MA-History-Dissertation-handbook-2018-19

Most students will conduct research based on the dissertation proposal whichthey submit as part of their Methods unit.. Choosing a topic and developing a research plan is discussed furth

MA HISTORY

DISSERTATION HANDBOOK, 2018–19

Faculty of Arts and Humanities Unit Leader: Craig Horner c.horner@mmu.ac.uk

v10.7.18 subject to revision

Planning the Research Getting Organised

5 WORKING WITH YOUR DISSERTATION SUPERVISOR 8

Submission Dates Extensions

Meeting Deadlines

A Difficult Decision

Paper and Text Title Page Abstract Acknowledgements Author’s Declaration Table of Contents List of tables/illustrations/maps Abbreviations

Chapters Appendices Bibliography Word Count Binding

APPENDIX 1: DISSERTATION ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 18

APPENDIX 2: LEVEL CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT OF MASTERS

Most students will conduct research based on the dissertation proposal whichthey submit as part of their Methods unit This topic should be relevant to thediscipline of History, and be informed by your own interests and careeraspirations Choosing a topic and developing a research plan is discussed furtherbelow.

After discussing your research interests, each student will be directed towards aDissertation Supervisor, who will provide advice and guidance at regular intervalsthroughout the research and writing process Supervisors are allocated on thebasis of the match between their subject expertise and the chosen researchtopic Individual tutorials are held as required and appropriate, and may besupplemented by e-mail contact Supervisors have a major role in advising onresearch questions, the existing research and practice in the area, appropriateresearch strategies and methods, and the process of researching for and writingthe dissertation During the period in which you are researching and writing thedissertation, however, you will be largely responsible for organising your time, forkeeping yourself motivated and making sure that you produce something thatreflects your capabilities This will not be easy, and you must ensure that youmaintain contact with your supervisor, particularly if you feel that things are notgoing so well

Overall responsibility for the organisation of the unit lies with the Unit Leader TheUnit Leader is Dr Craig Horner (c.horner@mmu.ac.uk) His role includes:

 Working with potential supervisors to help students find suitabledissertation topics

 Ensuring students and their chosen topics are matched to supervisors

 Providing guidance and resources to support the dissertation activity, ingeneral

 Defining timescales, submission deadlines etc

2 Learning outcomes

Masters Dissertations are widely recognised across many professional andacademic disciplines to develop important skills and competencies in students.These include skills that may be useful as the first stage in a research career, butmore importantly they include many skills that can be applied in a variety ofdifferent contexts in the workplace Completing a dissertation is a major learningopportunity, during which you will learn about focusing a question, collecting andanalysing data, and systemic and coherent writing

The formal learning outcomes of the Dissertation Unit suggest that on thesuccessful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1 Obtain and critically assess literature and develop a systematic understanding

of knowledge relevant to the research undertaken

2 Select and justify appropriate research methods

3 Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of research methods andstrategies applicable to their own research

4 Critically evaluate the research approaches adopted by other historians, andunderstand how research is used to develop knowledge in the discipline

5 Demonstrate self-direction in organising and planning research and inovercoming problems and challenges

6 Demonstrate clarity and rigour in systematic, academic analysis

7 Evaluate critically and make relevant deductions from original analysis ofprimary research material

8 Form conclusions which are relevant to the topic under investigation

9 Develop a coherent and well-structured account of the research conducted inthe form of a dissertation

In terms of transferable skills, this unit will support students in their developmentof:

 the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility

 conceptual understanding

 their learning capabilities, as a platform for continuing professionaldevelopment

3 Choosing a topic and developing a research plan

There is a firm upper limit of 15,000 words, and most dissertations approach thislimit This may seem rather over-whelming when you are still working out whatyour topic will be, but you will probably find that this is not the case once youhave started exploring what is of interest to you By the time you near the end,you may well find that you the problem is fitting in everything that you want tosay In practice, you will find the whole task much easier if you start by breakingthe dissertation into sections and thinking carefully about how you will structurethese

The process of choosing a topic and developing a research plan starts in theResearch Methods unit, when you are required to produce a research proposal

A dissertation needs to be an original piece of work, by tackling a gap in theexisting literature, a neglected topic, or offering a new approach to a familiartheme

Choosing a topic

The choice of a topic may be informed by:

 Your study in other units of the Master’s programme It is legitimate, andsometimes sensible (after all, you already know something about thistopic) to develop a topic covered in a unit assignment into a Mastersdissertation Be under no illusions, however, that this will make life anyeasier; there is a major gulf between a unit assignment and a MastersDissertation

 The availability of appropriate primary sources

 Your interests and background knowledge What topic is likely to fullyengage your interests?

