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What is different about dissertation research?
Where should i start, what is a literature review, why are literature reviews important, what is a literature search, should i conduct a ‘systematic review’, can i get help with researching my dissertation.
The research process for your dissertation requires a different approach from that you'll have used during your taught modules. Rather than being guided to relevant sources by a lecturer, you’re responsible for finding, selecting, evaluating and managing all your research sources. You'll be using many more sources than you'll have consulted for smaller pieces of assessed work, and perhaps different types of information from those you've used previously, so you need to think carefully about your approach to your information gathering and management activities.
If you're unsure where to start, then some background reading should help you get underway. Start by looking at broad themes and topics of interest, viewing sources like textbooks, subject dictionaries and encyclopaedias which examine larger fundamental concepts, before narrowing your search to look for specific research in your area of study. If you find some really useful material, such as relevant articles or books, you can mine these for all sorts of other useful related sources. For example:
- Has the author written additional material on the topic?
- Does the work have useful keywords or subject terms you can use for further research?
- Does the work have references or a bibliography you can use to explore related material?
A literature review summarises and analyses the literature you've found through your research. In a literature review, the literature itself is the subject of discussion. The aim of a literature review is to demonstrate that you’ve read, and have a good grasp of, the main published material concerning a particular topic or question in your field. A literature review isn’t a straightforward summary of everything you’ve read on a topic. It’s an evaluative analysis of what’s been discovered in your field. The review should describe, summarise, evaluate and clarify this literature. Research and Writing Skills for Dissertations and Projects is a UCL Moodle course available to all UCL students and looks at the skills associated with researching and writing an extended piece of work. Module 4 focuses on the literature review process.
When academics and industry professionals conduct research, they usually publish the work in books, journal articles and conference proceedings. For the most part, this is the 'literature' you need to find and review. A literature review sets the scene for your work. It places your research in context and shows how it relates to and builds upon the work of others. It’s also your chance to tell people why your work matters, why it’s relevant, and how it contributes original research to your field. Importantly, a literature review helps you find out how to do research. It shows which research methods have worked in the past and which ones haven’t. This can be a big help when planning your own research strategy.
For your dissertation, you’re likely to need to perform a literature search. A literature search is a well-thought-out, organised search and evaluation of literature available on a topic. A well-structured literature search is an effective and efficient way to locate sound evidence on the subject you're researching. 'Literature' can include journal articles, newspaper articles, official publications, conference proceedings, archives, book chapters, etc. View the literature searching page on this guide for further details about planning your search, common search techniques and developing a search strategy.
Systematic reviews are a type of literature review that follow a very rigorous and systematic searching, screening and analysis process. You can find out more about the process on our guide to systematic reviews . Usually a systematic review addresses a focused, structured research question to inform understanding on a particular topic and often to support evidence-based decision-making in that area. To do a full systematic review can be an extremely time-consuming process and requires a lot of resources, but you may want to incorporate some similar methodology, such as systematic approaches to literature searching or data analysis, without necessarily carrying out a full review. This can be considered to be a systematic style review, or a “light” systematic review.
Your Subject Liaison Librarian or Site Library can provide support for your dissertation through their subject guides which offer guidance on accessing quality academic resources. Send them an email for personalised support or book a one-to-one appointment .
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UCL Department of Economics
The MSc Dissertation
From June – early September students undertake a research project, lightly supervised by a member of faculty , and submit a 10,000 word dissertation on or before the deadline in early September. A good dissertation will be a piece of original research, the best dissertations are published . The three-months dissertation project gives you the opportunity to acquire and enhance a number of skills including research skills, project management, organisation, software and writing.
The research methods course supports you in this project, providing training in:
- Research and academic writing skills
- Software (Matlab, Python, R, and Stata)
- Empirical econometric skills.
In total, over 30 hours of lecture support skill acquisition directly relevant to the dissertation project. Helpdesks are also provided during the dissertation writing period. Dissertations fall into four categories:
Empirical Empirical dissertations typically take an econometric model from an existing paper and applying it to a new data set and / or extending it. Such a project involves:
- A brief critical literature review of your chosen area
- Finding and understanding your dataset
- Learning the appropriate software
- Implementing your model
- Understanding, criticising and checking the robustness of your results.
Examples of recent empirical dissertations are:
- Corruption and Education in the Developing World
- Analysis of Chinese Stock Market Efficiency
- UK Wage Flexibility in the Aftermath of the Great Recession
- Hedonstic wage estimation and the market for head teachers: Evidence for England
- Does Microcredit Crowd Out Traditional Moneylending? An Example From Hyderabad.
- Estimating the Competitive Structure of the UK Petrol Retail Industry
- The impact of paid work on women’s empowerment.
