CS5500 Dissertation - Brunel University

INTRODUCTION

• To develop systematic understanding and critical awareness of an agreed problem relevant to your academic discipline.
• To apply established techniques of research and enquiry to create and/or interpret knowledge in your academic discipline.
• To critically evaluate both your own research and that of others from their discipline.
• To plan and execute a major piece of work.
• To gain experience in the written communication of complex ideas and concepts.

These aims are achieved through conducting an in-depth study in the agreed topic area. There are three main types of study:

1. A research-focused study, which aims to draw on practical data to assess critically a specified area or topic. The empirical data may come from a study undertaken by the student with an appropriate organisation (agreed by the department) or a meta- analysis of data already available in published relevant literature.
2. A practical software development study which aims to explore an area or ideas, or demonstrate a concept through appropriate software development, testing and critical analysis.
3. A literature-focused study, which aims to integrate and critically discuss a significant body of literature within a specified topic area. This type of study tends to provide some statement of recommendation arising from a critical review and synthesis of relevant literature.

LO1: To critically evaluate relevant research and scholarship within the field of study.
LO2: To choose and apply appropriate techniques and enquiry, given the research problem (or question) addressed.
LO3: To propose, present, and critically evaluate a solution to the research problem addressed (or an answer to the research question).
LO4: To clearly communicate the above achievements to the reader.
LO5: Demonstrate engagement with the University's ethics process and, where required, gain formal ethical approval from the University and evidence this in the dissertation report.

Overview

This module is conducted through self-directed study under the supervision of a member of academic staff. There will be a dissertation briefing session in Term 2 which will cover procedural issues as well as ethical considerations.

Throughout the dissertation process, you should keep the following in mind:

• Responsibility for the research and the content of the dissertation is the student's alone. The supervisor is there to offer comment and advice and it is advisable to listen carefully and respond appropriately. If you do not your supervisor may be less inclined to take the time to discuss and help you develop your work.
• The supervisor is expected to know how the student is progressing with their dissertation. This usually means that the supervisor will require the student to attend meetings and present both written and oral evidence of progress as the dissertation develops.
• Students should see their supervisor regularly. It is the student's responsibility to arrange and attend an appropriate programme of meetings with their supervisor. Your supervisor may have many other responsibilities and may need to be away from the campus. It is unreasonable to expect to just drop in to your supervisor's office whenever you want to discuss your dissertation.
• The supervisor is not the sole arbiter of the eventual dissertation standard. Students should see the supervisor's comments as helpful advice and not as judgements on their work. A supervisor cannot change the dissertation learning outcomes.
• A supervisor will provide formal feedback on the Tasks that you submit to the Department. They will also provide informal feedback on drafts of your work. At a minimum you can expect informal feedback on one draft per Task. You will, however, need to negotiate the timing of submission of these drafts well in advance to fit in with your supervisor's schedule. If you do not give your supervisor enough time then you cannot expect appropriate feedback.
• You can expect your supervisor to provide interim feedback on your progress during the summer (see above).
• If your supervisor leaves the Department a new supervisor will be appointed. A member of the dissertation team will act as supervisor on a temporary basis until a new supervisor is found. Note this does not include periods when your supervisor is temporarily unavailable. As noted above you must make sure you are aware of your supervisor's availability well ahead of time.

Phase 1: Selection of research topic and supervisor

First find your topic and find a supervisor who will agree to supervise it. A database of supervisors, their research interests and possible topics they are interested in supervising will be made available on the 14th February 2022 to students. At the start of your dissertation you will simply have identified an area of work containing a potential problem for investigation. To agree a topic, make an appointment to see a supervisor and discuss this. This will take some time so start early! There is no guarantee that you will get your first choice of supervisor and/or topic. Once a supervisor agrees a topic, s/he will invite you through the dissertation system. If you have not got a topic/supervisor by the deadline you will be allocated a supervisor. Meet with them as soon as possible to agree a topic. Your research topic should reflect the subject area of the course studied, as agreed by your supervisor. You are unlikely at this stage to be committed to solving a very specific problem.

