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MSC Dissertation Handbook: Course Description
MSC Dissertation Handbook: Course Description
DISSERTATION HANDBOOK
Course description
The MSc in Water and Environmental Management is an extended and supervised piece of
work reporting research, which is at least in part original. Dissertations will always be
grounded in a thorough review of the relevant literature and will normally require some
form of data collection. Where a satisfactory case can be made and at the supervisor’s
discretion, non‐experimental data collection procedures or a dissertation organised around
theory or model development are acceptable. The topic will be chosen in consultation with
course tutors to establish its suitability for study within the Masters programme. The
dissertation may be used to produce a piece of work that is either complete in its own right
or the foundation for a more extensive project suitable for study within a PhD programme.
Course content and relationship with other courses
The dissertation is the final part of the MSc programme, comprising one third (60/180
Mlevel CATS points) of the total credits for the degree. It serves to develop and extend the
study of topics in Water and Environmental Management that are of particular interest or
relevance to the student into a self‐managed research project. The dissertation is intended
to provide direct experience of the production of knowledge and practical insight into the
relationship between theoretical and methodological issues within the research process.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the dissertation, the student will demonstrate:
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of a particular area of interest;
• Critical insight into the primary literature in the particular area of interest;
• The appropriateness of a chosen theoretical perspective for the study of a particular
area of interest;
• An ability to undertake research using appropriate concepts and methods and
carrying out rigorous analysis;
• An ability to relate theory and concepts to evidence;
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• An ability to make a written presentation to communicate the framework of a
research proposal, and to report research work in progress;
• An ability to write clearly and effectively, and to meet approved criteria for formal
presentation of a written dissertation.
Assessment criteria
a) Assessments, which result in a numerical mark, will be marked on a full percentage scale
using the following marking criteria:
90 ‐ 100% Materials submitted for assessment are of sufficient quality to be publishable
without modification in books or journals within the domain.
80 ‐ 89% Materials submitted for assessment need only minor editorial intervention to be
publishable in books or journals within the domain.
70‐79% Expertise is demonstrated across a broad range of topics with critical thinking of a
high order. Frequent evidence of original thinking and flexible use of high‐order
communicative skills.
60 ‐ 69% Broad knowledge and thorough understanding is demonstrated, clear evidence of
expert competence exists, sound critical thinking is routinely deployed, with some examples
of original thinking and creative use of text.
50 ‐59% Evidence of broad knowledge and understanding is demonstrated and ideas can be
fluently expressed. There is some evidence of special expertise, critical thinking or
originality.
40 ‐ 49% The level of knowledge and understanding achieved is acceptable, and can be
cogently expressed, but there is insufficient evidence of special expertise, critical thinking or
originality.
30 ‐ 39% Core knowledge has been acquired and basic understanding has been achieved but
the quality of performance demonstrated is insufficient for the level of the course.
0 ‐ 29% Core knowledge has not been acquired and basic understanding has not been
achieved.
Teaching and learning experience
1. A tutor will be assigned to supervise the design and development of the research
investigation and to provide limited guidance on analysis of the data and
presentation of the report. The student may expect to spend up to 600 hours in
research, preparation and production of the dissertation.
2. A dissertation of not more than 15,000 words should be produced to acceptable
standards of literacy, numeracy and presentation on a topic of the student's choice.
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GUIDELINES FOR PRODUCTION OF THE DISSERTATION
The dissertation is the final and most important part of the MSc programme and accounts
for 60/180 of the total credits for the degree. The dissertation, which should not exceed
15,000 words in length, contributes 33 per cent of the final mark for the Programme, with
the remaining 66 per cent based upon either successful completion of the CIWEM / WEM
Postgraduate Diploma in Water & Environmental Management. The dissertation examiners
will be looking for evidence that you have achieved the Learning Outcomes associated with
the dissertation (see above).
Choosing a topic
The research‐based dissertation is intended to form the academic backbone of the
programme. Students will be provided with brief descriptions of potential research areas at
the beginning of their studies. The criteria for inclusion on this list are relevance to current
theoretical debate, feasibility in the context of time and other resource constraints, and
appropriateness of the research expertise of available supervisors. The list of recommended
research topics is not intended to preclude students from proposing investigations in other
areas, if they have specific interests or experience upon which they wish to build. Student‐
generated research proposals will only be accepted however, when in the view of the Course
Director, proposals form the basis for a viable research investigation and satisfactory
arrangements can be made for supervision. The decision of the Course Director in this
matter is final.
