ is not italicized, even when it is part of the title (the New York Times), and the same goes for name of the city in which the newspaper is published unless that name is part of the title: the Hartford Courant, but the London Times. 10.5 Use of Footnotes and Endnotes The use of endnotes is discouraged in the BA Thesis. However, footnotes at the bottom of pages may be used for clarifying or diversionary comments. Neither endnotes nor footnotes should be used for referencing, as the preferred Harvard Style mentioned above employs a parenthetical system. Footnotes should be single-spaced. 10.6 Quoting and Paraphrasing Please refer to Appendix F for advice that students should follow when paraphrasing and quoting different authors in their thesis. 10.7 Printing and Binding Two copies of the BA Thesis must be submitted to the English-language Studies Registrar before the specified due date. The thesis must be bound in a dark blue hardcover. The thesis must be printed one-sided, on quality A4 paper. The margins of the pages should be 2.5cm on all sides. APPENDIX A: THESIS REPORT FORM LAZARSKI UNIVERSITY, WARSAW THESIS REPORT FORM Student Name: …………………………………………… Programme: …………………………………………… Supervisor: …………………………………………… Working Title of Dissertation: ……………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………... …………………………………………………………………………………………………... Record of Meetings with Student: Date of Meeting 1: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 2: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 3: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 4: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 5: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 6: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 7: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 8: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 9: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 10: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ (Additional sheets for other meetings to be appended as necessary) Reasons for Reporting of Unsatisfactory Progress: Date(s) Programme Director Informed of Unsatisfactory Progress: Subsequent Action Taken: End of Dissertation Report: Date of dissertation submission for examination: Was a draft of the dissertation submitted for comments prior to submission: Yes/No* If “No” estimate % of dissertation seen in draft form prior to submission: Comments: I confirm that the above is a true record of the supervision of this dissertation. Signed (Student):........................................................................ Signed (Supervisor):................................................................... Note: The Dissertation Report Form is to be kept in the Students Record File *delete as inappropriate APPENDIX B: LITERATURE REVIEW In order to find out what research other people have done on your chosen topic, you will need to undertake a literature search. Your review of the literature will then act as a background against which you can carry out and report your own research. As Jankowicz points out (1991, p. 116) Knowledge doesn't exist in a vacuum, and your work only has value in relation to other people's. Your work and your findings will be significant only to the extent that they're the same as, or different from, other people's work and findings. What is needed is a ‘critical review which demonstrates some awareness of the current state of knowledge on the subject, its limitations, and how the proposed research aims to add to what is known’ (Gill and Johnson, 1991, p.21). What follows are some practical suggestions on how to undertake an effective literature review: 1. Start off by referring to some books and articles on the topic of your research. Your supervisor should be able to advise you. From these, by following up the references, you will be able to trace more specific publications, which will in turn guide you to others, and so on. You probably need to use the inter-library loan system because it is unlikely that the average academic library will have all the relevant books and articles. 2. If you are unable to trace any previous research on your topic, try broadening your search. For example, if you are researching the use of staff appraisal systems in voluntary organisations and you cannot find any previous research on it, look at staff appraisal generally. You will soon find that the literature is vast! It then becomes a case of narrowing down to some aspect of staff appraisal that is relevant to your research question. 3. When you are writing up your literature review, you will probably need to divide it into sections in order to make the review manageable and reader friendly. What sections you will have will very much depend on what you find in the literature. 4. As a general rule, when writing up the review, deal with the more general material first and then gradually narrow down towards your particular research question. 5. Another rule of thumb is to deal with the literature in chronological order so that the reader can see how the research activity of others has developed over the years. Sometimes you will find that these rules of thumb (paragraphs 4 and 5) conflict with each other. If so, you will need to make a judgement about what makes most sense in the context of your particular research. 6. Remember that you are expected to carry out a critical review of the literature. It is not enough simply to list and describe what has been done by researchers. You need to summarise and compare the pieces of research to see how they differ (in their approaches, research methods, and findings) and to see whether any common themes emerge. Aim for what Gill and Johnson (1991) call an ‘insightful evaluation’ of the literature (p.21). You should then use the results of the review as a backdrop to your own research. The review can help you to plan parts of your own research, and you should use the key ideas from the review in your own discussion of your results; e.g. how your findings fit in with the previous research. 7. Opinions about how long a literature review should be vary greatly. Literature reviews of 15% - 25% of the total word count of the thesis are not uncommon. 8. You need to be fastidious in the way you keep details of the publications consulted. Some people advocate the use of index cards (one for each publication) with a summary of the research and enough detail to enable you to cite the work correctly in ‘References’ at the end of your thesis (e.g. title, and title of journal where relevant), author, date, of publication, publisher, page numbers, and a brief note on the content of the article or book in question). Alternatively, you can use a suitable computer database for keeping your records of the publications consulted. 9. You should aim to complete a reasonably comprehensive literature review before carrying out the substantive part of your own research; this is because what you find out in the literature review can help you to refine your research question and your research method. In one sense you will not be able to achieve a complete review before your own data collection because research will continue to be published during the period of your own research; but you should aim to complete most of the review as early as possible (otherwise you might find, half way through your data collection, that someone else has already done it). 