Projects, dissertations and reports gives detailed coverage of each format and develops the specific problem solving and research skills required to give students the confidence and resourcefulness for more independent study.
Sample activity: Select and summarise key literature you have used in your research
You will need to:
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Be highly selective about what you include
-
Summarise very concisely how this literature contributed to your own thinking and methods for this project
Select the arrow below to browse tips on how to conduct a literature review.
Look for ‘chains’. Consider how each piece of research or set of ideas gave rise to the next. Briefly, trace how a subject developed over time.
Write brief notes about the development of the research on that topic until now. Make a list of the 5 to 10 key pieces of research that have had most influence on the subject. Quickly chart how each piece of research influenced others in the chain.
Identify how your project will follow on from what has gone before. What will it add to knowledge about the topic or methods?
Summarise your notes to fit the word limit for that section of your report.
Module content
Projects, dissertations and reports features the following:
- Diagnostic test
- Section 1: Research projects
- Section 2: Conducting your research
- Section 3: Reporting your findings
- Module assessment
See what’s in each section below:
Select and summarise key literature you have used in your research
One section of your project report or dissertation will consist of a review of the key literature that provides a background to your own research subject and project methodology. This is referred to as the literature review. You will need to:
- Be highly selective about what you include
- Summarise very concisely how this literature contributed to your own thinking and methods for this project
Here are some tips on how to conduct a literature review:
Look for chains
Look for ‘chains’. Consider how each piece of research or set of ideas gave rise to the next. Briefly, trace how a subject developed over time.
Make notes
Write brief notes about the development of the research on that topic until now. Note the 5 to 10 key pieces of research that have had most influence on the subject. Quickly chart how each piece of research influenced others in the chain.
Focus on your hypothesis
Identify how your project will follow on from what has gone before. What will it add to knowledge about the topic or methods?
Summarise to fit the report
Summarise your notes to fit the word limit for that section of your report.