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Dissertation Methodology – Structure, Example and Writing Guide

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Dissertation Methodology

In any research, the methodology chapter is one of the key components of your dissertation. It provides a detailed description of the methods you used to conduct your research and helps readers understand how you obtained your data and how you plan to analyze it. This section is crucial for replicating the study and validating its results.

Here are the basic elements that are typically included in a dissertation methodology:

• Introduction : This section should explain the importance and goals of your research .
• Research Design : Outline your research approach and why it’s appropriate for your study. You might be conducting an experimental research, a qualitative research, a quantitative research, or a mixed-methods research.
• Data Collection : This section should detail the methods you used to collect your data. Did you use surveys, interviews, observations, etc.? Why did you choose these methods? You should also include who your participants were, how you recruited them, and any ethical considerations.
• Data Analysis : Explain how you intend to analyze the data you collected. This could include statistical analysis, thematic analysis, content analysis, etc., depending on the nature of your study.
• Reliability and Validity : Discuss how you’ve ensured the reliability and validity of your study. For instance, you could discuss measures taken to reduce bias, how you ensured that your measures accurately capture what they were intended to, or how you will handle any limitations in your study.
• Ethical Considerations : This is where you state how you have considered ethical issues related to your research, how you have protected the participants’ rights, and how you have complied with the relevant ethical guidelines.
• Limitations : Acknowledge any limitations of your methodology, including any biases and constraints that might have affected your study.
• Summary : Recap the key points of your methodology chapter, highlighting the overall approach and rationalization of your research.

Types of Dissertation Methodology

The type of methodology you choose for your dissertation will depend on the nature of your research question and the field you’re working in. Here are some of the most common types of methodologies used in dissertations:

Experimental Research

This involves creating an experiment that will test your hypothesis. You’ll need to design an experiment, manipulate variables, collect data, and analyze that data to draw conclusions. This is commonly used in fields like psychology, biology, and physics.

Survey Research

This type of research involves gathering data from a large number of participants using tools like questionnaires or surveys. It can be used to collect a large amount of data and is often used in fields like sociology, marketing, and public health.

Qualitative Research

This type of research is used to explore complex phenomena that can’t be easily quantified. Methods include interviews, focus groups, and observations. This methodology is common in fields like anthropology, sociology, and education.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research uses numerical data to answer research questions. This can include statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques. It’s common in fields like economics, psychology, and health sciences.

Case Study Research

This type of research involves in-depth investigation of a particular case, such as an individual, group, or event. This methodology is often used in psychology, social sciences, and business.

Mixed Methods Research

This combines qualitative and quantitative research methods in a single study. It’s used to answer more complex research questions and is becoming more popular in fields like social sciences, health sciences, and education.

Action Research

This type of research involves taking action and then reflecting upon the results. This cycle of action-reflection-action continues throughout the study. It’s often used in fields like education and organizational development.

Longitudinal Research

This type of research involves studying the same group of individuals over an extended period of time. This could involve surveys, observations, or experiments. It’s common in fields like psychology, sociology, and medicine.

Ethnographic Research

This type of research involves the in-depth study of people and cultures. Researchers immerse themselves in the culture they’re studying to collect data. This is often used in fields like anthropology and social sciences.

Structure of Dissertation Methodology

The structure of a dissertation methodology can vary depending on your field of study, the nature of your research, and the guidelines of your institution. However, a standard structure typically includes the following elements:

• Introduction : Briefly introduce your overall approach to the research. Explain what you plan to explore and why it’s important.
• Research Design/Approach : Describe your overall research design. This can be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. Explain the rationale behind your chosen design and why it is suitable for your research questions or hypotheses.
• Data Collection Methods : Detail the methods you used to collect your data. You should include what type of data you collected, how you collected it, and why you chose this method. If relevant, you can also include information about your sample population, such as how many people participated, how they were chosen, and any relevant demographic information.
• Data Analysis Methods : Explain how you plan to analyze your collected data. This will depend on the nature of your data. For example, if you collected quantitative data, you might discuss statistical analysis techniques. If you collected qualitative data, you might discuss coding strategies, thematic analysis, or narrative analysis.
• Reliability and Validity : Discuss how you’ve ensured the reliability and validity of your research. This might include steps you took to reduce bias or increase the accuracy of your measurements.
• Ethical Considerations : If relevant, discuss any ethical issues associated with your research. This might include how you obtained informed consent from participants, how you ensured participants’ privacy and confidentiality, or any potential conflicts of interest.
• Limitations : Acknowledge any limitations in your research methodology. This could include potential sources of bias, difficulties with data collection, or limitations in your analysis methods.
• Summary/Conclusion : Briefly summarize the key points of your methodology, emphasizing how it helps answer your research questions or hypotheses.

How to Write Dissertation Methodology

Writing a dissertation methodology requires you to be clear and precise about the way you’ve carried out your research. It’s an opportunity to convince your readers of the appropriateness and reliability of your approach to your research question. Here is a basic guideline on how to write your methodology section:

1. Introduction

Start your methodology section by restating your research question(s) or objective(s). This ensures your methodology directly ties into the aim of your research.

2. Approach

Identify your overall approach: qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. Explain why you have chosen this approach.

• Qualitative methods are typically used for exploratory research and involve collecting non-numerical data. This might involve interviews, observations, or analysis of texts.
• Quantitative methods are used for research that relies on numerical data. This might involve surveys, experiments, or statistical analysis.
• Mixed methods use a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

3. Research Design

Describe the overall design of your research. This could involve explaining the type of study (e.g., case study, ethnography, experimental research, etc.), how you’ve defined and measured your variables, and any control measures you’ve implemented.

4. Data Collection

Explain in detail how you collected your data.

• If you’ve used qualitative methods, you might detail how you selected participants for interviews or focus groups, how you conducted observations, or how you analyzed existing texts.
• If you’ve used quantitative methods, you might detail how you designed your survey or experiment, how you collected responses, and how you ensured your data is reliable and valid.

5. Data Analysis

Describe how you analyzed your data.

• If you’re doing qualitative research, this might involve thematic analysis, discourse analysis, or grounded theory.
• If you’re doing quantitative research, you might be conducting statistical tests, regression analysis, or factor analysis.

Discuss any ethical issues related to your research. This might involve explaining how you obtained informed consent, how you’re protecting participants’ privacy, or how you’re managing any potential harms to participants.

7. Reliability and Validity

Discuss the steps you’ve taken to ensure the reliability and validity of your data.

• Reliability refers to the consistency of your measurements, and you might discuss how you’ve piloted your instruments or used standardized measures.
• Validity refers to the accuracy of your measurements, and you might discuss how you’ve ensured your measures reflect the concepts they’re supposed to measure.

8. Limitations

Every study has its limitations. Discuss the potential weaknesses of your chosen methods and explain any obstacles you faced in your research.

9. Conclusion

Summarize the key points of your methodology, emphasizing how it helps to address your research question or objective.

Example of Dissertation Methodology

An Example of Dissertation Methodology is as follows:

Chapter 3: Methodology

• Introduction

This chapter details the methodology adopted in this research. The study aimed to explore the relationship between stress and productivity in the workplace. A mixed-methods research design was used to collect and analyze data.

Research Design

This study adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research problem. The rationale for this approach is that while quantitative data can provide a broad overview of the relationships between variables, qualitative data can provide deeper insights into the nuances of these relationships.

Data Collection Methods

Quantitative Data Collection : An online self-report questionnaire was used to collect data from participants. The questionnaire consisted of two standardized scales: the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to measure stress levels and the Individual Work Productivity Questionnaire (IWPQ) to measure productivity. The sample consisted of 200 office workers randomly selected from various companies in the city.

Qualitative Data Collection : Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants chosen from the initial sample. The interview guide included questions about participants’ experiences with stress and how they perceived its impact on their productivity.

Data Analysis Methods

Quantitative Data Analysis : Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the survey data. Pearson’s correlation was used to examine the relationship between stress and productivity.

Qualitative Data Analysis : Interviews were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis using NVivo software. This process allowed for identifying and analyzing patterns and themes regarding the impact of stress on productivity.

Reliability and Validity

To ensure reliability and validity, standardized measures with good psychometric properties were used. In qualitative data analysis, triangulation was employed by having two researchers independently analyze the data and then compare findings.

Ethical Considerations

All participants provided informed consent prior to their involvement in the study. They were informed about the purpose of the study, their rights as participants, and the confidentiality of their responses.

Limitations

The main limitation of this study is its reliance on self-report measures, which can be subject to biases such as social desirability bias. Moreover, the sample was drawn from a single city, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.

Where to Write Dissertation Methodology

In a dissertation or thesis, the Methodology section usually follows the Literature Review. This placement allows the Methodology to build upon the theoretical framework and existing research outlined in the Literature Review, and precedes the Results or Findings section. Here’s a basic outline of how most dissertations are structured:

• Acknowledgements
• Literature Review (or it may be interspersed throughout the dissertation)
• Methodology
• Results/Findings
• References/Bibliography

In the Methodology chapter, you will discuss the research design, data collection methods, data analysis methods, and any ethical considerations pertaining to your study. This allows your readers to understand how your research was conducted and how you arrived at your results.

