Post on 30-Sep-2020
Single Honours GeographyDissertation Handbook2009-2010
Department of Geography, Exeter University
GEO2310: Human Geography Practice
GEO3301: Dissertation
Table of Contents
Section 1: Aims, learning outcomes & requirements 2
Section 2: Dissertation planning & the proposal. 10
Section 3: Ethical considerations, safety & fieldwork 14
Section 4: Progress monitoring & advice 20
Section 5: Dissertation presentation & layout 23
Section 6: Regulations & procedures 32
Section 7: Three final pieces of advice. 35
Appendix 1: Dissertation proposal guidelines. 37
Appendix 2: Members of staff & subject areas 40
Appendix 3: Risk forms 43
Appendix 4: Ethics form 45
Appendix 5: Dissertation progress form 50
Appendix 6: Specimen front page 52
Appendix 7: Example table of contents 53
Appendix 8: Example list of figures 54
Appendix 9: Dissertation marking criteria 55
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 1
Thisguidecoversthebackgroundinformationyouwillneedbeforeyoustartyourdisserta‐tion in the SingleHonours Geography andGeography withEuropeanStudies degree pro‐grammes.ItisintendedforstudentswhoareregisteredfortheGEO2310:HumanGeographyResearchTrainingmodule. Thisguideshouldbeofconsiderablehelptoyouduringyourdis‐sertationresearchandcontainsthefollowingmainsections:
Section 1:Aims, learning outcomes & requirements
This sectiondiscusses: theaims andoutcomes, andscopeofthe dissertation,whatmakesagooddissertation,andhowyoumightcomeupwithandpresentanideaforresearching.
1.1 Aims
Thepointof thedissertationis to give you anopportunity to display your skills in tacklingspeciIic geographical issues insomedepth. Theessenceof thework is thatyouareabletodemonstrateyourability to undertakeyourown independentand originalpieceof research.Thedissertationmustbeindependentandoriginalinallitsphasesincludingdesign,datacon‐struction,dataprocessingandanalysisanddatainterpretationanddissertationwrite‐up.Theaimsofthedissertationareforyoutodevelop:
1. KnowledgeofaspeciIicgeographicaltopic2. Anunderstandingofthechallengesofempiricalgeographicalresearch3. Theabilitytodealwithpracticalresearchproblems(e.g.constructing,manipulating,ana‐
lysingandinterpretingdatasources)4. Skillsindesigningresearchandlinkingitssubject‐mattertootherbodiesofgeographical
knowledge5. Skillsindealingwiththecomplexinter‐relationshipsofreal‐worldprocesses6. Transferable skills in inter‐personal communication, data construction andanalysis, re‐
portwriting,andeffectivetimemanagement.
1.2 IntendedLearningoutcomes
Onsatisfactorilycompletingthedissertationyoushouldbeableto:
Knowledge&understanding
1. Explainindepththenatureofyourresearchproblemanditsrelevanceto theIield(s)ofstudyandtotherelevantpublishedliterature.
2. Describetheresultsandanalysethemintermsoftheoriginalaims.3. Presentsubstantiveconclusionsandindicatedirectionsforfutureresearchinthearea.4. Discusscriticallytheshortcomingsoftheresearchmethods.
Disciplinespeci5icskills:
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 2
1. Plan,designandexecuteapieceofrigorousgeographicalresearch,includingtheproduc‐tionofaIinalreport.
2. Undertake effective Iield work, with due consideration of safety and risk assessment(whereapplicable).
3. Worksafely inalaboratoryandwithawarenessofstandardprocedures(whereapplica‐ble)
4. Prepareeffectivemapsanddiagramsusingarangeofappropriatetechnologies.5. Employappropriatetechnicaland/orlaboratory‐basedmethodsfortheanalysisofspatial
andenvironmentaldata(whereapplicable).6. Employ where appropriate social science/geographical survey techniques for the con‐
structionandanalysisofdata.7. Construct, interpret, evaluate andcombinedifferent typesofgeographical evidenceand
information.8. Recognisetheethicalissuesinvolvedindebatesandenquiries(whereapplicable)andun‐
dertakeIieldworkwithdueconsiderationtoethicalconcerns.
Intellectualskills:
1. DeIineanddefendthepurposeofthedissertation.2. DeIineitsplaceandfunctionwithingeography.3. Identify,formulate,analyseandresolveresearchquestions/problems.4. Demonstrateitsphilosophyandmethodology.5. Demonstratearigorouspatternofexperimentalconceptionand/ordataconstruction.6. Demonstrateanappropriateapproachtoanalysis.7. Provideacriticalinterpretationofdataandtext.8. Abstractandsynthesiserelevantinformation.9. Demonstratearationalsynthesis.10. Demonstratearelevantandrealisticconclusion.11. Developandsustainareasonedargument.12. Judgecriticallyandevaluateevidence/previousresearch.13. Assessthemeritsofdifferenttheories,concepts,explanationsandpolicies.14. Demonstrateanappropriatelyhighlevelofliteracy,graphicacy,numeracyandconceptual
sophistication.15. RealisethedissertationslimitationswithinthespeciIicIieldofresearch.16. Makeclear,logicalandappropriatedecisions.
Transferableskills:
1. Planandexecuteapieceofprimaryresearch.2. Undertakeindependentresearch(e.g. inlibrary,archive,laboratory,andIield),effectively,
responsiblyandwithconsiderationofethicalissues.3. Construct,manipulate,analyse,interpretgeographicaldata/sourcematerial,andcommu‐
nicateIindingsusingnumericandcomputationaltechniqueswhereapplicable.4. Communicateresearchproblemsandaskrelevantquestions.5. Liaiseeffectivelywithpublicandprivatebodieswhereappropriate.6. Structure amajor piece ofresearch work, and present it competently and clearly (e.g.
write coherently, create and use diagrams, Iigures, appendices using appropriate com‐puterandinformationtechnology).
7. Demonstrate competence inworking independently (i.e. personal motivation, decisionmaking, awareness, responsibility, andmanagementskills, includingsettingandworktodeadlines).
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 3
1.3 Natureofstudy
Therearegenerallyno restrictionsonthetypeofgeographicalstudythatyoucanundertakeincompletingyourdissertationresearch. Yourdissertationshoulddrawfromareasofstudywithinone(ormore)ofthesystematicbranchesofthediscipline(e.g. tourismgeography,cul‐tural geography). Studies involving theconstructionandanalysisoforiginal data (e.g. ques‐tionnaires, interviews) or sourcematerial (e.g. travel writing, visual images, Iilm)aremostsuitable.StudentsshouldundertakeIieldworktoconstructthisdata/sourcematerialwhetherthis is inanarchive, libraryorIieldlocation. Studentsshouldmakeclearthesourcesofdatathathavebeenconstructed, analysedorinterpreted(seesection6.2). Studentsmustusetheappropriatequalitative and/orquantitativemethodologies for theirresearch. Anydisserta‐tionmustbeanoriginalpieceofresearchandthereforemustbemorethanamerecompila‐tionofexistinginformation.
1.4 Requirements
2ndYEAR
Youare requiredtoproduce awordprocesseddissertationproposal (limit: 2000words)aspartoftheGEO2310:HumanGeographyPracticemodule.SeeSection2forfurtherdetails
Thesubmissiondeadlineforthisisthe7thMay2009.
FINALYEAR
Youarerequiredtoproduceadissertation(GEO3301)ofnomorethan10,000words(exclud‐ingbibliography,tablesandappendices).Yourdissertationis importantasitcounts for25%ofyourIinaldegree.NB.Writingmorethan10,000wordswillresultinmarksbeingdeducted.
ThesubmissiondeadlineforthiswillbethelastThursdayoftheSpringTermoftheThirdYear.
1.5 Dissertationcontent
Yourwrittendissertationshould:
1. DeIineanddefendthepurposeofthedissertation.2. DeIineitsplaceandfunctionwithingeography.3. Demonstrateitsphilosophyandmethodology.4. Demonstratearigorouspatternofexperimental conceptionand/ordataor sourcecon‐
struction.5. Demonstrateanappropriateapproachtoanalysisand/orinterpretationofdata/sources.6. Demonstratearationalsynthesis.7. Demonstratearelevantandrealisticconclusion.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 4
8. Demonstrateanappropriatelyhighlevelofliteracy,graphicacy,numeracyandconceptualsophistication.
9. RealiseitslimitationswithinthespeciIicIieldofresearch.
Itis importantthatyoubeartheaboveinmindwhendesigning,implementing,andreportingonyourdissertationresearch. YoucanusethecriteriaaboveandlearningoutcomesstatedinSection1.2as a list againstwhichyoucancheckyourdissertation. Does yourdissertationshowevidenceof,ordemonstratethesefeatures?
Whatmakesagooddissertation?
1. Agoodproblem.2. Setinitsacademiccontext.3. Aclearstatementofaims,researchquestionsandobjectives.4. Alogicalresearchprogramme.5. AclearlydeIinedandappropriatemethodology.6. The construction of adequate andappropriate data/source material to address the re‐
searchquestion(s).7. Theapplicationofadequateandappropriateanalyticaland/orinterpretativetechniques
tothedata/sourcematerial.8. AclearstatementofIindingsbasedontheanalysisofthisdataanditsrelationto itsaca‐
demiccontext.9. Awellpresented,wellstructuredandclearlywrittenpieceofwork.10. Conclusionsthatrelateto thestatedaimsandresearchquestions,andshowthedisserta‐
tions’originalcontributiontogeographical(andperhapswider)literatures.
Theassessmentofyourdissertationisbasedonthedegreetowhichyourreportmeetsthesecriteria.DetailsofmarkingcriteriaareprovidedinAppendix8.
1.6 GettingstartedYourdissertationshouldbeframedwithinabroadareaofstudy(aresearchtopic).Withinthisyoushouldidentifyaresearch problem, thisisamorespeciIic,smallerissuewithinthetopic.Theresearchproblemshouldleadto theidentiIicationofresearchquestions. Thesearespe‐ciIicquestionsthatyouaskinrelationtoyourproblem,i.e.howyouapproachtheproblem.
Forexample:
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 5
As you will appreciate after reading the sample dissertations, dissertations are by nomeansidenticalintheirstructure.Theycanbepursuedandwrittenaccordingtothespiritas well as the letterof the advice that follows. Pleasediscuss your ideas and concernsabout thisadvicewithyourpostgraduateseminar leaders,withstaffwhose interestsyoushare,withyourtutorand(eventually)withyourdissertationadviser.Youwillnotneces‐sarilygetabettergradebytakingthefollowingadvicebytheletter,orconstructingadis‐sertationtopicliketheonesusedasexamplesbelow.Yourtopicand/orapproachmaynotIitcertainaspectofwhatcanseemlike,butisn’tmeanttobe,asinglewayofdoingthings.Alwaysstartoffwiththatblueskiesthinking‐‘Inanidealworld,I’dlovetodoadisserta‐tionon…’.
Inchoosingatopicyouneedtoconsider:
Isitinteresting? Are you interested in your topic inboth a personal andanaca‐demicsense?Howcanthetopicmotivateyou?
Isitrealistic? Isthereenoughtime?Arethedataavailable?IsitIinanciallyviable? Canyouaffordthetransportandmaterials?WherecanIdoit? Can you research at a Iixed location, or is there only a limited
choiceofsites?DoIneedequipment? Doesthedepartmenthaveit?Willitbeavailable?Isitpractical? Istheretimeavailableto constructthedatathatyouneed?What
othercommitments(work,holidays)doyouneedtoconsider? Doyou need permission for access to Iield sites, or unusual datasources?DoyouneedassistanceintheIield?Isthetimerequiredfor analysis reasonable and realistic (i.e. will there be sufIicientaccesstothenecessaryfacilities?)?(checkwithadvisor)
Safety? ArethereanyrisksthatneedtobeidentiIiedintheIieldorlabora‐torywork?DoyouneedassistanceintheIield?
Ethicalissues? Arethereethicalconcernsassociatedwiththisresearch?HowwillIdealwiththem?
Identifyingaresearchtopic
You should choosea dissertation which reIlects your interest in the subject andwhich at‐tempts to address currentdebates ingeography. Examples can oftenbegainedfrom yourmodulelecturesorbyreadingrecentjournal issues(e.g. inArea,Transactionsofthe InstituteofBritishGeographers,ProgressinHumanGeography,ProfessionalGeographer,andtheAnnalsoftheAssociationofAmericanGeographers).
PerhapsthemostdifIicultpartofthedissertationprocessisidentifyingaproblemtoaddress.OnceyouhaveidentiIiedasuitableresearchtopicyouneedtodecidewhatparticularaspectofthetopicyouaregoingtoinvestigate.ThisrequiresyoutobefamiliarwiththeotherresearchthathasalreadybeendoneintheIield. Yourdissertationmustbesetinthecontextofthisex‐istingresearch. Thismeans thatyouneed to carryoutpreliminary researchinthe library,
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 6
Topic:Disabilityandhousing. Problem:‘Intentionalcommunities’andsocialinclusion/exclusion.
Questions:What are ‘intentional communities’? What organisations run intentional communities?Howdotheseorganisationsjustifyandexplaintheneedfordisabledpeopletolivetogetherinthesecommunities?Whatdootherorganisationsandindividualssay aboutthesecom‐munities?Whatcritiquesandalternativesarethere?Whatisthehistoryofthe‘Intentionalcommunity’ idea? Where are these communities found now? How many people live inthem?Howmightitbepossibletolearnmoreaboutthem,fromwrittensources,fromvisit‐ingthese communities, fromtalking toand/orworkingwithpeoplerunning andlivinginthem?Whatethicalissuesneedtobeconsideredwhenplanninganddoingthiskindofre‐search?Dothesecommunitiesenabledisabledpeopletobemoreorlessactivemembersofwidersociety?
checking journals, reviewarticles, abstracts anddatabasesto gainanunderstandingof theliteratureinthesubjectareaandrecentresearchbeforeyoustartyourownresearch.