Theoretical Theoretical dissertations typically take model from an existing paper and extending it in some interesting way. Such a project involves:
- Acquiring a deep understanding of your model, in the context of the core material you’ve covered
Examples of recent theoretical dissertations are:
- An Investigation of a Network Targeting Model with Bounded Rational Consumers
- The finite sample performance of single equation models of ordered choice
- Rotating Savings and Credit Associations: A Theoretical Analysis
- News aggregators and search engines: Thumping entrants in the newspapers industry
- Disaster risk in a New Keynesian model
Policy Policy dissertations undertake a critical analysis of some previously unexplored policy or policy issue. Such a project involves:
- A description of the economic principles involved in the policy decision
- A critical appraisal of existing or proposed policies.
Note policy dissertations may often involve an empirical component Examples of recent dissertations are:
- An assessment of the second round of quantitative easing policy in the UK: A BVAR approach
- Capital controls on outflows during financial crises: Are they effective?
- The technological factors in the economies of developing countries: Comparison of the effectiveness of public policies on innovation in Chile for local research and inward technology transfer
- Welfare participation by immigrants in the UK
- A study upon market structure characterised by regulation: Information and oligopoly conditions.
Analytical Survey An analytical survey dissertation provides a clear outline of the intellectual development of the a particular area. Such a project involves:
- A thorough understanding of the literature in your chosen area
- Explaining the extent to which different contributors were addressing similar of different questions and in what sense and how far one contribution marks a significant improvement over earlier ones.
- Critically assessing the different contributions and of the field as a whole.
Examples of recent dissertations are:
- Heterogeneous Adaptive Learning in Real Business Cycle Models
- The Great Moderation: A critical survey since the crisis
- What are the social costs and benefits of reversing innovations in mortgage markets?
- What explains the top income surge?
- A survey on observational learning and informational cascades: Are observational conditions simple enough to warrant simple predictions?
"I feel the course provided me with a far more sophisticated understanding of macroeconomic policy and a wealth of useful technical econometrics skills"
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If you have any questions please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section of this website.
For further information please see the UCL pages for current students , or contact: [email protected]
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Support for dissertations and research projects This guide is primarily aimed at taught postgraduate students, but may also be of interest to final year undergraduates. It highlights the extensive online library collections and services available to you, and also directs you to other academic support services that may be useful when undertaking ...
be covered in medium blue cloth (e.g. water resistant material) be lettered in gold up the spine with degree, year, name and initials in the same form as UCL records, with letters 16 or 18 point (.25 inch) - thesis submitted for examination in November and December should have the following year lettered on the spine.
Writing your dissertation marks the end of a very important stage in your educational journey. It provides you with the opportunity to collate all the analytical and critical thinking skills you have gained in your time at university. The aim of a dissertation is to allow you to showcase your skills and ability to conduct your own research and ...
For your dissertation, you're likely to need to perform a literature search. A literature search is a well-thought-out, organised search and evaluation of literature available on a topic. A well-structured literature search is an effective and efficient way to locate sound evidence on the subject you're researching.
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There's more to uncover within the Academic Manual. Take Chapter 12, for instance, where you'll gain insight into the roles of key figures at UCL, including your Departmental Graduate Tutor and Faculty Graduate Tutor. Understanding these roles can greatly enhance your academic journey. Welcome to the UCL Academic Manual, your comprehensive ...
The General Regulations apply to all University College London (UCL) MPhil, PhD, EngD and MD(Res) students. The Academic Regulations for Students for Research Degree students are UCL's overarching regulations and students should read these regulations together with local regulations for the Department and Faculty housing their programme of study.
The MSc Dissertation. From June - early September students undertake a research project, lightly supervised by a member of faculty, and submit a 10,000 word dissertation on or before the deadline in early September. A good dissertation will be a piece of original research, the best dissertations are published.
Code of Practice 2018/19 5 are for one year, often leading into a doctorate; precise timings of deadlines vary and are given in the handbook for each specific programme.
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The UCL Academic Communication Centre (ACC) is a new support service to enhance UCL students' discipline-specific writing and speaking skills. They work closely with UCL academic departments and faculties to develop tailored workshops, classes and tutorials for native and non-native English speakers. UCL Writing Lab.
BASc dissertation handbook 2018-2019. Guidelines for BASc final year dissertation including issues such as ethics and data protection, and marking rubrics for first and second markers. ... OpenEd@UCL is powered by EdShare2 running on EPrints 3 which is developed by the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton.
programme director/supervisor. This handbook has been produced to provide you with information about the framework for MSc dissertations. It should be used in conjunction with your programme handbook and the advice of your supervisor1. Dissertations are expected to further students' knowledge of a relevant body of literature,
Dissertation Handbook 9 design and execute a defensible doctoral project of high academic caliber that is aligned with generally accepted research practices, university policies, and IRB requirements. • The Committee Member supports you and your Chair as the reviewer of your proposal and
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17. 22. Dear Candidate, Congratulations on reaching a major milestone in your pursuit of a doctoral degree. As you prepare for the next challenging stage of your degree work, The Dissertation Handbook will be a helpful resource. You are now embarking on the final and, in many ways, the most exciting stage of your degree work.