Advantages of Dissertation Methodology

The dissertation methodology section plays an important role in a dissertation for several reasons. Here are some of the advantages of having a well-crafted methodology section in your dissertation:

• Clarifies Your Research Approach : The methodology section explains how you plan to tackle your research question, providing a clear plan for data collection and analysis.
• Enables Replication : A detailed methodology allows other researchers to replicate your study. Replication is an important aspect of scientific research because it provides validation of the study’s results.
• Demonstrates Rigor : A well-written methodology shows that you’ve thought critically about your research methods and have chosen the most appropriate ones for your research question. This adds credibility to your study.
• Enhances Transparency : Detailing your methods allows readers to understand the steps you took in your research. This increases the transparency of your study and allows readers to evaluate potential biases or limitations.
• Helps in Addressing Research Limitations : In your methodology section, you can acknowledge and explain the limitations of your research. This is important as it shows you understand that no research method is perfect and there are always potential weaknesses.
• Facilitates Peer Review : A detailed methodology helps peer reviewers assess the soundness of your research design. This is an important part of the publication process if you aim to publish your dissertation in a peer-reviewed journal.
• Establishes the Validity and Reliability : Your methodology section should also include a discussion of the steps you took to ensure the validity and reliability of your measurements, which is crucial for establishing the overall quality of your research.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Geography: Library Dissertation Research: Welcome

• Introducing Dissertation Research
• Identify: Key Research Concepts
• Identify: Information Types
• Find: Where to Search
• Find: How to search
• Using Library Search
• Using Research Databases
• Using Research Resources
• Evaluate your search results
• Reference your research resources This link opens in a new window
• Getting Help

How to use this online guide

This guide introduces the skills and techniques you can use for effective library research for your dissertations and research projects.

Work through each section using the menu tabs above, or the Next button at the bottom of the page. 

There will be activities for you to complete as you go so that you can learn by doing and self test your learning.

This guide aims to ...

• Build your confidence in planning and conducting your research to support your dissertation
• Highlight the library help and support available to you as you conduct your research

You can download and use a dissertation workbook to make notes as you progress through the tutorial. By the end you'll have a plan you can use to help you complete your library research for your dissertation, project or research proposal.

• Dissertation workbook
• Next: Introducing Dissertation Research >>
• Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 2:58 PM
• URL: https://libguides.exeter.ac.uk/geographydissertation

How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

8 straightforward steps to craft an a-grade dissertation.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020

Writing a dissertation or thesis is not a simple task. It takes time, energy and a lot of will power to get you across the finish line. It’s not easy – but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a painful process. If you understand the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis, your research journey will be a lot smoother.  

In this post, I’m going to outline the big-picture process of how to write a high-quality dissertation or thesis, without losing your mind along the way. If you’re just starting your research, this post is perfect for you. Alternatively, if you’ve already submitted your proposal, this article which covers how to structure a dissertation might be more helpful.

How To Write A Dissertation: 8 Steps

• Clearly understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is
• Find a unique and valuable research topic
• Craft a convincing research proposal
• Write up a strong introduction chapter
• Review the existing literature and compile a literature review
• Design a rigorous research strategy and undertake your own research
• Present the findings of your research
• Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Step 1: Understand exactly what a dissertation is

This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but all too often, students come to us for help with their research and the underlying issue is that they don’t fully understand what a dissertation (or thesis) actually is.

So, what is a dissertation?

At its simplest, a dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research , reflecting the standard research process . But what is the standard research process, you ask? The research process involves 4 key steps:

• Ask a very specific, well-articulated question (s) (your research topic)
• See what other researchers have said about it (if they’ve already answered it)
• If they haven’t answered it adequately, undertake your own data collection and analysis in a scientifically rigorous fashion
• Answer your original question(s), based on your analysis findings

In short, the research process is simply about asking and answering questions in a systematic fashion . This probably sounds pretty obvious, but people often think they’ve done “research”, when in fact what they have done is:

• Started with a vague, poorly articulated question
• Not taken the time to see what research has already been done regarding the question
• Collected data and opinions that support their gut and undertaken a flimsy analysis
• Drawn a shaky conclusion, based on that analysis

If you want to see the perfect example of this in action, look out for the next Facebook post where someone claims they’ve done “research”… All too often, people consider reading a few blog posts to constitute research. Its no surprise then that what they end up with is an opinion piece, not research. Okay, okay – I’ll climb off my soapbox now.

The key takeaway here is that a dissertation (or thesis) is a formal piece of research, reflecting the research process. It’s not an opinion piece , nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position. Writing a good dissertation involves asking a question and taking a systematic, rigorous approach to answering it.

If you understand this and are comfortable leaving your opinions or preconceived ideas at the door, you’re already off to a good start!

Step 2: Find a unique, valuable research topic

As we saw, the first step of the research process is to ask a specific, well-articulated question. In other words, you need to find a research topic that asks a specific question or set of questions (these are called research questions ). Sounds easy enough, right? All you’ve got to do is identify a question or two and you’ve got a winning research topic. Well, not quite…

A good dissertation or thesis topic has a few important attributes. Specifically, a solid research topic should be:

Let’s take a closer look at these:

Attribute #1: Clear

Your research topic needs to be crystal clear about what you’re planning to research, what you want to know, and within what context. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or vagueness about what you’ll research.

Here’s an example of a clearly articulated research topic:

An analysis of consumer-based factors influencing organisational trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms.

As you can see in the example, its crystal clear what will be analysed (factors impacting organisational trust), amongst who (consumers) and in what context (British low-cost equity brokerage firms, based online).

Need a helping hand?

Attribute #2:   Unique

Your research should be asking a question(s) that hasn’t been asked before, or that hasn’t been asked in a specific context (for example, in a specific country or industry).

For example, sticking organisational trust topic above, it’s quite likely that organisational trust factors in the UK have been investigated before, but the context (online low-cost equity brokerages) could make this research unique. Therefore, the context makes this research original.

One caveat when using context as the basis for originality – you need to have a good reason to suspect that your findings in this context might be different from the existing research – otherwise, there’s no reason to warrant researching it.

Attribute #3: Important

Simply asking a unique or original question is not enough – the question needs to create value. In other words, successfully answering your research questions should provide some value to the field of research or the industry. You can’t research something just to satisfy your curiosity. It needs to make some form of contribution either to research or industry.

For example, researching the factors influencing consumer trust would create value by enabling businesses to tailor their operations and marketing to leverage factors that promote trust. In other words, it would have a clear benefit to industry.

So, how do you go about finding a unique and valuable research topic? We explain that in detail in this video post – How To Find A Research Topic . Yeah, we’ve got you covered 😊

Step 3: Write a convincing research proposal

Once you’ve pinned down a high-quality research topic, the next step is to convince your university to let you research it. No matter how awesome you think your topic is, it still needs to get the rubber stamp before you can move forward with your research. The research proposal is the tool you’ll use for this job.

So, what’s in a research proposal?

The main “job” of a research proposal is to convince your university, advisor or committee that your research topic is worthy of approval. But convince them of what? Well, this varies from university to university, but generally, they want to see that:

• You have a clearly articulated, unique and important topic (this might sound familiar…)
• You’ve done some initial reading of the existing literature relevant to your topic (i.e. a literature review)
• You have a provisional plan in terms of how you will collect data and analyse it (i.e. a methodology)

At the proposal stage, it’s (generally) not expected that you’ve extensively reviewed the existing literature , but you will need to show that you’ve done enough reading to identify a clear gap for original (unique) research. Similarly, they generally don’t expect that you have a rock-solid research methodology mapped out, but you should have an idea of whether you’ll be undertaking qualitative or quantitative analysis , and how you’ll collect your data (we’ll discuss this in more detail later).

Long story short – don’t stress about having every detail of your research meticulously thought out at the proposal stage – this will develop as you progress through your research. However, you do need to show that you’ve “done your homework” and that your research is worthy of approval .

So, how do you go about crafting a high-quality, convincing proposal? We cover that in detail in this video post – How To Write A Top-Class Research Proposal . We’ve also got a video walkthrough of two proposal examples here .

Step 4: Craft a strong introduction chapter

Once your proposal’s been approved, its time to get writing your actual dissertation or thesis! The good news is that if you put the time into crafting a high-quality proposal, you’ve already got a head start on your first three chapters – introduction, literature review and methodology – as you can use your proposal as the basis for these.

Handy sidenote – our free dissertation & thesis template is a great way to speed up your dissertation writing journey.

What’s the introduction chapter all about?

The purpose of the introduction chapter is to set the scene for your research (dare I say, to introduce it…) so that the reader understands what you’ll be researching and why it’s important. In other words, it covers the same ground as the research proposal in that it justifies your research topic.

What goes into the introduction chapter?

This can vary slightly between universities and degrees, but generally, the introduction chapter will include the following:

• A brief background to the study, explaining the overall area of research
• A problem statement , explaining what the problem is with the current state of research (in other words, where the knowledge gap exists)
• Your research questions – in other words, the specific questions your study will seek to answer (based on the knowledge gap)
• The significance of your study – in other words, why it’s important and how its findings will be useful in the world

As you can see, this all about explaining the “what” and the “why” of your research (as opposed to the “how”). So, your introduction chapter is basically the salesman of your study, “selling” your research to the first-time reader and (hopefully) getting them interested to read more.

How do I write the introduction chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this post .

Step 5: Undertake an in-depth literature review

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to do some initial review of the literature in Steps 2 and 3 to find your research gap and craft a convincing research proposal – but that’s just scratching the surface. Once you reach the literature review stage of your dissertation or thesis, you need to dig a lot deeper into the existing research and write up a comprehensive literature review chapter.

What’s the literature review all about?

There are two main stages in the literature review process:

Literature Review Step 1: Reading up

The first stage is for you to deep dive into the existing literature (journal articles, textbook chapters, industry reports, etc) to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of research regarding your topic. While you don’t need to read every single article, you do need to ensure that you cover all literature that is related to your core research questions, and create a comprehensive catalogue of that literature , which you’ll use in the next step.

Reading and digesting all the relevant literature is a time consuming and intellectually demanding process. Many students underestimate just how much work goes into this step, so make sure that you allocate a good amount of time for this when planning out your research. Thankfully, there are ways to fast track the process – be sure to check out this article covering how to read journal articles quickly .