The librarywebpages havehelpful informationguides to using online databases and elec‐tronic search engines (http://www.ex.ac.uk/library). You should familiarise yourself withtheseas soonaspossiblewhenundertakingyour researchforyourdissertation. Ifyouarehavingproblemsusingthewebbasedbibliographicresourcesaskthehelpdeskstaffintheli‐brary.Yourpersonaltutor/modulelecturer/dissertationadvisorwillalsobeabletodirectyoutowiderreading.
FlowerdewandMartin(1997)suggestthefollowingtipsforgeneratingresearchideas:
♦ Thinkaboutyourownoutsideinterests:cantheygeneratearesearchtopic?♦ Beonthelook‐outforideasinthemedia:newspapers,radio,televisionetc.♦ FollowupanideathataroseinalectureorIieldclass.♦ Readarticlesorbooksonatopicthatinterestsyou.♦ Talktoorganisationsorindividualsworkinginyourarea.
Itisalsoagoodideatoexaminetheways inwhichtheauthorsoftheacademicarticles thatyou like and use – and thedissertations that you read for theHumanGeography Practiceseminars‐discussintheintroductionstheir reasonsfordoing that research. Youwillbeex‐pectedtosupplysimilarexplanationsandjustiIications, andshouldnoticethatthereismorethanonewayofdoingthis.
Researchquestions
Researchquestions usually ariseout ofsome kindof context: adiscussionof a recent aca‐demicdebate, a topical issueasrecentlyreportedinthepress, and/or(sometimes)personalexperiences andconcerns.At thebeginningofyourresearchproposalanddissertation, it isimportantto‘setascene’–i.e.describeoneormoreofthesecontexts–andforyourresearchquestionsto emergeoutofthisscene, inalogical andcompellingway.Whatarethereasonsforaskingthequestionsthatyourdissertationwilladdress?Andwhatkindsofquestionsarebesttoask?Thefollowingadviceshouldbeuseful:
♦ Askquestionsthatlookasthoughtheywillhaveinteresting,unknownanswers(see1.6above).
♦ Thebestquestionsarerelativelyeasytoanswerbutallowyoutomakeanoriginalcon‐tributiontotheliteratureinaparticularareaofhumangeography.
♦ Youdon’t have to come upwith thesequestions onyourown: it’s better to addressquestionsthatothershaveaskedandconsiderimportant(andwithwhichyouagree).
♦ Researchquestionscancomefromacademic,popularand/orpersonalsources.
Havingsaidthis, it isn’tnecessarytopresentalistofquestionsthatyourdissertationwillan‐swer.Youcouldpresentaproblemthatyourdissertationwill address, orarelationshipthatyouwishto explore.Researchquestionsandresearchaimscan,asyouwillseebelow,bein‐terchangeable.
Researchaimsandobjectives
Youarerequiredtostateyourresearchaimsandobjectivesinyourdissertationproposal.Youwill also need to state theseclearly andsuccinctly inyour Iinal dissertation. Your research
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 7
aimsshouldsetoutclearlythedissertation’smainresearchquestion(s).Yourresearchobjec‐tives are the operational steps, or speciIic tasks, by which these aims/questions will beachieved/answered.A clear statementofaimsandobjectivesisimportantbecause thesede‐terminethedirectionofyourresearch.The typeofinformationyourequireto address themdetermines themethods youneedtouseandthewayyouanalysethedata/sourcematerialgenerated.Theconclusionsshouldshowhowyouhaveachieved/answeredtheoriginalaims/questionsviatheseobjectives. So, bewary ofstartingyourresearchwith ‘woolly’aims andobjectivesasthesecanleadtoramblingdiscussionsthatfailtoreachanyIirmconclusions!
1.8 RecommendedReading
Youshouldnotneedtoreadanyacademicbookstellingyou‘howtodoadissertationingeog‐raphy’.ThebestadviceyoucangetaboutdoingyourdissertationhereandnowwillcomeviatheHuman GeographyPractice lecturesanddissertation seminars, andthroughdiscussionswithyourtutor, staffmemberswhoseinterestsyoushare(seetheminofIicehourstodiscussideas),andyour(eventual)dissertationadviser.
There is howeverusefulacademicwriting aboutwritingresearchproposals, whosesections(re.methodsandethics, forexample)canbe Ileshedoutbyreadingrelevant chapters intherecommendedtextsandreadinglistsprovidedintheHumanGeographyPracticemodule.
Writingresearchproposals:1
Cahill, C. (2007)Doingresearchwithyoungpeople:participatoryresearchandtheritualsofcollectivework.Children’sgeographies5(3),297‐312
Kelly,M. (2004)Researchdesignandproposals.inC.Searle(ed)Researchingsocietyandculture.London:Sage.
Schutt,R. (2006)Investigating the socialworld: theprocessand practiceofresearch. London:PineForgePress
Silverman,D.&Marvasti,A. (2008)Writingaresearchproposal. intheirDoingqualitativeresearch:acomprehensiveguide.London:Sage.
HumanGeographyPracticerecommendedtexts:Blunt,A.,Gruffudd,P.,May, J.,Ogborn,M.&Pinder,D.(eds)(2003)Culturalgeographyinprac
tice.London:Arnold.Bryman,A.(2004)Socialresearchmethods.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.Clifford,N.&Valentine,G.(2003)Keymethodsingeography.London:Sage.Cloke,P.,Cook,I.,Crang,P.,Goodwin,M.,Painter,J.&Philo,C.(2004)Practisinghumangeogra
phy.London:Sage.Crang,M.&Cook,I.(2007)Doingethnographies.London:Sage.Flowerdew, R. & Martin, D. (eds) (2005). Methods in human geography (2nd ed.). Harlow:
Longman.Hoggart,K.,Lees,L.&Davies,A.(2001)Researchinghumangeography.London:Arnold.Limb,M.&Dwyer,C.(eds)(2002)Qualitativemethodologiesforgeographers.London:Arnold.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 8
1NBifnotinthelibrary,theshortchaptersbyKelly(2004),Schutt(2006)andSilverman&Marvasti(2008)canbeviewedonlineviahttp://books.google.com.Cahill(2007)makesadifferentargument:thatresearchquestionsshouldbedeterminedinconsultationwiththepeoplewithwhomyouwishtodotheresearch.Thisapproachisappropriateforsometopicsmorethanothers.
Oppenheim,A.N.(1992)Questionnairedesign,interviewingandattitudemeasurement(2nded.)London:Continuum.
Robinson,G.,(1998)Methodsandtechniquesinhumangeography.Chichester:Wiley.Shurmer‐Smith,P.(ed)(2001)Doingculturalgeography.London:Sage.Wheeler, D., Shaw, G. andBarr, S. (2004)Statistical techniques in geographical analysis. Lon‐
don:Fulton.
Finally,giventhatitwillbeimportanttoconvinceyourreadersthatyourdissertationresearchwilladdressanimportantissueinhumangeography,andprovideanoriginalcontributiontodebatesinhumangeography,youwillneedto readrecentreviewarticlesandchapters whichsummarisethecurrentstateofplayinappropriateareasofgeography, andpointoutnewap‐proachesandnewworkthatneedstobedone. Ifyourdissertationrelatestoanissuethathasbeen covered in anothermodule, youshould consult that module’s reading lists. IfyouareIishingaroundforanappropriatearea(orareas)ofhumangeographythatyourtopiccouldIitwithin,usefulreviewscanoftenbefoundineditedcollectionsofresearchintoaparticularis‐sue(e.g. thegeographyofmusic), andin journalswhichcommissionsuchreviews: e.g.Progress in human geographyorGeography compass. Exeter’s librarysubscribes to the former,andshouldsoonbesubscribingto thelatter. [Ifyouneeda speciIicCompassarticlesbeforethen,pleasecontactIanCook (i.j.cook@ex.ac.uk)whoeditstheCulturalGeographysectionofthejournal]. Inaddition, academic journalarticles andbook chapters oftenundertakeshortliterature reviews in their introductions and call for new research in their conclusions, sothesearealsoworthreading.Pleasenotethatyoumayneedtoundertakequitealotofread‐inghere,andthatit’smoreconvincingto arguethatyourresearchisnewandoriginalifyoubaseyourargumentsonitsnewnessandoriginalityonveryrecentarticles!
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 9
Section 2:Dissertation planning & the proposal.
ThissectionexplainswhattheproceduresareforsubmittingyourdissertationproposalandtheassigningofaDissertationAdviser.
2.1 DissertationProposal
Thedissertationproposal formspart ofthesecondyearpracticalmodule; yourdissertationproposalcountsas30%ofyourmarkforGEO2310:HumanGeographyPractice.
Itcannotbestatedstronglyenoughthatyoushouldbegintoplanyourdissertationassoonaspossible.DuringtheSpringTermandovertheEasterVacationyoushouldworkonyourpro‐posal, checkingtheideas, potentialliteraturesourcesandIieldareas.Therewillbededicateddissertation‐planningseminarsintheSpringterm,whichyoushouldattend.Youcanalsoseekhelpandadvicefromacademicstaff, andexpecttogainsomeadvicefromyourtutor(seeAp‐pendix2).
GeographywithEuropeanStudiesstudents
Youmustcompleteanassignmentasanalternativetothedissertationproposalwhileinyoursecond year. Themark for this alternative assignment contributes7.5 credits towards thePracticalModule,andhas thesamedeadlineasthesecondyeardissertationproposal. Thealternativeassignmentcomprisesa2000wordliteraturereviewonthetopic thatyouplantoinvestigateduringyouryearabroad. ThereviewshouldresultintheidentiIicationofpoten‐tialresearchthemes. Theaimofthisassignmentistoensurethatyoubeginplanningyourre‐searchbeforeyougoabroad.
YouhavetosubmityourdissertationproposalwheninyourEuropeandestination,followingthesamecriteriaandformatstipulatedfordissertationproposals submittedby secondyearstudents (Section2.2). Theproposalmustbepostedto theHumanGeographyDissertationTutor:DrIanCook,SchoolofGeographyandArchaeologyandEarthResources,AmoryBuild‐ing,RennesDrive,ExeterEX44RJarrivingnolaterthan7thMay2009.YouwillcarryoutyourdissertationIieldworkduringyouryearabroadandwillbeassignedanadviserbyIanCookinMay2009.
2.2 WhenmustIsubmitmydissertationproposal?
Yourdissertationproposal shouldbehand‐intoTracyReeves intheDepartmentalOfIicebe‐tween9am–1pmand2pm‐5pmon7thMay2009.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 10
2.3 Whathappensthen?
Basedonyourdissertationproposal,youwillbeassignedaDissertationAdviser,whowillas‐sess theproposal, andalsoarrangetomeetwithyouinweeks49ofthe SummerTerm.TheDissertationAdviserwillgivecommentsontheproposal,aswellasguidanceonanypossiblemodiIications. The assessingandmarkingofyour proposal ispart oftheapprovalprocess.Your topic maybeapprovedwithout changes,with somemodiIications orrejected. In theevent that yourproposal isrejected, youwill beaskedto re‐work yourideas andresubmityourproposalbyFridayofWeek9oftheSummerTerm. Thiswillgivetheadvisortimetocon‐siderthenewdissertationproposalanddiscussitwithyoubeforetheendofterm. YoumaybeassignedanewDissertationAdvisor. However,the mark forthe originalproposalwillbecarriedforward.
2.4 Preliminary ethics self‐assessmentformforundergraduate dissertations,&RiskAssessmentandWorkingwith3rdpartiesform
Beforecommencingonyourproposeddissertation‘Iieldwork’(i.e. anyresearchundertakenoutsideoftheUniversity)youmust completeaWorkingwith3rdpartiesandRiskAssessmentandaPreliminaryethicsselfassessmentformforundergraduatedissertations(seeSection3&Appendix3&4).Thesetwo formsmustbehandedinwithyourdissertationproposal.Theseformsmust becounter‐signedbyyourDissertationAdvisor,whowillkeepcopiesonrecord.TheDepartmentwill not support research that is deemed to pose an unacceptable risk orhaveunethical practices. Ifyousubsequentlychange topics,youwillneedto completenewRisk, Working with3rd parties and Ethics Assessment Forms. Failure to submit these twoformswillbereportedtotheHeadofDepartmentandthedissertationresearchwillnotbesupportedbytheDepartment. IfyourresearchrequiresapprovalfromtheSchoolEthicsCommit‐teeyouwill not beable to startworkonyourdissertationuntilyouhavethis approval.SeeSection3andAppendix3&4fordetails.
2.5 CanIchangetopiconceIhavesubmittedtheproposal?
Yes,butthereareaseriesofproceduresthatmustbefollowed. Ifyoudecidetochangetopicafter submitting your proposal, youmust contact the HumanGeography DissertationTutor(Ian Cook: i.j.cook@ex.ac.uk) as soon as possible. Any substantial change of topic has tobeformallyagreedwithyouradvisor. Ifnecessary,anewdissertationproposalhastobesubmit‐tedandassessedassoonaspossible,followingtheguidelinesinAppendix1.NB.Althoughthisnewproposaldoesnotformpartoftheassessment itisnonethelessextremelyimportant. Itwill help to ensure that you have thought through the design of your new dissertationre‐searchand that it isarelevantandfeasiblestudy. Itwill enable theDissertationAdviser toprovideadviceandmonitoryourprogress.Youwillalsoneedto completenewWorkingwith3rdpartiesandRiskAssessmentandPreliminaryethicsselfassessmentformforundergraduatedissertationsforms.