10. The sources which you should search include books, articles, theses and thesiss, government reports research papers, conference papers, abstracts and reviews, library catalogues and on-line databases. Librarians and your supervisor should be able to offer useful guidance. Many professional bodies have libraries which might be relevant to your particular topic. Further reading on literature reviews Bell (1987) chapters 3 and 4, including pp 20 - 1; an extract from a literature review as an illustration. Gill and Johnson (1991) pp. 21 - 22. Jankowicz (1991) chapter 8. References: Bell, J., (1987). Doing Your Research Project. Open University Press. Gill, J. and Johnson, P., (1991). Research Methods for Manager. Paul Chapman. Jankowicz, A., (1991). Business Research Projects for Students. Chapman and Hall. APPENDIX C: TITLE PAGE LAZARSKI UNIVERSITY Faculty of Economics and Management FULL ENGLISH TITLE OF THE THESIS Full Polish title of the thesis Programme of studies (Economics/International Relations) FULL NAME OF THE CANDIDATE Student Enrollment No Bachelor/Master Thesis Supervisor’s name Warsaw 2015 APPENDIX D: STATEMENTS PAGE DECLARATION This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. Signed (Candidate) Date STATEMENT I, being aware of all the applicable consequences, declare that the submitted dissertation, titled in English and Polish, is the result of my own work and research. Additionally, I declare that the dissertation does not infringe on any copyrights in accordance with the act on copyright and neighboring rights, nor does it infringe on any personal rights as protected by civil law. I also declare that the submitted work does not contain data and information obtained by me in a forbidden manner. I also confirm that the submitted dissertation is identical with the attached electronic version of it. Signed Date (Candidate) APPENDIX E: REFERENCE STYLE GUIDE Book Elements of the citation Author(s) of book – family name and initials Year of publication. Title of book – italicized, Edition, Place of publication, Publisher. Reference type Single author 2 authors 3 authors Example of in-text citation Bibliography example Sophisticated searching techniques are important in finding information (Berkman 1994) OR Berkman (1994, p. 25) claimed that … OR Berkman (1994, pp. 30-35) agrees that … … from an engineering perspective (Cengel & Boles 1994) OR Cengel and Boles (1994) found … … as previously demonstrated (Reid, Parsons & Green 1989) Berkman, Robert, 1994. Find It fast: how to uncover expert information on any subject. New York: HarperPerennial. 4 or more authors … neck pain caused by whiplash (Jull et al. 2008). OR Jull et al. (2008) have argued … No author … already mentioned (Be, know, do: leadership the Army way 2004). OR In Be, know, do: leadership the Army way (2004) there is an interesting example … … geology of Queensland’s national parks (Willmott 2004, 2006). Multiple works by the same author Cengel, Y. A., and Boles, M. A., 1994. Thermodynamics: an engineering approach, 2nd ed. London: McGraw Hill. Reid, D. H., Parsons, M. B. & Green, C. W., 1989. Staff management in human services: behavioral research and application. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas. Jull, G., Sterling, M., Fallah, D., Treleaven, J. & O'Leary, S., 2008. Whiplash headache and neck pain: research-based directions for physical therapies. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Be, know, do: leadership the Army way, 2004. San Francisco: JosseyBass. Insert alphabetically into the Bibliography. Willmott, W. F., 2004. Rocks and landscapes of the national parks of southern Queensland. Brisbane: Geological Society of Australia, Queensland Division. Willmott, W. F., 2006. Rocks and landscapes of the national parks of central Queensland, Brisbane: Geological Society of Australia, Queensland Division. Order chronologically from in the reference list. Multiple works by the same author, published in the same year Two or more works by different authors … geographically speaking (Dawkins 1996a, 1996b) … rock formations (Dawkins 1996; Willmott 2004) Book by an organisation or institution … in the case of an institution (Australian Government Publishing Service 1987) Different Editions … the meaning of educational research (Pring 2004) Edited book … some findings (Sjostrand 1993) OR … optics defined (Pike & Sarkar 1986) Book Series In defining permutation groups Bhattacharjee (1998) … Dawkins, R., 1996a. Climbing Mount Improbable. London: Viking. Dawkins, R., 1996b. River out of Eden. London: Phoenix. Order alphabetically by title in the reference list. Dawkins, R., 1996. Climbing Mount Improbable. London: Viking. Willmott, W. F., 2004. Rocks and landscapes of the national parks of southern Queensland. Brisbane: Geological Society of Australia, Queensland Division. Australian Government Publishing Service, 1987. Commonwealth printing and publishing manual, 2nd ed. Canberra: A.G.P.S. Pring, Robert, 2004. Philosophy of educational research, 2nd ed. London: Continuum, London. The edition statement is placed after the title of the work. This is not necessary for a first edition. Sjostrand, S. (ed.), 1993. Institutional change: theory and empirical findings. N.Y.: Harper. Pike, E. R. & Sarkar, S. (eds.), 1986, Frontiers in quantum optics. Bristol: Adam Hilger. Bhattacharjee, M., 1998. Notes of infinite permutation groups, Lecture notes in mathematics no. 1698. New York: Springer. Chapter in a book Elements of the citation Author(s) of chapter – family name and initials Year of publication. ‘Title of chapter – in single quotation marks’, in Editor(s) of book (eds), Title of book – italicized, Edition. Place of publication, Publisher, Page numbers. Reference type Chapter in an edited book Example of in-text citation Bernstein (1995) explained intelligent traffic flows. Bibliography example Bernstein, D., 1995. ‘Transportation planning’, in W. F. Chen (ed.), The civil engineering handbook. Boca Raton: CRC Press, pp. 231-61. Or Bernstein, Darel, 1995. ‘Transportation planning’, in W. F. Chen (ed.), The civil engineering handbook. Boca Raton: CRC Press, pp. 231-61. Conference paper Elements of the citation Author(s) of paper – family name and initials Year of publication. ‘Title of paper – in single quotation marks’, Title of published proceedings which may include place held and date(s) – italicized. Publisher, Place of Publication, Page number(s), (viewed date in-full, URL – if accessed electronically). Reference type Published conference paper Unpublished conference paper Example of in-text citation Bourassa (1999) emphasized … … estimating partner change (Bowden and Fairley 1996) Bibliography example Bourassa, S., 1999. ‘Effects of child care on young children’, Proceedings of the third annual meeting of the International Society for Child Psychology. Atlanta, Georgia: International Society for Child Psychology, pp. 44-46. Bowden, F. J. & Fairley, C. K., 1996. ‘Endemic STDs in the Northern Territory: estimations of effective rates of partner change’. Paper presented to the scientific meeting of the Royal Australian College of Physicians, Darwin, 24-25 June. Journal Article Elements of the citation Author(s) of journal article – family name and initials Year of publication. ‘Title of journal article – in single quotation marks’, Title of journal – italicised, Volume, Issue or number, Page number(s), (viewed date in-full, URL – if accessed electronically). Reference type Journal articles Electronic journal article with page numbers Electronic journal article without page Example of in-text citation Huffman (1996) expanded on the theory … OR … uses for whey protein (Huffman 1996). … changes in resource management (Daniel 2009) … the discipline of art history (Donahue-Wallace & Chanda 2005) Bibliography example Huffman, L. M., 1996. ‘Processing whey protein for use as a food ingredient’. Food Technology, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 49-52; [or Food Technology, 50, 2: 49-52]. Daniel, T. T., 2009. 'Learning from simpler times'. Risk Management, vol. 56, no. 1: 40-44, viewed 30 January 2009, . For an article retrieved from a database, it is sufficient to give the URL of the database site. Donahue-Wallace, K. & Chanda, J., 2005. 