Literature Review Step 2: Writing up

Once you’ve worked through the literature and digested it all, you’ll need to write up your literature review chapter. Many students make the mistake of thinking that the literature review chapter is simply a summary of what other researchers have said. While this is partly true, a literature review is much more than just a summary. To pull off a good literature review chapter, you’ll need to achieve at least 3 things:

• You need to synthesise the existing research , not just summarise it. In other words, you need to show how different pieces of theory fit together, what’s agreed on by researchers, what’s not.
• You need to highlight a research gap that your research is going to fill. In other words, you’ve got to outline the problem so that your research topic can provide a solution.
• You need to use the existing research to inform your methodology and approach to your own research design. For example, you might use questions or Likert scales from previous studies in your your own survey design .

As you can see, a good literature review is more than just a summary of the published research. It’s the foundation on which your own research is built, so it deserves a lot of love and attention. Take the time to craft a comprehensive literature review with a suitable structure .

But, how do I actually write the literature review chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this video post .

Step 6: Carry out your own research

Once you’ve completed your literature review and have a sound understanding of the existing research, its time to develop your own research (finally!). You’ll design this research specifically so that you can find the answers to your unique research question.

There are two steps here – designing your research strategy and executing on it:

1 – Design your research strategy

The first step is to design your research strategy and craft a methodology chapter . I won’t get into the technicalities of the methodology chapter here, but in simple terms, this chapter is about explaining the “how” of your research. If you recall, the introduction and literature review chapters discussed the “what” and the “why”, so it makes sense that the next point to cover is the “how” –that’s what the methodology chapter is all about.

In this section, you’ll need to make firm decisions about your research design. This includes things like:

• Your research philosophy (e.g. positivism or interpretivism )
• Your overall methodology (e.g. qualitative , quantitative or mixed methods)
• Your data collection strategy (e.g. interviews , focus groups, surveys)
• Your data analysis strategy (e.g. content analysis , correlation analysis, regression)

If these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these in plain language in other posts. It’s not essential that you understand the intricacies of research design (yet!). The key takeaway here is that you’ll need to make decisions about how you’ll design your own research, and you’ll need to describe (and justify) your decisions in your methodology chapter.

2 – Execute: Collect and analyse your data

Once you’ve worked out your research design, you’ll put it into action and start collecting your data. This might mean undertaking interviews, hosting an online survey or any other data collection method. Data collection can take quite a bit of time (especially if you host in-person interviews), so be sure to factor sufficient time into your project plan for this. Oftentimes, things don’t go 100% to plan (for example, you don’t get as many survey responses as you hoped for), so bake a little extra time into your budget here.

Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to do some data preparation before you can sink your teeth into the analysis. For example:

• If you carry out interviews or focus groups, you’ll need to transcribe your audio data to text (i.e. a Word document).
• If you collect quantitative survey data, you’ll need to clean up your data and get it into the right format for whichever analysis software you use (for example, SPSS, R or STATA).

Once you’ve completed your data prep, you’ll undertake your analysis, using the techniques that you described in your methodology. Depending on what you find in your analysis, you might also do some additional forms of analysis that you hadn’t planned for. For example, you might see something in the data that raises new questions or that requires clarification with further analysis.

The type(s) of analysis that you’ll use depend entirely on the nature of your research and your research questions. For example:

• If your research if exploratory in nature, you’ll often use qualitative analysis techniques .
• If your research is confirmatory in nature, you’ll often use quantitative analysis techniques
• If your research involves a mix of both, you might use a mixed methods approach

Again, if these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these concepts and techniques in other posts. The key takeaway is simply that there’s no “one size fits all” for research design and methodology – it all depends on your topic, your research questions and your data. So, don’t be surprised if your study colleagues take a completely different approach to yours.

Step 7: Present your findings

Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to present your findings (finally!). In a dissertation or thesis, you’ll typically present your findings in two chapters – the results chapter and the discussion chapter .

What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?

While these two chapters are similar, the results chapter generally just presents the processed data neatly and clearly without interpretation, while the discussion chapter explains the story the data are telling  – in other words, it provides your interpretation of the results.

For example, if you were researching the factors that influence consumer trust, you might have used a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between potential factors (e.g. perceived integrity and competence of the organisation) and consumer trust. In this case:

• Your results chapter would just present the results of the statistical tests. For example, correlation results or differences between groups. In other words, the processed numbers.
• Your discussion chapter would explain what the numbers mean in relation to your research question(s). For example, Factor 1 has a weak relationship with consumer trust, while Factor 2 has a strong relationship.

Depending on the university and degree, these two chapters (results and discussion) are sometimes merged into one , so be sure to check with your institution what their preference is. Regardless of the chapter structure, this section is about presenting the findings of your research in a clear, easy to understand fashion.

Importantly, your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions (which you outlined in the introduction or literature review chapter). In other words, it needs to answer the key questions you asked (or at least attempt to answer them).

For example, if we look at the sample research topic:

In this case, the discussion section would clearly outline which factors seem to have a noteworthy influence on organisational trust. By doing so, they are answering the overarching question and fulfilling the purpose of the research .

For more information about the results chapter , check out this post for qualitative studies and this post for quantitative studies .

Step 8: The Final Step Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Last but not least, you’ll need to wrap up your research with the conclusion chapter . In this chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and explaining what the implications of these findings are.

What exactly are key findings? The key findings are those findings which directly relate to your original research questions and overall research objectives (which you discussed in your introduction chapter). The implications, on the other hand, explain what your findings mean for industry, or for research in your area.

Sticking with the consumer trust topic example, the conclusion might look something like this:

Key findings

This study set out to identify which factors influence consumer-based trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms. The results suggest that the following factors have a large impact on consumer trust:

While the following factors have a very limited impact on consumer trust:

Notably, within the 25-30 age groups, Factors E had a noticeably larger impact, which may be explained by…

Implications

The findings having noteworthy implications for British low-cost online equity brokers. Specifically:

The large impact of Factors X and Y implies that brokers need to consider….

The limited impact of Factor E implies that brokers need to…

As you can see, the conclusion chapter is basically explaining the “what” (what your study found) and the “so what?” (what the findings mean for the industry or research). This brings the study full circle and closes off the document.

Let’s recap – how to write a dissertation or thesis

You’re still with me? Impressive! I know that this post was a long one, but hopefully you’ve learnt a thing or two about how to write a dissertation or thesis, and are now better equipped to start your own research.

To recap, the 8 steps to writing a quality dissertation (or thesis) are as follows:

• Understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is – a research project that follows the research process.
• Find a unique (original) and important research topic
• Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal
• Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter
• Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review
• Undertake your own research
• Present and interpret your findings

Once you’ve wrapped up the core chapters, all that’s typically left is the abstract , reference list and appendices. As always, be sure to check with your university if they have any additional requirements in terms of structure or content.  

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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20 Comments

thankfull >>>this is very useful

Thank you, it was really helpful

unquestionably, this amazing simplified way of teaching. Really , I couldn’t find in the literature words that fully explicit my great thanks to you. However, I could only say thanks a-lot.

Great to hear that – thanks for the feedback. Good luck writing your dissertation/thesis.

This is the most comprehensive explanation of how to write a dissertation. Many thanks for sharing it free of charge.

Very rich presentation. Thank you

Thanks Derek Jansen|GRADCOACH, I find it very useful guide to arrange my activities and proceed to research!

Thank you so much for such a marvelous teaching .I am so convinced that am going to write a comprehensive and a distinct masters dissertation

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This was straightforward. Thank you!

I can say that your explanations are simple and enlightening – understanding what you have done here is easy for me. Could you write more about the different types of research methods specific to the three methodologies: quan, qual and MM. I look forward to interacting with this website more in the future.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions 🙂

Hello, your write ups is quite educative. However, l have challenges in going about my research questions which is below; *Building the enablers of organisational growth through effective governance and purposeful leadership.*

Very educating.

Just listening to the name of the dissertation makes the student nervous. As writing a top-quality dissertation is a difficult task as it is a lengthy topic, requires a lot of research and understanding and is usually around 10,000 to 15000 words. Sometimes due to studies, unbalanced workload or lack of research and writing skill students look for dissertation submission from professional writers.

Thank you 💕😊 very much. I was confused but your comprehensive explanation has cleared my doubts of ever presenting a good thesis. Thank you.

thank you so much, that was so useful

Hi. Where is the excel spread sheet ark?

could you please help me look at your thesis paper to enable me to do the portion that has to do with the specification

my topic is “the impact of domestic revenue mobilization.

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• Bodleian Libraries
• Oxford LibGuides
• Geography and the Environment
• Theses and Dissertations

Geography and the Environment: Theses and Dissertations

Introduction.

Theses and dissertations are documents that present an author's research findings, which are submitted to the University in support of their academic degree. They are very useful to consult when carrying out your own research because they:

• provide a springboard to scope existing literature
• provide inspiration for the finished product
• show you the evolution of an author's ideas over time
• provide relevant and up-to-date research (for recent theses and dissertations)

On this page you will find guidance on how to search for and access theses and dissertations in the Bodleian Libraries and beyond.

Definitions

Terms you may encounter in your research.

Thesis: In the UK, a thesis is normally a document that presents an author's research findings as part of a doctoral or research programme.

Dissertation: In the UK, a dissertation is normally a document that presents an author's research findings as part of an undergraduate or master's programme.

DPhil: An abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy, which is an advanced research qualification. You may also see it referred to as PhD.

ORA: The Oxford University Research Archive , an institutional repository for the University of Oxford's research output including digital theses.