In exceptional situations youmay feel youhave a case for changing your advisor. In thesesituationsawrittenrequesthastobesubmittedtoDrCookassoonaspossibletoensuresuc‐cessfulcompletionofyourdissertation.Youmusttalktoyourcurrentadvisorbeforerequest‐
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 11
ingachangeofadvisor. IfyouIilesucharequestyoumustnotmissanyappointmentswithyourcurrentadvisor,includingIilingaprogressreport.Pleasenotethatachangeisnotguar‐anteedand thatchangesof advisors aremadeonly inexceptional circumstances. Ifyoufeelthattherelationshipwithyourcurrentadvisorhasirretrievablybrokendown,seeyourtutorand/ortheHumanGeographyDissertationTutorimmediately.
2.6 Accessandpilotissues
Itiseasytoplanaresearchthatisimpossibletodo,ifappropriatepermissionsarenotsoughtbefore the research proposal is submitted or, at the latest, before the research starts. It isthereforeessential toseekpriorpermissionforaccess to land, archives,organisations, com‐munitiesorothersourcesofdatabeforeyourIieldworkorresearch isundertaken(seeAp‐pendix4).AstandardletterwillbemadeavailableonrequesttoexplainthatyouarecarryingoutworkthatisanessentialpartofyourdegreeandnotrelatedtoanyofIicialinvestigationonthepartoftheUniversity.
Dependingonthetypeofresearchthatyouintendtoundertake, itcanbeagoodideato un‐dertakeapreliminarypilotproject, to test theviabilityofanapproachordatasourcewhichyouareunsureabout.
2.7 TheMyrtleMurrayAward
Students carryingout Iieldwork abroad can apply for Iinancial support through theMyrtleMurrayAward.ThisisasigniIicantcashawardtoassisttravelabroadforthepurposeofstudy.ItisusuallyawardedduringtheSummerTermandyouareadvisedtoconsultthenoticeboardonthethirdIlooroftheAmoryBuildingfordetailsregardingtheapplicationprocedureandclosingdate(usuallyduringtheSpringTerm).
2.8 Summaryofactionstobetaken
Yourdissertationshouldoccupyyourthoughts overthe followingyearormoreaccordingtothefollowingtimetable:
BeforetheendofSpringTerm:Decideonatopicanddiscussthiswithseminarstaff,yourtutorand/oranappropriatemem‐berofstaff(i.e.apersonwithwhomyoushareaninterest;seeAppendix2).
BytheendoftheSummerTerm:MeetwithyourDissertationAdviseranddiscussyourproposal.CompleteanEthicalandRiskAssessmentformsandcountersignthemwithyourDissertation
Adviser(seeSection3).
OvertheSummerholidays:Undertakeresearch.
BytheendoftheAutumnTerm:1. MeetyourDissertationAdvisertodiscussprogressandwhattodonext.
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2. Attendgroupsupervisionmeetingstodiscusscommonissues3. Analyseyourdataandplanyourdissertation
DuringtheSpringtermandEasterbreak:1. MeetyourDissertationAdvisertodiscussprogress.2. Attendgroupsupervisionmeetingstodiscusscommonissues3. Writeandsubmityourdissertation.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 13
Section 3:Ethical considerations, safety & fieldwork
3.1Ethicalconsiderationsindissertationresearch
Allstudentshaveto submitapreliminaryethicsself‐assessmentformforundergraduatedis‐sertationswiththeirdissertationproposal.Youmayalsoberequiredtosubmitaformalappli‐cationto theSchoolEthicsCommittee ifyourresearchraises ethicalconsiderations. Seeap‐pendix4fordetails.
Muchresearchinhumangeography involvespeople,eitherdirectly (assubjectswhowill beinterviewed or surveyed) or indirectly (as members of a broader community inwhichre‐searchinbeing undertaken). It is essential that youconsider theethical implications of re‐searchthatyouareundertakingandtakeallpossibleactiontoensurepeoplearenotharmed,worriedorinconveniencedbyyourresearch.Youshouldalwaysensurethatyougainpermis‐siontoaccessprivatelandandpropertyandthatanyinvestigationsthatyouproposetocon‐ductare fullyexplained.Goodethical researchpracticealsoensures thatthe environmentsinvolvedinyourresearcharenotharmed.
Asabroadruleyoushouldensurethatyoukeeptothefollowingguidelinesindesigningyourresearchandconstructingyourdata:
3.1.1Guidelinesforresearchinvolvingpeople
• Thestudentmust carry identiIicationincluding information that allows apotentialpar‐ticipant to contact theDepartment if she/hewishes, inordertoensure thatthework isbona5ide.StudentswhorequirelettersofintroductionandidentiIicationshouldasktheirdissertationadviserbeforethelastweekoftheSummerterm.
• AllparticipantsmustbeassuredattheoutsetthatinformationtheyprovidewillbetreatedinthestrictestconIidence.Thestudentmustadheretothisthroughouttheresearchproc‐ess includingproductionof thedissertation. Atno stageshoulditbe possibleto link in‐formationwith individual participants. Participantsmay, however, give their consent forthisconIidentialitytobewaivedsothat, forexample, quotationsmaybelinkedwithindi‐vidualconsent.
• Personaland/orsensitivequestionsshouldnotbeaskedunlesstheyaredirectlynecessaryfortheresearch.
• NodatamaybestoredelectronicallyinawaythatallowsindividualsandtheirinformationtobeidentiIied.Namesandaddressesshouldnot,therefore,beplacedoncomputerIile.
• Allparticipants intheresearchmustbeinvolvedvoluntarily. A participantmaywithdrawatanytimeandmustbeallowedtodoso.Nopressuretocontinueasaparticipantmustbeapplied.
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• Thepurposeoftheresearchmustbeexplainedtoeachparticipantattheoutsetandshe/hemustnotbemisled.
• Dissertationsinvolvingobservationofbehaviourwithout interactionwiththepeopleob‐served(e.g. counting thenumberofpeople using a particular service)obviously cannotobtain theconsent ofallobserved. However, suchobservationcouldcausesuspicionordistressiftheobservationisunexplained. Youshouldthinkverycarefullyaboutyourob‐servationsite,andifpossibleexplainandseekconsentfromsomeoneinauthorityforthatarea–thiscouldbethelocalpolicestationorthemanagerofashoppingcomplex, forex‐ample.
• YoumayberequiredtosubmityourresearchtotheSchoolEthicsCommitteeforapprovalpriortocommencingyourwork.
3.1.2Additionalguidelinesforresearchinvolvingyoungorvulnerablepeople
There are particular considerations for those intending to work with young or vulnerablepeople.Youareadvisedtothinkverycarefullyaboutundertakingresearchthatinvolvestalk‐ingtoyoungorvulnerablepeopleduetoconcernsabouttheirsafety.YouwillhavetogaintheapprovaloftheSchoolEthicsCommitteebeforecommencinganyresearchinvolvingyoungorvulnerablepeople.
3.1.3Accesstoprivatelandandproperty
Dissertation students must not attempt to conduct investigations onprivate land/propertywithoutthepermissionofitsowners. Thisappliestolandandallothertypesofproperty(e.g.shops, leisureservices, means oftransport). If the property/landispubliclyownedpermis‐sionmustbeobtainedfromtherelevantauthority/management. Ifrequestedtodoso,astu‐dentmustleavetheland/propertyimmediatelyandwithoutprotest.
3.1.4Guidelinesinvolvingrespectingtheenvironmentinvolvedinyourresearch
Youshouldensurethatyoucarryoutyourresearchinamannerthatwill notcauseharmoradversetransformationtoenvironmentsinvolvedinyourresearch.
3.1.5EthicalAssessmentForm
Asmentionedabove,youarerequiredtosubmitapreliminaryethicsself‐assessmentformforundergraduatedissertationswithyourdissertationproposal.ThiswillestablishwhetheryouneedtocompleteaformalapplicationtotheSchoolEthicsCommittee.
Forfurtherguidanceonethicalconsiderationsinresearchsee:
Hay,I.(2003)Ethicalpracticeingeographicalresearch.inClifford,N.&Valentine,G.,(eds)Keymethodsingeography.London:Sage,pp.37‐54.
3.2SafetyandFieldwork
This sectionexplains thesafety considerationsthat youneed to takewhenundertaking anysortofIieldwork. Fieldworkisconsideredanyworkundertakenaspartofyourdissertation.TheDepartmentwill not support subjects for dissertations that involve workingsituations
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 15
withunacceptablerisks. Youshouldreadthis sectioncarefullyandtakeactiononany safetyissuesthatmightarise.YouareadvisedtoconsulttheSoGAERSafetyHandbookforfurtherinformationonHealthandSafety
Downloadfromhttp://sogaer.exeter.ac.uk/safetyhandbook.shtml.
These notesare intended toalert you tothe need to take particular care toensure your ownsafetywhenundertakingdissertation 5ieldwork.Theydonotclaimtobecomprehensive,coveringeverypossiblesituation,butallstudentsarestronglyurgedtotakecarefulnoteofthemnow!
3.2.1 Assessmentofpotentialdangers
BeforecommencinganyIieldwork,youarestronglyadvisedtomakeyourownassessmentofanypotentialdangers/hazardsanddecideuponasuitablemethodofworking. ThisshouldbediscussedwithyourDissertationAdviser. Itmaybenecessaryto reviseyourassessmentofdangersorhazardsasyourIieldworkprogresses.AtthebackofthishandbookyouwillIindaRiskAssessmentForm(Appendix3). Youshoulddiscuss anyforeseeableriskswithyourAd‐viser,completetheform,bothofyoushouldsignitands/hewillkeepacopyonrecord. Ifyousubsequentlychangetopics, youwillneedtocompleteanewRiskAssessmentform. FailuretosubmitasatisfactoryRiskAssessmentFormwillbe reported totheHeadofDepartment,andthedissertationresearchwillnotbesupportedbytheDepartment.
NO STUDENTSHOULDGO INTO A DANGEROUSORHAZARDOUS LOCATION, ORUNDERTAKEDANGEROUSTASKS (where ‘hazardous’refers to locationswherepotentialdangersmay fre‐quentlyarise,and‘dangerous’referstolocationswheredangersarealwayspresent)
3.2.2 Preparationfor5ieldwork
BeforestartingyourIieldwork, youmust leave information about yourintendedprogrammeanditinerarywithaparentoranotherresponsibleperson.Youshouldleavearecordof:
• Dateandtimeofdeparture• MethodoftraveltotheIieldlocation,andaroundthesiteoncethere• Proposeditinerary(giveO.S.gridreferenceswhereappropriate)• Anypotentiallyhazardoustechniqueoroperationtobeusedandwhereitisproposedtouseit.
• ExpectedtimeofleavingtheIieldlocationandestimatedtimeofarrivalhome.• Contactdetails
EquipmentandClothing
HumanGeographyresearchtakesstudentstoavarietyofdifferentIieldworklocationsusingarange of research methods. There is therefore a wide variety of Iieldwork equipment andclothingrequirements. Failuretoanticipatebasicrequirements foryour Iieldwork couldputyouatriskinadditiontolosingresearchtimewhichmightotherwisebeavoided. Youshouldensure in advance that you have suitable clothing and equipment for your proposed Iieldwork.
Equipment:TheequipmentrequiredforconstructingandanalysingdataandsourcematerialusedbyHu‐manGeographersisoftenveryfamiliartostudents.Mostwillbefamiliarwithvoicerecorders,
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 16
goodqualitymicrophones,photocopiers,transcribingmachines, stillandvideocameras,DVDorvideoplayers, computerswithappropriatesoftware,internetaccess,printersandburners,etc. which couldbe used in dissertation research. You will, however have to carefully andimaginativelyassesswhatequipmentwill beneededtoconductyourresearchwell,andhowyoucangainaccesstoitthroughbuyingorborrowing.
Alwaystryandthinkaboutpotentialpitfallswhenusinganypieceofequipment.Forexample,ifitispoweredbybatteries,alwaysensureyouhavespareswithyoujustincasetheyrunoutin–say–themiddleofanimportantinterview.Or,ifyouareusingacomputerinanarchiveortobackupdigitalphotosorvoicerecordings,alwaysensureyoubackupyourIilesonamem‐orystickorotherexternalstoragedevice.
Ifyouborrowunfamiliar equipment,makesureyouknowhow to useitproperlyby experi‐mentingwithityourself–and/oraskingatechnicianifit’sborrowedfromtheDepartment‐beforetheresearchisformallyunderway.Forexample,tryoutthevoicerecordingcapabilitiesofyourmobilephoneorMP3playerbyinterviewingfriendsorfamily,backinguptheIileonacomputer,andlisteningtotherecordingtoassesswhetheritisclearenoughforyoutobeabletotranscribeit.
Suppliesoffoodanddrinksshouldbetakenwhenworking intheIieldoveralengthyperiod,unlesseasilyavailablenearby.Althoughitisunusual inhumangeographyresearch, ifyouareworkinginremoteenvironments,youmustcarryamapandcompass(andknowhowtotakeabearing),awhistle,awatch, a torch,andinpotentiallycoldenvironments,youmustcarryanemergencysurvivalblanket.
Clothing:Clothingsuitablefortheclimateintheplace(s)whereyourresearchwilltakeplaceandatthetime(s)ofyearitwewillbeundertakenmustbeworn.Extraclothingshouldbecarriedincli‐maticallyunpredictableareaswherethereisriskofexposure. Inhotweather, theriskofsun‐burnmustbeconsidered.Alwayswearfootwearappropriateto theterrainandweathercon‐ditions youarelikely to encounter. Ifnecessary,wear appropriatesafety clothing (thehardhatsandhighvisibilityvestswornbypeopleshowingyouaroundabuildingsite,forexample).
