(Mark 72)
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This dissertation achieved a mark of 84:
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The following outstanding dissertation example PDFs have their marks denoted in brackets. (Mark 70) (Mark 78) |
The dissertation is an in-depth, lengthy study that demonstrates a student’s knowledge of a specific area in the field of their concentration. It should be original research that contributes to the field. Two hundred pages is considered a reasonable minimum length for a doctoral dissertation. For Creative Writing students, the dissertation is a major work of imaginative writing.
For students writing scholarly dissertations, the dissertation proposal should describe or explain: the subject students intend to write about; the argument they are proposing; the current state of scholarship and criticism relevant to their project; the scope of their project; the methodology; the anticipated results or conclusions, and the significance of their work. Proposals for scholarly dissertations typically begin with a section addressing many of the areas listed above, such as the project’s general organization, significance, position within related fields and current scholarship, main argument, and tentative conclusions. The proposal should also present a chapter-by-chapter outline of the material to be covered and a description of the methodology to be used to discuss or treat the material. Students must prepare a list of works cited in the proposal, following MLA guidelines.
For students writing creative dissertations, the dissertation proposal should describe or explain: the style of their project (genre, structure, significant features, e.g.) both the creative and critical/theoretical influences or concerns that have shaped the project; their artistic intentions for the project; and the place they see their project occupying in contemporary literary, aesthetic or cultural discourse. Some students choose to include and discuss passages from their work to address these broad areas. Students must include a list of works cited, following MLA guidelines, if applicable.
Dissertation proposals must be 7-12 pages in length, including the bibliography. All proposals must be double spaced with one inch margins and use standard 12 point type. Dissertation proposals should be submitted for approval by the GPC within one semester of achieving dissertator status.
Students may sign a form, kept on file in the English Graduate Studies Office, that permits other students free or limited access to their dissertation proposals. If you would like to see samples of successful dissertation proposals, contact the Graduate Studies Program Associate.
The chair of the doctoral committee (who must be an English Department faculty member) is the student’s advisor/major professor; the chair works closely with the student in preparing the dissertation proposal. The doctoral committee consists of the advisor and at least two other current UWM graduate faculty members.
The doctoral committee consists of three members by the time of the dissertation proposal, and four members by the time of the dissertation defense. In both cases, the majority of the committee must be members of the English Department faculty. For the dissertation defense committee, one faculty member must be from a UWM department other than English. All members of the student’s dissertation committee must be approved for such duty by the Department of English and the Graduate School. For approval of the dissertation committee, the student will complete the Declaration of Committee form available on the Graduate Student Handbook’s online Forms Checklist and Links page. The Associate Chair will inform the student if a committee member is not authorized to be on student dissertation committees.
Note: The student’s Major Advisor has the option to approve a fifth voting member on the dissertation defense committee.
All committee members must also be approved by the Graduate School to be on student committees. Inclusion of committee members’ names on a properly filed ‘Application for Doctoral Defense and Graduation’ constitutes a request for approval by the Graduate School.
The student may also consult with the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies in the Department of English and with the Doctoral Program Specialist at the Graduate School to ensure that proposed committee members are approved to serve on dissertation committees.
Requests for the participation of no more than one non-UWM graduate faculty member (including retired or former UWM graduate faculty members) on a dissertation defense committee must be approved by the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies. Students must consult the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies if they want to make such a request, and must submit a curriculum vitae for any proposed external committee members who are not former UWM faculty. The Graduate School must also approve requests for dissertation co-directors, where one director does not currently have UWM graduate faculty status. The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies makes these requests on the student’s behalf.
In extremely rare cases, an untenured faculty member with graduate faculty status may be permitted to direct a dissertation. A student wishing to make such a request must petition the GPC for an exception to existing policy; GPC approval is required, and all decisions are on a case-by-case basis only. Graduate School approval is also necessary. Consult the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies for further information.
When the student’s committee is ready to approve the Dissertation Proposal, the student obtains a Dissertation Proposal Cover Sheet or a Dissertation Intention form from the Forms Checklist and Links page and signs it. The student’s committee members will also sign the Cover Sheet indicating their approval. The student delivers to the Program Associate for Graduate Studies the original Cover Sheet, attached to the original Proposal, and also emails a digital copy of the entire package
The Dissertation Proposal will be placed on the agenda for consideration at the next GPC meeting.
Should the GPC approve the Proposal, the student will complete a Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Hearing Form on the Graduate School’s Doctoral Milestones system. The Major Professor and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies will then approve the Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Hearing Form in the Doctoral Milestones system.
The GPC can reject proposals and return them for further work. If it does so, the GPC must explain to the student and the student’s advisor why it rejected the proposal and what revisions are required.
Students should obtain a copy of the Graduate School’s Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Format Requirements , as they must follow Graduate School format requirements for the dissertation. When there is a conflict with MLA guidelines, students should follow the Graduate School format. Formatting information is also available on the Graduate School web page.