Theses and dissertations

• Reading theses and dissertations in the Bodleian Libraries
• SOGE Undergraduate Dissertations
• SOGE MSc Dissertations
• SOGE DPhil Theses
• DPhil Theses outside of Oxford

The Bodleian Libraries collection holds DPhil, MLitt and MPhil theses deposited at the University of Oxford, which you can consult. You may also be interested to read theses and dissertations beyond the University of Oxford, some of which can be read online, or you can request an inter-library loan.

Help with theses and dissertations

To find out more about how to find and access theses and dissertations in the Bodleian Libraries and beyond, we recommend the following:

• Bodleian Libraries theses and dissertations Links to information on accessing the Bodleian Libraries collections of Oxford, UK, US and other international theses.
• Oxford University Research Archive guide
• Help & guidance for digital theses Information on copyright, how to deposit your thesis in ORA and other important matters
• Guide to copyright The Bodleian Libraries' Quick guide to copyright and digital sources.

Prize winning undergraduate dissertations are available in print in the Social Science Library opposite the printing and photocopying room. These start from the year 2000 onwards. Prize winning dissertations from 1979 to 1999 are located offsite but can be ordered to the Social Science Library by searching for the title on SOLO. A full list of the titles is located with the dissertations in the library and is also  here .

Prize winning dissertations from 2019 are also available on the SOGE intranet  here .

There is also a a listing of all non-prize winning dissertations by year from 2003 which includes their abstracts, located by the dissertations. 

BCM, ECM, NSEG & WSPM MSc Dissertations

MSc dissertations with a Distinction are located in the Social Science Library opposite the printer and photocopier room. All dissertations with a Distinction are available in printed format for the years 1995 to 2017. Dissertations from 2018 onwards are only available electronically on the SOGE intranet  here .

DPhil theses in print format are kept off-site at the Bodleian Book Storage Facility. They can be found on SOLO by a keyword search including the word ‘thesis’. Alternatively there is a browseable list by year on the SOGE intranet with links to SOLO  here .

DPhil theses in print format can only be requested to the Weston Library for consultation.

Many of the more recent DPhil theses are also available to read online unless they have an embargo. These are on the university repository,  ORA . The SOGE intranet  browseable list  also includes links to the online full text in ORA where available.

Further information about finding theses, both in Oxford and in other universities can be found  here . 

Depositing your thesis

It is mandatory for students completing a research degree at the University of Oxford (registered to a programme of study on or after 1st October 2007) to deposit an electronic copy of their theses with the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) in order to meet the requirements of their award. To find out more, visit the Oxford University Research Archive guide.

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Writing your dissertation - structure and sections

Posted in: dissertations

In this post, we look at the structural elements of a typical dissertation. Your department may wish you to include additional sections but the following covers all core elements you will need to work on when designing and developing your final assignment.

The table below illustrates a classic dissertation layout with approximate lengths for each section.

Hopkins, D. and Reid, T., 2018.  The Academic Skills Handbook: Your Guid e to Success in Writing, Thinking and Communicating at University . Sage.

Your title should be clear, succinct and tell the reader exactly what your dissertation is about. If it is too vague or confusing, then it is likely your dissertation will be too vague and confusing. It is important therefore to spend time on this to ensure you get it right, and be ready to adapt to fit any changes of direction in your research or focus.

In the following examples, across a variety of subjects, you can see how the students have clearly identified the focus of their dissertation, and in some cases target a problem that they will address:

An econometric analysis of the demand for road transport within the united Kingdom from  1965 to 2000

To what extent does payment card fraud affect UK bank profitability and bank stakeholders?  Does this justify fraud prevention?

A meta-analysis of implant materials for intervertebral disc replacement and regeneration.

The role of ethnic institutions in social development; the case of Mombasa, Kenya.

Why haven’t biomass crops been adopted more widely as a source of renewable energy in the United Kingdom?

Mapping the criminal mind: Profiling and its limitation.

The Relative Effectiveness of Interferon Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C

Under what conditions did the European Union exhibit leadership in international climate change negotiations from 1992-1997, 1997-2005 and 2005-Copenhagen respectively?

The first thing your reader will read (after the title) is your abstract. However, you need to write this last. Your abstract is a summary of the whole project, and will include aims and objectives, methods, results and conclusions. You cannot write this until you have completed your write-up.

Introduction

Your introduction should include the same elements found in most academic essay or report assignments, with the possible inclusion of research questions. The aim of the introduction is to set the scene, contextualise your research, introduce your focus topic and research questions, and tell the reader what you will be covering.  It should move from the general  and work towards the specific. You should include the following:

• Attention-grabbing statement (a controversy, a topical issue, a contentious view, a recent problem etc)
• Background and context
• Introduce the topic, key theories, concepts, terms of reference, practices, (advocates and critic)
• Introduce the problem and focus of your research
• Set out your research question(s) (this could be set out in a separate section)
• Your approach to answering your research questions.

Literature review

Your literature review is the section of your report where you show what is already known about the area under investigation and demonstrate the need for your particular study. This is a significant section in your dissertation (30%) and you should allow plenty of time to carry out a thorough exploration of your focus topic and use it to help you identify a specific problem and formulate your research questions.

You should approach the literature review with the critical analysis dial turned up to full volume. This is not simply a description, list, or summary  of everything you have read. Instead, it is a synthesis of your reading, and should include analysis and evaluation of readings, evidence, studies and data, cases, real world applications and views/opinions expressed.  Your supervisor is looking for this detailed critical approach in your literature review, where you unpack sources, identify strengths and weaknesses and find gaps in the research.

In other words, your literature review is your opportunity to show the reader why your paper is important and your research is significant, as it addresses the gap or on-going issue you have uncovered.

You need to tell the reader what was done. This means describing the research methods and explaining your choice. This will include information on the following:

• Are your methods qualitative or quantitative... or both? And if so, why?
• Who (if any) are the participants?
• Are you analysing any documents, systems, organisations? If so what are they and why are you analysing them?
• What did you do first, second, etc?
• What ethical considerations are there?

It is a common style convention to write what was done rather than what you did, and write it so that someone else would be able to replicate your study.

Here you describe what you have found out. You need to identify the most significant patterns in your data, and use tables and figures to support your description. Your tables and figures are a visual representation of your findings, but remember to describe what they show in your writing. There should be no critical analysis in this part (unless you have combined results and discussion sections).

Here you show the significance of your results or findings. You critically analyse what they mean, and what the implications may be. Talk about any limitations to your study, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of your own research, and make suggestions for further studies to build on your findings. In this section, your supervisor will expect you to dig deep into your findings and critically evaluate what they mean in relation to previous studies, theories, views and opinions.

This is a summary of your project, reminding the reader of the background to your study, your objectives, and showing how you met them. Do not include any new information that you have not discussed before.

This is the list of all the sources you have cited in your dissertation. Ensure you are consistent and follow the conventions for the particular referencing system you are using. (Note: you shouldn't include books you've read but do not appear in your dissertation).

Include any extra information that your reader may like to read. It should not be essential for your reader to read them in order to understand your dissertation. Your appendices should be labelled (e.g. Appendix A, Appendix B, etc). Examples of material for the appendices include detailed data tables (summarised in your results section), the complete version of a document you have used an extract from, etc.

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Your Human Geography Dissertation Designing, Doing, Delivering

• Kimberley Peters - Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at University of Oldenburg
• Description

An undergraduate dissertation is your opportunity to engage with geographical research, first-hand. But completing a student project can be a stressful and complex process.  Your Human Geography Dissertation breaks the task down into three helpful stages:

• Designing: Deciding on your approach, your topic and your research question, and ensuring your project is feasible
• Doing: Situating your research and selecting the best methods for your dissertation project
• Delivering: Dealing with data and writing up your findings

With information and task boxes, soundbites offering student insight and guidance, and links to online materials, this book offers a complete and accessible overview of the key skills needed to prepare, research, and write a successful human geography dissertation.

Supplements

This excellent new text guides students carefully, intelligently and sympathetically through the process of doing a human geography dissertation. It offers grounded advice - from the question of what a dissertation is, to the mechanics of data analysis - which will be indispensable for students researching the full diversity of topics covered by contemporary human geography. The insights, advice and reflections from both previous students and academic staff who currently teach human geography add valuable insights that will both reassure students and help them avoid making common mistakes.

This book will be an invaluable read for all Human Geography dissertation students. It conveys the excitement and possibilities of Human Geography research, whilst also alerting the reader to its challenges and pitfalls. This is certainly not a generic ‘how to do your dissertation’ textbook; instead it engages with Human Geography as a discipline and the role of the dissertation student as a producer of geographic knowledge. The book’s clear sections on designing, doing and delivering your dissertation, have useful examples, include input from the author’s students themselves, making this an accessible and comprehensive text. 

Kim Peters has written a much needed book that will be of great value to Geography students undertaking what is often the most challenging part of their degree, the dissertation.  As a Geography lecturer I have often wished that a book such as this existed.  Your Human Geography Dissertation goes way beyond a standard examination of the pros and cons of different research methods, covering a range of topics from the identification of dissertation subjects and the development of research questions through gathering data and writing up.  It is a readable and highly accessible text full of helpful detail, practical advice and useful examples.  Thank you Kim!  

This book is fantastic! It is recommended reading for our second-year research design course, and I have used some of the ‘dissertation tips’ videos in lectures on this course during 2018/9.  For my own dissertation students in supervision meetings, this book is my core recommendation of a text that will help students with their whole human geography dissertation journey. 

Of all the books that I recommend to my dissertation students, this book is always the first. Writing a dissertation is a daunting task, certainly the most demanding and challenging part of a degree, and Kim Peters, with her accessible style and useful and highly relevant advice, makes it a bit less intimidating. Your Human Geography Dissertation guides students through all the stages of their dissertation, helping them to think geographically, refine their research question and choose the appropriate research methods. This book is so recent but already feels like a classic. 