Students are advised to begin exploring the literature associated with the area they plan to
investigate as early in the course as possible.
The intended developmental route for dissertations in Water & Environmental Management
is as follows:
Stage I – Critical Review of selected literature. This review is intended to:
i. Ensure that the choice of research topic is made on the basis of adequate
background knowledge.
ii. Provide a sufficient basis for the formulation of research hypothesis, which are firmly
grounded in the research literature.
Stage II ‐ Project Design. In this phase of the research investigation students are expected to:
i. State the hypothesis they intend to test.
ii. Identify a methodology capable of testing the hypothesis identified.
iii. Carry out a pilot investigation, which demonstrates that the methodology is workable
and indicates how it should be implemented.
iv. Produce the design for the research‐based dissertation.
The course‐title is chosen to indicate to students the importance of ensuring that the
hypotheses subjected to preliminary examination in the pilot studies are securely grounded
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in the research literature. The pilot project should not be used as an opportunity to follow
wild hunches, or to go off on an `open‐ended fishing‐expedition’.
Stage III – Research‐based Dissertation. All students must carry out an approved research
investigation and submit a dissertation, which reports the rationale for, and outcomes of
their researches at the end of the programme.
(Although most students will develop their research investigation through the three phases
described above, it is possible that this scheme will not always proceed according to this
plan. For example, it may prove impossible to access a crucial participant sample, or the pilot
study may unexpectedly show that for some other reason it is not prudent to proceed with
the investigation. In such cases students must still satisfy programme requirements at each
of the three stages, but it is accepted that where there is good reason, the content or design
of an investigation at a later stage may depart from that proposed or implemented at an
earlier stage. When this occurs due to factors outside the student’s control, the final mark
achievable for the research‐based dissertation will not be affected.)
It is important to make a positive choice of topic – you will have to live with it for many
months. You should be genuinely interested and enthusiastic about the subject; the project
development scheme is intended to ensure that relevant information is available and that a
satisfactory approach is devisable. Be careful not to be over‐ ambitious in your choice of
topic. It is particularly important to remember this when planning experimental work.
Organising access to participants, data collection, analysis and interpretation are very time
consuming. Budget your time carefully.
After reading the rest of this guide, you should consult the Course Director about your
choice of topic and supervisor ‐ it is your responsibility to contact the Course Director and
Full‐Time students in particular should make contact as early in Term 1 as possible. Your
preliminary choice should be made in accordance with the guidelines set out above.
Remember that anyone who has not been allocated an approved topic for their Critical
Review cannot satisfy the conditions for proceeding with further stages of the programme.
Planning your dissertation
Your dissertation should normally be one of the following:
• A study based on the collection of data. This means that you collect your own data
using experimental methods, or some alternative such as observation or qualitative
methods. A great deal of work is required at the outset, but once your data are
collected you know that you are well on your way to completing the project.
However, a study based on data collection must be securely grounded in a thorough
understanding of existing knowledge in the field including sampling and statistical
analysis.
• A study which develops a theory or model. This kind of study is very challenging for
novice researchers and should only be undertaken after careful consideration and
consultation with supervisors. Model development is most likely to be a workable
option for students having specific prior skills, such as computer expertise. Theory
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development is most likely to be worth considering for students with considerable
prior knowledge or experience in a relevant area.
• A study based on secondary literature sources. Studies of this kind are not
encouraged and will only be approved under specific conditions. Studies based on
secondary analysis of the literature will normally be approved only when they involve
some method or technique additional to critical intelligence (for example content
analysis or meta‐analysis) or if they are likely to result in an explicit and substantive
contribution to the development of a formal theory or model. Studies of this kind
involve intensive use of libraries. Your sources will mainly be journal articles. Beware:
this type of research may seem an easy option in prospect, but in practice it takes
intellectual skills of a high order to produce original research based only on the
critical analysis of work already published.
Whatever form your investigation takes, you should work through the following stages:
• Decide on the research issue that you are going to investigate and the hypothesis.
• Carry out a literature search which is both thorough and efficient
• Narrow your investigation down to clearly stated research hypotheses, which remain
"live" in the context of your scrutiny of the literature.
• Decide on the data that you need in order to investigate these questions, and on the
sampling and data collection and data analysis (statistical) methods you are going to
use.