3.2.3 Workingalone
Although your dissertation research must be thework ofa single person, Iieldwork oftenneedstobeundertakenincompany.WhenundertakingIieldwork inunfamiliarorremotelo‐cations, another person (or more)may be able to help if anydifIiculties arise. Never placeyourselfinsituationswhereyoursafetycouldbecompromised,forexample,byacceptinganinvitationinto anunfamiliarperson’shouseto conductaninterview. Ifyou feel theslightestbitnervousaboutsuchsituations,donotgetintothemforthesakeofyourresearch!Workinginapublic place,withknownpeople,and/orincompanycanreducerisksofpersonalharm.NBalthoughitisrecommendedthatyouconductyourresearchincompany,youaloneshoulddotheresearch. Justasyoucannotasksomeoneelsetositanexamforyouorwriteyoures‐says, youshouldnot ask or let anyoneelse (to)do anyofthedataconstruction, reading orwritingforyourdissertation.
3.2.4InternationalDistressSigns
Ifyouplantowork,or Iindyourself, inremoteandhazardous locations,youwill needtobeawareofinternationallyrecogniseddistresssignalsasfollows:
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Onmountainsandotherterrestriallocations,givesixlongIlashes/blasts/shouts/wavesinsuc‐cession&repeatatone‐minutelengthintervals.[NBalwaysensurethatsomeoneelseknowsinadvancewhereyouaregoing]
Atsea, usingawhistleoratorch, sendtheMorse‐codeSOSsignal (3shortblasts/Ilashes–3long – 3 short), pause, then repeat, etc. Alternatively, use red Ilares, orange smoke, out‐stretchedarms, raisedand lowered slowly andrepeatedly, or anoar, with a cloth tied to it,wavedslowly fromside to side. [NB always inform thecoastguardsofyouractivitiesbeforecommencingwork]
3.2.5 Fieldworklocationswherespecialcareshouldbeexercised
Bear inmindthatworkingnear busyroads, nearrailway stations, orat airports can involvehazards.Anydissertationresearchundertakeninornearsuchlocationsshouldbecarriedoutwithdueregardtosafety.Doortodoorcallingtodeliverquestionnairesand‘onetoone’inter‐viewsaresituationswhichcansometimesinvolveanelementofrisk.Asmentionedinsection3.2.3, it istheDepartment’sclearadvicetoIindanotherpersontojoinyou, andalwaysleaveclearinformationaboutyourwhereaboutsandexpectedtimeofreturn.Makesurethepersonwithwhomyouleavethisinformationknowsthatyouhavereturned.
Other potential hazards canbe encountered in remote mountainous terrain, remotemoor‐land, cliffs, caves, quarries, tunnels, pot‐holes, spoil heaps, tips, land‐Iill, sludge lagoons,freshwater lakes and pools, rivers, reed beds, bogs and marshes and sea‐shores. You arestronglyadvisedtomakea judgementabout thepotentialhazardsencounteredinyourpro‐posedIieldworklocation,ifnecessarytoseekexpertguidance,andatalltimestotakeappro‐priateaction.
These notesare intended toalert you tothe need to take particular care toensure your ownsafetywhenundertakingdissertation 5ieldwork. Theydonotclaimtobecomprehensive,coveringeverypossiblesituation,butallstudentsarestronglyurgedtotakecarefulnoteofthemnow!
Youareadvised toconsulttheSoGAERSafetyHandbookforfurtherinformationonHealthandSafety(downloadthisathttp://sogaer.exeter.ac.uk/safetyhandbook.shtml).
3.2.6Diseaseandimmunisation
Studentsintendingtoworkwithplantmaterial,soils,ornearfarmanimals,mustensurethatyourtetanusimmunisation is up‐to‐date. Bearinmindthat agriculturalareasmayharbourdisease. Also, rememberthat someplants andanimalsnative to theUKare poisonous. Insomeoverseaslocations,thisriskcanbegreater.Freshwatermaybeasourceofpollutionandcontainbacteria.Ifinanydoubtaboutapotentiallypoisonoussubstance,takeadvicefromtheNationalPoisonsInformationService(http://www.npis.org/NPIS/uknpis.htm).
3.2.7OverseasFieldwork
Many students decided to undertake Iieldwork overseas. Students should ensure that anyoverseasIieldworkisplannedmeticulouslytoensurethattheresearchaimsoftheirdisserta‐tioncanbefulIilled.Studentsshouldalsoensurethatintheplanningofoverseasresearchat‐tentionisplacedonpersonalsafetyandhealth.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 18
Getting local contacts in the Iield location and establishing a programme of Iield researchpriortoyourarrivalintheIieldwillhelpoverseasresearchtorunassmoothlyaspossible.
AdviceregardingimmunisationshouldbesoughtfromtheStudentHealthCentre/G.P.assoonastheoverseas Iieldworkisplanned. VisasandImmigrationpaperscantaketimeto processandshouldbeappliedforwell inadvance. Students shouldconsultandfollowthetravel in‐f o r m a t i o n o n t h e F o r e i g n a n d C o mm o nw e a l t h O f I i c e w e b s i t e –http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling‐and‐living‐overseas/travel‐advice‐by‐country/ ‐ andbeawareoffastchangingsituationswhilsttheyareoverseas.
Forfurtherinformationonthisissue(andforausefulguidetofurtherreading),see:Smith,F.(2003)Workingindifferentcultures.inClifford,N.&Valentine,G.,(eds)KeyMethods
inGeography.London:Sage.
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Section 4:Progress monitoring & advice
4.1 WhatcanIexpectfrommyDissertationAdviser?
Thedissertation is yourownpieceof independentresearch. Youshould, therefore,expect toundertakethenecessaryactivities‐thinkinganddoing‐independently.YourDissertationAd‐viser'sprincipalresponsibilityistomonitoryourprogress.S/hecanbeexpectedtodothefol‐lowing:
• offer(withotherstaffmembers, )adviceandanswerquestionsontheprocessofdesign‐ing, undertakingandwritingyour dissertationatanttimeduring the thirdyear, e.g. onappropriatemethodologies,logistics,resources,chapterstructure,writingstyle;
• readyourDissertationProgressReportstoensurethatyouaremakingprogress,givead‐viceifsufIicientprogress isnotbeingmade, e.g. tell youthat youneedto 'getcracking',andalert theHumanGeographyDissertationTutor(IanCook) ifunsatisfactoryprogressisbeingmade;
• offer a standard amountof formal supervisiontimeto eachstudent inthe formofpre‐arrangedindividualandgroupsupervisions,plusdrop‐inadviceasnecessary.
YoucannotexpectyourDissertationAdviserto:
• tellyouwhattodo(thisisyourdissertation,s/hewillhelpyoutodevelopyourideas);• givemini‐lecturesaboutthingsthatyoushouldhavefoundandreadaboutyourself;• readdraftcopiesofdissertationchapters(don’tevenask!).
4.2 WhatwillyourDissertationAdviserexpectfromyou?
4.2.1.ThatyouattendformalDissertationProgressMonitoringMeetings.
Youmust have aminimum of three individual meetingswith your Dissertation Adviser, atwhichyourprogresswillbeformerlymonitoredandrecordedonaDissertationProgressRe‐portForm(seeAppendix5).
Monitoringmeeting1:byendofweek9oftheSummerTermtodiscussyourdissertationpro‐posal.Monitoringmeeting2: inweek3oftheAutumnTermofyourIinal yeartodiscussyour400wordprogressreportandtocompleteaDissertationProgressReportForm.Monitoringmeeting3: inweek 3ofSpring Termofyour Iinalyearto discussyour400wordprogressreportandcompleteaDissertationProgressReportForm.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 20
YouwillalsobeinvitedtoalimitednumberofgroupsupervisionmeetingsinyourthirdyearinwhichallofthestudentsadvisedbyyourAdviserwillmeettogethertodiscusscommonis‐suesandconcerns(e.g.researchexperiences,dataanalysis,chapterplanning).
4.2.2. That you complete all required forms– especially those concerning research ethicsandrisksandfollowtheadvicegiven.
Seesection2.4above.
4.2.3.Thatyoumakeprogressonyourdissertation
As far as possible you shouldaim to complete your dissertation 5ieldworkby the end oftheSummervacationthisyear.WhenyoureturntoUniversity,youwill beinvitedtoDissertationProgressMonitoringMeetings during theAutumnand SpringTerms (see above)to discussdissertationprogresswithyourAdviser.S/hewill contactyoutoarrangethesemeetingsandwillmakerecordsofwhatisdiscussedonaDissertationProgressReportForm(seeAppendix5).
Failure makesatisfactoryprogresson yourdissertation, includingnonattendance atDissertationProgressMonitoringMeetingswillbereportedtotheHeadofDepartment.
4.2.4.Thatyoukeeptheminformedofanychangeindirection/topic
Ifyouhavetosubstantiallymodifyyourresearchorchoosetoembarkonadifferenttopicdur‐ingthe vacation, youmustdiscuss thiswithyourDissertationAdviserat the time (yourAd‐viserwillbeatwork inthesummerandable to respondto emails!).Youshouldnotbesur‐prisedifyourresearchdoesn’tquitepanoutexactlyasyouexpect,butstudentstendtostrug‐gleifsuchchanges leadtothemgivinguptheirresearchinthesummer,ordoingitinahalf‐heartedway.Goodpreparation,planninganddeterminationarerequiredtogetgoodresearchdoneduringtheSummerholidays.Thispreparationshouldequipyoutocopewithchangesastheyhappen.Butpleasedon’thesitatetocontactyouradviserintheholidaysifyouneedsomeadviceabout copingwiththesechanges. It isextremelydif5icult and stressful toembarkon anewdissertationatthebeginningofyour5inalyear.
AnysigniIicantchangestoyourdissertationtopicwillhavetobediscussedwithyourAdviserandwiththeHumanGeographyDissertationTutor(IanCook).Fornewtopics,youwillberequired tosubmitanewresearchproposal andwillbe allocated anewAdviser.Thisnewpro‐posal isnotassessedbutisnonethelessextremelyimportant toyourresearch. Itwillhelptoensure thatyouhavethoughtthroughthedesignofthe researchandthat it is relevant andfeasible.ItwillalsoenableyournewAdvisertoprovideadviceandmonitoryourprogress.
4.2.5.Thatyoukeepanarchiveofyourresearchofyourresearchdata
Youshouldkeepapaperand/orelectronicarchiveofallofyourresearchinformation, includ‐ing, forexample, Iieldnotebooks, completed/returned questionnaires, correspondencewithsubjects,recordingsofinterviews,transcriptsornotesonsourcematerialanddraftcopiesofyourdissertationchapters.
The SchoolExaminationBoardand/ortheExternalExaminerreserve theright toconsiderthisarchiveaspart ofyourdissertationmoduleassessment. Failure toprovide thisarchive (ortokeepanadequatearchive)ifasked,mayresultinlossofmarks.
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4.3 WhenmustIsubmitmycompleteddissertation?
YourcompleteddissertationmustbehandedinonthelastThursdayoftheSpringTerminyourFinalYear.Failuretomeetthisdeadline(withoutpermission)willbedealtwithseverelyandtheBoardofExaminerswillnormallyimposeapenaltyofareductionbyoneclassofthemarkawarded.It is thestudent’sresponsibilitytobringanypotentiallyextenuatingcircumstancestotheirAdviser’sattention.
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Section 5:Dissertation presentation & layout
Thissectionprovidesadviceonhowtoorganiseandsetoutyourdissertation,aswellaswhenandhowtosubmitit.
5.1 Wordlimitandpageformat
Your dissertation should not exceed10,000words (excluding titlepage, contents page, ac‐knowledgements,abstract, listofIigures,appendices, tablesandbibliography)andshouldbeformattedasinstructedinthetablebelow.Dissertationsthatexceedthewordlimitwillbepe‐nalised(seeSection6.4)Dissertationsmust beword‐processedwithdoublelinespacingonsingle sidesofA4andall pagesmust beclearlynumberedinthe top right‐handcorner.Thebindingwill require a1 cmspace down the lefthandmargin ofeachpage so youmustmakesurethatyourmarginsaresufIicientlywideforthis.Studentsbearthecostsoftheirdisserta‐tion’sillustrations,typing,paper,outercover,andbinding.
5.2 Structureandcontents
As youwill see from thedissertations that you read anddiscuss in theHumanGeographyPracticemodule, thereareavarietyofways inwhichagooddissertationcanbeorganisedonpaper.Manystudentsfollowadviceaboutchapterstructurestotheletter, evenwhenthatad‐vicesqueezessomeofthelifeoutofwhat theyhave learnedandwant to convey.Oneofthemostimportantconsiderationsinplanningthewrite‐upofadissertationishowyouaregoingtoengageyourreaderinwhatyouhavelearned;howyouaregoingtoconveywhatwasinter‐esting aboutyour research; howyou aregoing towriteapage‐turningaccount. But, at thesametime,youhavetoconsiderhowareyougoingtoincludealloftherequiredelementsofagooddissertation(e.g. researchquestions,theliteratureyouhaveread,themethodsyouem‐ployed,theethicsofyourresearch,yourIindings,etc.)inthataccount.Therearevariousmod‐elsthatcanbeusedtoplandissertationsinmoreconventionalways(seebelow),butifthese
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 23
don’twork foryouoryour research, discusspossiblealternativeswithyourAdviser. Belowtwo conventional dissertationmodels are discussed. You couldchoose to use one or othermodelforyourdissertation,orcouldusetheadvicegivenabouttheircontentsinalooserway:likeachecklistofwhat’s expectedinan alternatively‐organiseddissertation.Whicheverop‐tionyoutake, youshouldtakeitbecause itenables you tomakethemostconvincing argu‐ment.
Therearetwo standardmodelsthatcanbedrawnonto conventionallystructureadisserta‐tion.TheseareshowninthetablebelowasModel1andModel2.Ifyouchooseoneorotherofthese, ordecide onan alternativestructure, youshouldensurethat your dissertationhas aclearandlogicalstructure,andthatitincorporatesallofthecomponentslistedbelow.
Whatever structure you choose for your dissertation, you will have to include the sections above which have a white background in that order. Alternatively structured dissertations can only ex-periment with the sections in white type, bearing in mind that all dissertations needs some kind of introduction and conclusion (it has to start and end somewhere, so your marker can assess if and how you managed to do what you set out to do).
