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Dissertations and Extended Essays

Dissertations and Extended Essays Shaun Theobald The Student Learning Advisory Service The workshop structure Maximising project potential Preparing a synopsis or abstract Time management & managing reading Summary/final discussion Your final subject choice

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Dissertations and Extended Essays

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  1. Dissertations and Extended Essays Shaun Theobald The Student Learning Advisory Service

  2. The workshop structure • Maximising project potential • Preparing a synopsis or abstract • Time management&managing reading • Summary/final discussion

  3. Your final subject choice • Engagement; intellectual curiosity = academic ‘fun’ • Choose a subject you enjoy • Then (with the right organisation & preparation etc…) the ‘results’ will follow • Your opportunity to negotiate your own area of interest

  4. Preliminary • What questions do you have about extended essays/dissertations? • What kind of document are you going to produce? • Word limit? • No of chapters? • Visual material? • Secondary sources?

  5. Maximising project potential: getting started • Get going as soon as you can! • Capture ideas • Ideas ‘notebook’ • The terminology/discipline-specific ‘notebook’ • The reading ‘notebook’ • Keep track of references!

  6. Maximising project potential: getting started • Seek advice • Talk to • Peers • Previous students • The Department/School • Your (potential) supervisor • Who will mark your work?

  7. Maximising project potential: organisation • Organisation is vital • Organisation in one place • Study space - the ‘base camp’ for your work • Filing away - research material to hand! • Continuity needed • Maintain reading records • Working with others? • Agreeing space/time

  8. Maximising project potential: preparing for reading/research • Preparing the bibliography • Understanding Department/Module referencing conventions • Active ‘reading lists’ • Three areas: • 1.Material that will be used • 2.Recommended material • 3.Rejected material

  9. Maximising project potential: planning and choosing the topic • What? Why? How? Where? When? • Guidance from Department/Module • Your instincts • Your interests • Width and depth • Current academic thinking • Consulting journals to access this

  10. Maximising project potential: planning and choosing the topic • Use librarians • Use electronic data • Effective literature reviews • Budgetary constraints-time + money • Access to materials/libraries • Methodological/fieldwork constraints

  11. Literature reviews • Think about your own ideas before you search • Relate the literature review to your ideas • Show sensible focus and selection • Be guided by others: dept.; supervisor; librarian

  12. Literature reviews • Integrate your literature review into your writing • Discuss your material • Don’t just ‘tack-on’ a summary of research! • Dominant theories/approaches • Chronological organisation? • Thematic organisation?

  13. Preparing a synopsis or abstract • Hypothesis-How? • Aims-Why? • Argument-What? • A document to guide you • A document to discuss with your supervisor • A document that can be revised

  14. Supervision • Take charge? • (Diplomatically!) • Anticipate questions in advance • Plan actions to discuss them… • Then record agreed actions • Always have a specific agenda • Plan meetings strategically + regularly

  15. Time management • Priorities • Schedules • Using gap time effectively • Working to a deadline • Working backwards from a deadline • Leaving time for disasters! • Leaving time for creative thinking • Writing in stages? • Or one draft, then review?

  16. Time management: 4 big tips! • Write-up empirical research as you go along • Work to a time/word limit • Allow about 25% of total time for writing up • Remember the time needed at the end for binding, paginating, sorting appendices etc!

  17. Managing reading • Seek guidance • Establish priorities • Read actively: always carry forward questions & skim + scan + read for detail • Practice ‘rapid-access’ reading • Work with an active and accurate bibliography

  18. Notes from reading • Make notes selective • Not summaries! • Use a variety of methods • Systematic organisation • Systematic filing • Bibliographical details • + page nos. • Separation of source material from your paraphrases • Avoiding the plagiarism trap

  19. Good luck with your writing… • For further support, contact us… • www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/learning

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