This volume is a well-written and well-organised volume to recommend to both my dissertation research students and to use on my section (human geography research methods) of our research methods in geography module. I will be using it as a recommended reading.

With this book as their guide your students will be able to achieve what it promises: design, do and deliver.

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Starting out: Identifying your approach

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What is a Literature Review?

The scholarly conversation.

A literature review provides an overview of previous research on a topic that critically evaluates, classifies, and compares what has already been published on a particular topic. It allows the author to synthesize and place into context the research and scholarly literature relevant to the topic. It helps map the different approaches to a given question and reveals patterns. It forms the foundation for the author’s subsequent research and justifies the significance of the new investigation.

A literature review can be a short introductory section of a research article or a report or policy paper that focuses on recent research. Or, in the case of dissertations, theses, and review articles, it can be an extensive review of all relevant research.

• The format is usually a bibliographic essay; sources are briefly cited within the body of the essay, with full bibliographic citations at the end.
• The introduction should define the topic and set the context for the literature review. It will include the author's perspective or point of view on the topic, how they have defined the scope of the topic (including what's not included), and how the review will be organized. It can point out overall trends, conflicts in methodology or conclusions, and gaps in the research.
• In the body of the review, the author should organize the research into major topics and subtopics. These groupings may be by subject, (e.g., globalization of clothing manufacturing), type of research (e.g., case studies), methodology (e.g., qualitative), genre, chronology, or other common characteristics. Within these groups, the author can then discuss the merits of each article and analyze and compare the importance of each article to similar ones.
• The conclusion will summarize the main findings, make clear how this review of the literature supports (or not) the research to follow, and may point the direction for further research.
• The list of references will include full citations for all of the items mentioned in the literature review.

Key Questions for a Literature Review

A literature review should try to answer questions such as

• Who are the key researchers on this topic?
• What has been the focus of the research efforts so far and what is the current status?
• How have certain studies built on prior studies? Where are the connections? Are there new interpretations of the research?
• Have there been any controversies or debate about the research? Is there consensus? Are there any contradictions?
• Which areas have been identified as needing further research? Have any pathways been suggested?
• How will your topic uniquely contribute to this body of knowledge?
• Which methodologies have researchers used and which appear to be the most productive?
• What sources of information or data were identified that might be useful to you?
• How does your particular topic fit into the larger context of what has already been done?
• How has the research that has already been done help frame your current investigation ?

Examples of Literature Reviews

Example of a literature review at the beginning of an article: Forbes, C. C., Blanchard, C. M., Mummery, W. K., & Courneya, K. S. (2015, March). Prevalence and correlates of strength exercise among breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors . Oncology Nursing Forum, 42(2), 118+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.sonoma.idm.oclc.org/ps/i.do?p=HRCA&sw=w&u=sonomacsu&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA422059606&asid=27e45873fddc413ac1bebbc129f7649c Example of a comprehensive review of the literature: Wilson, J. L. (2016). An exploration of bullying behaviours in nursing: a review of the literature.   British Journal Of Nursing ,  25 (6), 303-306. For additional examples, see:

Galvan, J., Galvan, M., & ProQuest. (2017). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (Seventh ed.). [Electronic book]

Pan, M., & Lopez, M. (2008). Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (3rd ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Pub. [ Q180.55.E9 P36 2008]

Useful Links

• Write a Literature Review (UCSC)
• Literature Reviews (Purdue)
• Literature Reviews: overview (UNC)
• Review of Literature (UW-Madison)

Evidence Matrix for Literature Reviews

The  Evidence Matrix  can help you  organize your research  before writing your lit review.  Use it to  identify patterns  and commonalities in the articles you have found--similar methodologies ?  common  theoretical frameworks ? It helps you make sure that all your major concepts covered. It also helps you see how your research fits into the context  of the overall topic.

• Evidence Matrix Special thanks to Dr. Cindy Stearns, SSU Sociology Dept, for permission to use this Matrix as an example.
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• Last Updated: Jan 8, 2024 12:41 PM
• URL: https://libguides.sonoma.edu/geography

SAGE Students' Blog

University of sussex sage scholarship, writing a human geography dissertation.

Now with just one term left of my undergrad degree, I’ve just finished the research for my dissertation titled: How do international students at the University of Sussex make their home in the UK? I conducted interviews with international students as well as creating a survey on Survey Monkey and got a good number of responses. It’s now time for the hard bit; the write up. Whilst 10,000 words seems like a mountain to climb right now, I’ve had useful advice from tutors and previous students on how to break it down into manageable sections.

One tutor recommended “How to do your dissertation in geography and related disciplines” (Parsons and Knight, 2nd ed.)

and another recommended “Study skills for geography, earth & environmental science students” (Kneale, 3rd ed.).

I found this book useful as it contained a clear structure plan, detailing how many words should be used in each chapter and how to define each section. It also explained the difference between an empirical thesis and a theoretical one with my area of work lying between the two. My subject involves using theories of culture, transnationalism and home whilst my research analysis will involve graphs and statistics as well as interview transcripts. It also involves a LOT of reading for the literature review which makes up about a third of the entire project. I’ve been finding resources for this by using library search, tutor recommendations, and work I’ve studied over the last year in terms of culture and ethnicity. I was concerned about how to structure the literature review as well as the other sections so I attended a library skills session on “How to write your dissertation”. It gave good general information however it was not specifically directed to geography students so I asked my tutor for further advice on structuring and what each chapter should contain.

Coming up in the next few weeks is my individual project review which involves presenting a two-page report and bibliography of my reading so far to my dissertation tutor. It will be a good opportunity to analyse and present my research up to now and will make up 10% of my total grade. In the meantime I’m going to be continuing my reading for the literature review as well as working on my structure, looking at previous students’ dissertations and reading through the recommended study skills books.

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Home > SGIS > Geography > Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Spatial Organization of Pre-Colonial African Kingdoms: The Empires of Ethiopia & Mali , Victoria O. Alapo

Commemorating the Past: Nebraska Museum Practices in Interpreting, Memorializing, and Mythologizing History , Carissa Dowden

Film and the Making of a Modern Nebraska (1895-1920): A Historical Geography , William Helmer

Reexamining the Desert: A Study of Place-Based Food Insecurity , Morgan Ryan

Votes and Voters in Time and Space: The Changing Landscape of Political Party Support in Kentucky, 1974-2020 , Glenn Humphress

Federal Land-Use Policy and Resettlement in the Great Plains: An Experiment in Community Development During the New Deal Years, 1933-1941 , Theresa Glanz

Population Sustainability in Rural Nebraska Towns , Andrew Husa

Timing and Formation of Linear Dunes South of the Niobrara River Valley, North-Central Nebraska Sand Hills , Ashley K. Larsen

ASSESSING LANDSLIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY WITH GIS USING QUALITATIVE & QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN KNOX COUNTY, NEBRASKA , Christian J. Cruz

A Historical Geography of Six and Eight-Man Football in Nebraska , Andrew Husa

Utilizing a Consumer-Grade Camera System to Quantify Surface Reflectance , Joseph J. Lehnert

Modeling Gross Primary Production of Midwest Maize and Soybean Croplands with Satellite and Gridded Weather Data , Gunnar Malek-Madani

Spatial Analysis of Ethnic and Racial Segregation in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, 2000 - 2014 , Roy Yao

Dating Late Quaternary Alluvial Fills in the Platte River Valley using Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating , Jacob C. Bruihler

A Research Framework for the Geographic Study of Exotic Pet Mammals in the USA , Gabrielle C. Tegeder

Using GIS to Assess Firearm Thefts, Recoveries and Crimes in Lincoln, Nebraska , David A. Grosso

A STUDY OF SOCIAL CAPITAL AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH DWELLING STRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENT BASED ON AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA , Jeehoon Kim

Geographic Variation of Health Care Spending on Heart Failure in Metropolitan Areas , Kevin McMillan

"We Shall Meet Beyond the River": An Analysis of the Deathscape of Brownville, Nebraska , Ashley J. Barnett

Building a GIS Model to Assess Agritourism Potential , Brian G. Baskerville

Exploring the Nature of Space for Human Behavior in Ordinary Structured Environments , Molly Boeka Cannon

A Historical Geography of Sand Island 1870 - 1944 , Lucas P. Johnson

Proximal Sensing as a Means of Characterizing Phragmites australis , Travis Yeik

Multi-Temporal Analysis of Crop Biomass Using Selected Environmental Variables and Remote Sensing Derived Indices , Nwakaku M. Ajaere

Evaluating Vegetation Response to Water Stress Using Close-Range and Satellite Remote Sensing , Sharmistha Swain

ASSESSING SEASONAL FEATURES OF TROPICAL FORESTS USING REMOTE SENSING , Roberto Bonifaz-Alfonzo

USING A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM TO DEFINE REGIONS OF GRAPE-CULTIVAR SUITABILITY IN NEBRASKA , Ting Chen

Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Malaria in Paraguay , Nicole M. Wayant

Levels of Response In Experiential Conceptualizations of Neighborhood: The Potential For Multiple Versions of This Place Construct , Cynthia M. Williams

PRESERVATION ETHICS IN THE CASE OF NEBRASKA’S NATIONALLY REGISTERED HISTORIC PROPERTIES , Darren Michael Adams

Intersections of Place, Time, and Entertainment in Rural Nebraska in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries , Rebecca A. Buller

The Changing Landscape of a Rural Region: The effect of the Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir in the Osage River Basin of Missouri , Melvin Arthur Johnson

Detection and Measurement of Water Stress in Vegetation Using Visible Spectrum Reflectance , Arthur Zygielbaum

Patterns and Consequences of Segregation: An Analysis of Ethnic Residential Patterns at Two Geographic Scales , Kenneth N. French

Geographies of Indigenous-based Team Name and Mascot Use in American Secondary Schools , Ezra J. Zeitler

A WATERSHED-BASED CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR LAKES IN AGRICULTURALLY-DOMINATED ECOSYSTEMS: A CASE STUDY OF NEBRASKA RESERVOIRS , Henry N. N. Bulley

MODELING BIGHORN SHEEP HABITAT IN NORTHWEST NEBRASKA , Kyle M. Forbes

CLOSE-RANGE AND SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING OF ALGAL BIOMASS IN THE IOWA GREAT LAKES , Eric A. Wilson

EFFECTS OF SPATIAL RESOLUTION AND LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE ON LAND COVER CHARACTERIZATION , Wenli Yang

Spatial Structure and Decision-Making Aspects of Pedestrian Route Selection through an Urban Environment , Michael R. Hill

VACANCY CHAINS AND INTRA-URBAN MIGRATION , Donald Rundquist

Water Power Development on the Lower Loup River: A Study in Economic Geography , Ralph Eugene Olson

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Geography Dissertation Topics

Published by Carmen Troy at January 6th, 2023 , Revised On August 16, 2023

Introduction

Geography is the study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources and political and economic activities.