 Suggestions made by tutors for possible research topics

 Your career aspirations Conducting research may allow you to develop atopic which will be useful in an interview for further postgraduate training,

as in the case of teaching

 The academic and professional literature What are the topical themes ofthe day? What questions would researchers and/or practitioners beinterested in the answer to?

Part of the skill of finding a suitable dissertation topic consists of identifying asuitable range of primary sources which will be set within a framework ofsecondary literature from which questions to be asked of the secondary literaturecan be drawn

The more detailed examination of source materials you undertake, the lessground you can cover chronologically and geographically

Once you have chosen a topic, you need to try to convert it into a researchquestion, which in turn may lead to clarification of the dissertation title, researchaims, research objectives, and if appropriate, research hypotheses A goodresearch question defines the scope of the project, sets boundaries, and definesthe direction of the research

FAQ: Do I have to do the same topic for my Masters Dissertation as I did for my Research Proposal?

No Often, especially for part-time students, things change, and it makessense to change topic However, try if at all possible to stay within thesame subject area You will have done a lot of reading for the literaturereview, and you want to capitalise on this if at all possible

FAQ : If I change my topic who should I tell?

Make sure that you discuss any change of topic with your supervisor Ifthey and you agree that it is a significant change of topic, send an e-mail

to the Dissertation Unit Leader (Craig Horner) to keep him informed

Originality, contribution and coherence

The dissertation ideally makes an original contribution to historical knowledge.This can sound very intimidating, but it need not be The contribution required of

a Masters dissertation is modest You need not fear that you are being asked tocome up with something totally new and original; you will need to avoid simplyrecycling the work of earlier historians

You will be expected to show that you have surveyed all the relevant primary andsecondary sources and be up to date with the recent literature in your subject.Your dissertation must be based on primary sources It should be well written and

demonstrate your familiarity with appropriate scholarly conventions An importantcharacteristic of a well-written dissertation is its coherence

Remember, all research must be grounded in earlier literature which will providesome proposals for further research Masters research may, for example, involve:

 critical analysis of a previously under-utilised primary sources

 investigating newly emerging historiography

The balance between primary material and critical discussion of the secondaryliterature will differ between dissertations The range, accessibility and quality ofprimary sources varies between historical periods and fields of history as doesthe quantity of secondary literature A student may occasionally attempt ahistoriographical study if primary sources are unobtainable or are in a languagewith which s/he is unfamiliar This type of study should only be pursued with thefull approval of your dissertation supervisor

Ethical considerations

The University has established an Academic Ethical Framework through whichstaff and students of the University give consideration to the ethical implicationsassociated with any academic activities with which they engage This may not berelevant to many History dissertations, but will certainly be if you intend toconduct any research based on oral history testimony

You will be briefed on ethical considerations in a session of the ResearchMethods unit If appropriate, you may need to complete the Ethics Check Form(obtainable from your supervisor)

It is important to remember that research can be an intensely political and ethicalprocess This is particularly important to bear in mind if you are intending tocollect your own oral history interviews If you are considering a project thatinvolves working with individuals or groups you need to discuss the access andethical issues thoroughly with you supervisor at an early stage

Planning the research

A research proposal is your best research planning document However, don’t besurprised if your topic initially has a rather ‘elastic’ quality as you define and re-define it This process can best be done by writing up your ideas as you along.Don’t expect to spend several months of research before putting your ideas down

on paper Don’t be afraid to change your mind if an idea does not seem to beworking

If you do find yourself undertaking a different project from that outlined in theresearch proposal, or more modestly your topic has drifted from its original topic,you should remind yourself of the issues that need to be considered in researchplanning The important thing is to keep in regular contact with your supervisor:s/he will only be able to help if you have kept in touch and s/he know what youare doing It is your responsibility to maintain this contact In many cases whenstudents perform badly on the dissertation, it is because they have not kept insufficient contact with their supervisor.