TitlePage
Thetitleofyourdissertationshouldbebothinteresting–itistheIirstimpressionthatyougivetoyourmarker – andprovide someimpressionofthe seriousissues thatitwill ex‐plore.Itisnotagoodideatogiveyourdissertationatitlethatasksaquestionthatseemsonlytohaveayesoranoanswer.Neitherisitagoodideatohavealongwindedfactualtitlealongthelinesof‘Aninvestigationofa,b,candd,inthispartoftheworldusingtheacombinationofresearchmethodsandconcludingthat…’,orashortbutstrangecatchyonelike‘Fish’.Somecombinationofthetwo–acatchy titleofafewwords takenfrompresscoverageoraninterviewthatyoudiscuss, forexample–followedbyasubtitlecontainingfew key academic terms along the lines of ‘something, something and something else’‐usuallyworks better. Look for inspirationand ideasinthe titlesof theacademic studiesthatyouread.Whatkindsoftitlesdoyoulikebest?
Yourtitlepagemust includethetitleofyourdissertation,yourname,thedateitwassub‐mitted,andasignedacknowledgementstatingthat:
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 24
Thisacknowledgementmustbetakenveryseriously.SeeSection6forinformationregard‐ingtheSchoolandUniversitydisciplinarypolicyagainstplagiarismandcollusion,andAp‐pendix5foranexampletitlepage.
EthicsForm(seeAppendix4)
A copy of theEthics form approvedby youradviserand/or the Department’s ResearchEthicscommitteeshouldbeincludedhere.
Contentspage
Appendix8provides anexampleofaTableofContents. First, youmust providea listofchapter,sectionheadingandsubheadingtitleswiththeirassignedpagenumbers.Thiswillhelpyourreadertonavigatetheirwaythroughthedissertation.Afterthis,asillustratedinAppendix9,youmustprovideseparatelistsofanyIiguresand/ortablesandthepagesonwhichtheycanbefound. Thiswill allowyourreader toquickly Iindtheillustrationsyouhaveusediftheyneedtoreferbacktothemlateroninthedissertation.
ListsofFiguresandtables
‘Figures’includeallmaps,diagrams,andphotographsincludedinthedissertation.‘Tables’areconsideredandnumberedseparately. Inallcases,anexplanatory titleshouldbepro‐vidednexttotheIigureortablenumber.
All Iiguresandtables mustbenumbered. Tables arenumbered separately from Iigures.For example, using the numerical system, ‘Figure 4.1’wouldbe the Iirst Iigure cited inchapter4and‘Table3.2’wouldbethesecondtablecitedinchapter3.
AlltablesandIiguresshouldbeclosely integratedwith,andreferredto,inthetext,usingappropriatephrasing,forexample.:
‘ThesiteislocatedintheRockyMountains(seeFigure4.1)’or ‘Table3.2providesasum‐maryofthedatafrom…’
Donotwrite,forexample:
‘Thelocationofthesitecanbeseeninthemapbelow’or‘Asummaryoftheresultscanbeseeninthetableonpage31’.
ItisnotsufIicientsimplytoputtextandillustrationssidebysidehopingthatthereader/examinerwillmaketheconnection.Explainwhytheyarethereandhowtheycontributeto
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 25
Icertifythatthisdissertationisentirelymyownworkandnopartofithasbeensubmittedforadegreeorotherquali5icationinthisoranotherinstitution.IalsocertifythatIhavenotconstructeddatanorshareddatawithanothercandidateatExeterUniversityorelsewherewithoutspeci5icauthorisation.
(insertyourprogramme,i.e.Arts,Science)withHonoursinGeographyattheUniversityofExeter.............................(yoursignature)March2009
theargument thatyouaremaking. Iftheydonot contributeto yourargument, don’tin‐cludethem.
SomekindsofIiguresrequireadditionalconsiderations:
a)Mapsanddiagrams: MapsshouldnormallybepreparedwithonedimensionequaltotheheightofanA4sheet
and, ifnecessary, may be folded. Maps and diagramsmust either be drawnby hand inblack ink,or becomputer generated(inthe lattercasecolourmay beused).Thephoto‐copyingofsomematerialmaybepossible(pleaseseek advice intheRodneyFryMapLi‐brary,drawingofIiceorcomputerunitasappropriate).Mapsshouldhaveadequatescalesandkeys.Eachmapordiagramshouldhaveaframe,withaIigurenumberandtitleoutsidetheframe.Thesourceoftheinformationmustalsobegiven(andlistedfullyintheBibliog‐raphy),e.g.‘Figure1.1:PublicDrinkingSpacesVisited,1980‐1998(source:Kneale,1999)’.
b)Photographs Photographs, digitisedimagesandcolourphotocopiesmayalsobeusedifnecessary, and
theseshouldalsobegivenaIigurenumber, titleandsource, e.g. ‘Figure1.1:VictoriaMe‐morialHall,Calcutta(photo:author).’
NB.pleaseensurethatallofyourIiguresareclearandofsufIicientsizeandresolutionforyour reader to be able to makeout text and important features. Figures that are small,fuzzy,anddifIiculttomakeoutcandetractfrom,ratherthansupportto,yourarguments.
Acknowledgements
Youmaywishtoacknowledgepeople/institutionswhohavehelpedyouduringtheproc‐essofconductingandwritingyourdissertation.
Abstract
Theabstractshouldnotexceed200wordsandshouldbriefsummaryofwhatyourdisser‐tationsetouttodo andhowitdoesthis.Look to journalarticleabstracts forinspirationhere.
Introduction
Thischaptershould:♦ describe thecircumstances and/orcontextsout ofwhichyourresearch question(s)/aim(s)haveemerged(theseshouldreIlectcontemporaryacademic,topicaland/orper‐sonalconcerns,butwhetheryoucallthem‘questions’or‘aims’isuptoyou:chooseonetermandstickwithit)
♦ outlinetheresearchquestion(s)/aim(s)thatyourdissertationstriestoaddress;♦ outlinetheobjectivesthroughwhichyouhavetriedtoaddressthem;♦ indicatewhy this shouldbeofinterestorconcerntoacademicgeographers,andhowyourIindingspromisetocontributesomethingnewandoriginaltogeographicalschol‐arship;
♦ outline how you have organised your dissertation chapters to address thesequestion(s)/aim(s) and to make that case in a convincing and academically‐soundmanner.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 26
LiteratureReview Thischaptershould:
♦ showwhatacademicconcepts(e.g.‘socialexclusion’),studies(e.g. ‘Powers’(2006)ex‐aminationof..’), theoreticalperspectives(e.g. ‘Forpoliticaleconomists,…’),and/orbod‐iesofwork(e.g.‘Inhistoricalgeography,…’)canusefullybedrawnupontomakesenseofthekindofquestion(s)/aim(s)youarepursuing;
♦ show, through critically reviewing relevant academic reading, that your research ismakinganargumentthroughthisliterature(i.e.takingupparticularideas,challengingothers,respondingtoappropriatecallsfornewwork,becausetheyareappropriate).
Pleasebearinmindherethat:♦ anuncriticaldissertationisoneusesa literature/approachhasbeentakenbyothersinanunquestioningway;
♦ thisisrelatedto aderivativedissertation,whichinvolvesanuncriticallychosenlitera‐ture /approachillustratedby aslightly different examplewhich, as a result, cannotraiseanycriticalquestionsaboutthatliterature/approach;
♦ youshouldthereforereadaroundyourtopic‐lookingforelementsthatwillneedtobecombinedtodoitwell‐ratherthangetdisappointedthatyoucannotIindanacademic
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 27
Anoteonchapters,sections,subsectionsandtheuseofsubheadings.
At the start ofeachchapter, it is a good idea to include a brief statement statingwhatitisabouttohelpthereaderworkoutwheretheyareinthedissertation, andwhere they aregoing. A chapter couldbegin, for example, with‘This chapterdis‐cussestheresultsof….’A shortsummaryattheendofeachchaptercanbeequallyvaluabletohelpthereaderkeeptrackofwheretheyhaveendedupandwheretheyaregoingnext.A chapter couldend, for example,with‘Thischapterhas discussedthe…’andthensay‘Thisleadsonto….’Youradvisermaydescribethisprocessasthe‘toppingandtailing’ofchapters.
Betweenthesetopsandtails,yourchapterswillneedtobedividedintosectionsandsubsections. Thesecanhelpyoutoorganiseanddecidewheretoplacevarious as‐pectsoftheargumentyouwanttomakeina logicalorder(e.g. differentbodies ofliterature inaliteraturereviewchapter,ordifferentthemes identiIiedinyourdatainan‘analysis’chapter).They canalso enableyourreader tonavigatethroughthechapterwithgreaterease. Sectionsandsubsectionsshouldbeusedinalogicalandconsistentmanner.Abalancemustbeachievedbetweenover‐andunder‐divisionofchapters. Toomanysections andsubsectionsmaybreak upthe Ilow ofyourargu‐mentandmakethechapterappearbittyorfragmented. ToofewmaymakeitmoredifIicult foryourreader to work outwhere theyareinthey argument andwheretheyaregoingnext.
Tosignpostthedifferentlevelsofheadingandsubheadingyoushouldnumberandtitleeachofthem in a speciIic way. TheTableofContents example inAppendix8showshowthissystemworks.Forexample,chapter3couldbedividedintosections3.1,3.2,andsoon, eachwithdifferent titles;andsection3.2couldbedivided intosubsections3.2.1,3.2.2,andsoon,eachwithadifferenttitle.Numberingthingsthiswaycanallowyoutoreferyourreader topreviousargumentsbysaying, forexam‐ple,‘Insection3.1,Itriedtoshow…’
studythatmoreorlessmatcheswhatyouwant todo(ifyoudo Iindsuchastudy,askyourtutor, seminar leader, orAdviserhowcanyoumakesurethatyourownstudyisdifferentenoughtobeoriginal).
Methodology
Thischaptershould:♦ showthat thequestions/aimsthatyoubeganwith,andtheacademicideasthatcould
helptomakeabettersenseofthem,requireparticularkinds(andcombinations)ofre‐searchmethodsinordertoaddresstheminaconvincingway;
♦ show thatyouhavereadenoughofthe literatureon researchmethods(bothgeneraland speciIic arguments) to know both how to choose appropriate (combinations)methods, andhow to use themto construct therightkindsofdataandanalysethemsystematically;
♦ showhowyoutackledpracticalmethodologicalissuessuchashowyounegotiatedac‐cesstoappropriatesourcesofdataand/orIieldsites,ormadeadjustmentstoyourre‐searchdesignascircumstanceschanged;
♦ explainyour researchdesign (whichmay have, for example, involved two phases inwhichyouneedtodoone thingbeforeyoucando another,and/or beundertaken inparticularplacesandtimes);
♦ outlinehowtheanalysisoftheresultingdatawasundertakenandhowitexplainstheorganisationofthefollowingAnalysis/Resultschapter(s).
Analyticalchapter(s)(Model1)or
Results,AnalysisandInterpretationofResults(Model2)
Model1 InsomeHumanGeographydissertations(primarilyqualitativestudies), itiscommonfor
thedataanditsinterpretationtobepresentedtogether.Thiscanbeundertakeninasinglelongerchapterdividedbydifferentthemesthatemergeoutoftheanalysisofthatdata,oraseriesofshorterchapterseachdealingwithonetheme.Thesethemesmaybeanswerstoyourresearchquestions/aims (i.e. theme1addressesquestion/aim1)ormaycross‐cutyourresearchquestions/aims(i.e. ‘Threemajorthemesseemedto ariseinrelationto…’).Whichever approach youtake, youshoulduseyour appropriately analyseddata/sourcematerial to support and illustrate your argument, e.g. by using quotations, maps, tables,Iigures,diagrams,imagesetc.YoumayalsoIinditusefulinplacestoreferbackto,andpickupideasfrom,yourliteraturereview.
Model2 InotherHumanGeographydissertations(primarilyquantitativestudies),itiscommonfor
dataandits interpretationtobepresentedseparately.Here, datageneratedthroughyourresearchcanbepresentedintheformofmaps,tables,graphsand/ordiagrams.Theinter‐pretationsofthisdatethenfollowinaseparatechapter.
Forfurtherreadingonthistopic,see: Bradford,M.(2003)Writingessays,reportsanddissertations.inClifford,N.&Valentine,G.
(eds)KeyMethodsinGeography.London:Sage.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 28
Conclusion
InthisIinalchapteryoushould:♦ Tieeverythingtogether:questions,readings,research,Iindings,etc.♦ Show how your Iindings address the speciIic questions/aims of the dissertation. andhowtheyfeedbackintothebroaderliteratureyourreviewedearlierinthedissertation.How doeswhat you have found out make anoriginal contribution to that literature?WhatimplicationsdoyourIindingshaveforresearchinthisarea?
♦ Showyourunderstandingofthelimitationsofyourresearch(i.e.whatyoucanandcan’tconclude given what you have beenable to do). Dissertations are small pieces of re‐searchdonewell,andcan’tusuallycometobigconclusions.ModestconclusionsareIine.Undergraduate dissertations often raise as many questions as they answer. Researchcouldalwayshavebeendonedifferently.WiththebeneIitofhindsight, ifyouhadyourtime again, howmight youhavedonethings differently? Ifyouhadmore timeandre‐sources,whatwouldyoudotodevelopthisresearchfurther?Knowingwhatyouknow,whatresearchdoyouthinkneedstobedonenext?