Geography is related to the climate changes and ecological value of a region that helps determine the environmental situation of that region. Therefore, it is important to explore the different geographical ideas and theories. Geography is an interesting field and there is a range of issues that you could choose from for your dissertation.

This article lists several geography dissertation topics and research ideas so you can base your dissertation on a manageable and intriguing issue.

Here is our selection of geography dissertation topics that we think will definitely interest you and your supervisor.

Topic 1: Impact of Natural Catastrophes on Economic Growth and Human Development- A Case of 2011 Fukushima Crisis in Japan

• Topic 2: How Do Natural Disasters Affect the Geosphere? Calculating the Effects of Earthquakes, Floods, and Volcanic Eruptions on Geosphere in Asia

Topic 3: Geography a Natural Friend or Enemy? The Role of Geography in Promoting/Demoting Climate Change Disasters in Sub-Saharan Africa

Topic 4: geo-mapping and land reforms: a study to find the role of geo-mapping, sensor data, and big data analytics in bringing land reforms to developing countries, topic 5: predictive analytics and natural disaster: a study to find the role of artificial intelligence (ai) in predicting natural disasters and epidemics.

Also, read Ecology dissertation topics and sustainability dissertation topics .

Let our experts help you get started with your dissertation.

2022 Geography Research Topics

Research Aim: This research aims to analyze the impact of natural catastrophes on economic growth and human development. It will assess the socioeconomic effects of the 2011 Fukushima Crisis in Japan. It will show how it affected Japan’s economic growth by affecting the population, production levels, employment, investments, etc.? Moreover, how did it affect the Human Development Index (HDI)? Lastly, it will show how Japan managed to recover from this catastrophe? And what lessons can other countries learn from Japan to mitigate the socioeconomic effects of natural disasters?

Topic 2: How Does Natural Disasters Affect the Geosphere? Calculating the Effects of Earthquakes, Floods, and Volcanic Eruptions on Geosphere in Asia

Research Aim: This study intends to calculate the effects of earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions on the geosphere in Asia. It will find whether there is an empirical relationship between geosphere disturbance and natural disasters? Or changes in the geosphere cause natural disasters in Asia? It will primarily test a causal relationship between natural disasters and geosphere disruption. Moreover, it will show whether there are ways to protect the geosphere or not?

Research Aim: This research assesses the role of geography in promoting/demoting climate change disasters in Sub-Saharan Africa. It will find ways through which geography saves or further exacerbate the climate change situation. It will analyze various natural disasters in Sub-Saharan Africa and see what geography’s role is in protecting or further hurting the population. Lastly, it will see the government’s efforts such as investment in eco-friendly projects, cutting down 〖CO〗_2 and increase in the number of trees to maintain their natural geography.

Research Aim: This study analyzes the role of geo-mapping, sensor data, and big data analytics in bringing land reforms to developing countries. It will review geo-mapping concepts and how sensor data gathered through geo-mapping can be used in big data analytics? Further, it will show how developing countries use geo-mapping and big data analytics to reform their rotten real estate sector. Moreover, comparing their efforts with advanced countries will recommend improving their geo-mapping and land reforms.

Research Aim: This research finds the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in predicting natural disasters and epidemics. It will assess various machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models and big data tools to show how they are used to predict natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, floods, storms, etc. It will test the reliability and efficacy of these model to recommend best models to predict further catastrophes in the future.

Geography Dissertation Research Topics

Topic 1: studying the fertility of soil after the volcanic eruption..

Research Aim: The research paper aims to find out the study of the soil’s fertility caused by a volcanic eruption. The consequences of volcanic eruptions affect the soil, which makes the soil difficult to cultivate.

Topic 2: Understanding Global Warming through Geography

Research Aim: The research paper has the purpose of understanding global warming through Geography. Global warming has severe impacts on the climates and people’s health because it is caused due to harmful UV rays.

Topic 3: Geography: Determining the Effects caused by Natural Calamities on a Region

Research Aim: The research paper aims to determine the effects that are caused due to natural calamities on a region. Natural calamities impact the region because of the destruction that occurs to life and property. Therefore, the study will understand the adverse effects of natural disasters on an area.

Topic 4: Evaluating the Ecological Value of the Forests

Research Aim: The research paper aims to evaluate the ecological value of the forests. Forests help build the region’s environmental conditions and provide a home to a massive amount of wildlife. So, the paper understands the value of ecology in forests.

Topic 5: Comprehending the Security of Nutrition and Food in Geography

Research Aim: The research paper aims to investigate the security of nutrition and food in geography. There is a big challenge related to the sustainability of the atmosphere growing food and the arrangements of the society so that the poor people can have an adequate amount of food and nutrition.

Topic 6: Geography Empathizes with Environmental Protection.

Research Aim: The research paper aims to understand the emphasis that geography puts on environmental protection. I maintain the ecological balance and provide people with a safe and healthy environment, and it is essential to protect the environment. Therefore, the research paper will discuss the importance of environmental protection through geography.

Topic 7: Importance of Water Conservation

Research Aim: The research paper aims to understand the significance of water conservation. Water preservation is essential because it will help the farmers cultivate when fresh water is scarce. Therefore, the paper will discuss the importance of water conservation.

Topic 8: The impact of drought on farmers: Geography

Research Aim: The research paper will discuss the impact of drought on farmers. Drought is the main reason why farmers suffer from severe economic pressure, which also affects the region’s food supply. Hence, the paper studies the critical aspects of drought and its impact on farmers.

Topic 9: Effect of Ocean Currents on the Weather of an Area

Research Aim: The research paper excavates the effect of ocean currents on the weather of an area. The ocean currents are the conveyer belt that transports warm water along with precipitation. Therefore, ocean currents do regulate global climatic changes.

Topic 10: Geography: To Understand the Transforming Thermal Regime of the Polythermal Glaciers

Research Aim: The research paper aims to comprehend the transforming thermal regime of the polythermal glaciers. The thermal regime of any glacier has significant ramifications depending on how it moves; it can be both temperate and polar depending on the temperature.

Topic 11: Analysing the usage of Greenfield in an Area

Research Aim: The research paper aims to analyze the usage of greenfields in an area. Companies’ greenfield analysis is done to understand the optimal location and number of all the distribution centres, and geography helps to understand this vastly.

Topic 12: Geography: An in-depth study about the Destinations of the Sources of Rivers

Research Aim: The research paper states the in-depth study about the destinations of rivers’ sources in geography. From the perspective of geography, the river sources’ destination will be studied where the flow and destination of rivers tend to change because of the absorption of sediments in their sizes and shapes.

Topic 13: Aspects Contributing to the Creation of a Sustainable Environment

Research Aim: The research paper aims to study the aspects contributing to creating a sustainable environment. To evaluate the sustainable environment, it is imperative to excavate the factors contributing to its formation.

Topic 14: Evaluating the Impacts of Acid Rain

Research Aim: The research paper aims to evaluate the impacts of acid rain. In geography, acid rain is taken as an adverse effect that leads to a big downfall both for the environment and in harming the crops. Hence, the paper states the adverse impacts caused to the life and cultivation of people due to acid rain.

Topic 15: Geography: Construction of Buildings Affecting the Soil

Research Aim: The research paper aims to view geography’s perspective in evaluating the effects caused to soil due to the construction of buildings. The soil fertility is almost lost because of building construction, and therefore the paper will be evaluating all the effects that building construction causes on the soil.

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How to find geography dissertation topics.

To find geography dissertation topics:

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• Analyze local/global issues.
• Consider fieldwork opportunities.
• Select a topic aligning with passion and academic relevance.

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GEOG3432: DISSERTATION (40 CREDITS) IN GEOGRAPHY B

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Current modules are subject to change in light of the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.

Prerequisites

• GEOG2462 Scientific Research in Geography

Corequisites

Excluded combinations of modules.

• To enable students to plan and execute a substantial piece of independent geographical research on an approved topic
• To provide students with an opportunity to collect and analyse data from primary and/or secondary sources
• To encourage students to develop the transferable skills of advanced literacy and presentation
• An individual piece of work on an approved physical geography topic, chosen by the student
• Formulation of the topic and progress towards completion are advised and monitored by the Dissertation Supervisor, with whom there are six discussion tutorials during Level 3

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• On successful completion of the module students are expected to have developed an advanced and detailed knowledge of a specified geographical topic.