'A case study in integrating the best practices of face-to-face art history and online teaching'. numbers Interactive Multimedia Electronic Journal of Computer-Enhanced Learning, vol. 7, no. 1, viewed 30 January 2009, . Thesis Elements of the citation Author of thesis – family name and initials, Year of preparation of thesis. ‘Title of thesis – in single quotation marks’, Award, Location of institution, Institution issuing degree. Reference type Thesis Example of in-text citation Bibliography example Exelby (1997) described the process … OR … processing gold (Exelby 1997) Exelby, James, 1997. ‘Aspects of gold and mineral liberation’. PhD thesis, Honolulu: Hawaii University. The title is not italicized and is placed in quotation marks. Report Elements of the citation Author(s) of report – (person or organization) Year of Publication, Title of report italicized, Report number (if available), Publisher/ Institution, Place of publication: (viewed date in-full, URL - if accessed electronically). Reference type Print report Electronic report Example of in-text citation … in Queensland waterways (Mortimer & Cox 1999) … young children’s schooling (Rathbun, West & Hausken 2003) Bibliography example Mortimer, M. & Cox, M., 1999. Contaminants in mud crabs and sediments from the Maroochy River. Environment technical report no. 25. Brisbane: Queensland Department of the Environment. Rathbun, A. H., West, J. & Hausken, E. G., 2003. Young children's access to computers in the home and at school in 1999 and 2000, NCES-2003-036. Washington, DC.: National Center for Education Statistics, viewed 4 November 2003, . Newspaper and magazine article Elements of the citation Author(s) of article – family name and initials Year of publication, ‘Title of article – in single quotation marks’, Title of newspaper – italicized, Day month, Page number(s). Reference Example of in-text citation Bibliography example type article (print) ... as seen in the move to privatise the railway (Simpson 1997) Newspaper article (web) … government has been blamed for the water shortage (Porteous 2007). Simpson, L., 1997. ‘Tasmania’s railway goes private’. Australian Financial Review, 13 October, p. 10. Porteous, C., 2007. ‘Rudd blamed for drought’. Courier Mail, 15 August, p. 17, viewed 27 February 2009, . For an article retrieved from a database, it is sufficient to give the URL of the database site. Web page Elements of the citation Author(s) of page – (person or organization), Year (page created or revised), Title of page - italicized, description of document (if applicable), name of the sponsor of the page (if applicable), viewed date-in-full, URL. Reference type Web page with author Example of in-text citation … this agreement (Albanese 2009) Web page with corporate or organisation al author … in this subject guide (University of Queensland Library 2009) Web page with no date of publication … it has been argued that emotional intelligence is a combination of competencies (Bliss n.d.) Bibliography example Albanese, A., 2009. Fairer compensation for air travellers. Media release, 29 January, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, viewed 30 January 2009, . University of Queensland Library, 2009. Mechanical engineering subject guide.University of Queensland Library, viewed 6 February 2009, . Bliss, S., n.d.. The effect of emotional intelligence on a modern organizational leader’s ability to make effective decisions, viewed 10 February 2008, . Map Elements of the citation Issuing body Year of publication, Title of map – italicized, Series (if available), Place of publication, Publisher. Reference type Example of in-text citation Bibliography example Map … reading this map (Department of Mines and Energy, Queensland 1996) Department of Mines and Energy, Queensland, 1996. Dotswood, Australia 1:100 000 geological series, sheet 8158, Queensland, Brisbane, Department of Mines and Energy. Personal communication Elements of the citation Information obtained by interview, telephone call, letter or email should be documented in the text, but should NOT be included in the list of References. Reference type Personal communicati on Example of in-text citation When interviewed on 15 June 1995, Dr Peter Jones explained that … OR This was later verbally confirmed (P Jones 1995, pers. comm., 15 June). Bibliography example Do not include in the bibliography APPENDIX F: QUOTING AND PARAPHRASING GUIDELINES The guidelines are adopted from a writing guide prepared by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. How to Paraphrase • When reading a passage, try first to understand it as a whole, rather than pausing to write down specific ideas or phrases. • Be selective. You usually do not need to paraphrase an entire passage; instead, choose and summarize the material that helps you make a point in your thesis. • Think of what ‘your own words’ would be if you were telling someone who’s unfamiliar with your subject (your mother, your brother, a friend) what the original source said. • Remember that you can use direct quotations of phrases from the original within your paraphrase, and that you do not need to change or put quotation marks around shared language. Methods of Paraphrasing A. Look away from the source, then write. Read the text you want to paraphrase several times—until you feel that you understand it and can use your own words to restate it to someone else. Then, look away from the original and rewrite the text in your own words. B. Take notes. Take abbreviated notes, set the notes aside, then paraphrase from the notes a day or so later, or when you draft. C. While looking at the source, first change the structure, then the words. For example, consider the following passage from Love and Toil (a book on motherhood in London from 1870 to 1918), in which the author, Ellen Ross, puts forth one of her major arguments: Love and Toil maintains that family survival was the mother’s main charge among the large majority of London’s population who were poor or working class; the emotional and intellectual nurture of her child or children and even their actual comfort were forced into the background. To mother was to work for and organize household subsistence. (p. 9) 1. Change the structure • Begin by starting at a different place in the passage and/or sentence(s), basing your choice on the focus of your paper. This will lead naturally to some changes in wording. Some places you might start in the passage above are ‘The mother’s main charge,’ ‘Among the ... poor or working class,’ ‘Working for and organizing household subsistence,’ or ‘The emotional and intellectual nurture.’ Or you could begin with one of the people the passage is about: ‘Mothers,’ ‘A mother,’ ‘Children,’ ‘A child.’ Focusing on specific people rather than abstractions will make your paraphrase more readable. • At this stage, you might also break up long sentences, combine short ones, expand phrases for clarity, or shorten them for conciseness, or you might do this in an additional step. In this process, you will naturally eliminate some words and change others. Here is one of the many ways you might get started with a paraphrase of the passage above by changing its structure. In this case, the focus of the paper is the effect of economic status on children at the turn of the century, so the writer begins with children: Children of the poor at the turn of the century received little if any emotional or intellectual nurturing from their mothers, whose main charge was family survival. Working for and organizing household subsistence were what defined mothering. Next to this, even the children’s basic comfort was forced into the background (Ross, 1995). Now you have succeeded in changing the structure, but the passage still contains many direct quotations, so you need to go on to the second step: 2. Change the words • • use synonyms or a phrase that expresses the same meaning. leave shared language unchanged. It is important to start by changing the structure, not the words, but you might find that as you change the words, you see ways to change the structure further. The final paraphrase might look like this: According to Ross (1993), poor children at the turn of the century received little mothering in our sense of the term. Mothering was defined by economic status, and among the poor, a mother’s foremost responsibility was not to stimulate her children’s minds or foster their emotional growth but to provide food and shelter to meet the basic requirements for physical survival. Given the magnitude of this task, children were deprived of even the ‘actual comfort’ (p. 9) we expect mothers to provide today. You may need to go through this process several times to create a satisfactory paraphrase. How to Use Direct Quotation Direct quotation can be used for a variety of reasons, such as: • To show that an authority supports a point in the thesis • To present a position or argument to critique or comment on • To include especially moving or historically significant language • To present a particularly well-stated passage whose meaning would be lost or changed if paraphrased or summarized However, students should not rely too heavily on direct quotation. Most of the ideas and text in their thesis should be in their own