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Appendix 4 Dissertation structure
It is important to stress is that there are no hard-and-fast rules about dissertation writing. A great deal will
depend on your topic (some topics, for instance, already have a large existing literature which you need to
review, others have very little). Your methodology will also affect the way the study develops (qualitative
data typically takes more space than quantitative, etc.). Nevertheless, there are a few general guidelines
which may help.
Title page
The title of the dissertation together with the candidate’s name, student ID, module code, module title, word
count and supervisor’s name should appear on the cover sheet of the work. The dissertation must be word
processed (12 pt. either Times New Roman or 11/12pt Arial/Calibri).
Use double-spacing.
Abstract (200-250 words)
The abstract is a summary of your dissertation in which you briefly mention the research problem,
methods, results, and important conclusions from your results. An abstract is normally written once
all other sections of the dissertation have been completed.
Table of contents
You should include a table of contents including a list of appendices if you have them, a list of figures in the
dissertation and a list of any abbreviations or acronyms used in the dissertation.
Introduction (500-750 words)
The introduction should include some general ideas about why your study and the questions it addresses are
important. It should also deal with the context/s (for instance, if the study is about Chinese students studying
in the UK, an overview of the situations/expectations, the academic cultures etc. in both China and the UK
would be appropriate). In addition, the introduction should provide a “roadmap” of what will be covered in
the dissertation. It is often better to make the introduction the LAST thing you write, as ideas almost always
change from the beginning to the end, and the end product is often rather different from the initial plan.
Background and context (1000-1500)
Here you should make clear to the reader why you are interested in this topic (building on what you have
said in the introduction) and describe the context in which the research is being carried out. This will relate
not just to the geographical location but possibly also to historical background, policy, and practice. Tell the
reader everything s/he needs to know to make sense of your study.
Literature review (3000-4000)
In the literature review, you should review all the literature you can on your topic/s. Don’t forget that, if you
have a topic such as “vocabulary strategies” you have two sets of literature at your disposal (strategies and
vocabulary). In addition to the “classic” literature, you should aim for a good number of the most recent
publications on your topic. Journals ore often the best for this. Identify useful journals in your field (e.g.,
System, ELTJ, TESOL Quarterly, Language Teaching, Language Learning, Modern Language Journal, Foreign
Language Annals, etc.). You should be careful about in-text referencing, and follow the style expected by
your institution. Be especially careful to check the veracity or reliability of material you find online. You
should avoid internet material (e.g., Wikipedia, etc, although these can be useful for an initial search, and
they can provide useful references). If you are going to quote online material, try to ensure you can identify
an author – it looks more professional, and is easier to list in your references. Of course, you must
acknowledge material quoted or even paraphrased from other sources. failure to do this constitutes
plagiarism, an extremely serious academic offence, which can have serious consequences.
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A tip for avoiding plagiarism: do not cut and paste! When you are reading, take notes, then write your ideas
from your notes in your own words.
Methodology/Research design (1000-1500)
The Methodology section is an important section. It should include:
Research questions. Your research questions should be stimulated and informed by the reading you
have carried out for the literature review. They should be clear, open (i.e., not answerable by ‘yes’ or ‘no’)
and feasible (remember: you are a one-person team working within quite tight time and word-limit
constraints). Remember to address all your questions in your study, and deal with them in your discussion.
Research design. Are you adopting a quantitative approach A qualitative approach A mixedmethods approach Case study Make sure that you consider the pros and cons of each and justify your final
choice. You can do this by looking at how previous researchers have looked at similar topics.
Data generation. Give as much detail as you can about how the data was collected. Give details
about any instruments you used (e.g., a questionnaire, how this was chosen/constructed,
interview/observation schedules, etc.). How did you get these to your participants, how did you collect them
from them, where/when were interviews held, etc. Make sure you explain why you do what you do.
Participants. Try to include as much detail as you can, such as age, gender, where they are from,
anything else about them which makes them “real”. Be careful about privacy, however, and do not include
anything which might be seen as a breach of confidence or threaten anonymity.
Data analysis. (sometimes this is easier to do afterwards, as we often change our minds as the study
progresses, but it is good to have the heading in place to make sure you don’t forget it!). Details should
include the statistics you calculated (e.g., means, medians, percentages, frequencies), how you went about a
content analysis of qualitative data, etc.
Ethics. How are you going to gain participants’ informed consent How are you going to minimise
stress for your participants How are you dealing with issues such as anonymity and confidentiality How can
you ensure that your data are kept in a secure place (See Minerva, EDUC5928M, ‘Learning Resources’,
under ‘Ethics’.)
Findings (1000-3000)
This is where you try to answer your research questions. The results or findings are, perhaps, the most
important part of any study, so take care with how what you find is displayed. Tables tend to be clearer than
too much unbroken text. For qualitative or mixed method studies results/findings may be long (in terms of
words) and might even be mixed in with discussion.
Discussion (2000-3000)
What do your results mean, why are they important How do your findings relate to your research
questions How do they relate to the literature you reviewed earlier
Implications. what implications do your results have, e.g., for pedagogy.
Limitations and directions for further study. No study ever discovers everything there is to know
about a topic. How could your study be usefully followed up (e.g., with larger numbers, in different contexts,
with different participants, etc.)
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Conclusion (750-1000)
Here you summarise your study and point out why it was useful. What have you learnt from your research
which may help you in the future
(Make sure that all your research questions have been addressed (if not, remove or re-word the redundant
ones, and/or add in any others that evolved along the way). Make sure that all the results you found are
mentioned in the data analysis section, etc.). Make sure you have done what you said you were going to do,
and/or go back and insert anything extra you did or remove what you didn’t actually do. Make sure
everything matches with everything else.)
References (not included in word count)
List all the literature you have referred to, in alphabetical order, and using the Leeds Harvard style. You need
to cross check that all in-text references are noted in the reference list, and all in the reference list are noted
in-text. This is tedious, and can take some time, but must not be neglected!
Appendices (not included in word count)
Here you include any extra material you have used, e.g. if you have used a questionnaire or
interview/observation sheet, put it here. Include the information sheet you gave to your participants, the
signed proposal, etc. (Please also check the material on dissertation support on Minerva.)