Students must also make an appointment with the Doctoral Student Specialist at the Graduate School to ensure that their dissertations conform to the Graduate School formatting requirements. Students should schedule an appointment a few weeks before the defense so that there is time to make any needed corrections.
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Published on November 11, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on November 20, 2023.
Choosing your dissertation topic is the first step in making sure your research goes as smoothly as possible. When choosing a topic, it’s important to consider:
You can follow these steps to begin narrowing down your ideas.
Step 1: check the requirements, step 2: choose a broad field of research, step 3: look for books and articles, step 4: find a niche, step 5: consider the type of research, step 6: determine the relevance, step 7: make sure it’s plausible, step 8: get your topic approved, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about dissertation topics.
The very first step is to check your program’s requirements. This determines the scope of what it is possible for you to research.
Some programs have stricter requirements than others. You might be given nothing more than a word count and a deadline, or you might have a restricted list of topics and approaches to choose from. If in doubt about what is expected of you, always ask your supervisor or department coordinator.
Start by thinking about your areas of interest within the subject you’re studying. Examples of broad ideas include:
To get a more specific sense of the current state of research on your potential topic, skim through a few recent issues of the top journals in your field. Be sure to check out their most-cited articles in particular. For inspiration, you can also search Google Scholar , subject-specific databases , and your university library’s resources.
As you read, note down any specific ideas that interest you and make a shortlist of possible topics. If you’ve written other papers, such as a 3rd-year paper or a conference paper, consider how those topics can be broadened into a dissertation.
After doing some initial reading, it’s time to start narrowing down options for your potential topic. This can be a gradual process, and should get more and more specific as you go. For example, from the ideas above, you might narrow it down like this:
All of these topics are still broad enough that you’ll find a huge amount of books and articles about them. Try to find a specific niche where you can make your mark, such as: something not many people have researched yet, a question that’s still being debated, or a very current practical issue.
At this stage, make sure you have a few backup ideas — there’s still time to change your focus. If your topic doesn’t make it through the next few steps, you can try a different one. Later, you will narrow your focus down even more in your problem statement and research questions .
There are many different types of research , so at this stage, it’s a good idea to start thinking about what kind of approach you’ll take to your topic. Will you mainly focus on:
Many dissertations will combine more than one of these. Sometimes the type of research is obvious: if your topic is post-war Irish poetry, you will probably mainly be interpreting poems. But in other cases, there are several possible approaches. If your topic is reproductive rights in South America, you could analyze public policy documents and media coverage, or you could gather original data through interviews and surveys .
You don’t have to finalize your research design and methods yet, but the type of research will influence which aspects of the topic it’s possible to address, so it’s wise to consider this as you narrow down your ideas.
It’s important that your topic is interesting to you, but you’ll also have to make sure it’s academically, socially or practically relevant to your field.
The easiest way to make sure your research is relevant is to choose a topic that is clearly connected to current issues or debates, either in society at large or in your academic discipline. The relevance must be clearly stated when you define your research problem .
Before you make a final decision on your topic, consider again the length of your dissertation, the timeframe in which you have to complete it, and the practicalities of conducting the research.
Will you have enough time to read all the most important academic literature on this topic? If there’s too much information to tackle, consider narrowing your focus even more.
Will you be able to find enough sources or gather enough data to fulfil the requirements of the dissertation? If you think you might struggle to find information, consider broadening or shifting your focus.
Do you have to go to a specific location to gather data on the topic? Make sure that you have enough funding and practical access.
Last but not least, will the topic hold your interest for the length of the research process? To stay motivated, it’s important to choose something you’re enthusiastic about!
Most programmes will require you to submit a brief description of your topic, called a research prospectus or proposal .
Remember, if you discover that your topic is not as strong as you thought it was, it’s usually acceptable to change your mind and switch focus early in the dissertation process. Just make sure you have enough time to start on a new topic, and always check with your supervisor or department.
If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Methodology
Statistics
Research bias
Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .
However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:
All research questions should be:
You can assess information and arguments critically by asking certain questions about the source. You can use the CRAAP test , focusing on the currency , relevance , authority , accuracy , and purpose of a source of information.
Ask questions such as:
A dissertation prospectus or proposal describes what or who you plan to research for your dissertation. It delves into why, when, where, and how you will do your research, as well as helps you choose a type of research to pursue. You should also determine whether you plan to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.
It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives , ready to be approved by your supervisor or committee.
Note that some departments require a defense component, where you present your prospectus to your committee orally.
The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.
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Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples. Published on September 9, 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on July 18, 2023. It can be difficult to know where to start when writing your thesis or dissertation.One way to come up with some ideas or maybe even combat writer's block is to check out previous work done by other students on a similar thesis or dissertation topic to yours.
Theses/Dissertations from 2020. PDF. When the Foreign Became Familiar: Modernism, Expatriation, and Spatial Identities in the Twentieth Century, Danielle Kristene Clapham. PDF. Reforming Victorian Sense/Abilities: Disabilities in Elizabeth Gaskell's Social Problem Novels, Hunter Nicole Duncan. PDF.