words. Below are some guidelines to follow when using direct quotations. Introducing Quotations One of your jobs as a writer is to guide your reader through your text. Do not simply drop quotations into your thesis and leave it to the reader to make connections. Integrating a quotation into your text usually involves two elements: • • A signal that a quotation is coming—generally the author’s name and/or a reference to the work An assertion that indicates the relationship of the quotation to your text Often both the signal and the assertion appear in a single introductory statement, as in the example below. Notice how a transitional phrase also serves to connect the quotation smoothly to the introductory statement. Ross (1993), in her study of poor and working-class mothers in London from 1870-1918 [signal], makes it clear that economic status to a large extent determined the meaning of motherhood [assertion]. Among this population [connection], ‘To mother was to work for and organize household subsistence’ (p. 9). The signal can also come after the assertion, again with a connecting word or phrase: Illness was rarely a routine matter in the nineteenth century [assertion]. As [connection] Ross observes [signal], ‘Maternal thinking about children’s health revolved around the possibility of a child’s maiming or death’ (p. 166). Formatting Quotations Incorporate short direct prose quotations into the text of your thesis and enclose them in double quotation marks, as in the examples above. Begin longer quotations (2 lines or more) on a new line and indent the entire quotation (i.e., put in block form), with no quotation marks at beginning or end, as in the quoted passage Punctuation with Quotation Marks 1. Parenthetical citations. With short quotations, place citations outside of closing quotation marks, followed by sentence punctuation (period, question mark, comma, semi-colon, colon): Menand (2002) characterizes language as ‘a social weapon’ (p. 115). 2. Commas and periods. Place inside closing quotation marks when no parenthetical citation follows: Hertzberg (2002) notes that ‘treating the Constitution as imperfect is not new,’ but because of Dahl’s credentials, his ‘apostasy merits attention’ (p. 85). 3. Question marks and exclamation points. Place inside closing quotation marks if the quotation is a question/exclamation: Menand (2001) acknowledges that H. W. Fowler’s Modern English Usage is ‘a classic of the language,’ but he asks, ‘Is it a dead classic?’ (p. 114). [Note that a period still follows the closing parenthesis.] Place outside of closing quotation marks if the entire sentence containing the quotation is a question or exclamation: How many students actually read the guide to find out what is meant by ‘academic misconduct’? 4. Quotations within quotations. Use double quotation marks for the embedded quotation: According to Hertzberg (2002), Dahl gives the U. S. Constitution ‘bad marks in ‘democratic fairness’ and ‘encouraging consensus’’’ (p. 90). [The phrases ‘democratic fairness’ and ‘encouraging consensus’ are already in quotation marks in Dahl’s sentence.] LAZARSKI UNIVERSITY Master of Arts in International Relations Master of Sciences in International Business Economics GRADUATE DISSERTATION MANUAL A Guide for Students (Updated in April 2015) 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1: INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 3 2: THE DISSERTATION ............................................................................................. 3 3: GETTING STARTED............................................................................................... 6 4: DISSERTATION SUPERVISION ........................................................................... 6 5: PREPARING THE DISSERTATION .......................................................................7 6: SUBMISSION OF THE COMPLETED DISSERTATION ..................................... 9 7: EXAMINATION OF THE COMPLETED DISSERTATION ................................. 9 8: PLAGIARISM AND UNFAIR PRACTICE............................................................ 10 9: DISSERTATION FORMAT.................................................................................... 10 10: EDITING AND REFERENCING ........................................................................ 12 APPENDIX A: THESIS REPORT FORM .............................................................................. 15 APPENDIX B: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 19 APPENDIX C: TITLE PAGE ..................................................................................................22 APPENDIX D: STATEMENTS PAGE .................................................................................. 23 APPENDIX E: REFERENCE STYLE GUIDE ...................................................................... 23 APPENDIX F: QUOTING AND PARAPHRASING GUIDELINES .................................... 30 1: INTRODUCTION This guide is designed to assist both students and supervisors who participate in the Master of Arts in International Relations and Master of Sciences in International Business Economics programmes. It is important to emphasise that it is a guide only, and that individual style should not be sacrificed. Programme regulations are intended to help, and to reduce potential wastage of time and effort. However, the instructions put forth in this guide should not replace direct consultation between students and their supervisors. The purpose of this manual is to establish the formal requirements and procedures for preparing and writing the graduate dissertation, and to provide further relevant information and advice. All administrative matters relating to the dissertation are the responsibility of the relevant Programme Director who may be contacted with queries about the dissertation. • MAIR Programme Director Christopher Łazarski, Ph.D., room 14, floor IX, sector F; e-mail: k.lazarski@lazarski.edu.pl • MScIBE Programme Director Olha Zadorozhna, Ph.D., room 265; phone no. 22 54 35 567; e-mail: olha.zadorozhna@lazarski.pl. 2: THE DISSERTATION The Dissertation module constitutes Part II of MA in International Relations and MSc in International Business Economics degrees and carries a credit rating of 60 CATS (20 ECTS). Students are only allowed to proceed on to the dissertation stage of the scheme after they have passed Part I. The dissertation is an important component of the taught programme. It is seen as a means of enabling students to apply the theory learned, both substantive and methodological, to an in-depth specialised study. The module requires independent thought and action, and should encourage the integration of the course material with areas of individual expertise and interest. The context, data, analysis and conclusions of the students’ research are to be presented for assessment in a dissertation that should not exceed 20,000 words in length (excluding the bibliography and appendices). Dissertation assessment will be based on an agreed mark between the supervisor and two internal examiners (following the blind marking procedure) and confirmed by an external examiner of Coventry University. The pass mark for the dissertation is 40%, a distinction is awarded to any student who scores 70% or more in both Part I and Part II of the programme. Students with a Part I average of 65%–69% will also be awarded a degree with distinction where (Part I average + Part II average)/2=70% or more. 2.1: DISSERTATION TOPIC You need to select a closely defined topic for study, in which you can demonstrate the application of theories, concepts and techniques that you have learned in your study of other modules. 3 While all thesis proposals will be considered, the department reserves the right to withhold approval if a proposal is considered unsatisfactory. Reasons for the rejection of dissertation proposals might include: duplication of topics, insufficiency of published literature of adequate standing, insufficiency of published data, the unavailability of a member of staff with expertise appropriate to the proposal, or a proposal which is unrelated or unsuitable to the degree programme. One of the hardest aspects of self-directed research activity is to define exactly what you will do. It is important to keep in mind that what is needed is not just a subject area but also a specific line of inquiry. This may involve, for example, a specific issue for review, or a particular hypothesis to be tested. However, in all cases there must be a purpose beyond the mere collection of information. Furthermore, a good dissertation must be analytical, not just descriptive, and you will need to evaluate literature and empirical evidence, use reasoned argument, and work systematically towards a conclusion. When choosing a specific area of study, you should make sure that your topic: 1. deals with an issue of current major concern. 