Bestselling author Stella Cottrell taps into her tried and tested formula for learning and brings students the essential guide to producing top-quality dissertations and project reports. The book breaks down this process into manageable chunks and covers everything from preparation and planning through to conducting research and writing up the finished article. Packed with dozens of hands-on activities and quotes from real students, this book demystifies dissertations and project reports and helps ensure that the process is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. This is an invaluable resource for students of all levels embarking on a dissertation, project report or other piece of extended writing. Its interdisciplinary approach means it is the ideal companion for students of all disciplines.

Scientific research should be interesting and exciting. When you finally get your data and, even better – it makes sense! There's nothing quite like it. Your final research project will give you a flavour of what it will be like if you decide you would like to make a career in scientific research. This book will help you get the most out of that experience. In her years of work with students, Jess Bownes has answered countless questions about conducting and writing about scientific research. In this book, she distils her advice into one essential guide to writing dissertations and research projects and addresses the most common concerns and questions that science students have. This book supports students through the entire process of working on a dissertation, from the early but crucial planning stages, through to undertaking practical work and collecting data, researching literature, and writing up one's findings. The structure of the book mirrors key stages of a research project or dissertation, making it easy for students to dip in and out as they work on their project. With lists, step-by-step guides and plenty of practical examples, each chapter helps readers to approach their research in a focused and efficient manner. The book provides guidance on how to work effectively with one's supervisor so that readers can better judge when to work independently and how and when to seek advice. As students are often worried about committing accidental plagiarism in research projects, Bownes dedicates a chapter to this topic to ensure students have the skills and knowledge to use sources appropriately. This is an essential companion for any undergraduate or Masters student who is writing a dissertation or research project in the sciences.

This book provides masters and doctoral students with an in-depth and comprehensive guide to the process of writing a thesis or dissertation. It breaks down this often foreboding and overwhelming goal into achievable steps, presenting models that prepare readers for each stage of the process. Within each step, the authors supply all the tools and detailed instructions necessary for the successful completion of a thesis or dissertation. Along the way, the book offers readers skills and techniques that can help them cope more effectively with the psychological or emotional blocks that often get in the way of accomplishing their goal.

This is one of three short booklets designed to be given to graduate students as they begin their studies. They explain the purposes of the dissertation and the criteria by which it will be assessed. They help students understand the context of their course work; the need to take an active role in shaping their studies; and the importance of thinking ahead about the components of the dissertation and the quality of scholarship they will need to demonstrate.These booklets are intended to support the dissertation research and writing process by providing faculty and advisors with guidelines for setting clear expectations for student performance, and with a model for helping students produce the desired quality of work. They encourage dialogue between faculty and students about the quality of the components of their dissertation project. They include rubrics that students can use to self-assess their work and that can aid faculty in providing focused feedback.Setting explicit targets and benchmarks of excellence of the sort advocated in these booklets will enable departments and universities to respond to demands for accountability with clear criteria for, and evidence of, success; and will raise the overall quality of student performance.

Thoroughly updated to reflect the most recent trends in thesis/dissertation (T/D) preparation and research, the Fourth Edition examines confidentiality and privacy in Internet communications and considers the accuracy and reliability of Internet-reported research ... furnishes a new discussion on qualitative research ... focuses attention on intellectual property issues ... supplies a new section on the appropriate use of animal subjects ... details the historical background of advanced degrees ... and much more.

This practical guide takes undergraduate students step-by-step through the process of completing a dissertation, from the initial stages of generating original ideas and planning the project through to writing their first draft and critically reviewing their own work. It shows students how to choose the most appropriate methods for collecting and analysing their data and how to then integrate this research into their dissertation. Students will learn how to develop consistent and persuasive arguments and write up their research in a clear and concise style. This book is an essential resource for undergraduates of all disciplines who are required to write a dissertation as part of their degree. New to this Edition: - Includes expanded material on research ethics - Contains two new chapters on presenting research posters and delivering oral presentations

From your studies to your career, reflection and reflective writing is a key skill for personal and professional development. However, reflective writing requires a different approach to essays or reports – it can be difficult to know how to accomplish it. Written in a supportive and inclusive tone, The Student's Guide to Reflective Writing is an ideal resource for anyone faced with reflective writing assignments. It provides clear and practical advice on every step of the process, showing you how to: - Record your experiences - Choose what to write about - Structure your assignment - Write reflectively using appropriate tone and language; and - Incorporate theory and refer to professional skills and competencies Throughout the book, there are a wealth of practice tasks and detailed examples of reflective writing from a range of disciplines. It also contains a glossary of sentence structures to help you get started and build your confidence. This hands-on and supportive guide equips you with the skills to write critically, reflectively and successfully.

"The Science Student's Guide to Dissertations and Research Projects guides students through the entire process of working on a dissertation, from the early but crucial planning stages, through to undertaking practical work and collecting data, researching literature, and writing up one's findings. Each chapter includes lists, step-by-step guides and plenty of examples, making it practical and easy-to-follow. The book also provides strategies for when things go wrong with advice on managing stress, procrastination and unexpected data"--

Catering to the specific needs of science students, this award-winning guide equips students of all scientific disciplines with the skills they need to communicate effectively in written assignments. The book guides students through each of the key stages involved in producing a piece of scientific writing. It begins by developing students' understanding of the different types of scientific writing, including lab reports, essays and abstracts. Students are then taken through the writing process, from the initial stages of interpreting the question and conducting research through to writing a draft and responding to feedback. The second edition includes new material on criticality in scientific communication and the difference between descriptive and analytic writing. There is also a new section on building arguments using several sources, and new and extended examples of writing that will help students digest the material. This is an essential resource for all science students who are required to produce lab reports, extended essays, dissertations and other written assignments as part of their course. It is also ideal for international students who are new to academic study in the UK.

Are you a non-native English speaker studying or preparing to study at an English-language university? If so, this book is for you. This engaging guide equips students with the tools and confidence to respond effectively and appropriately to written assignments at university. It will help you to develop essential writing skills, such as structuring paragraphs and building an argument, and provides practical guidance on adhering to the conventions of academic writing. It guides the reader systematically through a series of text analyses which bring out key linguistic and rhetorical features, making complex textual issues manageable and understandable for learners of all abilities. Reorganised to allow for easier navigability and revised for greater accessibility, the new edition now includes: - An expanded introduction to show students how to use the book successfully - A writing checklist to review the key principles of skills covered in the book - A broader range of examples - More practical activities - More on plagiarism This is an ideal self-study aid for non-native English speakers, both on pre-sessional language courses and on degree programmes, who need to get to grips with the conventions of academic writing.