Referencingandthebibliography Youmustreferto all referencesinaconsistentandrecognisedfashionusingtheHarvard
system.Thefollowingexampledemonstratesourpreferredpractice:
Inthisexample,thereferencesarelistedalphabeticallyinthebibliographyas:
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 29
The‘hourglassshape’ofagooddissertation
Dissertationsshouldbeasbroadintheirconclusions as theyare in their introductions, but shouldbefunneled throughasmall pieceofresearchdonewell. Theopeningchaptersofadissertationshouldplaceaparticularproblemorquestioninawideracademic (andoftenpopular)context (e.g. disabilityand housing). A methodology discussion begins to narrowthingsdown to a speciIic study. That study answers speciIicquestionsindepth. But theconclusionofagooddissertationreturnsto thosewidercontextswithsomethingnewtosaytothem.DissertationsshouldnotIinishwiththeanswers to thespeciIic researchquestions(e.g. ‘intentional communitiesare‘bad’or‘good’).Theyshouldnotcometoasharppoint.
There is only one detailedbook on the subject of dissertations (Ravenhill, 1954), al‐thoughmorerecent researchpapershavetouchedon thesubject(SimonTurner,pers.comm.). Williams (1990, p.10) forexample claims that 'all gooddissertations shouldcontainsomeelementoftourismresearchinawarmcountry'. AdamsandRay(2001),Brown(1991a;1991b;1999),Brownetal.(1994)andRobinson(1991)donotmentiondissertations.
Internetresources:Thesecitations(e.g.AdamsandRay,2001)shouldcomprisetheauthor(s)(ifknown), thefulltitleofthework(i.e.pageheader),thetitleofthecompletework(ifapplicable)inital‐ics,thefullhttpaddress,andthedateofvisit.Theaimistoprovidetheinformationneces‐sarytoenablethereadertoappreciatethethemeofthepageandtoaccessitdirectlyfromtheaddressprovidedinthereference.
Paperresources:Ravenhill (1954)and Brown (1991b) shows the form usedforbooks/theses; Robinson(1991)showsthe formforreferringto chaptersineditedvolumes, andWilliams(1990),Brown(1991a)andBrownetal.(1994)showstheformatforjournalarticles. TheBrownet al. (1994)reference indicates the format formulti‐authoredpapers. Ifthere ismorethanone paperby the same Iirst author they shouldbe listedwith single authoredandoldestpapersIirst, followedbyprogressivelymorerecentsingleauthoredpapers. Multi‐authoredpapersshouldcomeafterthesingleauthoredpapers(andinchronologicalorder,i.e.oldestIirst).Notethatalltheauthorsnamesofmulti‐authoredpapersarelistedinthebibliography(theetal.abbreviationisrestrictedtouseinthetext.)
Personalcommunications:SimonTurner(pers. comm.)refersto informationgainedfromapersonalcommunication(e.g.aletter,emailorverbalconversation)withsomeone.
Quoting: Notethatifyouquotematerialinyourtextyoushouldgivethepagenumbersintherefer‐
ence,asisgivenforWilliams(1990)above. Youshouldalsoplaceparenthesesaroundthequotedsection.
NB:referencesinthebibliographydonotcounttowardtheoverallwordcount.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 30
BibliographyAdams, J.&Ray,N.2001.ReviewerPage.LGMVegetationMap version0.9April2001.
http://lgb.unige.ch/home/ray/LGM_map/lgm.htm(lastaccessed5thJuly2001).Brown,A.G.1991a.LateQuaternarypalaeohydrologyoftheRiverSevern. JournalofPa
laeohydrology7,31‐62.Brown, A.G. 1991b. Floodplain palaeoecology. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of
Southampton.Brown, A. G. (1999)Biodiversity frompollenanalysis:modernpollenstudies andthe
recent historyofa IloodplainwoodlandinS.W. Ireland.Journal ofBiogeography26,19‐32.
Brown, A.G., Keough,M.K.&Rice,R.J. 1994.UnitedKingdom:theLateglacialandFlan‐drianalluvialrecordfromtheSoarandNenevalleys.PhilosophicalTransactionsoftheRoyalSocietyofLondonA,348,261‐293.
Ravenhill,W.L.D. 1954. AGuide toGeographicalDissertations. ExeterUniversityPress,Exeter.
Robinson,M.A.1991.TheNeolithicandBronzeAgeinsectassemblages.InS.Needham(ed.)Excavationsand salvage work atRunnymede Bridge, 1978: the LateBronzeAgeWaterfrontsite,277‐326.BritishMuseum,London.
Williams, A. 1990. Restaurants inPortugal: A spatial analysis. Journal ofGeographicalResearch1,10‐11
Appendices
Appendices are used to include information that helps the reader understand your re‐searchmore fully. Itshouldnotcontainany furtherargumentormaterial thatisnotdi‐rectlyrelatedtoyourresearchquestions.Youshouldensurethatifthematerialisimpor‐tantenoughitshouldgointhemainanalyticalchaptersandnotbe‘dumped’intheappen‐dices.
Appendicesmightinclude:♦ Anexampleofyourquestionnaire,transcribedinterview,focusgroupschedule♦ AGlossaryofTerms♦ Alistofkeydates/policies/people
NB:materialintheappendicesdoesnotcounttowardtheoverallwordcount.
5.3 Checkingyourwork
Beforesubmission, thewholetextofyourdissertationshouldbecheckedcarefullyfortypingerrors. Youshouldalsocheckthatyouhavelistedall yourreferencesandthatall tablesandIiguresareclearlypresentedandreferenced.
5.4 Handinginyourcompleteddissertation
Your dissertation must be handed in between 9.00am– 1pmand 2pm 5.00pmon the lastThursdayoftheSpringTermofyourFinalYear.
Youwillneed tosubmitone copyofyourdissertation,whichwillberetained intheDepartmentforoneyear.YouarerequiredtosubmitancopyonCDRom.
Youwillberesponsibleforbindingyourdissertation.YoushouldaskthePrintUnitoncampustocomplete thistask foryou.Please ask themforthermal binding.Thisprocesstakesa fewminutes.ThelasttimeforbindingatthePrintUnitis4pm.
SeeSection6oftheHandbookfordetailsoflateornon‐submissionprocedures.
YourdissertationarchiveYoushouldkeepanarchive(i.e.portfolio)ofallyourdissertationresearchinformationforin‐spectionbytheSchoolExaminationBoardand/ortheExternalExaminer(Section4.2).Failuretomaintainandprovidethisarchiveonrequestcouldresultinlossofmarks.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 31
Section 6:Regulations & procedures
ThissectiondescribestheDepartment'sandUniversity'sproceduressubmissionofthedisser‐tation. Thesectiondrawsattentiontoregulationsconcerninglatesubmission,plagiarismandcollusion,andpenaltiesforexceedingthewordlimit.
6.1 Your dissertation must be handed in between 9.00am‐1pmand 2pm ‐5.00pmonthelastThursdayoftheSpringTermofyourFinalYear.YouwillreceiveinformationaftertheChristmasvacationdetailingtheexactproce‐dure.
YouneedtosubmitonecopyofyourdissertationandoneelectroniccopyonCDRom whichwillberetainedintheDepartmentfortwoyears.Afterthattimeyoumayrecoveryourdisser‐tationbysendingtheappropriatepostageandpackingfee.Otherwise,ifspaceisrequired,dis‐sertationsmaybedisposedof.Wereservetherighttorevealyourdissertationmarktofuturestudentcohortsalthoughthiswillbeanonymous. Ifyouwishyourmarkto remainconIiden‐tial,youmustinformtheDissertationCo‐ordinatorinwriting.
Youshouldsignadisclaimerthat,exceptwherereferenced,thedissertationisyourownwork(seeAppendix7fordetails).Thisistoavoidplagiarismandcollusion.
Youshouldkeepanarchive(i.e.portfolio)ofallyourdissertationresearchinformationforin‐spectionbytheSchoolExaminationBoardand/ortheExternalExaminer.Failure tomaintainandprovidethisarchiveon requestcouldresultin lossofmarks. Thisis toassistinvestigationofsuspectedplagiarism.
6.2 Plagiarismandcollusion
Youareremindedthatthe failuretoreferencethepublishedandunpublishedworkofotheracademicsmayresultinachargeofplagiarism. This iseffectivelypassingoffsomeoneelse’sthoughts, ideas,writings andwork asyourown. People can beguilty ofplagiarism if theycopy,withoutproperattribution(i.e.acknowledgingbyreferencingtheauthorappropriately),fromabook,scholarlyarticle, lecturehandout,electronically‐storedtextoranotherstudent’swork.
CollusionisaidingorattemptingtoaidorobtainingorattemptingtoobtainaidfromanothercandidateinthisUniversityorelsewhereoranyotherperson.Inthecaseofadissertationthismight include obtaining unauthorised help with preparation of the report or with Iield/laboratorywork. It is not permissible for candidates to constructcommondata orto share
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 32
datawithothers inExeterorelsewherewithoutspeciIicauthorisationandsuchpracticewillbedeemedcollusionandsubjecttopenaltyasacademicmisconduct.It is recognisedthatanimportant skill developedduring thecourseofyourdissertationre‐searchis the forgingofcontacts withvariouspeoplewithinandoutside theGeographyDe‐partment. Someofthesecontactsmayofferyoupractical assistance. Ifyouareinanydoubtyoushouldseek guidancefromyourDissertationAdviser onwhatmaybedeemedinappro‐priateaid.Youmayseekassistancefrom parents, siblings, friends orotherstudents inIieldandotherformsofdataconstructionforhealthandsafetyreasons(seesection3.3onloneworking)orwhereatechniquerequirestwopersonstoundertakeit, forexamplewhensurveyingphysicalfeatures. However,whereanotherstudent at thisUniversityorelsewhere is involvedintheassistance,commondatacannotbeconstructedanddataarenottobeshared.Ifyouintendtoworkwithanyotherpeopleinanyphaseofyourdissertation,youmustdis‐cussthiswithyourDissertationAdvisorandoutlinethenatureofthishelp. Ifnecessaryyouwillbe requestedto seekwrittenpermissionfromtheDissertationCo‐ordinatorbeforepro‐ceedingtoworkwithotherpeople. Inparticular,ifyouareplanningtoundertakeadisserta‐tionaspartofaprogrammeorganizedbyanothercompanyororganization,(e.g. anoverseasexpedition)thedetailsofyourdissertationmustbediscussedwithandauthorisedbytheDis‐sertationCo‐ordinator.
N.B.Failuretoadheretotheaboveguidelineswillbetakenasevidenceofcollusion.
ThedissertationformsamajorpartofyourdegreeandanybreachofUniversityRegulationswillbeconsideredveryserious. Pleasenotethatbothplagiarismandcollusionareveryseri‐ousoffences,whichcanresultintheoutrightfailureofyourdegree.Youaredirectedtowardsthe Undergraduate Handbook for further details of University regulations and proceduresconcerningacademicconduct.
For furtherdetailsofdeIinitionsandprocedures concerningplagiarismandcollusioncanbefound in the University's Teaching Quality Assurance document (web address:http://www.admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/plag1.htm).
6.3 Lateornonsubmission
TheproceduresforlatesubmissionaresetoutintheUndergraduateHandbook.Latedisserta‐tions,orpartsofdissertations,arenotbeacceptedbyStaffandshouldnotbehandedtothem.Anylateworkshouldbehandedto theDepartmentalSecretarytogetherwithaLateSubmis‐sionformthatyoumustcomplete. This formwillallow youto stateanymitigatingcircum‐stancesthat theDepartmentmaytakeinto consideration.Wheretherearenomitigatingcir‐cumstancestheUniversitypolicyforlatesubmissionpenaltiesareapplied:
• workuptotwoweekslatewillreceiveamaximumof40%.• worksubmittedmorethantwoweekslatewillreceiveamarkofzero.
N.B.Latesubmissiondue toproblemswithprintersorlossofmaterialthroughmismanagementwillnotusuallybeconsideredreasonablemitigatingcircumstances(seeSection7).
IfeventsorcircumstancesbeyondyourcontrolariseduringthecourseofyourIinalyearthatwilldelaysubmission,afullwrittenaccountshouldbegivenaheadofthesubmissiondateto
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 33
theChairoflearningandTeaching.PleaseseeTracyReeves fordetails. TheDepartmentwillthenconsiderthesecircumstances.
In theeventofnonsubmission, youwillnormallybe deemedtohave failed thispartoftheexamination.
6.4 Penaltiesforexceedingthewordlimit
Yourdissertationshouldnot exceed10,000words (excluding titlepage, contentspage,acknow‐ledgements, abstract, listofIigures,appendices,tablesandbibliography).Dissertationsthatexceedthewordlimitwillbepenalisedasfollows:
• 5%forupto2500wordsoverthelimit.• 10%formorethan2500wordsoverthelimit.
6.5 Summaryofdissertationprocessandtimetable*
*Europeanstudiesprogrammestudentsseesection2.1fordetailsofprocess.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 34
Section 7:Three final pieces of advice.
One speciIic intended learning outcome of the dissertation (see Section 1.2) is to developcompetence in working independently, including management skills, such as setting andworkingtodeadlines. Poormanagement skills frequentlyresult intherushedproductionoftheIinaldissertationreport, because importantbitsofinformationare lostordestroyed, orthereisinsufIicienttimetoprintoutasatisfactoryIinalcopy. Ifyouhavemanagedyourdis‐sertationeffectively,youwillhavekeptback‐upcopiesandleftenoughtimeto copewithanyproblems thatmightariseduringreportproduction.Consequently, lateorincomplete submissionduetoproblemswithprinters,orlossofmaterialthroughmismanagement,arenotusuallyconsideredareasonableexcuse.
Thefollowingpiecesofadviceshouldhelptopreventtheseproblemsarising.
1.Keepatleast3back‐upcopiesatalltimes.
Always remember to keep back‐upcopies ofyourdissertation and the data youhave con‐structed!YoushouldkeepatleastthreecopiesofrelevantIiles,e.g.oneonharddisc,andtwoonseparateIloppydiscsstoredindifferentplaces. Thiswillreducetheriskoflossofimpor‐tant text anddata throughcarelessness, mismanagement, malfunctioning, theft, Iire and soforth.
