Msc Dissertation Marking Criteria

The good news is that you have already started writing if you have written any of the following in relation to this study: In each case the object of the writing was to communicate to yourself, your supervisors, or to others, something about your work.In writing your dissertation you will draw on some of this earlier writing to produce a longer and more comprehensive account.

Reading the acknowledgements in other dissertations in your field will give you an idea of the ways in which different kinds of help have been appreciated and mentioned.

The contents pages will show up the structure of the dissertation.

In addition to the research context, there may be other relevant contexts to present for example: It can be difficult to identify the best order for sections in this chapter because the rationale for your choice of specific research question can be complicated, and there may be several inter-linked reasons why the research is needed.

It is worth taking time to develop a logical structure as this will help to convince examiners of the relevance of your research, and that you understand its relevance.

You may also find the following Study Guides helpful: “The research is going well, so the writing should be straightforward - I can leave it until later”.

“I know I’m not good at writing so I keep putting it off”.It should be able to stand alone in representing why and how you did what you did, and what the results and implications are.It is often only one page long, and there may be a word limit to adhere to.The process of having to describe your study in detail, in a logical sequence of written words, will inevitably highlight where more thought is needed, and it may lead to new insight into connections, implications, rationale, relevance, and may lead to new ideas for further research.Barras (196) suggests that you ‘think of your report as part of your investigation, not as a duty to be undertaken when your work is otherwise complete’, and this Study Guide suggests that: writing is an integral part of the research process.This Study Guide addresses the task of writing a dissertation.It aims to help you to feel confident in the construction of this extended piece of writing, and to support you in its successful completion.This may be one of the shortest sections of your thesis or dissertation, but it is worthwhile taking great care to write it well.Essentially, the Abstract is a succinct summary of the research.You will need it to be succinct, specific, descriptive, and representative of the research you have done.There is likely to be a required format for the title page in your discipline, so you need to check what that is.