2. is sufficient in scope and depth to form the basis of a Master Dissertation. 3. is manageable, given time and resource constraints. 4. is relevant to the realm of your studies. It is important to stress points 3 and 4, as many students fall into the trap of choosing a topic that is too ambitious. Students frequently underestimate the time required for each stage of the research process and choose objectives which are better suited for a Doctoral Dissertation rather than a Master’s Dissertation. This should be avoided. Gill and Johnson (1991) include the following in their list of the characteristics of a good research topic: 1. Access – will you be able to obtain the data required for the research? Will you have access to key people, documents, etc.? 2. Achievability – can the work be completed in the time allocated for the dissertation? This may refer more to the timing of required information than to the total amount of work involved. 3. Symmetry of potential outcomes – will the research be of value regardless of the outcome? 4. Student capability – students should choose a topic that suits their own analytical skills. This may seem obvious, but there are examples of students choosing topics which do not play to their strengths. 5. Value and scope of the research – to quote Gill and Johnson: ‘There are several reasons why the value of the research should be considered when topics are selected. Both students and supervisors are likely to be more highly motivated if the work has obvious value and examiners, too, are likely to be more interested and aware higher marks if the work is clearly making a contribution to the solution of a significant problem’. In order to ensure that you do not embark on work which is unnecessary or unlikely to lead to successful completion, it is VITAL THAT YOU KEEP YOUR SUPERVISOR INFORMED OF YOUR INTENTIONS. 2.2: WHAT CONSITUTES A GOOD DISSERTATION? There is no single model to follow when writing a dissertation. However, it is sometimes helpful to look at successful dissertation copies which are available in the main library or from staff in the department. The main point to remember is that you need to demonstrate a good understanding of the principles of research-based academic inquiry, while exploring a theme which will contribute to what is known already in their chosen area of study. Attributes of a good dissertation include (modified from the advice given at the University of Bath, School of Management): Content 1. A careful selection of a problem/issue which is relevant to your sphere of interest. 2. A clear definition of the problems/issues to be investigated. 3. A clear statement of aims. 4. An appropriate literature review. 5. An appropriate research design to investigate the specified problem area including an awareness of alternative approaches and a defence of the chosen method. 6. A consistent and careful implementation of the adopted methodology. 7. Where applicable, the selection of appropriate data. 8. A systematic, objective and efficient analysis of the collected data. 9. The drawing of relevant conclusions from data analysis. Conclusions should be supported by the data, and should be compared and contrasted with the findings of previous studies and put into the context of existing literature. 10. A demonstration that you have a good grasp and understanding of the relevant theory and have integrated it into the dissertation. 11. A demonstration of originality and initiative in pursuing the objectives of the study. Presentation 1. A consistent outline of the material and logical flow of arguments. 2. Inclusion or reference to all material and evidence supporting the conclusions. An appropriate collection of appendices. Assessment Criteria In general, the dissertation is assessed by the following criteria: 1. Originality. 2. A clear definition of the issue under investigation and a clear statement of the aims of the study. 3. An understanding and use of an appropriate research methodology indicating skills in data collection and analysis. 4. The extent to which all of the above result in a set of conclusions that are consistent with the research. 5. The setting out of clear recommendations for action, adoption or otherwise. 3: GETTING STARTED 3.1 MA / MSc Seminar Before selecting the topic you must first choose your dissertation supervisor (no later than the end of November), and then, with the supervisor’s advice, choose the subject of study. Prior to contacting your potential supervisors, you should conduct preliminary research regarding their topic, so that your consultations with the supervisor are fruitful and productive. While deciding on the choice of the supervisor, you may refer to the CVs of LU academic staff included in your Student Handbook. Students will begin working regularly with their supervisors in the sixth semester, during the MA/MSc Seminar. It must be stressed however that the supervisor will not do the work for their pupils! The onus is on students to make their own decisions about what goes into their dissertation, and that includes deciding whether to accept or reject suggestions made by the supervisor. 4: DISSERTATION SUPERVISION 4.1 The Student / Supervisor Relationship Supervisors and students are expected to form an agreement based on a 'partnership', with both parties providing input and having responsibilities. In this case the term 'contract' with its all connotations of terms and conditions, and its remedies for non-performance or compliance, is avoided. The ideal relationship should be a co-operative one with benefits arising for both student and supervisor. Supervisors are expected to provide guidance as to structure, organisation and presentation of the work, and students are expected to undertake the appropriate research and discovery, employing an agreed approach and methodology. At an early stage, the supervisor and student should meet and agree on an approach to the management of the dissertation. Working together they should determine answers to questions such as the following: • where will meetings take place? • what are the arrangements for internal and external communications? 4.2 Formal Supervision Procedure To facilitate an effective supervision process, there is a formalised procedure whereby students are expected to make appointments with their supervisor, and show evidence of progress at each meeting. When arranging meeting times, you should suggest suitable dates via email or in person, and you are expected to keep the appointments that they have made. You are supposed to keep your Dissertation Report Form (see Appendix A) that records each meeting with your supervisors. You must bring this record to every meeting and after each supervision return it to the English-language Studies Registrar for the Programme Director’s further verification of progress. Keeping a clear record of meetings is an essential element of the dissertation process. Supervisors, subject to mutual agreement, might also see their pupils during other times in addition to, but not instead of, their formally scheduled meetings. Supervision time will be limited to 10 meetings per academic year. This figure may change at the discretion of the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management. 4.3 Work Plan Clearly it will not be possible at the outset to determine a comprehensive plan of work as this will develop and evolve as the work progresses. Nevertheless, it is desirable that discussions between students and their supervisors take place at an early stage with the view of determining an agreed work schedule, which can be used to monitor student progress. A dissertation timetable is available on zasoby.lazarski.pl. However, you should treat this timetable as a guide, there are no absolutes in this business. Nevertheless, deadlines for submission are absolute. 