thesis template deakin

Qualitative study design: Case Studies

• Qualitative study design
• Phenomenology
• Grounded theory
• Ethnography
• Narrative inquiry
• Action research

Case Studies

• Field research
• Focus groups
• Observation
• Surveys & questionnaires
• Study Designs Home

In depth description of the experience of a single person, a family, a group, a community or an organisation.

An example of a qualitative case study is a life history which is the story of one specific person.  A case study may be done to highlight a specific issue by telling a story of one person or one group. 

• Oral recording

Ability to explore and describe, in depth, an issue or event. 

Develop an understanding of health, illness and health care in context. 

Single case can be used to develop or disprove a theory. 

Can be used as a model or prototype .  

Limitations

Labour intensive and generates large diverse data sets which can be hard to manage. 

Case studies are seen by many as a weak methodology because they only look at one person or one specific group and aren’t as broad in their participant selection as other methodologies. 

Example questions

This methodology can be used to ask questions about a specific drug or treatment and its effects on an individual.

• Does thalidomide cause birth defects?
• Does exposure to a pesticide lead to cancer?

Example studies

• Choi, T. S. T., Walker, K. Z., & Palermo, C. (2018). Diabetes management in a foreign land: A case study on Chinese Australians. Health & Social Care in the Community, 26(2), e225-e232. 
• Reade, I., Rodgers, W., & Spriggs, K. (2008). New Ideas for High Performance Coaches: A Case Study of Knowledge Transfer in Sport Science.  International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching , 3(3), 335-354. 
• Wingrove, K., Barbour, L., & Palermo, C. (2017). Exploring nutrition capacity in Australia's charitable food sector.  Nutrition & Dietetics , 74(5), 495-501. 
• Green, J., & Thorogood, N. (2018). Qualitative methods for health research (4th ed.). London: SAGE. 
• University of Missouri-St. Louis. Qualitative Research Designs. Retrieved from http://www.umsl.edu/~lindquists/qualdsgn.html   
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• Last Updated: Apr 8, 2024 11:12 AM
• URL: https://deakin.libguides.com/qualitative-study-designs

May 25, 2023

Graduate researchers: visualise your thesis now!

If you’re a PhD student at Deakin you’ve hopefully heard about the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition – it helps build research communications skills by requiring entrants to distil their research into a jargon-free three-minute presentation to a non-specialist audience.

But have you heard of VYT – or Visualise Your Thesis?

What can you do in 60 seconds?

Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) is an international competition developed by Melbourne University that challenges graduate researchers to present their project to a non-specialist audience in just 60 seconds.

Just like 3MT, VYT is designed to help graduate researchers develop the communication skills that are vital to a career in research. Unlike 3MT, there is no public speaking involved. Instead of memorising and presenting a three-minute script, VYT entrants create a unique one-minute audio-visual elevator pitch about their research, using a pre-supplied PowerPoint template.

You can see some examples from last year on YouTube.

Taking part in VYT helps participants develop crucial employability skills including effective communication, digital literacy, and visual storytelling. They also build their awareness of open access to information and copyright.

PhD candidate Cátia Freitas, who won Deakin’s 2021 3MT Grand Final and was a runner-up in Deakin’s VYT competition the same year , says learning about copyright and proper referencing of elements, like background music, was one of the most valuable skills she gained through the VYT process. She took advantage of the workshops and support offered by Deakin’s Graduate Research Academy (GRA) and the Library. ‘I think that was where I learned the most,’ she says. ‘I’m far more knowledgeable about copyright now.’

Cátia advises candidates thinking about participating in VYT to look beyond the competition to how they will be able to use their presentation afterwards in promoting their research. ‘You create this resource you can incorporate into your research outcomes or use for recruitment or job interviews,’ she says.

Images speak louder than words

Cátia also found the process of distilling her thesis into images useful. ‘It’s true that sometimes you can explain things better in pictures than in words,’ she says.

‘I was able to condense my 3MT script even further to one minute using a sequence of images and still communicate the same message.

‘You really just break it down into what your research is looking at, what will be the outcome and why should the audience care about it? That helped me to develop my story for both presentations.’

Previous 3MT winner and VYT runner-up Cátia Freitas.

Plus, there’s prizes

Deakin’s VYT competition is open to currently-enrolled graduate researchers (including students enrolled in Master Philosophy, Masters by Research, PhD or Professional Doctorate programs) at any stage of their candidature who are active and attending.

Every entrant’s video is played during Deakin’s 3MT/VYT 2023 Grand Final event in August, showcasing their work to a live audience. Each entry is also uploaded to figshare , a research repository multimedia platform to help share it even further.

The Deakin winner will receive $3000, with $2000 for the runner-up and $500 for the People’s Choice awarded by the audience.

Deakin’s winner will then enter the online International VYT Program. The winner of  Trending on VYT  is selected based on how many views their video receives on the VYT International Figshare repository . 

Inspired to enter? There’s still time!

Entries close 11.59pm, Friday 5 July 2023. The GRA and Library teams provide all the support you need to create a winning entry, including:

• 2023 VYT Presentation template
• Help sessions
• Tips and tricks
• Personal consultations
• Free photo, video and sound resources
• Access to software
• Copyright reviews

For more information on how to enter, visit the Visualise Your Thesis page here . 

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What’s Included: The Dissertation Template

If you’re preparing to write your dissertation, thesis or research project, our free dissertation template is the perfect starting point. In the template, we cover every section step by step, with clear, straightforward explanations and examples .

The template’s structure is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects such as dissertations and theses. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your dissertation or thesis will have a smooth, logical flow from chapter to chapter.

The dissertation template covers the following core sections:

• The title page/cover page
• Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
• Table of contents
• List of figures /list of tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction  (also available: in-depth introduction template )
• Chapter 2: Literature review  (also available: in-depth LR template )
• Chapter 3: Methodology (also available: in-depth methodology template )
• Chapter 4: Research findings /results (also available: results template )
• Chapter 5: Discussion /analysis of findings (also available: discussion template )
• Chapter 6: Conclusion (also available: in-depth conclusion template )
• Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included practical examples to help you understand exactly what’s required in each section.

The cleanly-formatted Google Doc can be downloaded as a fully editable MS Word Document (DOCX format), so you can use it as-is or convert it to LaTeX.

FAQs: Dissertation Template

What format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The dissertation template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of dissertations/theses can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research projects such as dissertations or theses, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Will this work for a research paper?

A research paper follows a similar format, but there are a few differences. You can find our research paper template here .

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a dissertation, thesis or research project at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my dissertation/thesis be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, Masters-level projects are usually 15,000 – 20,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects are often in excess of 60,000 words.

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this dissertation template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our dissertation and thesis coaching services .

Templates — Thesis

Templates tagged Thesis

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Your thesis or dissertation is often the most important single piece of work you’ll produce as a student (whether it be your final year undergraduate research project or your complete Masters / PhD thesis). These templates, many provided by the university themselves as official layout guidelines, include sections for you to add all the relevant author information (your university, department, supervisor, year, etc) along with placeholder chapters for your introduction, background, method, results, conclusion / discussion, references and appendices.

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