brief

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Oxford University *

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1

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Communications

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Nov 24, 2024

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docx

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6

Uploaded by CorporalWorldFish31

Component 001: Dissertation Report: (8000 Words) 100% of module weighting) To submit your Dissertation Report, Use Turnitin. Ethical Approval for Research All research requires ethical approval prior to data collection. Guidance on ethical approval application process can be found on the module Moodle page. Format, Structure and Content of the Dissertation The following sets out the expected format, structure, and content of a dissertation. It is relatively long but contains important information. Format The final assessment should be submitted with page margins of 2.54 cm on all sides. Text should be double-spaced and Size 12 Arial Font or Times New Roman. Tables do not need to be double-line spaced but ensure the row heights are appropriate with the text centred vertically and horizontally. The page number should be on each page starting from the introduction and be located at the bottom centre of each page. The order of the report should be as follows and each section should start on a new page: Title page Abstract Acknowledgements Introduction (I.e., Statement of problem, Rationale, Aim, Objective, Research Question & Hypothesis) Literature Review Methods Results Discussion Conclusion References Appendices It is important that each section is written in a scientific style and tense. Scientific writing is typically very direct, concise, and specific. The whole report should be written in the third person. The tense that should be used changes during the report. The abstract, literature review, methods, results, and discussion should all be in the past tense. The introduction should be a combination of the past and present tense depending on the context of the sentence. Title and Abstract The title page must bear the title of the research, your name, student ID number, the degree title for which you are registered, the School and University name. See module handbook for an example.
The title should be clear, concise, and precise enough to identify the area of the problem, and descriptive enough to permit the study to be indexed in its proper category. Superfluous words such as "a study of", or "an investigation into", or "an analysis of", together with catchy, misleading, and vague phrases, should be avoided. Nouns identifying the major variables under consideration should form the basis of the title. The abstract should summarise the dissertation as a whole and include information on the background to the study, the research question, the methods, the results, and a conclusion. Well written abstracts always include the primary research results (i.e., numeric values) along with statistics. The abstract should be no longer than one page and be in the formatting expected of the whole dissertation. The word count of the title page and abstract does not contribute to the word count of the assessment. Acknowledgements On the page following the title page and abstract, you may, if you wish, write an acknowledgement to anyone who has provided you with assistance with your project. It is polite to acknowledge the help that you have received with your project, but don’t get carried away and produce a list of everyone who’s ever ‘been there for you’. The word count of the acknowledgements does not contribute to the word count of the assessment. 3 Introduction The introduction and literature review sections should be used to provide a scientific rationale for the research you are going to conduct in a progressive, logical narrative. An introduction provides a rationale through the discussion of the nature of the problem being addressed. The section should start broad and progress to being specific around your study focus area, concluding with your research question. Include a sub-heading for statement of problem where you will discuss the problem or issues that need to be studied; a rationale which justifies the need for the study, explaining why the study is worth investigation; a research aim which is a broad statement about the purpose of the research (i.e. use an active verb such as “ to investigate” the effect of eating behaviour on adults health in the UK) The research question should provide 3 to 4 clear questions centred around your research aims; research objectives should be clear and follow the SMART rule, identifying specific actions that you will take to achieve the research questions (remember to use active verbs like to assess, to determine, to analyse, to ascertain, to document e.t.c.); the hypothesis (null or alternative) are predictions about your what your research might finds. The hypothesis usually predicts what your research might find; hence, the research questions, objectives, and hypothesis should be properly linked. A hypothesis should include a null and alternative hypothesis. Literature Review A literature review provides a rationale by identifying, critiquing, and synthesising the current knowledge base around your research question. This section should provide a theoretical
underpinning to your research area and the state of current understanding in your research area. These sections should provide a foundation to identify how your research is progressing in the research area, and consequently, the published research needs to be evaluated and not just stated. This section should draw on some key context relating to specific research questions and hypotheses to form relevant subheadings. This section should also identify how your research is progressing from other research based on the literature review. Undergraduate dissertations typically progress the research area by (1) addressing a clear gap in the literature, (2) identifying limitations of past research and addressing these limitations or (3) providing confirmation of prior findings (replication studies) and drawing the connection between them (finding the themes, pattern, conflicting ideas and gaps). This section will consider your (1) knowledge and understanding, (2) structure and argument, (3) analysis and conclusions and (4) written/visual style and clarity. Methods This section should provide clear, complete, and precise details on the methods used, allowing others to recreate your study. If someone reading your methods cannot replicate your work, given the appropriate skills and resources, then your written description is probably inadequate. Of course, some assumed knowledge from the 'reader' is acceptable, but it is important to include methodological descriptions supporting the data's reliability and validity. Methods should contain information on the participants, study design , procedures, and data analysis (it is important to use relevant sub-sections to increase clarity). The methods should be in the past tense and third person. Study Participants: Describe your selection of participants, including sampling techniques and recruitment. Briefly describe the critical features of your participants (sex, age range, mean age, any characteristic you may think is relevant and the informed consent and screening process). Do not use participants’ names, initials, or other identifying factors. In all cases mention that ethical approval was obtained prior to data collection. The inclusion and exclusion criteria should also be clearly stated 4 Study Design: Describe the study design (e.g., within, between or mixed measures), organisation of test sessions, randomisation, or other intervention strategies (e.g., pair- matching and counter- balanced order), experimental controls (methods or participants). You should identify the validity and reliability of your study design. Procedures: Describe the procedures used to obtain data in a clear, concise and logical order to allow replication of methods. You should identify the design and construction of equipment (brief manufacturer details are normally included – e.g., Seca, Hamburg, Germany when using scales to measure body mass) and identify any substances used and their amounts (e.g., concentration of a carbohydrate solution). You should identify the validity and reliability of your procedures; this could be done by providing reference to an appropriate prior study that has used your procedures or research around the approach you are taking. Data Analysis: Clearly state how data was analysed and what the analysis was for. Describe data analysis methods in sufficient detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the reported findings. Ethical consideration should also be well discussed, providing information on how this is ensured within the study.
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