Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
a) Why do research? Who does research? What happens to research products?
b) Overview of the nature of research – different ontologies, epistemologies and methodologies.
c) Research Methods and your dissertation: a brief overview.
d) The Introductory chapter of your dissertation – contents:
Aims/objectives
Importance of your topic
Overview of major relevant literature/where does your topic fit
Other contents –summary of Dissertation chapters.
Chapter 2 Developing your Research Topic
a) Selecting a topic/theme/issue/question(s)
b) Research design.
c) Developing a conceptual framework.
d) Developing research questions.
e) Refining your research ideas.
f) Ethics and your research.
Chapter 3 The Literature Review
a) Why is it necessary, What is it, What is it not.
b) How to conduct a literature survey, how to make notes.
c) How to move from literature survey to literature review.
d) The Literate Review chapter (s) of the dissertation. How to write the Literature Review.
Chapter 4 Methodology
a) Conceptual frameworks and research approaches.
b) Research design: linking to research philosophies (discussion of ontology, epistemology, methodology).
c) Types of research: inductive, deductive, positivist, interpretivist, quantitative, qualitative.
d) Reliability and Validity
e) Data Collection
f) Sampling
g) Data Gathering
h) Data Analysis
i) Preparing an Ethics statement for your Dissertation
j) Writing the Methodology Chapter of your Dissertation
Chapter 5 Presenting Results
a) Different types of results: quantitative and qualitative
b) Different approaches to the presentation of results
c) How to present results in your Dissertation
i) Quantitative Results, including the use of graphical representation.
ii) Qualitative Results, including the use of verbatims.
iii) Mixed Methods Results
Chapter 6 Analysing and Discussing Results
a) Analysing Quantitative Data, including the use of computer programmes.
b) Analysing Qualitative Data, including the use of computer programmes.
c) Analysing Mixed Methods, including the use of computer programmes.
d) Presenting your Analysis/ Findings in the Dissertation.
Chapter 7 Conclusions
a) What are Conclusions?
b) The nature of Conclusions in your dissertation
c) Presenting your Conclusions in the Dissertation.
i) Your major Findings
ii) Limitations of your research.
iii) Your contribution.
iv) Your Recommendations.
d) Concluding comments to the text.