1. MA dissertation workshop
Dr. Carolina Matos
Lecturer in Media and
Communications
Department of Sociology
City University London

2. Key points
• What makes a good dissertation?
• Key deadlines to watch out for
• Dissertation outline
• Literature review, research methods and core empirical
chapters
• Books to consult
• Ethical Issues
• Get yourself organised: timetable and masterplan
• Bibliography
• Any other issues
• Student Research Discussions

3. • AIM:
▫ “To conduct an investigation of an issue relevant to the programme
content under the supervision of a member of staff”
• An independent (and original) piece of research
focusing on:
▫ the selection and contextualization of a topic (lit review)
▫ design and execution of original research
▫ analysis and presentation of research
• Empirically or theoretically focused

4. • Total: 15.000 words
• Common format:
• 1) Abstract (300 words)
• 2) Introduction
• 3) Literature review, research questions and hypotheses
• 4) Methodology
• 5) Results and findings
• 6) Conclusion
• 7) Appendices
• 8) References and Bibliography

5. Introduction
• This section raises the questions that inspired your
research interest and sets them in context.
• It should be set in its broader conceptual context, and
the contribution of the proposed research.
• Check Dissertation Archive up on Moodle for
examples:
http://moodle.city.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=5533

6. Theoretical Chapter
• Relevant research literature should be critically reviewed,
leading to a specification of the research questions or
hypotheses.
• As we have been discussing in tutorials, a key thing here is to
determine what is relevant to include, and what it not that
relevant, as you need to examine particular topics in detail
• Should contain the conceptual framework and argument
(i.e. the main aspects of the theoretical approach that you have
used).
• This chapter should end with the insertion of your research
and how it fits into the wider literature, with possible include
of research questions here (which also can be in the methods)
or objectives/aims of the research that lead to the Methods
chapter afterwards

7. Research Design and Methodology
The research strategy should be outlined with a justification
presented for the particular approach selected to investigate
the stated research questions.
• I.e. Content and/or Critical Discourse Analysis
• Survey or questionnaires
• Qualitative or in depth interviewing
Assess the merits and limits of the method chosen.
* On what criteria was the method used? Why were other
approaches rejected?
* The particular methods and procedures adopted should be
summarised

8. Methods continued
• 1. The sampling or selection of data – On
what basis was the sample selected and why? The issue of
sampling, whether it is an experiment, a survey or a set of
qualitative interviews, needs to be discussed in detail.
• 2. Design of research tools – Research tools refer
to questionnaires, topic guides for interviews, and coding
frames for content analysis.
• I.e. How were the interviews conducted…..? How was the
coding done? How was the analysis undertaken?

9. Results and findings
• This can be divided into the core research chapters of your work
• You do not need to write “Results and Interpretation” here, but
name your chapters, and all your sections, with appropriate titles
and sub-titles, as if you were writing a thesis that would be included
in a book
• You should explore and analyse your results and findings. This can
be done in different ways – i.e. start with the results and then move
to the interpretation (i.e. CA of newspapers; then discussion of
smaller sample with DA)
• Ensure that you make it clear what you have found, what you have
understood from your findings and how they relate to the
hypotheses or questions that you set yourself in the earlier sections

10. Further considerations on research questions
and conclusions
• Research questions:
• Choose 3 or 4 key research questions. Think of “what” questions (that
attempt to discover and describe the characteristics); the “why” questions
(concerned with the reasons or causes underlying the topic) and the “how”
(which tend to focus on how things might be different).
• Explanations for surprising findings should be offered and reflective
comments on the research design and methodology given
• Conclusion
• This should comprise a short statement stressing the key insights and
implications (theoretical, methodological, empirical) of the dissertation,
with an outline of the possibilities for further research.
• What are the conclusions that you can make from what you have studied?

11. • Remember also the acknowledgements, abstract (300
words), abbreviations, body of text (Introduction/Literature
Review/Methods Chapter/Research Findings/Conclusions)
• Appendices and Bibliography
• Presentation of material and bibliography is also important.
Do not leave the bibliography for the last minute – see
“Guidelines for references and bibliographies”
• Avoid including too many footnotes and appendices –
i.e. Appendices should include only supporting material,
data, statistical tables or transcripts that are judged to be
essential.
• Coding frames, code book, questionnaires and interview
transcripts should be included.

12. Intellectual grasp of the topic; understand its significance
Invites a dialogue with the reader
Develop a debate which allows both exploration and
rejection of alternatives
Examines the theory critically and engages well with the key
literature in the field in an intelligent and creative manner
Maintains links between theory, method and interpretation
Has a clear and strong argument throughout; a storyline
Has a good structure
Methodology is clearly established
Thesis is well-organised, well-written and “easy” to read
Includes scholarly notes and uses academic conventions

13. Dissertation assessment criteria
• Presentation – Clarity of expression, a coherent and
consistent structure
• Content – Quality and breadth of literature survey, the fit
between your assessment of the literature and your choice of
empirical research focus; the interpretation of your results in
relation to the literature
• Critical Judgement – Depth of interpretation and theoretical
sophistication, critical appraisal
• Plagiarism – Check the guidelines for this.
• Turnitin- self-check your work using this system.
Submission deadline: Thursday 25 September 2014 by 4pm

14. Recommended books
• Bell, J. (2010) Doing Your Research Project: A Guide For
First-Time Researchers in Education and Social Science,
Milton Keynes
• Bryman, A. and Cramer, D. (1994) Quantitative Data
Analysis for Social Scientists, London: Routledge
• Gilbert, N. (ed.) (2008) Researching Social Life, London:
Sage
• May, T. (2003) Social Research: Issues, methods and
process, Buckingham: Open University Press
• Seale, C. (2011) Researching Society and Culture,
London: Sage
• Deacon, M., Pickering, P. Golding, G. Murdock (eds.)
(2007) Researching Communications: A Practical Guide
to Methods in Media and Cultural Analysis, London:
Arnold