Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION, CONTEXT, RESEARCH OBJECTIVES (10%)
Is the research topic or problem clearly stated and shown to be worth investigating?
Has appropriate background information been provided with special terms and concepts defined?
Is the overall aim specified? Are the research objectives, research questions and/or hypotheses clear,
relevant, coherent and achievable?
Do objectives etc. go beyond mere description, i.e. do they involve explanation, comparison, criticism or
evaluation?
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW (25%)
Has a comprehensive range of RELEVANT and state-of-the art literature been used to discuss relevant
concepts, models and theories?
Are all the sources up to date and of sufficient academic weight?
Does the dissertation give evidence of a critical attitude towards the source material?
Are the key themes and issues surrounding the research questions clearly drawn from the literature?
Have sources been acknowledged and cited closely and properly, in accordance with the Harvard
format? Are References at the end of the dissertation complete (= matching all the in-text citations) and
in the Harvard format?
Chapter 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY (15%)
Is there a clear rationale for the research design and methodology adopted?
Are the research methods fully described and the advantages and disadvantages of chosen methods
discussed?
Are target population, sampling techniques, and sample size described in detail, i.e. who the
respondents are, how many there are and how they were selected?
Are the relevant research instruments of data collection addressed and included in the appendices (e.g.
blank questionnaire, interview questions etc.)? Are the research instruments well designed with all
questions, etc. relevant to research objectives? Are the sources of primary/secondary data specified?
Are data analysis methods discussed?
Is there evidence of care and accuracy in the data collection process? Are reliability and validity issues
addressed?
Are any constraints or limitations identified?
Has the methodology been critically evaluated in retrospect?
Chapter 4: RESULTS, ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF FINDINGS (30%)
Are all data presented relevant to aims and objectives?
Is the analysis thorough and appropriate to the data collected? E.g.:
FOR QUESTIONNAIRES: Do the appendices contain a data matrix, and details of statistical
analysis undertaken? Is statistical analysis correctly performed and interpreted?
3
o o
–
– –
– –
– –
–
– –
– –
– – – – –
FOR INTERVIEWS, FOCUS GROUPS etc.: Do the appendices contain data collected and
analysed, such as interview transcripts? Has qualitative data been systematically analysed?
FOR DOCUMENT, ARCHIVE AND OTHER SECONDARY DATA: Has the validity and reliability
of the sources been addressed? Have quantitative or qualitative data been systematically
analysed?
Are the findings presented clearly and interestingly for the reader, with useful tables and figures
embedded in the text and with the appendices being used appropriately for bulky and/or less
interesting/essential data?
Have the findings been discussed and evaluated?
Have the findings of the primary research been compared and contrasted with findings, theories,
models, and concepts derived from the literature review?
Chapter 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS (10%)
Have the research objectives (research questions/hypotheses) been reviewed and addressed?
Do the conclusions and recommendations follow on from the findings? Are they well-grounded in the
evidence and arguments presented?
Has the relevance of the conclusions for management been discussed?
Are the conclusions and recommendations discussed in context and are they more widely applicable?
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|