7. Format and presentation Dissertations should be between 12,000 and 15,000 words and include a word count. The following should not be included in the word count: abstracts; indented quotations (of more than 50 words); tables; figures; diagrams; footnotes/endnotes used for reference purposes and kept within reasonable limits; bibliography; and appendices. The dissertation must be typed or word-processed and prepared in double spaced, Arial 12pt typescript on A4 paper, with margins of approximately 4cms left and 2.4cms on the right. The abstract and bibliography should be single spaced. Illustrative items such as tables and diagrams etc. should be produced and reduced to A4 size unless this would seriously detract from their illustrative value. They should be inserted as near as possible to the main portion of the text referring to them and should be titled and numbered sequentially throughout the report for ease of reference. Pay attention to tenses (past, present, future) and be careful not to mix them within chapters. Methodology and results, for example, include what has been done/found and so should be in the past tense. Page numbering up to the abstract should be by small Roman numerals, (i, ii, iii, iv, etc) and the main body of the text plus appendices should be numbered consecutively throughout in Arabic numerals. The general style of layout should be similar to that in academic works and journals, except that in relevant cases, that part of any dissertation which also serves as a report to a host company may be prepared with numbered paragraphs and greater use of headings, sub-headings, and other appropriate devices for emphasis, etc. (underlining/italics, etc). Each chapter should contain an introduction, the main body of arguments and a conclusion. You should attempt to anchor each chapter into the body of the text so that its relevance to the whole dissertation is clear to the reader. The format of the dissertation should be as follows: c. Abstract The aim of this is to give the reader an overview of the work contained in the dissertation. It should be no longer than one page of A4, single spaced and should make reference to the aims and objectives, the methods of investigation, the main findings and the conclusions reached. It is NOT a description of you contents page. d. Acknowledgements You should refer to those people who have assisted you in your research. For example, your supervisor, advisors, and those who completed questionnaires and interviews etc. Please ensure you spell names correctly and ensure that you conform with ethical issues (do not name any individuals or companies who have provided you with data or personal information) e. Contents Page Your contents page should list the sections and subsections of your dissertation followed by references and then appendices. You should provide the title of each appendix and it is common practice to number the pages in the appendix A1, A2, A3 etc. Pages in the contents table are normally numbered in small case Roman numerals. f. List of Tables and Figures List all, figures, tables and diagrams by number, title and page number g. List of abbreviations Abbreviations should be listed. In the text, the abbreviation should only be used after its first mention, which should be written in full. h. Introduction (word length guide 1,500 words) This should set the scene and give the reader a complete overview of what you intend to do. It should include a general introduction, a rationale for doing the research which is based on secondary data, an aim and three to four supporting objectives and/or hypotheses, the proposed methodology, limiting and delimiting factors and an outline of the organisation of the study. i. Literature Review (word length guide 5,000 words) A literature review is "an interpretation and synthesis of published work" Merriam, 1986, Case Study Research in Education) and it is not simply an extended essay. As such your literature review should involve the following processes: j. Methodology (word length guide 2,000 words) You must give reasoned arguments for your choice of research methodology, including any alternate methods that have been deemed less suitable. Selections of your sample should be discussed along with details of how you implemented your methodology (how? where? when? who? why?) information on pilot studies should be included, together with details of any changes made as a result. You must discuss and justify how the field work was undertaken, what happened, and the methods used to analyse data. Reliability and validity issues should be discussed including the steps you have taken to ensure your findings may be relied on by others as accurate and trustworthy. The main emphasis of this chapter is on justifying what you have done and the process you have applied in data collection and analysis. k. Results and Discussion (word length guide 5,000 words) The results should be presented in a logical manner using tables and figures as necessary. You should discuss the meaning of the results as you present them. Remember to relate your results back to your aim and objectives and literature review. This section should not be just a description of your results but should include a discussion and evaluation of the findings you have made. l. Conclusions and Recommendations (word length guide 1,500 words) Your conclusions are a summary of your overall findings and should relate to your original aim, objectives and hypotheses. The conclusions should be based on your results and discussions section but should NOT be a regurgitation of this section. The key parts of the literature must be revisited in this section and where appropriate your conclusions should assess implications of your work. Your recommendations should be based on your conclusions chapter. Where appropriate, your recommendations should include aims, implementation strategies, resource costs and resource benefits. m. Evaluation of Study and Scope for Further Research This section gives you the opportunity to reflect on what you have done. There may be obvious opportunities for further research other than the same work carried out in a different geographical area or using a different sample. In your evaluation don't be afraid to state what went wrong preferably with ways that this could be avoided if the research were to be carried out again. Critically evaluate your methodology again with ways that this could be improved. Discuss the limitations of your work. n. Reference List Throughout your dissertation you will be referring to the work of others. You must provide a list of those sources which you use and refer to in the dissertation. All sources you use must be referenced and must be included in this list. Each source in the list must in a form that is traceable by the reader—thus you need to include the authors' names, the year, the title of the source, etc. The School insists that you use the Harvard system. Failure to acknowledge and reference correctly may lead to accusations of plagiarism and if proved, you will be subjected to the disciplinary process of the university. These may be accessed You are reminded that if you are using sentences or phrases that are not your own you must enclose the relevant passages with inverted commas, for example: "To be or not to be, that is the question" (Shakespeare 1505 p.32) then give the reference at the end. It is NOT sufficient to just give the reference at the end. o. Appendices Appendices are not marked and hence should not be included in the word count. They should include only relevant information to aid in the understanding of the text, e.g. questionnaires, interview questions, letters and responses to and from third parties, relevant raw data, etc. There is no need to present each complete questionnaire although it is extremely important that this is saved and as it may be required for inspection. This also applies to taped transcripts of any interviews.