4.4 Roles and Responsibilities of the Supervisor and the Student Supervisors should ensure that: • adequate time is available for supervision and encouragement; • the student fully comprehends the complexity of the proposed task; • the student is focusing on the work in the intended direction; • the student has access to primary research materials. The supervisor acts as a mentor and guide to the student, and should take a professional interest in the work of the student. The student will: • ensure that an appropriate amount of time and effort is applied to the dissertation; • be receptive to counsel from the supervisor; • properly acknowledge text, material and ideas created by others; • meet all regulations relating to the work; • communicate any problems likely to prejudice the quality or timeliness of the work to the supervisor as and when such problems arise. 5: PREPARING THE DISSERTATION 5.1 Word Processing Facilities Windows-based software is available in the Library, computer laboratories and in the University halls. Most of the machines have electronic mail facilities and Internet access. Windows-based printing facilities are accessible in the room of the Students’ Union and are free of charge. In the event of difficulties with the above, you should contact the IT Department at it@lazarski.edu.pl. 5.2 Writing the Dissertation You should try at an early stage to envisage the final shape of your dissertation, i.e. the whole as the sum of its parts, including the balance between the chapters and the way that each chapter links to the next. There is no single ideal dissertation structure, and much will depend on the topic chosen, but there are some points of advice which have general application. A dissertation should be systematic in approach, and clear in exposition. Having decided what issues or questions are going to be studied, you should choose your methods of examination. You should ask yourself: ‘How can I best explain my line of enquiry, and what will be the logical steps by which I can build up to a conclusion?’. You may use theory to identify what you expect to happen, then check against evidence of what actually happened to identify conformity with, or divergence from, the theory, and then offer interpretation. Alternatively, you may review the existing literature relating to your topic and identify the extent of common ground or differences of opinion, and then collect and evaluate information to reflect on how the general debate helps understand the case in question. These are examples of methodical research design, and they will be explained in further detail, along with other methods, in the Research Methods course. However, the important thing to remember is that you should avoid having a disorganised, rambling, series of points of information that fills up pages but does not lead anywhere. Having a good research design with a definite layout of chapters, each corresponding to a logical next step in a progressive investigation, is necessary for the reader to understand what is written in the dissertation. Your should keep in mind that even if something is clear in your own head, a lack of logical expression will leave the reader unsure or confused about your argument. In that regard, you must also be careful to avoid ambiguity and to be precise. You should support assertions with evidence or reasoned argument. You should add appropriate qualifications to general statements. And you should be thorough and well organised in their thinking, conveying your ideas through the judicious use of language as well as charts, tables, and graphs if necessary. Although methodology is of central importance, the dissertation also requires communication and presentation skills. In preparing a dissertation it is obviously useful to draw from earlier work in the same topic area (properly acknowledged – see below). Most theses include a literature review, which is not an end in itself but rather a basis from which to consider how best to move forward to deal with the task at hand. You should select what is relevant and useful, and adapt the literature to suit. Appendix B provides some practical suggestions on how to conduct a literature review. In writing your dissertation, you learn the skills by which academics advance knowledge and understanding. A strict requirement here is for you to always acknowledge what is taken from others, and not to present borrowed ideas as your own. In this respect, the bibliography of consulted references is an important part of any dissertation. It is also important to quote data sources. You should start a bibliography at an early stage of your work, and update it regularly as you progress. While reading through research materials, it is also useful to keep a record of important page numbers for later reference – all quotations need specific attribution. The recommended style of presentation is covered in a later section of this document. The dissertation should be within the prescribed length limits, i.e. 20,000 words (excluding bibliography and appendices). Part of this exercise is to experience the discipline of writing within stated confines, necessitating that you make judgements about what is relevant and important. The early stages of dissertation work involve searching for material, reading, planning: these are all inputs. What matters ultimately is the output. The transition from preparation to production can be traumatic! It is suggested that you do not write the introduction first, but rather leave it until you know exactly what you are introducing. A good approach is to start with substantive chapters of the dissertation that review the literature first, or introduce relevant theory, or present the evidence. The next step is to move on to chapters that set up the methodology, undertake the analysis, and provide interpretation. Finally, the last stage is to write the introduction and conclusion. Moreover, towards the end the dissertation writing process it is a good idea to discuss with your supervisors the exact wording of your dissertation title. A dissertation usually evolves over time and the focus can move slightly away from what was initially envisaged. This is normal. Ultimately, you should choose a title that is brief and which accurately describes what your dissertation is all about. 6: SUBMISSION OF THE COMPLETED DISSERTATION Two bound copies of the completed dissertation, preapproved by the dissertation supervisor must be submitted to the English-language Studies Registrar at the end of the sixth semester (the exact date is specified each year, see Dissertation Timetable available on zasoby.lazarski.pl). Late submission will result in capping your final mark at 40% and may result in delaying graduation until the fall, or even the next academic year with the obligation to repeat the seminar course worth 20 ECTS points. 7: EXAMINATION OF THE COMPLETED DISSERTATION Each dissertation is marked by two internal examiners independently (blind marking). The agreed grade of the supervisor and the internal markers is also subject to final approval by the external examiner of Coventry University. In assessing the dissertation, markers will consider such factors as the difficulty of the subject matter, the use of sources, the quality of ideas expressed, the quality of analysis, the relevance of the material to the argument, and the general presentation of the study. The standard of English expression and spelling will also be taken into account. The dissertation is evaluated as a completed entity, with markers exercising their professional judgement about overall quality. After the dissertation is marked, all Lazarski University students (validated and nonvalidated) must pass a dissertation defence examination before the Dissertation Board which consists of the supervisor, the internal examiners, the Dean of the Faculty, or the Programme Director acting on his/her behalf. This does not relate to students applying for Coventry University degree only (i.e. validated students who do not intend to obtain Lazarski University degree). 