• Think about the key theories and concepts that will inform your work. Why are you
going to use these ideas and not others?
• Have in mind from the outset that you need to consider both your data and your
concepts when you come to write your report. A good dissertation will include an
evaluation of the adequacy of the data, of the methods used, and of the concepts
employed.
Purposes of the dissertation
Before collecting information, remember the main goals of the enterprise. They will be a
combination of some or all of the following:
• To present information.
• To report findings.
• To critically assess theoretical approaches to a topic.
• To evaluate the success of one or more methods of investigation.
• To consider applications and practical implications of your work.
• To consider possible future developments.
• To reflect upon any general or ideological issues raised by your investigation.
Because of these goals the dissertation should demonstrate:
• Clear, logical and analytically rigorous presentation of information.
• Evidence of serious and critical thought based upon, although not limited to, the data
you have collected.
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The collection of materials
Time spent at an early stage in drawing up lists of likely sources for information or other
relevant material will seldom be wasted. Consultation with tutors at this stage can be
particularly helpful. Although you will make considerable use of books and articles, it is
advisable to avoid becoming committed too early on, to any one method of investigation
and ‐ more important ‐ becoming ‘sold’ on one particular book or theoretical viewpoint.
Consult the Library Guides, especially Guide to Information Sources in the Library. The
Library staff in particular will also be helpful in locating references. Not only will expert
librarians save much time in searching out articles and books, they will often be able to
indicate sources that you have not considered. These include Annual Reviews, Review
journals, abstracts, citation indexes, BIDS (databases of articles you can search on‐line using
keywords), CD ROMS, the Internet and sources in journals that may be unknown to staff and
students. It is particularly important that the dissertation demonstrates your ability to search
information sources, including printed and electronic sources of information.
Keep track of acquired information, make legible notes and take full details of the source of
information, e.g. name of author(s), title, volume number, date, edition, page numbers,
publisher, place of publication. You will need to fully reference sources you cite and you
must avoid having to redo a time‐consuming search to find a missing date or page number.
Role of the supervisor
Students are expected to assume full responsibility for planning and executing their research
investigation, and for producing a scholarly report of the investigation in the form of a
dissertation. The role of the supervisor is to provide guidance about the kind of source
material which is available in the early stages of deciding upon a topic. She/he will also
advise on possible methods of investigation and procedures for analysing data. Interpreting
the results of the investigation is your responsibility. Where suitable arrangements are
made, supervisors may also agree to comment upon drafts of the dissertation and approve
the final draft. It is up to you to make sure that you can fit your needs for feedback around
your supervisor’s schedule. Clearly the supervisor cannot do the work for the student, but
she/he can be an important source of encouragement, support and critical exchange. The
supervisor ought, therefore, to be regularly consulted throughout the project.
Planning the dissertation report
It is essential that before you start to write, a plan of the dissertation is worked out. Use of a
Gantt chart at this point can be highly effective. This structures the material into an
intelligible order and form. The most useful plan is a chapter plan that identifies the
proposed functions of each chapter. There should be one or more chapters on each of the
following:
i. Introduction ‐ statement of research issue; review of existing knowledge about the
topics; statement of your research hypothesis.
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ii. Report of the procedures employed, including any pilot study: methodology,
sampling.
iii. Presentation of your results and statistical analysis if appropriate.
iv. Discussion and evaluation of your methods & data.
v. Critical reflection upon, and evaluation of theoretical, methodological, practical and
any ideological implications of the work reported including testing the research
hypothesis.
vi. Conclusions or recommendations for further research stemming from your
evaluation.
Having completed the plan it should be discussed with your supervisor.
Writing the dissertation
This section offers some advice on the writing of the dissertation. It should be read in
conjunction with the next section which stipulates the requirements for the presentation of
dissertations.
i. Title: The title should be short and indicate what your dissertation is about, keeping
to about five words, although you may want to add a sub‐title.
ii. General Introduction: One of the most important sections. A good introduction will
do some or all of the following:
a. Define the topic/issue and indicate broadly its extent, nature and significance by
reviewing existing knowledge in the field.
b. State clearly the aims of the dissertation and your research questions.
c. Provide background information which the reader will need (this includes defining
technical terms or words which are to be used in a special sense).
d. Indicate the arrangement of the main sections of the dissertation.