Subject-specific Skills:

• On successful completion of the module students are expected to be able to produce a dissertation showing the following skills:
• Formulation: identify a clear objective; establish the relevant substantive and theoretical context; produce a scholarly and critical review of relevant literature
• Execution: use appropriate and relevant research methods; identify a logical structure and argument; show relevance and depth; produce a critical appraisal of the outcome

Key Skills:

• Presentation: demonstrate advanced skills of literacy, numeracy, graphicacy, editing and proof-reading, documentation and bibliography
• Conceptualisation: consider and formulate a research question and methodology of appropriate and feasible scope, drawing on and synthesising relevant literature
• Research: conduct data gathering and analysis in an academically rigorous manner
• Synthesis: consider findings with reference to empirical questions and scholarly debates as relevant
• Management: skills in time and project management appropriate for undertaking multifaceted, long-duration research projects

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The dissertation is the most important single item on which Single Honours Geography students are assessed. It is their own work on a topic of their own choice, done largely in their own time and reflecting their level of training, attitude, motivation, powers of organisation and analysis as well as depth of knowledge of a specified geographical topic.
• The Level 2 Dissertation Supervision Groups (Part of the module 'Scientific Research in Geography') supported students in formulating projects and conducting fieldwork, as well as time/project management skills. Students were given detailed verbal and written feedback on the formative research proposal in Level 2.
• The Level 3 Dissertation Supervision individual meetings support students in completing fieldwork, analysing data, interpretation and writing up findings.
• Students are given detailed verbal and written feedback on the formative draft chapter(s) (max 8 pages) and a 2-page outline at Level 3.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative assessment, formative assessment, more information.

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How to Write a Dissertation Proposal | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on 14 February 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 11 November 2022.

A dissertation proposal describes the research you want to do: what it’s about, how you’ll conduct it, and why it’s worthwhile. You will probably have to write a proposal before starting your dissertation as an undergraduate or postgraduate student.

A dissertation proposal should generally include:

• An introduction to your topic and aims
• A literature review  of the current state of knowledge
• An outline of your proposed methodology
• A discussion of the possible implications of the research
• A bibliography  of relevant sources

Dissertation proposals vary a lot in terms of length and structure, so make sure to follow any guidelines given to you by your institution, and check with your supervisor when you’re unsure.

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Table of contents

Step 1: coming up with an idea, step 2: presenting your idea in the introduction, step 3: exploring related research in the literature review, step 4: describing your methodology, step 5: outlining the potential implications of your research, step 6: creating a reference list or bibliography.

Before writing your proposal, it’s important to come up with a strong idea for your dissertation.

Find an area of your field that interests you and do some preliminary reading in that area. What are the key concerns of other researchers? What do they suggest as areas for further research, and what strikes you personally as an interesting gap in the field?

Once you have an idea, consider how to narrow it down and the best way to frame it. Don’t be too ambitious or too vague – a dissertation topic needs to be specific enough to be feasible. Move from a broad field of interest to a specific niche:

• Russian literature 19th century Russian literature The novels of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky
• Social media Mental health effects of social media Influence of social media on young adults suffering from anxiety

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Like most academic texts, a dissertation proposal begins with an introduction . This is where you introduce the topic of your research, provide some background, and most importantly, present your aim , objectives and research question(s) .

Try to dive straight into your chosen topic: What’s at stake in your research? Why is it interesting? Don’t spend too long on generalisations or grand statements:

• Social media is the most important technological trend of the 21st century. It has changed the world and influences our lives every day.
• Psychologists generally agree that the ubiquity of social media in the lives of young adults today has a profound impact on their mental health. However, the exact nature of this impact needs further investigation.

Once your area of research is clear, you can present more background and context. What does the reader need to know to understand your proposed questions? What’s the current state of research on this topic, and what will your dissertation contribute to the field?

If you’re including a literature review, you don’t need to go into too much detail at this point, but give the reader a general sense of the debates that you’re intervening in.

This leads you into the most important part of the introduction: your aim, objectives and research question(s) . These should be clearly identifiable and stand out from the text – for example, you could present them using bullet points or bold font.

Make sure that your research questions are specific and workable – something you can reasonably answer within the scope of your dissertation. Avoid being too broad or having too many different questions. Remember that your goal in a dissertation proposal is to convince the reader that your research is valuable and feasible:

• Does social media harm mental health?
• What is the impact of daily social media use on 18– to 25–year–olds suffering from general anxiety disorder?

Now that your topic is clear, it’s time to explore existing research covering similar ideas. This is important because it shows you what is missing from other research in the field and ensures that you’re not asking a question someone else has already answered.

You’ve probably already done some preliminary reading, but now that your topic is more clearly defined, you need to thoroughly analyse and evaluate the most relevant sources in your literature review .

Here you should summarise the findings of other researchers and comment on gaps and problems in their studies. There may be a lot of research to cover, so make effective use of paraphrasing to write concisely:

• Smith and Prakash state that ‘our results indicate a 25% decrease in the incidence of mechanical failure after the new formula was applied’.
• Smith and Prakash’s formula reduced mechanical failures by 25%.

The point is to identify findings and theories that will influence your own research, but also to highlight gaps and limitations in previous research which your dissertation can address:

• Subsequent research has failed to replicate this result, however, suggesting a flaw in Smith and Prakash’s methods. It is likely that the failure resulted from…

Next, you’ll describe your proposed methodology : the specific things you hope to do, the structure of your research and the methods that you will use to gather and analyse data.

You should get quite specific in this section – you need to convince your supervisor that you’ve thought through your approach to the research and can realistically carry it out. This section will look quite different, and vary in length, depending on your field of study.

You may be engaged in more empirical research, focusing on data collection and discovering new information, or more theoretical research, attempting to develop a new conceptual model or add nuance to an existing one.

Dissertation research often involves both, but the content of your methodology section will vary according to how important each approach is to your dissertation.

Empirical research

Empirical research involves collecting new data and analysing it in order to answer your research questions. It can be quantitative (focused on numbers), qualitative (focused on words and meanings), or a combination of both.

With empirical research, it’s important to describe in detail how you plan to collect your data:

• Will you use surveys ? A lab experiment ? Interviews?
• What variables will you measure?
• How will you select a representative sample ?
• If other people will participate in your research, what measures will you take to ensure they are treated ethically?
• What tools (conceptual and physical) will you use, and why?

It’s appropriate to cite other research here. When you need to justify your choice of a particular research method or tool, for example, you can cite a text describing the advantages and appropriate usage of that method.

Don’t overdo this, though; you don’t need to reiterate the whole theoretical literature, just what’s relevant to the choices you have made.

Moreover, your research will necessarily involve analysing the data after you have collected it. Though you don’t know yet what the data will look like, it’s important to know what you’re looking for and indicate what methods (e.g. statistical tests , thematic analysis ) you will use.

Theoretical research

You can also do theoretical research that doesn’t involve original data collection. In this case, your methodology section will focus more on the theory you plan to work with in your dissertation: relevant conceptual models and the approach you intend to take.

For example, a literary analysis dissertation rarely involves collecting new data, but it’s still necessary to explain the theoretical approach that will be taken to the text(s) under discussion, as well as which parts of the text(s) you will focus on:

• This dissertation will utilise Foucault’s theory of panopticism to explore the theme of surveillance in Orwell’s 1984 and Kafka’s The Trial…

Here, you may refer to the same theorists you have already discussed in the literature review. In this case, the emphasis is placed on how you plan to use their contributions in your own research.

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You’ll usually conclude your dissertation proposal with a section discussing what you expect your research to achieve.

You obviously can’t be too sure: you don’t know yet what your results and conclusions will be. Instead, you should describe the projected implications and contribution to knowledge of your dissertation.

First, consider the potential implications of your research. Will you:

• Develop or test a theory?
• Provide new information to governments or businesses?
• Challenge a commonly held belief?
• Suggest an improvement to a specific process?

Describe the intended result of your research and the theoretical or practical impact it will have:

Finally, it’s sensible to conclude by briefly restating the contribution to knowledge you hope to make: the specific question(s) you hope to answer and the gap the answer(s) will fill in existing knowledge:

Like any academic text, it’s important that your dissertation proposal effectively references all the sources you have used. You need to include a properly formatted reference list or bibliography at the end of your proposal.

Different institutions recommend different styles of referencing – commonly used styles include Harvard , Vancouver , APA , or MHRA . If your department does not have specific requirements, choose a style and apply it consistently.

A reference list includes only the sources that you cited in your proposal. A bibliography is slightly different: it can include every source you consulted in preparing the proposal, even if you didn’t mention it in the text. In the case of a dissertation proposal, a bibliography may also list relevant sources that you haven’t yet read, but that you intend to use during the research itself.

Check with your supervisor what type of bibliography or reference list you should include.

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Caulfield, J. (2022, November 11). How to Write a Dissertation Proposal | A Step-by-Step Guide. Scribbr. Retrieved 14 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/proposal/

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Our undergraduate students cover a wide range of topics from Human Geography to Physical Geography. Here you can find some examples of recently completed undergraduate dissertations.

Human Geography dissertation examples

Georgina Ogg

Supervised by: Dr. Flurina Wartmann

Simone Arvid

What was your dissertation about?

My dissertation was investigating the sustainability of ecologically restoring The Dunvegan Estate and The Kinrara Estate in Scotland using a qualitative mixed-method approach. It explored how local context and levels of engagement within planning processes are shaping different stakeholder and local community perceptions. The findings highlighted how complex issues of scale, social constructions and political-historical structures impacts the perceptions and general sustainability of the projects. It also illustrated that potential barriers to inclusive processes included revenues associated with woodland restoration, a disconnection with localism and the impacts of COVID-19.

