7340ELEM

MSc Dissertation Aim & Objectives Form

Obtain your supervisor’s agreement confirming that the specified project has been allocated to you.
Once you have done this, email the form to your Programme Leader for formal recording before 30 June.
Submission of this form confirms you have sought and obtained your supervisor’s permission to proceed.

Student’s Family Name Registration Number

Student’s First Name E-mail Address

Programme of Study

Dissertation Title

Dissertation Aim

List measurable outcomes that you expect to achieve

1.

2.

3.

Dissertation 4.
Objectives

5.

6.

Supervisor’s Name

Date
Roles and Responsibilities for MSc Dissertation Students and Supervisors

As an MSc Dissertation student you have the following responsibilities:-

• Taking responsibility for your own research project and being proactive in managing your own work, meeting the deadlines
required of you and communicating regularly with your supervisor.
• Checking with your supervisor if you are in any doubt regarding the next phase of your work and to take the initiative in
raising problems and seeking guidance from the supervisors;
• Keeping your supervisor informed of any changes in your circumstances which will change your established patterns of
communication with your Supervisor.
• Discussing with your supervisor the type of guidelines and form of contact most helpful, and come to agreement on a
schedule of meetings.
• To be prepared for meetings with your supervisor. Bring along results to discuss and questions to explore.
• To meet the submission deadlines.
• If you want feedback and comment from your supervisor prior to submission of any material, this must be discussed and
agreed in advance with your supervisor and a suitable date agreed for you to submit the material to your supervisor in
advance of any deadline so that they have sufficient time to read and provide comment.
• It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the English language and grammar is acceptable and that the dissertation is
written in clear and appropriate language.
• To be familiar with:
• referencing guidelines;
• rules about plagiarism;
• ethics relating to research;
• requirements governing the presentation of the dissertation,
• All of which have been addressed as part of the Research Skills module.
• To actively pursue the research (as a guide, for a minimum of 40 hours per week for a full-time student).
• To become familiar with and apply relevant safe working practices.

MSc Dissertation Supervisors have the following responsibilities:-

• To ensure adequate experimental and technical resources are present in order to complete the MSc project tasks.
• To give guidance about the nature of research and the standard expected.
• To ensure the student is made aware of inadequacy of progress or of standards of work being below that expected.
• To offer regular meetings with the student to discuss progress on the MSc project providing support and monitoring
progress. The schedule for these meetings should be agreed in advance with the student.
• If the supervisor will be away, or for any foreseen reason will not be available to meet with a student at a pre-arranged
time, they must notify the student.
• Students should be notified in advance of any planned absence by the supervisor of more than one week (including
holidays).
• To provide guidance on the student’s chosen field of study; advising on data, literature sources and copyright; and if
appropriate, suggesting specialists whom the student may consult for additional advice.
• To ensure the student is aware of good academic standards and practice.
• To ensure the student adopts safe working practices.
• The supervisor should be prepared to give advice on the general form, arrangements of contents, presentation of data and
style of writing.
• The supervisor should be prepared to make general comments concerning content and style on early drafts of the
dissertation, provided that this has been agreed in advance and the material is passed to the supervisor by a pre-arranged
date which will give them sufficient time to read the material.
• Detailed comment or editing may be given for teaching purposes on drafts of small parts of a section of the dissertation,
but the supervisor should NOT re-write significant amounts of the project report at any stage. It is NOT the supervisor's role
to correct the English grammar, punctuation and spelling throughout the entire dissertation, however they may wish to do so
on a small section for illustrative purposes.