• Make the Introduction as interesting as possible—remember that the reader’s
response to the whole dissertation is often disproportionately determined by
the Introduction.
iii Main Sections: Concentrate on writing one section at a time. In each section it may be
necessary to do all or some of the following:
a. State the evidence (indicating sources);
b. Analyse and evaluate the evidence;
c. State any conclusions or recommendations from the analysis.
• At the end of each section, summarise it and introduce the next section.
Use footnotes sparingly to include detail not central to the thread of your argument.
These should be numbered and listed either at the end of each chapter, the end of
the dissertation, or at the bottom of each page (see below for advice on references).
If statistical material is included, ensure that it is presented in the most concise way
possible using clear tables and/or charts. Do not confuse the reader with pages of
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statistics: supplementary data can be included in appendices at the end of the
dissertation.
iv Abstract: This should be as cogent as possible. It should do all or some of the
following:
a. Describe the hypotheses tested and indicate their theoretical importance.
b. Explain how the hypotheses were tested.
c. Summarise the main features of the results.
d. Summarise the discussion and key implications of the findings.
e. Summarise practical implications etc. based on (b).
f. Highlight any important conceptual development or theoretical insight.
g. Summarise briefly, wider considerations or implications, including strengths and
weaknesses of your data and methods.
The Abstract should never introduce new material which is not already contained in the
body of the report.
Presentation of the dissertation
1. Two high quality soft bound copies plus a cdrom are required with word‐processed
text and reproduction of tables, figures and photographs to a good standard. These
will be retained so if you wish to keep a copy of your dissertation you should make a
third copy.
2. The dissertation must be printed or typed on A4 size white bond paper within 70
g/m2 to 100 g/m2. It is normal for the dissertation to be produced on single sided
pages, however double sided is acceptable. The text should be in double or 1.5 line
spacing in a font size between 10 and 12 inclusive. Headings should be in a font size
no larger than 14. Quotations and footnotes can be in single spacing in a font size
between 8 and 10 inclusive. Margins at the binding left hand side should be not less
than 40mm. Top, bottom and side margins should be not less than 15mm.
3. Pages should be numbered consecutively through the main text including the tables,
figures and photographs. The pagination of appendices should be continuous within
each appendix. The page number should be located centrally 20 mm above the
bottom of the page.
4. The appropriate length of the dissertation will vary according to the topic but should
not normally exceed 15,000 words.
5. All dissertations should contain in order:
Premliminary pages
The five preliminary pages of dissertations must be: Title Page, Abstract, Dedication
and Acknowledgements, Author’s Declaration, Table of Contents. These pages
should be single sided.
• A title page with the title neatly visible through the window of the cover. At the
top of the title page within the advised margins, give the title, and any sub‐title
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of the dissertation, followed by the volume number, if more than one. The full
name of the author should be in the centre of the page. At the bottom centre
of the page should be the words “A dissertation submitted to the University of
Bristol in accordance with the requirements of the degree of (state degree) in
the Faculty of (name Faculty). Include the name of the Department where
appropriate and the month and year of submission. The word count (text only)
should be typed at the bottom right hand side of the page.(see appendix 1).
• An abstract of the work. This should provide a synopsis of the dissertation in no
more than 300 words stating the nature, scope and outcomes of the work
reported. It must fit on to one side of an A4 page.
• Dedication and acknowledgements are at the discretion of the author
• A signed Author’s declaration is required stating how far the work contained in
the dissertation is the candidate’s own work and how far it has been conducted
in collaboration with, or with the assistance of , others. (see appendix 2).
• A table of contents, list of tables and illustrative material which must list in
sequence, with page numbers; all chapters, sections and sub‐sections; the list of
references; the bibliography; list of abbreviations; and any appendices. The list
of tables and illustrations must follow the table of contents, and should list with
page numbers all the tables, photographs, coloured photographs, diagrams etc.,
in the order in which they appear in the text. Separate lists for each.
i. Main body of dissertation: this should be sub‐divided into chapters and chapter
sections.
ii. Appendices: any lengthy tables and other background material obtained during
the investigation should be given in full at the end, labelled ‘Appendix 1’ etc.
iii. References: The APA system is recommended.
6. Unless prior permission to submit a separate folio has been obtained from your
supervisor(s), all photographs, figures, graphs, etc, should be embodied in the text.
