dissertation examples leeds university

Dissertation Format Regulations

Please click on each of the seven headings below to see the regulations which must be followed to format your dissertation correctly:

1. Number of copies

One electronic copy must be uploaded to the Assessed Assignment Submission area, within the module section of Minerva.

A hard copy of the Dissertation is not required.  

If you need to upload any additional data in a separate document, there is an additional submission area to upload this.

2. Indicative length

The main body of the Dissertation must not exceed the word limit.

Does Count toward word count

The word count covers everything within the main text of the Dissertation, including:

• the abstract and contents page
• lists of tables and illustrative material
• any tables, diagrams, subtitles, footnotes and references which are included within the main text.

Does not Count toward word count

The word count does not include;

• the title page and front cover
• any acknowledgements
• bibliographies
• end lists of references

Words presented as images

Any words presented in graphs, tables, or other graphics must be included in the word count.

Words displayed in these formats may need to be counted manually, as they will not be detected by the word count function on most word processing software.

Appendix Abuse

You must not use appendices to present matters of substance which should be included in the main body of the text.

The text must remain understandable without reference to any appendices.

3. Text and Layout

Font and size.

Dissertations should be presented using a standard font, and a font size of between 10 and 12 points.

Text must not be presented using only upper case letters.

Line Spacing

All standard text must be presented using double or one and a half line spacing.

Indented quotations and footnotes have an exception to the above rule, and may use single spacing.

For Microsoft Word this means standard dissertation text should have a spacing setting of either 2.0 or 1.5

Margins along all sides of the document (left, right, top and bottom) should not be less than 2.5cm (25mm).

For reference, the "normal" margins setting on a Microsoft Word document is 2.54cm on all sides - this is acceptable.

4. Pagination

All pages of text and appendices in your dissertation should be numbered consecutively.

Images and diagrams should also have their own consecutive numbering where possible.

5. Title Page

You must use the Leeds University Business School Dissertation / Project coversheet as your title page.

This can be downloaded from the Forms and Guidance Page

6. Table of Contents

Your dissertation document must include a contents page.

The contents page should list all main numbered chapter headings (such as 1, 2 , 3).

It is good practice to break down chapters into numbered sections, and these should also be listed on your contents page (such as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3).

Please carefully check the section above on word counts (2. indicative length) for information on which text contributes to your maximum permitted word count.

7. Acknowledgements

It is common to include a list of acknowledgements at the start of your dissertation, but you do not have to do so.

Students may wish to acknowledge the help their Supervisor provided, as well as the support of others such as family members or friends.

Research proposals

Your research proposal is a key part of your postgraduate application. It's your opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of your subject and how you intend to influence your desired research area.

We match your research proposal with the appropriate supervisors to make sure you have the best support during your research degree.

Before you apply, find out which researchers are working in your subject area and contact them with any questions. Or  contact the relevant graduate school to find out more about available supervisors. Don't worry if your research idea isn't fully formed when you get in touch. It's quite usual to firm up your ideas as you further explore the topic and talk with others in your field.  

Do you need to write a proposal?

You may not need to if you are applying for a funded project. Before you apply you should contact your academic department to check:

• Do you need a proposal?
• How long does the proposal need to be?
• Do you need any additional evidence? 

Proposal structure

Your research proposal should normally include the following information, but this may vary according to which school you are applying to: 

A working title of your research; this will change over the course of your research as your project develops but it is good to have a starting point.    

Context and literature

Set the scene of your research clearly. Show that you understand the research area and have started to develop an understanding of your research topic.  

Make sure that you:

Show awareness of current knowledge and debates 

Review current literature related to your intended project and make reference to key articles and texts to demonstrate understanding of the subject

Demonstrate your own expertise gained from previous study or employment 

Explain where there is a gap in current understanding and how your original research can push knowledge forward. 

If you have identified academics involved in your research area you should contact them to discuss their work. This would be a good opportunity to get further advice about your proposal and to potentially start building a supervisor relationship. 

