Projects, dissertations and reports module

Projects, dissertations and reports gives detailed coverage of each format and develops the specific problem solving and research skills required to give students the confidence and resourcefulness for more independent study.

Sample activity: Select and summarise key literature you have used in your research

You will need to:

  • Be highly selective about what you include

  • Summarise very concisely how this literature contributed to your own thinking and methods for this project

Select the arrow below to browse tips on how to conduct a literature review.

abstract-connections-5000x2000
Look for chains

Look for ‘chains’. Consider how each piece of research or set of ideas gave rise to the next. Briefly, trace how a subject developed over time.

notebook-pen-2000x1000
Make notes

Write brief notes about the development of the research on that topic until now. Make a list of the 5 to 10 key pieces of research that have had most influence on the subject. Quickly chart how each piece of research influenced others in the chain.

dartboard-3200x1400
Focus on your hypothesis

Identify how your project will follow on from what has gone before. What will it add to knowledge about the topic or methods?

laptop-coffee-notebook-phone-5000x2000
Summarise to fit the report

Summarise your notes to fit the word limit for that section of your report.

Module content

Projects, dissertations and reports features the following:

  • Diagnostic test
  • Section 1: Research projects
  • Section 2: Conducting your research
  • Section 3: Reporting your findings
  • Module assessment

See what’s in each section below:

  • Research projects: an introduction
  • What are research projects and why are they set?
  • The different types of research projects you might come across
  • Choosing your topic
  • Dissertation action plan
  • Conducting your research: an introduction
  • The literature search and review
  • The research hypothesis
  • Research design
  • Designing questionnaires
  • Preparing and conducting research interviews
  • Presenting and analysing data
  • The anatomy of a report
  • Presentation and style
  • Structuring a case study
  • Writing style
  • Project and dissertation checklist
  • Skills self-assessment
Confidence with numbers
Research principles

Select and summarise key literature you have used in your research

One section of your project report or dissertation will consist of a review of the key literature that provides a background to your own research subject and project methodology. This is referred to as the literature review. You will need to:

  • Be highly selective about what you include
  • Summarise very concisely how this literature contributed to your own thinking and methods for this project

 

Here are some tips on how to conduct a literature review:

 

Look for chains

Look for ‘chains’. Consider how each piece of research or set of ideas gave rise to the next. Briefly, trace how a subject developed over time.

 

Make notes

Write brief notes about the development of the research on that topic until now. Note the 5 to 10 key pieces of research that have had most influence on the subject. Quickly chart how each piece of research influenced others in the chain.

 

Focus on your hypothesis

Identify how your project will follow on from what has gone before. What will it add to knowledge about the topic or methods?

 

Summarise to fit the report

Summarise your notes to fit the word limit for that section of your report.

View text only version View full version