Illustrations should be provided to a good standard using a graphics package, stencil
and/or Letraset at A4 size or reduced to A4 size. Reductions must be of a clear and
permanent nature. So that the second copy of your dissertation will include clear
copies of illustrations, the use of colour should be minimal except where certain
maps conventionally employ colour.
7. Charts, graphs, diagrams and photographs should all be referred to as Figures and
numbered in consecutive order.
8. Sources of information used in compiling Figures and Tables should be
acknowledged. Photographs should be mounted on thicker A4 size paper and if
glossy (which may stick to the facing page) should have a fly‐leaf inserted.
9. All illustrations should be numbered, titled and, as far as possible, be self‐
explanatory.
10. References should be clearly set out using the APA format. Double‐check that all
references in the text appear in your reference list.
11. Footnotes should be appended either at the bottom of the page, end of each section
or at the end of the dissertation. They should be as brief as possible.
12. Abbreviations should be those in normal use. When necessary a key to abbreviations
should be provided.
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13. The cost of producing the dissertation must be borne by the student.
Deadlines and extensions
Deadlines, penalties for failing to meet deadlines and procedures for applying for extensions
are described in the Programme Regulations and published in the Student Handbook.
Should you need to apply for an extension, these criteria have to be met:
1. A request must be made in writing before the original deadline and must be for a
specific length of extension.
2. The letter must state the grounds for the extension and include reference to
appropriate evidence that the supervisor has seen.
3. The grounds must be based on (a) particular circumstance(s) which is/are clearly
beyond the student’s control and which do not constitute a contingency for which
provision should have been made. Examples of such circumstances are:
• A medical certificate covering indisposition for a period at which key work was due to
be carried out;
• Late arrangement of supervision;
• An unexpected bereavement;
• A failure of a third party to honour a previously arranged agreement to provide data
or facilities;
• A failure of University equipment that had been allocated for the project;
• Absence of a supervisor at a point when key supervision had been specifically
planned;
• Unexpected crises in domestic responsibilities.
Examples of circumstances which would NOT normally be sufficient for an extension are:
• Loss of a computer disk (backups should be kept);
• Failure of a printer or the binder (printing and binding should be done well in
advance of the deadline);
Normally, the length of the extension should relate closely to the lost time attributable to
the ‘exceptional circumstances’. Longer extensions or extensions falling outside these
criteria may only be granted by the Course Committee.
Plagiarism
Candidates must ensure that course work submitted for assessment in fulfilment of course
requirements is not plagiarised (borrowed or copied, without specific acknowledgement, or
stolen from other published or unpublished work). Quotations from whatever source must
be clearly identified and attributed at the point where they occur in the text of the course
work by use of one of the standard conventions for referencing. Any student whose course
work submitted for assessment is plagiarised, in whole or in part, may be subject to
disciplinary action in accordance with the University's Student Disciplinary Procedure.
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Appendix 1: Dissertation title page
Title
sub title
Susan Jones
September 2006
A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements of
the degree of Master of Science in Water & Environmental Management in the Faculty of
Engineering
Word count:
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Appendix 2: Authors Declaration
Authors Declaration
I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the
Regulations of the University of Bristol. The work is original except where indicated by
special reference in the text and no part of the dissertation has been submitted for any
other degree.
Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author and in no way represent
those of the University of Bristol.
The dissertation has not been presented to any other University for examination either in
the United Kingdom or overseas.
The copyright of this dissertation rests with the author. Information derived from it should
be acknowledged.
Commercial confidentiality of research funders will be respected at all times.
…………………………………………………… ………………………………….
Signature Date
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Appendix 3: References
References should be given to the experimental and other work, which you have read on the
problem under investigation. The references should be to work you have actually read and
mentioned in the report, for example, in the Introduction you may write `Smith (1987) has
shown that...'. At the end of the report the full reference should be given:
Smith, A. (1987). The Role and the Person. British Journal of Social Psychology, 26, 83‐88.
The format is: author's name, date of publication in brackets, full title, name of journal,
volume number, pages.
Where reference is made to a book, give the author's name, date of publication, title, pages
referred to, place of publication, and publisher's name.
Zurcher, L. A. (1977). The Mutable Self: A Self Concept for Social Change (pp. 23‐54). London:
Sage.
It is important to give references wherever possible. Avoid saying `Research has shown...'
instead give the source of your information. Do not however, give a string of references
which you have not consulted.
All citations in the text must be associated with entries in the References section of the
report. All entries in the References section should be cited somewhere in the text of the
report.
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