Module: Research Project / Dissertation

Module details

  • Module code

    3300

  • Module leader

    Meriel Moore-Colyer / David Hardwick

  • Module Level

    6

  • Module credits

    30

  • Min study time

    300 hours

  • Contact hrs

    28 hours

Module content

In this module, students draw on knowledge and skills developed at levels 4 and 5 plus a series of dissertation /project workshops at the start of their level 6 studies.  They are guided through the research enquiry process by working with an allocated supervisor to produce a dissertation or project located within the subject area of their named award. The dissertation may be a conceptual piece or may be based on the analysis of existing or new data sets. The students are required to produce an acceptable, detailed research proposal, a completed research ethics form and a health and safety statement before progressing to the main stages of their study. Detailed guidance on the requirements of the dissertation/project, teaching content, assessment briefs will be provided on the 3300 Gateway page under the relevant content tab.

Students must adopt an appropriate research methodology and undertake appropriate research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods in order to address their research aim(s) and objectives and critically investigate the research subject.  As part of the dissertation/project they should attend and give a short presentation to a progress seminar of supervisors and peers in which evidence is provided to show progress made in data gathering and report generation.  As the main output of this module students must produce a fully referenced dissertation/project report, or equivalent, that meets the University’s requirements for undergraduate dissertations.

Module outcomes

To achieve credit for this module, students must be able to:

  1. Develop a detailed research proposal that presents a well-developed research aim(s) supported by clear research objectives
  2. Identify and respond to ethical considerations and limitations relating to the dissertation/project.
  3. Determine and apply appropriate methods to gather, process, present and interpret research data.
  4. Critically review and synthesise the work of others in the field of inquiry and discuss these in the context of the results analysed within this study.
  5. Critically evaluate the conduct and outcomes of the research and develop conclusions and recommendations that are reliable and well-supported by the research undertaken.

Assessment

Assessment Description Weighting
Coursework 5-10 minute presentation to a progress seminar 10%
Coursework Dissertation / report (12,000 words) or equivalent 90%

Key texts

  • Feather, D. (2015) From proposal to thesis: writing an undergraduate dissertation. White & Maclean Publishing.
  • Creswell, J.W., 2014. Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approaches. 4th ed. Sage Publications.
  • Pears, R. and Shields, G.J. (2016) Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. 10th edn. Palgrave. (Palgrave study skills).
  • Saunders M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill. A. (2016) Research methods for business students. 7th ed. Pearson
  • Parsons and Knight (2015). 3rd edition.   How to do your dissertation in geography and related disciplines. Chapman and Hall.
  • Walliman, N. (2011) 2nd edition. Your research project: a step by step guide for the first time researcher. Sage Publications.
  • Laycock, E., Howarth, T. and Watson, P. (2016). The journey to dissertation success: for construction, property, and architecture students. London. Routledge
  • Malmfors, B (et al) (2004) Writing and Presenting Scientific Papers. (2nd edition) Nottingham University Press
  • Hewson, C., Yule, P., Laurent, D. and Vogel, C., 2016. Internet research methods: A practical guide for the behavioural and social sciences. 2nd ed. SAGE
  • Barbour, R.S., 2014. Introducing qualitative research: a student’s guide. 2nd ed. Sage publications Ltd.
  • Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2015. Business research methods. 4th ed. Oxford University Press.
  • Clark, M., Johnson, P. and Gill, A., 2010. Research Methods for Managers. 4th ed. Sage publications.
  • Denscombe, M., 2015. The good research guide for small-scale social research projects 5th ed. Open University Press. (Open University study skills).
  • Field, A., 2016. An Adventure in Statistics: The Reality Enigma. SAGE.
  • Oakshott, l., 2012. Essential quantitative methods for business, management and finance. 5th edn. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Silverman, D., 2015. Qualitative research: theory, method, practice. 4th  edn. Sage publications.
  • Yin, R.K. (2014) Case study research: design and methods. 5th ed. Sage Publications