2.StoretextanddatainmanageableIiles.
Thedissertationtext anddiagrams are likely to takeupa largenumberofbytes/disc space.Some images may be too large to store on a single Iloppy disc (e.g. digital camera photo‐graphs). Inaddition, youmayhavedifIicultyprinting out images storedincertainformats.Theentiretextofadissertationwillprobablybetoobigto storeorprintas oneIile,ormayoverloadsystemswhenyoucometoprintout.Youshouldstorecomponentsofyourdisserta‐tionas separateIiles (e.g. chapter1, chapter 2, bibliography, tables, Iigures)andprint themseparately. Labelsshouldindicateclearlytheversionofthetextonthedisc.Thiswillreducethemistakeofprintingoutsupersededversions.Printoutdraftversionsoftextanddiagramswell inadvance, sothatyoucanidentifypotential problemswithproduction, formattingandprintercompatibility.
3.Allowplentyoftimeforeditingandprinting.
Donotleaveprintingtothelastday.Donotunderestimatehowlongitwilltaketoprint,checkandcollatetheIinalversionofyourdissertationreport.Youneedtogiveyourselfenoughtimeincaseprintersareinheavydemandoryourprinterbreaksdown. Allowplentyoftime(i.e.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 35
daysnothours)to check over thereportandcorrectanyproblemswithformatting, pagina‐tionandsoforth.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 36
Appendix 1:Dissertation proposal guidelines.
ThedissertationproposalmustbetypedandsubmittedtoTracyReeveson7thMay2009be‐tween9.00–1.00and2.00–5.00.Threecopiesarerequired, two ofwhichcanbeblackandwhitephotocopies.Theworkwillbemarkedandonecopyreturnedtoyouwithcomments.Agradewill be awardedwhichwill count towards the GEO2310:Human Geography Practicemodule.
Dissertationproposalstructure
Thedissertationproposalshouldbeorganisedwiththefollowingsectionheadings.
1. Title2. Abstract3. Introduction4. Reviewoftherelevantliterature5. Methods6. Ethicalissues7. Disseminationpolicy8. Timetable*9. References*10.Completedethicsform*11.Completeriskform*
Dissertationproposalcontent
GiventhatthisisyourIirstattemptatdissertationwriting, theadvicegivenonpages24‐31isrelevant formostofthesections inyourdissertationproposal. Obviously,whenyouhandinyourIinaldissertation,thesesectionswillbemuchmoredetailedandaccomplished.Thepro‐posalwillbeyourIirsttentativegoatputtingthesekindsofideasandtogether,inawaythat
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 37
showsthatyouhavethoughtthroughyourdissertationresearchinenoughdetailtogiveyour‐selfandyouradviserconIidencethatitwillwork.Alotofworkneedstogointothisproposal‐lotsofreadingandthemakingoftentativecontactswiththosewhocanhelpyouwiththere‐searchbygivingpermissions, allowingaccess, etc. ‐but itwillhaveatentativeair(‘This re‐searchaimsto’,‘Ihopeto...’,‘Themethodsbestsuitedtosuchaprojectare...’).
AdviceoncompletingthevariousproposalsectionswasgivenintheIirstlectureofthedisser‐tationblock.Muchoftheadvicewascopiedandadaptedfromearliersections ofthisHand‐book,asfollows:
1.Title“Thetitleofyourdissertationshouldbebothinteresting–itistheIirstimpressionthatyougive to yourmarker – andprovidesome impressionof theserious issues that it will ex‐plore. Itisnotagoodideatogiveyourdissertationa titlethatasksaquestionthatseemsonlytohaveayesoranoanswer.Neitherisitagoodideatohavealong‐windedfactualti‐tlealongthelinesof‘Aninvestigationofa, b,candd, inthispartoftheworldusingtheacombinationofresearchmethodsandconcludingthat…’, orashortbutstrangecatchyonelike‘Fish’. Somecombinationofthe two –acatchytitle ofa fewwords taken frompresscoverage… – followedbyasubtitlecontaining few key academic termsalong thelines of‘something,somethingandsomethingelse’‐usuallyworksbetter.Lookforinspirationandideas in thetitles ofthe academic studies that you read. What kindsof titlesdo you likebest?”(p.24).2.Abstract“Theabstractshould...beabriefsummaryofwhatyourdissertationsetsouttodoandhowitdoesthis.Looktojournalarticleabstractsforinspirationhere”(p.26).
3.Introduction“This… should[brieIly]:… [a] describe the circumstances and/orcontexts out ofwhichyour(proposal)question(s)/aim(s)haveemerged…;[b]outlinetheresearchquestion(s)/aim(s)that yourdissertation[will]… address… [c] outlinetheobjectives throughwhichyou[will]… address them; [d] indicatewhy this shouldbeof interest orconcern to aca‐demic geographers, and how your Iindings promise to contribute something new andoriginaltogeographicalscholarship;[e]outlinehowyou[plan]…thesequestion(s)/aim(s)…inaconvincingandacademically‐soundmanner”(p.26).4.Reviewoftherelevantliterature“This … should: [a] show what academic concepts (e.g. ‘social exclusion’), studies (e.g.‘Powers’(2006)examinationof...’), theoreticalperspectives (e.g. ‘For politicaleconomists,…’),and/orbodiesofwork(e.g.‘Inhistoricalgeography,…’)[will]…bedrawnupontomakesenseofthekindofquestion(s)/aim(s)youarepursuing;[andb]show, throughcriticallyreviewingrelevantacademicreading,thatyourresearch[willmake]anargumentthroughthisliterature(i.e.takingupparticularideas,challengingothers,respondingtoappropriatecallsfornewwork,becausetheyareappropriate)”(p.27‐8).
5.Methods“This…should:[a]showthatthequestion(s)/aim(s)…, andtheacademic ideas[outlined]… , requireparticular kinds (andcombinations)of researchmethods in order to addresstheminaconvincingway;[b]showthatyouhavereadenoughoftheliterature…toknowhowtochooseappropriate…methods,howtousethemtoconstructtherightkindsofdata,andhow to analyse them systematically; [andc] show [that youknow how to tackle]…
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 38
practicalmethodologicalissuessuchashow[to]negotiate…accesstoappropriatesourcesofdataand/orIieldsites…”(p.28).6.EthicalissuesIngeneral, youwill needto explainhowtheconIidentiality andprivacy ofyour researchparticipants will be preserved, andhow your researchwill not be harmful to those in‐volved.But,ethical issuesoftendependonthetopicandthemethod(s)used,soanethicalstatementwill have to betailoredtoyourproposal. Seethe issues raisedonpages14‐15above andreadand refer to the researchethics chapters in the recommendedtexts onpages 8‐9. All research projects haveethical issues to tackle and it is essential that youthinkthesethroughattheearlieststagesofyourwork.7.DisseminationpolicyHowwillyoucommunicateyourIindingstorelevantaudiences?Thesewillalwaysbeacademic(it’s foryourdegree), but sometimes– forgoodreason (often‘ethical’)–youmayalso want towrite themwith/forother publics: e.g. researchparticipants, policy‐makers,‘thepublic’(talks,reports,exhibitions,etc.)asappropriatetoyourproposedresearch.
8.TimetableHowmuchtimewillbedevotedtoeachstageoftheresearch,andwhatdatescanyougive?Be reallycareful aboutthis–tryto think ofeverythingandbe cautious abouthowmuchtime it takes to, for example, recruit peopleor transcribeandinterview. Timetables areusuallypresentedaslists.
9.ReferencesListall‘intext’referencesinfull,usingtheHarvardreferencingsystem.Seepages29‐31.
10.CompletedethicsformSeeAppendix4.Thisformasksyoutoconsiderthenatureofyourresearchandanyethicalimplicationsishas.Afteryourproposalismarked,youmayberequiredtosubmitaformalapplicationtotheSchoolEthicsCommittee.
11.CompletedriskformsSeeAppendix 3. Pleasecomplete these to thebest ofyourability and submit themwithyourdissertationproposal
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 39
Appendix 2:Members of staff & subject areas
Membersofstaffinthedepartmentarepartofoneormoreresearchgroupswhich,together,claimexpertiseinanumberofkeyareas.Belowisanoutlineoftheseresearchgroups,whoisinthem,andwhatkindsofresearchtheydo.IfyourresearchideaIitsinwiththetopicslisted,thatis goodnews.Youcanfollowupsomeleadsandidentifywhototalktoaboutit. Forde‐tailsontheresearchinterestsofindividual membersofstaff,checktheirpersonalweb‐pagesathttp://www.sogaer.ex.ac.uk/geography/people/index.shtml#acaIfyourresearchideadoesnot Iit thesegroupsandtheir themes,all isnot lost. Youmayhavehadan ideainalecture,seminarortutorial. Ifso,approachthe lecturer, tutor, PhDstudent,etcconcerned. Any ideacanbecomeadissertationtopic, andstaffareusedto‐andlike‐supervisingdissertationsontopicstheydon’tknowmuchabout.Pleasebearinmindthatdissertationsupervisionissome‐thingthatstaffenjoydoing! It is fascinatingfor us toseehowstudentsturn theirideas intofullyIledgedprojectsintoIinisheddissertations.
HumanGeographyresearchgroupsInhumangeography, research groups concentrate on thebroad areas ofHistoricalCulturalGeography,SocietyNature,Governance,EthicsandSocial JusticeandClimate Change andSustainability. Inaddition to theteaching staff, theHumanGeography researchgroups includeresearchfellowsworkingonavarietyofexternally fundedprojectsplusresearchpostgradu‐atesandmastersstudents.Theresearchgroupsmeetregularlytoencourageresearchactivity,andallhumangeographerscometogetherweeklyforseminarsandreadinggroups.GroupmembersworkatboththeDevonandCornwallcampusesoftheUniversity. Someareinmorethanonegroup.YoucanonlybesupervisedbythosebasedinExeter.1.Historical‐CulturalGeography
Exeterbasedmembers:DavidHarvey,SeanCarter,IanCook,RogerKain,MarkPaterson,NicolaThomas,JohnWylie.Description:HistoricalGeographyis a long‐standingareaofresearchactivity inExeter. Well‐establishedspecialismssuchas thehistoryofcartographyhavebeenaugmentedinrecentyearsbyworkinformedbydevelopmentsincriticaltheoryandculturalgeography, includingissuesofland‐scape and identity, power and authority and geographies of imperialism, colonialism andpostcolonialism.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 40
Researchthemes:‣ Landscapeandregionalidentities‣ EnvisioningEnglishness‣ CelticGeographies‣ Geographiesofheritage‣ Ancientmonumentsandnotionsofthepast‣ HistoryofCartography‣ Geographiesofreligion‣ Geographiesofcolonialismandimperialism‣ GenderandHistoricalGeography‣ SpaceandidentityinIilms‣ Oralhistoriesoflandscapechange‣ HistoricalGeographiesofcostume‣ HistoricalGeographiesofFieldExplorationandScience2.Society‐Nature
Exeterbasedmembers.PaulCloke,StewartBarr,HenryBuller,IanCook,MarkGoodwin,JoLittle,JohnWylie.Description:GeographyatExeterhaslongbeenoneoftheleadingresearchdepartmentsinthecountryin‐vestigatingissuesofnature,societyandruralityandofferingawiderangeofexpertiseandresearch interests in rural social science. The Society‐Nature research group is organisedaroundthreebroadandinterlinkedresearchthemes.TheIirst,Nature/Society:Human/Nonhuman, explores dimensions to nature/society interactionwithin the rural context andbe‐yond, includingbiodiversitystrategies andgeneticmodiIication, animalagenciesandanimalwelfare, ethical relations withinthe food chain and the shifting constructions andco‐ con‐structionsofruralnatures.Thesecond,Culture,IdentityandCommunity,examinesthepoliticsofruralchange,theconstructionandrepresentationofruralityandtheperformanceofruralidentities, includinggenderandyouth,drawingonissuesofculturalidentityandpracticeandthemeanings of countrysideas social space. The third, Rural and AgroFood Sustainability,workspredominantly inthe areasoffoodrelocalisation, sustainable lifestyles, andruralde‐velopment.Researchthemes‣ Socio‐Naturalconstructionsofrurality‣ NewAgro‐FoodGeographies‣ EmbodimentandPerformanceinNature‣ Technologiesofpracticeinthecountryside‣ Animalianruralities‣ Nature,landscapeandtheruralenvironment‣ Farmeconomiesintransition‣ RuralIdentities‣ Agricultureandtheenvironment‣ Ruralgovernanceandcitizenship‣ Ruralpolicy‣ Touristicconstructionsoftherural
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 41
3.Governance,EthicsandSocialJustice
ExeterbasedmembersMarkGoodwin,StewartBarr,IanCook,SeanCarter,PaulCloke,KeithWoodwardDescriptionThis research groupseeks to take forward recent researchwithin human geography in thethreeinter‐linkedareasofgovernance,ethicsandsocialjustice.Thiswillallowafocusonnewintellectual currents around thenotions ofethical geographies and also prioritisea link tocontinuedpost‐structural investigationsofgovernmentality atanindividualandcommunitylevel.Membersofthegroupalsohaveinterestsintheongoingdebatesontheroleofgeogra‐phy in publicpolicy, andhaveactivelyresearchedissuesof governance, policyandstate re‐structuring.
