Customer Reviews:
 A must for master's students. August 11, 2008
Elizabeth Bennett (England)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I cannot tell you how pleased (and relieved) I am to have found a book like this! It is a god-send and this author deserves a medal. This is a must-have handbook for anyone undergoing a masters dissertation. I recently recommended it to a friend and it now sits in prime position on her desk.
Until I found this book, I knew what I wanted to achieve and was progressing with it. However, I lacked confidence in my approach and worried over certain areas of my work; this was certainly reflected in my writing at times.
This book is a step-by-step approach. It is structured from stage one of the dissertation proposal and takes you through each of the chapters as should be seen in your dissertation: introduction, literature review, methodology, findings, conclusion etc. Each of these chapters are then broken down into sub-sections, which should actually appear as sub-sections in your dissertation. Thus, for example, Biggam says that your introduction must include 'Background', 'Research Focus', 'Aims and Objectives', and 'Value of the Research'. The introduction chapter is therefore split up into these sub-sections and explained: Biggam indicates what kind of information is needed in these sub-sections and what the marker will expect to find.
In addition, throughout the book, the author has given little 'tip' bubbles, which indicate common mistakes by students. He also recommends students should use certain phrases. For example, in your objectives, begin with 'To identify...' and then, to indicate a sense of in-depth research, the next objectives could be 'To assess...; To examine...' etc. The appendices are also very useful.
Now, some may think that this makes the book appear very basic and maybe even 'spoon feed' the student; after all, the dissertation is about a your own research and learning.
My response is that this book doesn't do that. Yes, at times, it is common sense, but the excellent thing about the book is that it is not patronising at all. It simply tells you what you should be looking to achieve. Essentially, it paves the way for you to go smoothly through the stages of the investigation from beginning to end. As it informs you about what your dissertation should include, it ensures you remain focused on research aims/objectives.
Moreover, I was more than half way through writing up my study when I came across this book, and it's bolstered my confidence no end. It highlighted areas where I have done what's expected, but equally shown me areas where I would likely fall down on marks. For example, although I had tried to maintain a connection throughout my study, I was very concerned because it was a weak connection. This book has helped me identify how I can make the links stronger from chapter to chapter. Importantly, having learnt those one or two elements, I am now doing more effective links in my work automatically, without further reference to the book.
I have no idea how I will do on my dissertation, but I genuinely feel that this book has maybe increased my marks by at least 5 per cent.
Even if you are reluctant to spend the money, I strongly recommend that you find a copy in a library to look at. I know for a fact that in the future, if anyone needs help with a masters dissertation, I would be sending them to this book.
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