8: PLAGIARISM AND UNFAIR PRACTICE Plagiarism occurs when you present the work of others as if it were your own. This is a serious academic offence which necessitates disciplinary action. Students found guilty of presenting a wholly or substantially plagiarised dissertation will be expelled from the University without a degree. Unfair practice can take many forms. With the dissertation it is expected that students will draw from the work of others, but at every instance this must be acknowledged with a reference to the author. Direct quotations of other people’s words must be placed in quotation marks (or for longer quotes, indented block quotations), and there must be an exact reference to the source location. A recommended style of referencing is presented below. A dissertation which is excessively dependent on referenced material from other sources, without much individual input from the student, is not guilty of an offence but will be marked down for poor scholarship. Unacknowledged copying of work that has been done by another person is unacceptable. The falsification or fabrication of data or results is also a form of objectionable practice. The above is of course not an exhaustive list of forms of misconduct in research. Any indication of malpractice of any kind in a dissertation will lead to an enquiry and results may be withheld until that is completed. In cases of proven significant malpractice a zero mark is recorded and the student is then subject to disciplinary proceedings. Lazarski University requires that each student sign a statement of originality and include it in their dissertation. 9: DISSERTATION FORMAT Although there is no set style for writing a thesis, every dissertation should have the following components in the subsequent order: a title page, a statement of originality, acknowledgements (if any), an abstract, a table of contents, a list of tables and figures (if any), a list of abbreviations (if any), an introductory chapter, substantive chapters, a concluding chapter, a bibliography, and appendices (if any). The format of these components are as follows: 9.1 Title Page The precise title of the thesis (in English and in Polish) is to be typed in capital letters on the first page inside the binding. Below this comes the title of the degree for which the thesis is submitted, the students’ name, the name of the supervisor, and the year of presentation. There should also be no page number on the title page (see Appendix C). 9.2 Statement of Originality The second page the thesis should have the statements of originality (Appendix D) along with the student’s written signature (in blue ink), and date (also in blue ink). The page containing the statement of originality should not include any page numbers. 9.3 Acknowledgements (if any) If you choose to acknowledge the help or input of anyone who has aided you during the writing of the thesis, then you may do so on the third page of the dissertation titled ‘Acknowledgements’. This page should not include any page numbers. 9.4 Abstract An abstract or synopsis of about 300-400 words must be given on the fourth page of the thesis (or third page if there are no acknowledgements). This is for the benefit of a potential user of the thesis who, having been attracted by the title, wants a brief outline of the method of approach, the coverage and the results in order to know whether it is relevant to their own work. This page should not include any page numbers. 9.5 Table of Contents The next page of the thesis should be the ‘Table of Contents’, which lists all of the contents of the thesis and their page numbers, as well as the number and title of each chapter and the number of the page on which each chapter begins. The Table of Contents page itself should not have a page number. 9.6 List of Tables and Figures (if any) Following the Table of Contents page, you should include a list of any tables or figures that appear in the thesis (along with the page numbers where they can be found in the thesis). The ‘List of Tables and Figures’ page should be the first page in the thesis which will be numbered, and this number ought to correspond to the order in which it appears in the thesis (so if the student dedicated one page for Acknowledgements and one page for the Table of Contents, then the ‘List of Tables and Figures’ page should be numbered 6). Every page in the thesis from this point forward ought to have a page number. 9.7 Key to Abbreviations (if any) If the thesis features abbreviations, then these should to be listed in a separate ‘Key of Abbreviations’ section. 9.8 Introductory Chapter This chapter will spell out the main issues addressed in the thesis and might, for example, establish the context of the thesis and provide some background to the issues examined. This may take the form of a statement of a hypothesis, or of a problem, and a general discussion of the methodology and procedures used in the study, as well as the sequence in which these are discussed in subsequent chapters. 9.9 Substantive Chapters Each major theme ought to be presented in a separate chapter, which should be clearly supported by relevant literature, references, and other evidence as appropriate. Details of the reference system are given below. Each chapter should begin on a new page and the chapter heading should be a concise description of the contents of the chapter. 9.10 Summary and Conclusions The final chapter will summarise the entire study and state the conclusions reached and their implications, as well as any recommendations which may come out of the thesis. As this is often the focal point of the thesis, you are advised to give this chapter particular attention. 9.11 Bibliography The bibliography should include a list of all the sources referenced in the text of thesis. Guidelines for the proper referencing of sources are provided below. The content of the bibliography is not taken into consideration for the final word count of the thesis. 9.12 Appendices Appendices may include source documents, charts, tables, pictures, or other materials which might enhance the reader’s understanding of the subject matter tackled in the thesis. Each new piece of material should have its own appendix. The content of the appendices is not taken into consideration for the final word count of the thesis. 10: EDITING AND REFERENCING 10.1 Font and Line Spacing The thesis text should be double spaced, and the text ought to be in Times New Roman Font, size 12. A larger size and different font style may be used for chapter headings at the student’s discretion. The text of the thesis should also be ‘justified’, and the first line of each new paragraph must begin with an indentation. However, the first line at the beginning of each chapter or sub-chapter should not be indented (see example below). 10.2 Page Numbers All pages in the thesis must have page numbers except for the title page, statement of originality, acknowledgements (if any), abstract, and the table of contents. Page numbers must be written at the bottom of each page and should be centred. 10.3 Referencing System Referencing is a standardized way of acknowledging the sources of information and ideas that you have used in your document. It is important to avoid plagiarism, to verify quotations and to enable readers to follow up what you have written and locate the cited author’s work. There are many styles which follow the author-date convention, including the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Chicago Manual of Style. For the BA Thesis at Lazarski University, the preferred referencing system is the ‘Harvard Style’. For information on the Harvard Reference Style please refer to Appendix E and/or the Harvard Reference Style Quick Guide available on zasoby.lazarski.pl. 10.4 Use of Italics in Text Italics are used to distinguish certain words from others within the text. Below are some basic rules for when to use italics while writing. Titles Generally, italics are used for the titles of things that can stand by themselves. Thus, the titles of novels and journals must be differentiated from, say, and the titles of poems, short stories, articles, and episodes (for television shows). The titles of these shorter pieces would be surrounded with double quotation marks. In writing the titles of newspapers, ‘the’ is not italicized, even when it is part of the title (the New York Times), and the same goes for name of the city in which the newspaper is published unless that name is part of the title: the Hartford Courant, but the London Times. 