In order to assist with this the assessment criteria for the research proposal areoutlined in the table below

Research planning is process which involves continuing reflection, and it is quitelikely that you will need to re-visit many of the questions in the table below toensure that your plan is relevant, and that things are progressing well It is quitepossible that by the time you are writing up the conclusion you may need to re-visit your research aims and objectives, and write them to reflect what youactually did, rather than what you expected to do, maybe several monthspreviously

Table 1: Research Proposal Assessment Criteria (for reference)

Aims, Objectives

and Scope

Is this a clear and accurate reflection of the content of yourresearch topic?

Is it an appropriate subject for an MA dissertation?

Is it at an appropriate level for an MA dissertation?

Is it feasible in scope?

Research Methods Does the proposal demonstrate an adequate understanding of

the research methods involved?

Are the methods appropriate? - in terms of answering theresearch question and fulfilling the stated objectives?

Have appropriate primary source materials been identified?Are primary sources specified in adequate depth?

Have ethical issues been addressed?

Have any additional research skills/techniques beenidentified?

Is the timetable feasible?

Have appropriate milestones been identified?

Is the proposal clear, concise and grammatically correct?

Getting organised

Especially if the work for your dissertation extends over a number of months, andyou work on it in blocks of time, it is important to be organised:

 keep a realistic timetable and stick to it

 work at a steady pace

 keep records of everything, including documents you have read,references, etc

 decide on your dissertation structure early in the process and write upnotes into this structure as you go along; do not leave all of the writing upuntil the end

 back-up all computer files!

4 Writing the dissertation

When it comes to writing-up the dissertation, it will be a great help if you have keptrough drafts on each piece of work Hence, it is useful to start writing as soon aspossible Early drafts can be revised as the work progresses In addition, an initialstructure for the dissertation can be helpful, although this again will need revision

In the early stages the emphasis should be on doing the research, not on writingthe dissertation – but the best way forward is to do the two in parallel

Appendix 1 shows in some detail the characteristics of a good dissertation

The length of a dissertation should be about 15,000 words, excluding tables and references It should demonstrate that you understand the background to your

research topic, explain clearly the methods used, present the results and discussthem within an appropriate framework Whilst at the beginning of the task thespectre of 15,000 words may seem very daunting, later in the process you may wellfind yourself needing to cut out sections of text At all times try to avoid verbosityand ‘padding’; it is a waste of everybody’s time!

Remember that for a dissertation, higher standards of preparation and presentationare expected than for ordinary course work

5 Working with your Dissertation Supervisor

First and foremost it is important to emphasise that the dissertation is directed study You are responsible for planning and managing your ownprogramme of work towards the successful and timely completion of yourdissertation However, in this endeavour, your dissertation supervisor will provide

self-advice and guidance at regular intervals throughout the research and writingprocess Their approach will be to ask questions to help you to think through yourown research dilemmas Specifically, supervisors will normally:

 Provide assistance in refining the aims and scope of a research project

 Offer comments on historiography: recent and other relevant secondaryliterature for you to read and search

 Advice about archives, and letters of introduction, if necessary

 Discuss with you structure, focus, line of argument of dissertation

 Encourage you to work sensibly towards deadlines

 Help you find your way through any major difficulties – such as slowprogress in accessing sources

 Comment on complete drafts of some sections of the dissertation

 Layout and presentation of the dissertation

Students will benefit most from liaison with their supervisor in the early stages ofthe project Accordingly, the student and supervisor should endeavour to ensurethat discussion has occurred around the first three points above If the project isset-up correctly in the first place, the later stages should need much less supportfrom the supervisor

The quickest and easiest way to fail a dissertation is not to maintain contact withyour supervisor You are therefore advised to:

 Meet your supervisor early on and discuss strategy

 Be clear about the questions and issues that you want to discuss in anymeeting

 Contact your supervisor regularly Make appointments for meetings Usee-mail for sending drafts or for quick questions You are entitled to about

10 hours of contact time over the supervision period, but frequency ofmeetings will depend on your needs and the topic that you choose

 At the close of a meeting agree what you will try to do before the nextmeeting, and, if appropriate, set the date for the next meeting (then youcan be sure to find a slot in your supervisor’s busy schedule)

 Send your supervisor drafts for comment Remember to give yoursupervisor a reasonable amount of time to comment, and to tell him/herthe context and the key issues on which you want feedback It can helpthe supervisor if you sent your statement of aims and objectives with eachdraft

Just to be clear, your supervisor will NOT:

 Tell you what to do: It is your project!

 Sort out a research question for you!

 Correct your spelling, punctuation and grammar (although they may markerrors that they happen to spot)

 Give you instant feedback in a meeting; they need drafts in advance of ameeting

 Facilitate access to your research respondents

 Read a complete draft of your dissertation prior to submission

 Force you to meet them, or otherwise chase you up It is yourresponsibility to ensure that meetings take place

Finally, important points about supervisors and assessment Your supervisor isone of the examiners for your dissertation All dissertations will also be marked

by another internal examiner and reviewed by an external examiner When yoursupervisor gives feedback on your work, they are not ‘marking’ it They aremaking a judgement on the part of your work that they are looking at, at a giventime Also, their feedback will be dependent on context For example, if a studentwho has had little contact with a supervisor, sends a draft methodology chapter

to the supervisor for comment about two weeks before the submission deadline,the tutor may indicate that the student has made ‘good progress’ This does notmean that the overall dissertation is good, or even, that the chapter would beawarded a mark of 65% The tutor will be taking into account the loomingdeadline and be concerned to re-assure and encourage the student towardscompletion In short, if you want your supervisor to understand your researchpotential and help you to maximise it, you need to interact with them throughoutthe research process They will do their best to support you in achieving as good

a mark as possible

The following is a useful website for help with grammar:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/index.htm

Even if you do not have any problems in these areas, it is always advisable to get

a friend to proofread a dissertation It is very difficult to find all of the minormistakes in a long document that you have written

FAQ: What if I think that I want to change my supervisor?

Discuss your concerns with the Dissertation Unit Leader He will seek toinvestigate the cause of your concerns If the supervision process really isnot working satisfactorily then a new supervisor will be allocated; nojudgements will be made against either the student or the supervisor.Students should, however, remember that there will be workloadrestrictions that may affect the choice of any new supervisor

FAQ: What if for some reason I don’t have a dissertation supervisor or have been unable to make contact with them over an extended period of time?

Make contact with the Dissertation Unit Leader, initially by e-mail, as soon

as possible He will be able to investigate further and offer advice

FAQ How can I make sure that I can contact my dissertation supervisor over vacations, such as Easter and Summer?

Most supervisors will take some leave during these periods If you arelikely to need to be in contact, and deadlines are looming, find out beforethe end of term when your supervisor may be available for meetings or e-mail contact during vacation periods

FAQ: Life has ‘got on top of me’ and I haven’t made much progress with

6 Finding other support

In addition to your supervisor there are a number of other avenues of supportthat may from time to time be useful:

 Other staff in the Department – such staff do not have the time to take on

the role of an extra supervisor – but they may be able to spend 20 minutespointing you in the right direction on a specific issue

 Other students – Your fellow Dissertation students can act as a very

valuable support group On a practical level, you can discuss your workwith them

 On an emotional level, they are travelling the same journey, so you canhelp keep each other moving along, especially in the long and lonelywriting-up phase

 Colleagues, friends and family – Can offer a range of practical and

emotional support

7 Managing your research and deadlines

Make sure that your topic is a manageable one and that your dissertation:

 Says something – makes a case, draws conclusions, is coherent andmeaningful

 Makes an informed and critically aware use of primary sources to prove itspoint