The following parts of the HaSS student handbook may be useful:

• Dissertations (Pages 28-30)

• Appendix 2 – Presenting and referencing coursework (Page 55)

What is a dissertation / project?

BSc. Psychologists do a dissertation whereas psychology majors and sports psychologists do a project.

The following information is extracted from the HaSS student handbook (2001/02).

“A dissertation is an extended piece of independent writing, weighted as 24 credits and can only be taken at level three. It is a compulsory requirement for some awards and
optional for others, and can be taken in most subjects” (p.28)

“(dissertations) demonstrate your ability to work independently, to make sound academic judgements, and to express informed opinions that show familiarity with recent
research” (p.29)

How much supervision do you get?

To complete your dissertation you will be assigned a dissertation supervisor. This tutor is there to help you define the topic, research the material and shape the argument
(note the emphasis on helping you – at the end of the day the responsibility is yours). You can also discuss presentation and organisation with your supervisor although it
must be remembered that the work should be independent. Supervisors are not able to comment in detail on the presentation or tell you what to write; once the dissertation is
nearly complete, the supervisor cannot comment further (HaSS student handbook 2001/02 p. 29).

You are assigned the equivalent of a quarter of an hour supervision per week for supervision. You can use this allocation as you please, some people may use more time in
the beginning and final stages of their dissertation, others may choose to see their tutor at the same time on a weekly basis. This is for you to decide with your tutor.

There is also a taught component of the dissertation, details of which have yet tobe finalised (watch this space).

If you want to do a dissertation/project

If you wish to do a dissertation you need to complete the relevant documentation. The dissertation tutor for this academic year is Dr. Gareth Miles (Room B24b e-mail
g.miles@glam.ac.uk)
How long is a dissertation/project?
As is stated in your student handbook, the normal length of dissertations is 8000 words including the bibliography. Acceptable deviation from the recommended length is +/-
1500 words.
Projects are shorter, between 5000-6000 words.

What should my dissertation/project look like?

Along with the general rules for the presentation of coursework (as listed in the student handbook Appendices 2) there are some things which are specific to dissertations. It is
your responsibility to check the guidance has been adhered to.

Specific rules for the presentation of dissertations (HaSS student handbook 2001/02 p. 56)
• You should submit two copies, these will not be returned so you may wish to keep an additional copy for yourself
• Dissertations should be bound between front and rear card covers in a permanent binding
• The outside cover should carry the title of the study, the name and initials of the author and the supervisors name
• The internal title page should contain the full title of the study, the full name of the author, the student number, the award for which the dissertation is submitted, the
supervisors name and the date of submission
• There should be a contents page directly after the title page and following this there should be an abstract or summary of the study
• The word count should be included on the final page of the dissertation

Most tutors will be happy to show you some past dissertations so that you can get an idea about what one looks like. As all projects are different there is no single way of
presenting the information, for example there are specific differences when presenting qualitative and quantitative reports (see the study skills pages on report writing). You
may like to look at your dissertation as an extended research report dissertations are often broken down into similar sections. Your tutor should be able to put your mind at
rest if presentation remains a concern.

An example of a Dissertation / Project Plan

These are some of the main tasks that you will need to complete in conducting and writing up your research and a possible timeline that you might consider. The shaded cells
give some indication of the stage you might aim to be at month by month. (Although there could be a fair amount of variability and overlap within/around this timeline.) Not
all dissertations / projects require the same amount of time for each stage of the process and so it is important that you devise a plan which suits both your own needs and the
nature of the topic.

Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.

Generate potential topics
Literature review
Finalise topic
Design study
Prepare materials
Gather data

Analyse data Exams

Write-up

Revise and edit

Submit dissertation May

It is particularly useful to think about constructing a Dissertation / Project Plan when undertaking research in an educational context. This is something that is considered in
more detail by the resource pages on Research with Children.

Ethical considerations
If your study involves human participants, it is vital when planning the methodology that you conform to the ethical guidelines for psychological research. All dissertation
proposals are screened for ethics prior to acceptance, although as a psychology student you should have at least considered these issues before writing and submitting the
proposal. A well considered proposal is likely to win you brownie points with your potential supervisor (who, by the way is under no obligation to accept you if they feel
uneasy with your proposal). The following web sites have useful information on ethical considerations for psychological research –

• American Psychological Association - http://www.apa.org/

• British Psychological Society - http://www.bps.org.uk/about/rules.cfm (downloadable version of ethical principles available at this site)