Phase 2: Dissertation Definition Report (Task 1) and Ethics Approval Process

Once the topic has been agreed you will prepare a more detailed outline of the research you plan to conduct. This is called the Dissertation Definition Report or Task 1. For further information on this please see the Dissertation Definition Report Template on Blackboard.

The Dissertation Definition Report is non-assessed and must be submitted via Blackboard by the deadline. The aim of the Dissertation Definition Report is to give you the opportunity to receive formal feedback from your supervisor. This feedback is designed to improve your performance in your single piece of assessed work - the dissertation. If you do not submit by the deadline there is no requirement for the supervisor to provide you with feedback.

NB2: The deadline for submitting Task 1 is 6th June. Together with the Dissertation Definition Report, you should also be submitting your application for ethics approval on BREO (breo.brunel.ac.uk) - see "The Ethics Approval Process" section below.

NB3: Even though you will not receive a grade for Task 1 but only formative feedback, submission of Task 1 is a prerequisite for passing the dissertation - so please don't neglect to submit Task 1.

Phase 3: The MSc Dissertation

During the final phase of your dissertation you will prepare and submit The MSc Dissertation (Task 2). This is the culmination of your work. It must be prepared in the
department's house style. For further information on this, please see the MSc Dissertation Template on Blackboard. You dissertation will be assessed by both the supervisor and an anonymous marker. In addition to LO5, the criteria they will use are given below.

To pass, all of the following criteria must be met:

• Literature Review: The dissertation provides a literature review which critically evaluates relevant research and scholarship within the field of study.
• Approach: The dissertation describes how the candidate addressed a relevant research problem (or question) through the use of appropriate techniques and enquiry.
• Findings: The dissertation describes and critically evaluates a solution to the research problem (or an answer to the research question).
• Writing Quality: The dissertation is written sufficiently clearly that it communicates the above achievements to the reader.

The above criteria will determine what constitutes a pass mark, however, work judged to meet all four of the following additional criteria will be awarded a distinction; work meeting some, but not all, of these criteria may be considered for a merit at the discretion of the markers:

• Literature Review: The literature review demonstrates an authoritative grasp of the subject area. The candidate skilfully draws points from a range of well-chosen literature sources and these are well integrated into the dissertation as a whole.
• Approach: The justification for the research approach taken is strong, well-argued and valid. The approach followed is methodical, rigorous and executed to a high standard. There is critical reflection on the limitations of the approach followed.
• Findings: The solution described demonstrates real insight into the problem / research question. There is clear and justified reflection upon both the contribution of the findings to the field and their limitations. Where software is developed it meets or exceeds the specified requirements, and is shown to be reliable.
• Writing Quality: Complex issues are explained clearly and concisely to a specialist and non-specialist audience. The content of the dissertation is well organised and a sense of flow is created such that the reader is guided through the material. The report is of professional quality, so there are very few typographic errors and all references are properly formatted and cited.

It is important to remember, especially if software development has taken place, that it is the work as evidenced in the dissertation that determines the way your work is judged at the end.

The submission of the dissertation involves the submission of an electronic copy of the report by the day of submission. The electronic copy is submitted on Wiseflow and:

• Your report should be contained in one document.
• It MUST be submitted as a .pdf document
• Any problems with submission please come to the Learning and
Teaching team's office in room 056 of the Michael Sterling building.

Task 1 Dissertation Definition Report and Ethics

The suggested length of the dissertation is 12,000 words (not including title page, table of contents, and references). If you go over this length then you may be awarded a lower grade as you are not conforming to a good writing quality (see Phase 3 criteria). Program code and additional materials may be included on an accompanying CD Rom/DVD/USB memory stick if necessary.

Abstract

(Approx 200 words)

1. Background
(Approx. 500 words)

2. Aims and Objectives
(Approx. 200 words)

3. Approach
(Approx. 500 words)

4. Plan
(Approx. 200 words + Gantt chart)

References

Attachment:- Dissertation.rar