Unlike any other book this teaches students how to generate their own ideas and develop them into original research projects. Using examples from all disciplines, it not only teaches students how to plan and research using all the qualitative and quantitative techniques and instruments, but also how to construct arguments and use evidence and language consistently. Throughout it emphasizes that writing is the most difficult form of thinking and dissertations are a test of our ability both to think and write clearly.

PRIMARYUndergraduate students in the humanities and social sciences who are expected to complete a dissertation in their final year.
SECONDARYPostgraduate students on taught Master's degrees, particularly international students studying in the UK for the first time.

Autorentext
Bryan Greetham was an Honorary Fellow at the University of Durham, UK, and previously taught at University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.

Inhalt
Acknowledgements.- Introduction.- PART I: EXAMINERS AND SUPERVISORS.- 1. Examiners What Are They Looking For?.- 2. Working With Your Supervisor.- PART II: GENERATING AND DEVELOPING ORIGINAL IDEAS.- 3. What Activities Suit You Best?.- 4. Types of Research.- 5. What Interests You Most?.- 6. Generating Your Own Ideas 1: Using Trigger Questions.- 7. Generating Your Own Ideas 2: Perspectives and Levels.- 8. Developing Your Ideas 1: Causal Relations.- 9. Developing Your Ideas 2: Conceptual Relations.- 10. Original Questions and Hypotheses 1: Using Analogies.- 11. Original Questions and Hypotheses 2: Working With Your Structures.- PART III: DECIDING ON YOUR PROJECT.- 12. Searching the Literature 1: Knowing What to Look For.- 13. Searching the Literature 2: How to Search.- 14. Choosing the Topic 1: Feasibility.- 15. Choosing the Topic 2: Ethical Issues.- PART IV: ORGANISING YOUR WORK.- 16. Planning Your Research.- 17. Managing Your Time.- 18. Your Retrieval System.- 19. Reading.- 20. Note-taking.- PART V: DOING YOUR RESEARCH.- 21. Qualitative and Quantitative Research.- 22. Secondary Sources.- 23. Primary Sources 1: Quantitative Research.- 24. Primary Sources 2: Designing and Distributing Your Questionnaire.- 25. Primary Sources 3: Qualitative Research Interviews and Focus Groups.- 26. Primary Sources 4: Qualitative Research Case Studies and Observations.- PART VI: PLANNING YOUR DISSERTATION.- 27. The Main Components and Introduction.- 28. The Literature Review.- 29. Research Methods, Findings, Conclusions and Appendices.- PART VII: ORGANISING YOUR THINKING.- 30. Developing Consistent Arguments 1: The Components.- 31. Developing Consistent Arguments 2: The Connections.- 32. Using Evidence 1: Describing It.- 33. Using Evidence 2: Drawing Inferences.- 34. Using Evidence 3: Creating Causal Connections.- 35. Using Language 1: Clarity Jargon.- 36. Using Language 2: Clarity Manipulative Words.- 37. Using Language 3: Consistency.- PART VIII: WRITING YOUR DISSERTATION.- 38. The First Draft.- 39. Style 1: Finding Your Own Voice.- 40. Style 2: Simplicity and Economy.- PART IX: PLAGIARISM, REFERENCING AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES.- 41. Plagiarism.- 42. Referencing and Bibliographies.- PART X: EDITING.- 43. Revision 1: The Structure.- 44. Revision 2: The Content.- PART XI: PRESENTING YOUR WORK.- 45. Oral Presentations.- 46. Poster Presentations.- Conclusion.- Bibliography.- Index.