Researchthemes‣ Theshiftinggeographiesofgovernance‣ Statetheoryandstaterestructuring‣ Nationality,identityanddiaspora‣ Environmentalbehaviourandpolicy‣ Sustainabilityandenvironmentalgovernance‣ Homelessnessandgeographiesofcare‣ Ethicalconsumption‣ Geographiesofethicsandcharity‣ Directaction,activismandsocialmovements4.ClimateChangeandSustainabilityExeterbasedmembersStewartBarr,SurajeDessai,ChrisFogwill,ChrisTurneyDescriptionTheSchooliscurrentlydevelopinganewresearchgroupwhichintegratesnaturalandsocialscienceresearchontherelatedissuesofclimatechangeandsustainabledevelopment.Theseincorporate research on climate prediction; climate modelling; environmental and socio‐economicimpactsofclimatechange;riskperceptionandcommunication; socio‐technical ad‐aptations to climatechange; the politicsandpolicy of climatechange; sustainable lifestylesandbehavioural change; climateandsustainabilitypolicy;energypolicyandregulation; themedia,artandcultureofclimatechange;andsustainablecommunities,mobilitiesandplan‐ning.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 42
Appendix 3: Risk forms
Workingwiththirdparties&Risk,healthandsafetyassessment
Theworkingwith3rdpartiesandriskassessmentinvolvedinthedissertationresearchshouldbediscussedwithyourDissertationAdviserandyoushouldbothsigntheform.
1.Workingwith3rdparties
Are youplanning onworkingwitha3rd partyor getting helpwithyour dissertation in anyform?
Yes
No
Ifyes,outlinethenatureofthishelp:
Advicegivenbydissertationadvisorand/orco‐ordinatorconcerningissuesarisingfromthishelp:
Name
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 43
2.RiskAssessment
YouDissertationAdvisershouldidentifyareasofworkinthefollowingriskcategories:
A.Thoseinwhichworkmaynotbeundertakenwithoutseniorsupervision.B. ThoseinwhichworkmaynotbestartedwithoutDissertationAdviser’sadvice.C. Thosewithrisks (other than categoriesA orB)whereextra caremust be observed, butwhere it is considered thatworkers are adequately trainedand competent inthe proce‐duresinvolved.
Riskcategoryapplied
SignatureofDissertationAdviser
SignatureofStudent
Date
Natureofwork:
Listhazardsinadvance.ThenatureofanyrisksmustbedeIined,andreferencemadetoanyinstructionsand/orsafetynotices.Adviceshouldincludeanysafeguards.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 44
Appendix 4: Ethics form
GuidanceNotes
This formmustbe completed foreveryUndergraduateDissertationProposal intheDepart‐mentofGeography,UniversityofExeter StreathamCampus. It is usedto identifywhetherafullapplicationforethicsapprovalbytheSoGEAREthicsCommitteeneedstobesubmitted. Ifafullapplicationisrequired,Appendix4oftheSoGAEREthicsGuidelinesshouldbeused(Ap‐pendix5isanillustrationofafullethicsapplication).
See http://www.ex.ac.uk/sogaer/EthicsGuidelines.pdf
Beforecompletingthisform,pleaserefertotheUniversityCodeofPracticeonEthicalStandardsforResearchInvolvingHumanParticipantsand/orAnimals.
See http://www.ex.ac.uk/admin/academic/ethics2/
Forundergraduatedissertationstheallocatedadviserisresponsibleforexercisingappropriateprofessionaljudgementinthisreview.
Thisformmustbe completedbefore potentialparticipantsareapproached to take part in anyresearch.
Pleasecompleteandsubmittwocopiesofthisformwithyour full dissertationproposal.Theformwillbecheckedbytheallocateddissertationadviser.Onecopywillbekeptbythedisser‐tationco‐ordinator,thesecondcopywillbereturnedtothestudent.Thestudentshouldretainthiscopyandsubmititwiththe5inaldissertation(boundinatthebeginningfollowingthetitlepage).
Anydissertationproposal thatissubmittedwithout theappropriateethicsformwillbeconsideredincompleteanda lateworkpenaltywillapplyunlessevidence ofmitigatingcircumstancesissubmitted(seeUndergraduateHandbookfordetails).
Ifyouhaveanswered‘no’to all questionsyoumust still submittwocopiesoftheformwithyourdissertationproposal.
Ifyouhaveanswered‘yes’toanyofthe questionsin Section III,youwillneedtodescribemorefullyhowyouplantodealwiththe ethical issuesraisedbyyourresearch. Thisdoesnotmeanthatyoucannotdotheresearch,onlythatyourproposalwillneedtobeapprovedbytheSoGAER
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 45
ResearchEthicsCommittee.Youwillneedtosubmityourplansforaddressingtheethical issuesraisedbyyourproposalusingtheethicsapprovalapplicationformsinAppendix4oftheSoGAEREthicsGuidelines.
Appendix4canbeobtainedfromtheSchoolwebsite:http://www.ex.ac.uk/sogaer/EthicsGuidelines.pdf
Ifyou have answered ‘yes’toanyof the questionsinSection III youmustsubmitAppendix4withyourdissertationproposal (two copies). There is nowordlimitforthese forms. At theIirstmeetingwithyourdissertationadviseryouwillbeabletodiscusstheethicaldimensionsofyourresearch.YoumayIindyouwishtore‐draftyourapplicationtotheEthicsCommitteefollowingyourdiscussionwithyouradviser.YoumaydothisisconsultationwithyouradviserbeforesubmittingyourethicalapprovalapplicationformstotheSoGEARResearchEthicsOfIi‐cer.
YoumustsubmityourIinalEthicalApprovalFormstotheSoGEARResearchEthicsOfIicer(DrNicola Thomas)by the Thursday ofweek 10 in the Summer Term. Youmust havediscussedyourapplicationwithyouradviserpriortothisdate.
Ifyouanswered‘yes’toquestion11,youwillalsohavetosubmitanapplicationtotheappro‐priateexternalhealthauthorityethicscommittee,afteryouhavereceivedapprovalfrom theSoGAERResearchEthicsOfIicer.
Pleasenotethatitisyourresponsibilitytofollow theUniversity’sCodeofPracticeonEthicalStandardsandanyrelevantacademicorprofessionalguidelinesintheconductofyourstudy.Thisincludesproviding appropriate information sheetsand consent forms, andensuring con5identialityinthestorageanduseofdata.AnysigniIicantchangeinthequestion,designorcon‐ductoverthecourseoftheresearchshouldbenotiIiedtotheSoGAERResearchEthicsOfIicerandmayrequireanewapplicationforethicsapproval.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 46
Ethicsself‐assessmentform
SectionI:ProjectDetails
SectionII:ApplicantDetails
2.Nameofstudent
3.Emailaddress
4. a.ContactAddressYoumaybecontactedbytheEthicsCommitteeduringthevacationregardingtheoutcomeofyourapplication
Term
Vacation
4. b.TelephoneNumberAmemberoftheEthicscommitteemaywishtodiscussyourapplicationorofferadvicebyphone.
Term
Vacation
SectionIII:ResearchChecklist
Pleaseanswereachquestionbytickingtheappropriatebox:
Yess No
1.Doesthestudyinvolveanimalsorparticipantswhoareparticularlyvul‐nerableorunabletogiveinformedconsent?(e.g.children,peoplewithlearningdisabilities,victimsofabuse)
2. Willthestudyrequiretheco‐operationofagatekeeperforinitialaccesstothegroupsorindividualstoberecruited?(e.g.pupilsatschool,membersofself‐helpgroup,residentsofnursinghome)
3. Willitbenecessaryforparticipantstotakepartinthestudywithouttheirknowledgeandconsentatthetime?(e.g.covertobservationofpeopleinnon‐publicplaces)
4. Willthestudyinvolvediscussionofsensitivetopics(e.g.sexualactivity,sexual,physicaland/orpsychologicalabuse,druguse)?
1.Project.tle
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 47
Yess No
5. Aredrugs,placebosorothersubstances(e.g.foodsubstances,vita‐mins)tobeadministeredtothestudyparticipantsorwillthestudyin‐volveinvasive,intrusiveorpotentiallyharmfulproceduresofanykind?
6.Willblood,hairortissuesamplesbeobtainedfromparticipants? 7. Ispainormorethanmilddiscomfortlikelytoresultfromthe
study?
8. Couldthestudyinducepsychologicalstressoranxietyorcauseharmornegativeconsequencesbeyondtherisksencounteredinnormallife
9. Willthestudyinvolveprolongedorrepetitivetestingonanimalsorvulnerablepeople(e.g.children)?
10. WillIinancialinducements(otherthanreasonableexpensesandcom‐pensationfortime)beofferedtoparticipants?
11.WillthestudyinvolverecruitmentofpatientsorstaffthroughtheNHS?
SectionIV:Tobecompletedbytheallocateddissertationadviser
DissertationAdviser’sname
Emailaddress
Adviser:pleaseticktheappropriateboxes:
" Thestudenthas ticked ‘no’to all questions inthe checklist (section III)andis not re‐quiredtocompleteanEthicsApprovalapplication.
Thestudentplanshasticked‘yes’toonequestionormoreinthechecklist (sectionIII)and is required to submit an Ethics Approval application form to the SoGEAR EthicsCommittee
IFASTUDENTHASTICKED ‘YES’TOANYQUESTIONTHESTUDYSHOULDNOTBEGINUNTILALLTHEFOLLOWINGBOXESARETICKED:
ThestudenthasreadtheUniversity’sCodeofPractice
Thetopicmeritsfurtherresearch
Thestudenthastheskillstocarryouttheresearch
TheparticipantinformationsheetorleaIletisappropriate
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 48
Theproceduresforrecruitmentandobtaininginformedconsentareappropriate
ThestudenthascompletedanapplicationformtotheSoGEAREthicsCommittee
ThestudenthasgainedtheapprovaloftheSoGEAREthicsCommitteefortheirwork.
Student
Signed
Date
Adviser
Signed
Date
PleaseensurethatfullethicsapplicationstotheSoGEAREthicsCommitteearesubmittedtotheSoGEARResearchEthicsOf5icerbytheThursdayofweek10intheSummerTerm.
Adviser:pleaseretaina copyofthisformforyourrecords.Please return the signedoriginaltothestudent
Student:pleaseretaintheoriginalsignedcopyofthisformtosubmitwith yourbounddissertationinyour5inalyear
Commentsfromadviser
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 49
Appendix 5: Dissertation progress form
Nameofstudent
Nameofadviser
Dateofmeeting
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 50
400wordProgressreporttobecompletedbythestudent
Nameofstudent
Nameofadviser
Dateofmeeting
Topicsdiscussed
Actiontobetaken
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 51
Appendix 6: Specimen front page
Titleofyourdissertation
YourName
IcertifythatthisdissertationisentirelymyownworkandnopartofithasbeensubmittedforadegreeorotherqualiIicationinthisoranotherinstitution. IalsocertifythatIhavenotcon‐structeddatanorshareddatawithanothercandidateatExeterUniversityorelsewherewith‐outspeciIicauthorisation.(insertyourprogramme, i.e. Arts, Science)withHonours in Geographyat theUniversity ofExeter.............................(yoursignature)March2010
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 52
Appendix 7: Example table of contents
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 53
Appendix 8: Example list of figures
Aseparate‘ListofTables’shouldbeformattedasbelow.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 54
Appendix 9: Dissertation marking criteria
Theaimofthedissertationistogiveyoutheopportunitytodisplayyourskillsintacklingspe‐ciIicgeographical issues insomedepth. Theessenceofthework is thatyoushoulddemon‐strateyourability to undertakeyour own independentandoriginal piece ofresearch. ThespeciIic aims and learningoutcomes of thedissertationaresetout inSections 1.1and 1.2.Youroverallperformance in thedissertationis assessedon thedegree towhichthese aimsandlearningoutcomeshavebeenfulIilled,evidenceforwhichisprovidedbyyourreport.
Thesuccessofyourdissertationisassessedonevidenceofdepthofknowledge, understand‐ingandanalysis.Inessence,youshoulddemonstratethatyouknowenoughaboutthesubjectareato understandandidentifyaworthwhiletopic anddesignanappropriatemethodologyforits investigation. Your depthofknowledgeandunderstandingdetermines yourability toanalyse, interpret,discussanddrawconclusions fromyourresults. InordertocommunicateeffectivelytheIindingsofyourresearch,youneedtoproduceareportthatisstructuredlogi‐cally,well‐writtenandpresented,withappropriateillustrationsandreferencing. Yourgoalistoproduceadissertationthatresembles,intermsofmethodologicalandanalyticalrigour,andqualityofpresentation,apublishedacademicpaperorreportinyourchosenIieldofstudy. Itisexpectedthatalldissertationsshouldbewell‐written,structuredlogically,thoughtfullypre‐sented,andincludeeffectiveillustrations,withfullandaccuratereferencing.
Table1:Dissertationassessmentcriteria.
%&
degree
class
Topic:identiIication&deIinitionofworthwhile
topic
Methods:appropriate‐ness&imple‐mentation
Presentation:communicationskills,useofterminology
Analysis:appropriateness,accuracy&depth
Discussion:relatingofownIindingstootherrelevantresearch&
drawingofconclusions
80%+
strong1stExcellentallcriteria
7079%
sound1st
Excellentinthreecriteria,atleastgoodinothers
6069%2.1
Goodinatleastthreecriteria,atleastmoderateinothers
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 55
%&
degree
class
Topic:identiIication&deIinitionofworthwhile
topic
Methods:appropriate‐ness&imple‐mentation
Presentation:communicationskills,useofterminology
Analysis:appropriateness,accuracy&depth
Discussion:relatingofownIindingstootherrelevantresearch&
drawingofconclusions
5059%
2.2
Moderateinatleastthreecriteria
4049%
3rd
Weakinatleastthreecriteria
39%
failUnacceptableinthreeormorecriteria
YourdissertationwillbeclassiIiedaccordingtotheextenttowhichitfulIilstheIivemaincri‐teria.ThefollowingwordsareusedtodescribefulIilmentofcriteria:excellent,good,moderate,weakandunacceptable. Togainagivenclass,yourworkmustbeattheappropriatestandardforthat class,withrespect to aminimumofthreecriteria (i.e. excellent in three criteria forIirst class, good in three criteria for 2.1 etc.). This system allows some compensation ofweakeraspectsbystrongerelements.
Dissertation Handbook, 2009-2010 56