MU 4049: Dissertation

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is included/not included in the word count?
NOT included: Abstract, Quotations, Footnotes, Acknowledgments, Contents Page,
Title Page, Bibliography, Appendices.
2. Is an abstract required?
Yes, this is a requirement. We discussed this matter in class and it is listed on the
assessment criteria for this course. However, you should not be worrying about the
abstract until the end of your project (and writing of your dissertation). It will be the
very last part that you write - after all, you can't describe what your project is about
until it is complete!
3. Does the abstract need to be bound into the dissertation?
Yes, please bind into the dissertation as (effectively) the first page but a page
number is NOT required.
4. Should my literature review be a separate chapter or not?
While we covered literature reviews as a discrete entity in class for MU3507, it was
made clear that every dissertation is different and that while some dissertations
might lend themselves to a literature review as a separate chapter, others might
simply be underpinned by constant reference to, and discussion of, literature
throughout. It entirely depends on the research question, subject area and what you
are actually trying to achieve and thus you should consult your tutor about how best
to demonstrate engagement with your body of literature.
If reference to literature is to underpin your entire dissertation, it should happen as a
natural outcome of your writing procedure (so that as you discuss your topic, you are
constantly referring to texts - by paraphrasing or direct quotation of material, also by
discussing ideas etc. Make sure that whenever you refer to an author, this is
referenced using the footnoting system. In such a situation, your train of
thought/quest to answer your research question is what drives the project, rather
than the literature review approach, where there is a distinct chapter addressing
what authors say about your area (key theories, agreement/disagreement between
authors, most recent contributions to the field etc., etc.) IN EFFECT THE ELEMENTS
CONTAINED/CONDENSED IN THE LITERATURE REVIEW ARE STILL PRESENT IN YOUR
DISSERTATION, BUT ARE MATCHED TO YOUR OWN DISCUSSION. So, in this case my
advice would be to start writing your dissertation and aim to integrate references to
your material as you go along. Try to make this a natural, 'organic' process and not
too contrived (avoid thinking: 'I've got to get a quotation in here' or I need to
paraphrase this xxx' if this does not fit in with the flow of your discussion).
It is a good idea, regardless of whether there will be a distinct literature review or
whether literature effectively underpins your entire project, to identify your most
important texts as part of your introduction (describe and evaluate their usefulness
to your project) and to address whether there are any gaps in knowledge etc. This
demonstrates that you have fully researched your topic and that you are aware of
what material is in existence - including the most recent research.
4. What about the cover design?

See MU3507, Week 5, p. 40 of lecture notes for information that needs to be

included.
Ensure that your cover design is discrete in terms of font, design and colour (subtle
use of colour is acceptable: if in doubt discuss with your supervisor) and is
appropriate for a document of this nature (i.e., an academic submission). This
comment also applies to the dissertation in its entirety. Avoid overuse of colour.
PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU CHECK BLACKBOARD AND YOUR E-MAIL REGULARLY
AS THERE MAY BE FURTHER COMMUNICATION ON THIS MATTER.
5. Is there a set structure for the dissertation? How many chapters should I
include?
While there are elements that need to be included as part of your dissertation (see
Introduction to Research Lecture Notes), the number of chapters/how you choose to
divide your material is up to you (in consultation with your supervisor) and largely
dependent on the nature of your chosen topic.
6. My chapter plan/project scope has changed since I delivered my research
proposal is this a problem?
No. It is in the very nature of a research project that matters such as the division of
material/ inclusion of material/ scope might change as the project progresses. As long
as you have addressed this issue with your supervisor and both of you are in
agreement about such changes, this is fine.
7. I am using a proof reader. Is there anything that they should know?
If you are using a proof reader, make sure that they have access to the Dept
Referencing and Bibliography guidelines.
9. Is there a standard way to organise my dissertation in terms of Titles,
Subtitles and Subheadings?
It is not necessary to label subheadings within a chapter as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc.,
although if you wish to do this, then this is acceptable (discuss with your supervisor).
Titles, subtitles and subheadings can be differentiated by CONSISTENT use of a
particular size of font/use of bold etc. Avoid mixing fonts.
10. How should I label my musical examples/ diagrams etc?
Use headings such as Figure 1, Figure 2 etc. You may either label consecutively
throughout the dissertation, or you can match examples/diagrams to chapter
numbers (e.g., For Chapter 1, use Figure 1.1, Figure 1.2 etc, then Chapter 2, use
Figure 2.1, 2.2 etc.)
11. How do I reference musical quotations and/or diagrams/ tables?
Music examples need to be referenced in the same manner as cited text (footnote
after your figure title and then reference as usual).
12. Do I need to include page numbers in the bibliography?
The bibliography is a list of the books/sources that you have used. There is no need
to refer to specific locations in books here, so all you need to do is ensure that all