What skills did you develop (further) during your dissertation research?

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, I had no prior practical experience with conducting research. Furthermore, we were initially restricted to conducting research using online methods, which led me to choose a qualitative mixed methods approach (e.g. surveys and interviews). However, I struggled to collect sufficient data due to the remoteness of both projects and a bias in the design of my survey. It pushed me to re-adjust the design of my methodology, which included in-person fieldwork in October/November as the COVID-19 guidelines changed. Ultimately, the process developed my research skills, creativity and resilience, as I managed to gather substantial data after experiencing significant setbacks.

What was the highlight of your dissertation work?

Conducting fieldwork in-person and getting the opportunity to connect with the local stakeholders on a personal level was a very rewarding and inspiring experience. It allowed me to explore the local culture and project sites, which enhanced my understanding of the place-based contexts and issues. Contributing new knowledge to a contemporary academic and political debate also ensured that the dissertation process was engaging throughout and felt very meaningful to complete.

Supervised by: Dr. Paula Duffy

What was your dissertation about? My dissertation was undertaken to study the contribution of land reform to sustainable development in the Western Isles of Scotland. This was conducted in collaboration with the James Hutton Institute and compared survey data from the National Islands Plan across the different Scottish Island regions; as well as my own interviews in Na h-Eileanan Siar. In an attempt to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the Community Land Organisations (Community Land Trusts) in the region. The findings were incorporated to provide policy recommendations related to land reform which were presented to representatives of the Scottish Government and Islands Team.

What skills did you develop (further) during your dissertation research? I developed my research skills, both in quantitative and qualitative analysis; and also increased my knowledge in a key area of interest for me; and an area of great importance for policy makers and land managers in Scotland.

What was the highlight of your dissertation work? I think the real highlight for me was getting to see the benefit of my work to the government and interacting with many important stakeholders in this area. It was also really amazing to study an area such as Na h-Eileanan Siar in depth. The culture, the people and their relationship with the land is really inspiring and is something which I think we all could learn from.

Supervised by Dr. Lorna Philip

I chose to focus my dissertation on the role of urban green spaces in Aberdeen during the ongoing pandemic.

During the first lockdown it was clear to see that people being confined to their own homes led them to seek any opportunity to get outdoors so as to improve their physical and mental well-being. This was supported by Google's 2020 mobility data report which highlighted Aberdeen City as an example of a place showing a particularly large increase in park visitors during this period. I wanted to find out more about why people were deciding to visit green spaces or conversely maybe why there were now less inclined.

Access was a key aspect I focused on to identify the distribution of green spaces across Aberdeen city and find pockets that access could be improved for residents. I created online questionnaires to gather first hand responses of how people had been using green spaces and how maybe that had changed over the past year. The outcome of my dissertation made it clear to see how valuable these green spaces were to residents during the pandemic but also the new challenges which had arisen.

Supervised by Dr. Flurina Wartmann

Physical Geography dissertation examples

Emma Simpson

My dissertation mapped the groundwater vulnerability to the contamination through pesticides in the Ythan catchment. The river Ythan has a significant amount of baseflow which indicates a strong correlation between the groundwater and the river flow and is under a lot of agricultural pressure. Agriculture is the main identified reason for high pesticide values in the water which led to the area becoming a Nitrate vulnerability zone. Through creating two different models I visualised the most vulnerable zones of the catchment and with that data created a risk map for crops. This shows the areas that have intensive crops farming and are also vulnerable to groundwater pollution. Mapping two models allowed to show the distinctions when emphasising different parameters.

Throughout my research I developed skills in building hydrological models using ArcGIS as well as improved my data management skills. Especially from the data management I learned a lot for future research as I had to create 5 to 7 GIS layers per model and often further layers throughout the process. Another important learning was to extract the important information from the less important and to make choices for my final data set.

The highlight of my work was seeing the final maps and understanding the differences in the models. But also realising how abstract they are but then through creating risk maps can become relevant for stakeholders.

Supervised by Dr. JC Comte

Fingal Summers

My dissertation used modelling to analyse the effect of forestation on reducing river flood peaks in a Scottish upland catchment area. The catchment in questions was the Linne nam Beathach river catchment, Argyll. I created the model using a commonly implemented hydrological modelling software called SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool), using a wide assortment of input data including measured discharge measurements, weather statistics, as well as soil and land use maps. After calibration and validation occurred, I used ArcGIS to manually update the land use map to extend forest boundaries to several different areas. Results showed that increasing forests on this catchment would decrease flood peak scenarios by a small margin.

I developed my skills in hydrological modelling, and in finding data sources for model creation. Furthermore, I had to get used to using a variety of new software and techniques, including the model software itself, and SWAT-CUP, which I used for the crucial step of calibration. More generally I increased my ability in finding creative solutions to difficult problems, and I further developed my Excel skills, such as using keyboard shortcuts to speed up handling of large amounts of data.

The highlight for me was seeing the calibrated model run for the first time and getting results. It had taken a lot of work to get to this point so it was a moment of great satisfaction. Another aspect I enjoyed was the analysis of the final simulated data, and using statistical techniques to compare it with original scenario of forest cover.

Supervised by Dr. David Haro Monteagudo

What was your dissertation about? My dissertation used data extracted from pollen diagrams to map patterns of tree spreading in the British Isles during the early Holocene. I created a series of isochrone maps – showing the direction and timing of species dispersal – using ArcGIS. This built upon research first conducted in the late 1980s (with hand-drawn maps), almost doubling the number of data points. Significant changes in patterns were observed in some instances, with the research ultimately adding to our body of knowledge regarding species distributions, rates of spread, and response to controlling factors such as climate and topography.

What skills did you develop (further) during your dissertation research? I learnt a number of new techniques, particularly how to use GIS software, and improved my statistical analysis skills and my ability to think critically when analysing data outputs. I also improved my ability to quickly find and filter potential data sources. In terms of personal development, working during the COVID lockdown helped me hone my time management skills, notably creating and keeping to my own deadlines whilst also remembering to take regular breaks.

What was the highlight of your dissertation work? Finding new and undiscovered patterns of tree spread, and being able to explore the possible causes for this. Completing my dissertation was a rewarding experience as I felt that I had contributed new knowledge to my subject field.

Supervised by Dr. J. Edward Schofield

May 15, 2024

Tips and Resources for a Successful Summer of Dissertation Writing

By Yana Zlochistaya

Summer can be a strange time for graduate students. Gone are the seminars and workshops, the student clubs, and the working group, that structured the semester and provided us with a sense of community. Instead, we’re faced with a three-month expanse of time that can feel equal parts liberating and intimidating. This double-edged freedom is only exacerbated for those of us in the writing stage of our dissertation, when isolation and a lack of discipline can have a particularly big impact. For those hoping not to enter another summer with lofty plans, only to blink and find ourselves in August disappointed with our progress, we’ve compiled some tips and resources that can help.

According to Graduate Writing Center Director Sabrina Soracco, the most important thing you can do to set yourself up for writing success is to clarify your goals. She recommends starting this process by looking at departmental requirements for a completed dissertation. Consider when you would like to file and work backwards from that point, determining what you have to get done in order to hit that target. Next, check in with your dissertation committee members to set up an accountability structure. Would they prefer an end-of-summer update to the whole committee? A monthly check-in with your chair or one of your readers? Setting up explicit expectations that work for you and your committee can cut through the aimlessness that comes with a major writing project.

For those early on in their dissertation-writing process, a committee meeting is also a valuable opportunity to set parameters. “One of the problems with the excitement for the discipline that happens post-quals is that it results in too many ideas,” says Director. Soracco. Your committee members should give you input on productive research directions so that you can begin to hone in on your project. It is also important to remember that your dissertation does not have to be the end-all-and-be-all of your academic research. Ideas that do not fit into its scope can end up becoming conference papers or even book chapters.

Once you have a clear goal that you have discussed with your committee, the hard part begins: you have to actually write. The Graduate Writing Center offers several resources to make that process easier:

• The Graduate Writing Community. This is a totally remote, two-month program that is based on a model of “gentle accountability.” When you sign up, you are added to a bCourses site moderated by a Graduate Writing Consultant. At the beginning of the week, everyone sets their goals in a discussion post, and by the end of the week, everyone checks in with progress updates. During the week, the writing consultants offer nine hours of remote synchronous writing sessions. As a writing community member, you can attend whichever sessions work best for your schedule. All that’s required is that you show up, set a goal for that hour, and work towards that goal for the length of two 25-minute Pomodoro sessions . This year’s summer writing community will begin in June. Keep your eye on your email for the registration link!
• Writing Consultations : As a graduate student, you can sign up for an individual meeting with a Graduate Writing Consultant. They can give you feedback on your work, help you figure out the structure of a chapter, or just talk through how to get started on a writing project. 
• Independent Writing Groups: If you would prefer to write with specific friends or colleagues, you can contact Graduate Writing Center Director Sabrina Soracco at [email protected] so that she can help you set up your own writing group. The structure and length of these groups can differ; often, members will send each other one to five pages of writing weekly and meet the next day for two hours to provide feedback and get advice. Sometimes, groups will meet up not only to share writing, but to work in a common space before coming together to debrief. Regardless of what the groups look like, the important thing is to create a guilt-free space. Some weeks, you might submit an outline; other weeks, it might be the roughest of rough drafts; sometimes, you might come to a session without having submitted anything. As long as we continue to make progress (and show up even when we don’t), we’re doing what we need to. As Director Soracco puts it, “it often takes slogging through a lot of stuff to get to that great epiphany.”

Yana Zlochistaya is a fifth-year graduate student in the Department of Comparative Literature and a Professional Development Liaison with the Graduate Division. She previously served as a co-director for Beyond Academia.