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Doing Your Social Science Dissertation
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Doing Your Social Science Dissertation

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May 2009 | 280 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Dissertations can be the most rewarding, and for some the most stressful, part of any undergraduate degree course, providing the opportunity for students to pursue a chosen subject in some depth, developing their expertise. The dissertation offers many challenges to those seeking to do it well and this guide is the perfect book for those seeking to succeed with their dissertation.

Judith Burnett helps students to rise to this challenge, making the most of the opportunities which a dissertation offers and overcoming the obstacles to successful completion. This book takes students through the process of doing a dissertation from turning the raw ideas into a research question, designing the research project, choosing appropriate methods, developing a research proposal, planning and executing the project, working with data, writing up, and preparing the work for presentation.

Doing A Dissertation in the Social Sciences is an invaluable guide to avoiding the pitfalls and making the most of the opportunities offered by the dissertation. It ought to be compulsory reading for undergraduate students in any social science discipline.


SAGE Study Skills are essential study guides for students of all levels. From how to write great essays and succeeding at university, to writing your undergraduate dissertation and doing postgraduate research, SAGE Study Skills help you get the best from your time at university. Visit the SAGE Study Skills hub for tips, resources and videos on study success!

 
Introduction: why do a dissertation in the Social Sciences?
 
Ready to research?
 
What is expected in your dissertation?
 
How do I define a research question?
 
What kind of researcher am I?
 
How do I write the Research Proposal?
 
Finding sources and doing the literature review
 
What are the problems of real world research?
 
The research design
 
Carrying out the research
 
What do I do with all of this data?
 
Drawing conclusions and coming up with theories
 
Writing up
 
Troubleshooting: what to do if it all goes wrong

Supplements

SAGE Study Skills hub
Visit the SAGE Study Skills hub for tips, resources and videos on study success!

This is a really useful book for students undertaking their research during their final year. The section on the literature review was really useful.

Mrs Deborah Wilkinson
Department of Education, Chichester University
drupal

an excellent resource for students studying research

Ms Louise Lawson
Secondary and Tertiary Care Group, Hertfordshire University
drupal

A well-laid out and accessible book, ideal for undergraduates as a starting point for their dissertation. Recommended for early reading to get them started.

Professor Chris Frost
Journalism , Liverpool John Moores University
drupal

I especially liked the introductory chapters - so clearly laying out how to design and create a proposal ready for research.

Miss Jo Button
Education , South Devon College
June 2, 2016

Good for third year students embarking on dissertations, covers theoretical and practical issues

Dr Richard Peake
Law , Leeds University
November 7, 2012

I did not find the chapter on expectations all that useful, and I did not like the chapter on research design. By contrast the chapter on literature reviews is very good. So, we will be dipping in and out of this book.

Dr Elisabeth Carter
SPIRE, Keele University
September 26, 2012

A good clear book appropriate to undergraduates, and helpful for them in doing dissertations, so it's on the supplemental list for our undergraduate methods course. But it's relatively entry-level and it could push students a bit further - certainly I wouldn't put this as key reading for the MA research methods courses I convene.

Mr Ben Baumberg
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kent
August 29, 2012

This will be a useful text for nursing research students adopting a social science research approach.

Dr Sheila Greatrex-White
Nursing , Nottingham University
April 24, 2012

This text will be useful for nurse researchers adopting a social science stance.

Dr Sheila Greatrex-White
Nursing , Nottingham University
April 24, 2012

This is a really useful book for students undertaking their research during their final year. The section on the literature review was really useful.

Mrs Deborah Wilkinson
Department of Education, Chichester University
March 5, 2012

Sample Materials & Chapters

Introduction

Chapter One


For instructors

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