your sources are listed in accordance with Dept guidelines. But note that page ranges
still need to be cited for chapters, articles etc.
13. I wish to refer to several texts/authors in one sentence. What is the
correct referencing procedure for this?
There should be ONE number given at the end of the sentence and then both (or
multiple) texts listed against that one number. If it is not obvious which text is which,
you should to provide a framework in the footnote, such as The first text referred to
is ...; the second is.... etc.
14. How should I reference a sentence that cites two short sections of text
from a book but separated by my own words? (Example: Since the creation
of first model, Edison considered the phonograph to be practically
perfected in so far as the faithful reproduction of sound is concerned, as
the listener could recognise every word. Although he acknowledged there
was a loss of quality in recordings, Edison believed this was nonessential
in the practical application of apparatus. )
In this case reference to one publication is fine because it is the same publication.
However, if you really wish to clarify the situation, you could state at the beginning of
your footnote (along the lines of) 'Both citations from this sentence are taken from .
'.
15. Im struggling to find 25 sources that conform to the assessment
criteria as my topic means that I am referring to non-standard materials
on a frequent basis. What should I do?
You should explain the situation to your tutor and seek their approval to use (for
example) a higher number of websites then normal for your minimum 25 sources of
information. The supervisor should make a note of this and inform the second marker
when the dissertation is submitted.
16. If I reference a text in one chapter and then refer to that same source
again in the next chapter, should I reference it as a first or second (i.e.,
shortened) reference on the later chapter?
There are two scenarios:
1.Continuous referencing, i.e., footnotes (FNs) are numbered from 1 onwards
THROUGHOUT the your dissertation. This means that if your chapters are saved as
separate files, the FN numbering will need to follow on from the preceding chapter so if your last footnote number for Chapter One is '17', then the first FN number for
Chapter Two would be '18' (it is possible to do this in MS word without any difficulty).
The pitfall of saving chapters as separate files is that if you add FNs to any chapter as
you re-work your dissertation there will be a knock-on effect on the FN numbering of
subsequent chapters - so you must make sure that you check the sequencing
carefully. I recommend that you employ this system.
2. FNs start from '1' for each chapter. In this case you need to be extremely careful if
you refer to FNs in other chapters (make it clear which chapter and which FN you are
making reference to) - this includes both mention of FNs in the main text and
mention of other FNs in the footnotes themselves.
IN BOTH CASES REGARD THE 'FIRST REFERENCE' TO ANY PUBLICATION AS THE FULL
VERSION. ANY SUBSEQUENT REFERENCES TO THAT SAME PUBLICATION ARE THEN

WHAT ARE TERMED 'FURTHER REFERENCES' (I.E., CUT DOWN VERSIONS), EVEN IF
THEY FALL IN A LATER CHAPTER. IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER/CHECK WHETHER
OR NOT YOU HAVE GIVEN A FIRST REFERENCE FOR EACH PUBLICATION - DON'T
FORGET THAT AS YOU ALTER YOUR TEXT, FIRST REFERENCES CAN DISAPPEAR OR BE
MOVED TO A POINT AFTER AN ORIGINAL SECOND REFERENCE TO THAT PUBLICATION!
N.B., You will probably note a variety of systems being employed, depending on the
publication/publisher/house style etc.
17. Do my introduction and conclusion need to be actual chapters?
This depends on the dissertation. If your Introduction is NOT titled as a Chapter, then
it is logical to do the same for the Conclusion. If, however, your Introduction is your
first Chapter, then it would make sense for the Conclusion to form your final Chapter.
There may even be exceptions to this but in such cases you should discuss this with
your supervisor.
18. If I have made reference to a particular source, and this is entered
against the last footnote on a certain page, can I use Ibid. for the next
footnote (if I am referring to the same text) even if this next footnote
appears on the following page? Or do I need to first reference the whole
work again?
The fact that these references/footnotes are distributed over two pages should not
have any impact on your referencing procedure. If the two footnoted references (to
the same text) were on one page, you would have used Ibid. for the second one, so
in this case you should simply follow the usual method. Even if you were not using
Ibid., the second (following directly after the first) reference could have been
recorded as the shortened version.
19. Do I need to use quotation marks to indicate cited material?
You should use quotation marks only for very short quotations and these should be
included as part of your own text (i.e., as part of your sentences) and here you should
use single quotation marks.
Your main text should be 1.5 spaced, so longer quotations should be indented and
single spaced (effectively separate to your main text). See the examples contained in
the lecture notes for Introduction to Research.
20. What should I do about numbering the pages for contents pages (the
front matter) etc.?
Your front matter should be numbered using Roman numerals (BUT THE ABSTRACT
AND TITLE PAGES SHOULD HAVE NO PAGE NUMBERS). You should switch to Arabic
numerals (i.e., standard numbers) for the Introduction/First Chapter, then these
should be used for the remainder of your dissertation.