Theses/Dissertations from 2018. Beauty and the Beasts: Making Places with Literary Animals of Florida, Haili A. Alcorn. The Medievalizing Process: Religious Medievalism in Romantic and Victorian Literature, Timothy M. Curran. Seeing Trauma: The Known and the Hidden in Nineteenth-Century Literature, Alisa M. DeBorde.
A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program. Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you've ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating ...
How to Write Essays and Dissertations: A Guide for English Literature Students, 2nd edition (Longman, 2005). 1.3 Supervision and Support. 1.3.1 The role of supervisors. Though the dissertation is fundamentally an independent piece of work, students are supported by a member of academic faculty who acts as supervisor.
The department makes available to all students who have completed the M.Phil. degree a full-year of funding in either their fifth or sixth year in the program free from any teaching obligation. Students are expected to use this "free year" to make significant progress on their dissertations, aiming to have a full draft done by the end of the year.
Recent PhD Dissertations. Terekhov, Jessica (September 2022) -- "On Wit in Relation to Self-Division". Selinger, Liora (September 2022) -- "Romanticism, Childhood, and the Poetics of Explanation". Lockhart, Isabel (September 2022) -- "Storytelling and the Subsurface: Indigenous Fiction, Extraction, and the Energetic Present".
Dissertations and theses offer the latest research from graduate students, identifying trends in the field. As research tools, they are invaluable for their extensive bibliographies. The following are examples of recent dissertations and MA theses written by UVA English graduate students that can be found through Virgo and are available online ...
When starting your thesis or dissertation process, one of the first requirements is a research proposal or a prospectus. It describes what or who you want to examine, delving into why, when, where, and how you will do so, stemming from your research question and a relevant topic. The proposal or prospectus stage is crucial for the development ...
Definition of Dissertation and Thesis. The dissertation or thesis is a scholarly treatise that substantiates a specific point of view as a result of original research that is conducted by students during their graduate study. At Cornell, the thesis is a requirement for the receipt of the M.A. and M.S. degrees and some professional master's ...
Margaret McGowan: "A Natural History of the Novel: Species, Sense, Atmosphere" directed by Jonathan Kramnick, Katie Trumpener, Marta Figlerowicz. Benjamin Pokross: "Writing History in the Nineteenth-Century Great Lakes" directed by Caleb Smith, Greta LaFleur, Michael Warner.
Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal. Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter. Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review. Undertake your own research. Present and interpret your findings. Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications.
The focus in this chapter is on post-graduate writing, either the masters dissertation or the doctoral thesis and on how research conducted in this area can inform the teaching and support of such students, within the framework of English for specific purposes (ESP).
Recent Dissertations. This page lists the most recent ten years of PhD and MFA dissertations, their authors and committee chairs, and a short abstract for the project. MFA dissertations will be added as they become available. The title and author of dissertations (and MA theses for degrees conferred under thesis requirements) completed more ...
Nigel Fabb and Alan Durant. How to Write Essays and Dissertations: A Guide for English Literature Students, nd2 edition, (London: Longman, 2005). 1.3 Supervision and Support The role of Supervisors: Though the Dissertation is essentially an independent piece of work, students are supported by a member of academic faculty who acts as supervisor.
Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples. Published on 9 September 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on 6 April 2023. It can be difficult to know where to start when writing your thesis or dissertation.One way to come up with some ideas or maybe even combat writer's block is to check out previous work done by other students.
dissertation students. In some theses, two original empirical studies may be necessary to propose and test a hypothesis. However, both dissertations and theses are expected to meet the same standard of originality, approaching a new area of study and contributing significantly to the universal body of knowledge (Athanasou et al., 2012 ...
Dissertation examples. Listed below are some of the best examples of research projects and dissertations from undergraduate and taught postgraduate students at the University of Leeds We have not been able to gather examples from all schools. The module requirements for research projects may have changed since these examples were written.
Dissertation. The dissertation is an in-depth, lengthy study that demonstrates a student's knowledge of a specific area in the field of their concentration. It should be original research that contributes to the field. Two hundred pages is considered a reasonable minimum length for a doctoral dissertation.
Dissertations for English As a Second Language Education ... Adult ESL student perceptions on computer assisted language learning Master's thesis, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. View Abstract Add to Collection. Carter, Susan Elizabeth An examination of Reading Assistant as used by English language learners
Step 1: Check the requirements. Step 2: Choose a broad field of research. Step 3: Look for books and articles. Step 4: Find a niche. Step 5: Consider the type of research. Step 6: Determine the relevance. Step 7: Make sure it's plausible. Step 8: Get your topic approved. Other interesting articles.
You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses: Google Scholar; NDLTD, the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not. Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published ...
Explore UMass Amherst's diverse doctoral dissertations and theses in the DSpace digital repository.