10.5 Use of Footnotes and Endnotes The use of endnotes is discouraged in the BA Thesis. However, footnotes at the bottom of pages may be used for clarifying or diversionary comments. Neither endnotes nor footnotes should be used for referencing, as the preferred Harvard Style mentioned above employs a parenthetical system. Footnotes should be single-spaced. 10.6 Quoting and Paraphrasing Please refer to Appendix F for advice that students should follow when paraphrasing and quoting different authors in their thesis. 10.7 Printing and Binding Two copies of the BA Thesis must be submitted to the English-language Studies Registrar before the specified due date. The thesis must be bound in a dark blue hardcover. The thesis must be printed one-sided, on quality A4 paper. The margins of the pages should be 2.5cm on all sides. APPENDIX A: THESIS REPORT FORM LAZARSKI UNIVERSITY, WARSAW THESIS REPORT FORM Student Name: …………………………………………… Programme: …………………………………………… Supervisor: …………………………………………… Working Title of Dissertation: ……………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………... …………………………………………………………………………………………………... Record of Meetings with Student: Date of Meeting 1: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 2: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 3: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 4: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 5: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 6: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 7: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 8: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 9: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ Date of Meeting 10: Discussion of: Progress: (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) _______________________________ (Additional sheets for other meetings to be appended as necessary) Reasons for Reporting of Unsatisfactory Progress: Date(s) Programme Director Informed of Unsatisfactory Progress: Subsequent Action Taken: End of Dissertation Report: Date of dissertation submission for examination: Was a draft of the dissertation submitted for comments prior to submission: Yes/No* If “No” estimate % of dissertation seen in draft form prior to submission: Comments: I confirm that the above is a true record of the supervision of this dissertation. Signed (Student):........................................................................ Signed (Supervisor):................................................................... Note: The Dissertation Report Form is to be kept in the Students Record File *delete as inappropriate APPENDIX B: LITERATURE REVIEW In order to find out what research other people have done on your chosen topic, you will need to undertake a literature search. Your review of the literature will then act as a background against which you can carry out and report your own research. As Jankowicz points out (1991, p. 116) Knowledge doesn't exist in a vacuum, and your work only has value in relation to other people's. Your work and your findings will be significant only to the extent that they're the same as, or different from, other people's work and findings. What is needed is a ‘critical review which demonstrates some awareness of the current state of knowledge on the subject, its limitations, and how the proposed research aims to add to what is known’ (Gill and Johnson, 1991, p.21). What follows are some practical suggestions on how to undertake an effective literature review: 1. Start off by referring to some books and articles on the topic of your research. Your supervisor should be able to advise you. From these, by following up the references, you will be able to trace more specific publications, which will in turn guide you to others, and so on. You probably need to use the inter-library loan system because it is unlikely that the average academic library will have all the relevant books and articles. 2. If you are unable to trace any previous research on your topic, try broadening your search. For example, if you are researching the use of staff appraisal systems in voluntary organisations and you cannot find any previous research on it, look at staff appraisal generally. You will soon find that the literature is vast! It then becomes a case of narrowing down to some aspect of staff appraisal that is relevant to your research question. 3. When you are writing up your literature review, you will probably need to divide it into sections in order to make the review manageable and reader friendly. What sections you will have will very much depend on what you find in the literature. 4. As a general rule, when writing up the review, deal with the more general material first and then gradually narrow down towards your particular research question. 5. Another rule of thumb is to deal with the literature in chronological order so that the reader can see how the research activity of others has developed over the years. Sometimes you will find that these rules of thumb (paragraphs 4 and 5) conflict with each other. If so, you will need to make a judgement about what makes most sense in the context of your particular research. 6. Remember that you are expected to carry out a critical review of the literature. It is not enough simply to list and describe what has been done by researchers. You need to summarise and compare the pieces of research to see how they differ (in their approaches, research methods, and findings) and to see whether any common themes emerge. Aim for what Gill and Johnson (1991) call an ‘insightful evaluation’ of the literature (p.21). You should then use the results of the review as a backdrop to your own research. The review can help you to plan parts of your own research, and you should use the key ideas from the review in your own discussion of your results; e.g. how your findings fit in with the previous research. 7. Opinions about how long a literature review should be vary greatly. Literature reviews of 15% - 25% of the total word count of the thesis are not uncommon. 8. You need to be fastidious in the way you keep details of the publications consulted. Some people advocate the use of index cards (one for each publication) with a summary of the research and enough detail to enable you to cite the work correctly in ‘References’ at the end of your thesis (e.g. title, and title of journal where relevant), author, date, of publication, publisher, page numbers, and a brief note on the content of the article or book in question). Alternatively, you can use a suitable computer database for keeping your records of the publications consulted. 9. You should aim to complete a reasonably comprehensive literature review before carrying out the substantive part of your own research; this is because what you find out in the literature review can help you to refine your research question and your research method. In one sense you will not be able to achieve a complete review before your own data collection because research will continue to be published during the period of your own research; but you should aim to complete most of the review as early as possible (otherwise you might find, half way through your data collection, that someone else has already done it). 10. The sources which you should search include books, articles, theses and thesiss, government reports research papers, conference papers, abstracts and reviews, library catalogues and on-line databases. Librarians and your supervisor should be able to offer useful guidance. Many professional bodies have libraries which might be relevant to your particular topic. Further reading on literature reviews Bell (1987) chapters 3 and 4, including pp 20 - 1; an extract from a literature review as an illustration. Gill and Johnson (1991) pp. 21 - 22. Jankowicz (1991) chapter 8. References: Bell, J., (1987). Doing Your Research Project. Open University Press. Gill, J. and Johnson, P., (1991). Research Methods for Manager. Paul Chapman. Jankowicz, A., (1991). Business Research Projects for Students. Chapman and Hall. APPENDIX C: TITLE PAGE LAZARSKI UNIVERSITY Faculty of Economics and Management FULL ENGLISH TITLE OF THE THESIS ...