Aims of your research

Your research aims show the overall purpose of your study and you should consider them carefully. Keep your research proposal concise, focus on one or two key research aims and how research questions can achieve the aims. This will help you, and potential supervisors, to decide if they are achievable.

Methodology

Consider how you will carry out your research, and address this in your proposal.

What type of data do you require, for example qualitative, quantitative or a combination?

How are you going collect and analyse the data?

How will these methods address your research aims, relating to current literature?

Plan your timescale

Plan a realistic timescale for your project so that your potential supervisors can make sure they are available to support you. This will also demonstrate that your research project is achievable. You should consider:  

Possible challenges and how you aim to overcome them

What will be the milestones of your research 

What you wish to achieve each year of your research project.

Expected outcomes

You should explain your potential outcomes to show you have thought through your research and why it is important. You may include how your research builds on current knowledge and what new understanding you will bring to your field. 

Focus your reading so that your references are relevant and up-to-date. Use Harvard referencing style . 

Proofreading your proposal

Your research proposal is your chance to show you can present information accurately, coherently and concisely.

When proofreading, ask yourself:

• Is your proposal clear and easy to understand?
• Have you written in a focused and concise way? 
• Does your proposal follow a logical progression that tells the reader a short story about your research aims, why they are important, your methods, and what you hope to find out?

After submission

The research proposal you submit is the start of the research process. Once you are accepted onto a PhD programme, you will refine and develop your original proposal as your knowledge grows and regular discussions begin with your supervisory team. 

Related links

The Library : Dissertations

What is a dissertation.

Final year students are required to complete a large piece of work for their degree or professional qualification. For undergraduates this is known as a dissertation, final year project or major independent study. Postgraduates will normally complete a thesis.

These pages will tell you how the Library can support you in writing your dissertation, as well as finding past dissertations.

Support for dissertations and projects

Independent study.

• The Skills for Learning  Dissertations and Literature Reviews webpage explains their structure and content as well as providing guidance on dissertation proposals. There are worksheets and interactive tasks available.
• The Research Skills pages look at the research process, including research design , research ethics and analysing and presenting data .
• The Finding Information and Reading page explains search strategies and techniques and provides worksheets on evaluating search results.
• The Library's Subject Guides have information on finding high quality information in each subject area for use in literature reviews and dissertations.
• The Academic Integrity Tutorial in MyBeckett is a complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism for LBU students: this FAQ explains how to enrol.

 Additional support

•  Skills for Learning support English as an Additional Language for students. One-to-one support with this and other skills like finding information, academic writing, referencing and IT can be booked through our Get Help form .
• The Skills for Learning website has a topic page for each key study skills area. Online workshops are open to all and bookable through MyHub . You can request recordings of previous workshops from [email protected] .
• Study Cafes run regularly for focused, supported study time and drop-ins are also available for quick study skills queries: see MyHub .

Ask us about dissertations - try searching our frequently asked questions

0113 812 1000

Opening hours

Service alerts

Tell us what you think

Help with referencing

Leeds Beckett's Quote, Unquote guide provides information on the Harvard referencing system, including how to reference a variety of different formats and media.

For more information, visit Quote, Unquote .

Quote, Unquote

A-Z of reference examples

Reference Builder

Reference management

Quote, Unquote PDF

Short guide PDF

• University Disclaimer
• Accessibility

• Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures
• School of Media and Communication

Student work

Here you can see some of the work our students produce during their Masters.

Browse dissertations and look through project work completed on degrees which have practical elements.

Dissertations

All of our Masters degrees give you the opportunity to complete a dissertation. 

Download and read dissertations written by our Masters students.

Project work

Our MA Film, Photography and Media degree gives you the option to complete an independent project instead of a dissertation. Check out some of our students' projects here.

MA Film, Photography and Media final project.

Title: ROLLING.

A Chinese rockabilly band and their effect on the filmmaker covering their tour in Germany.

Title: Into the Light.

Title: Tender is the Night.

Title: The Betrothed.

Title: Punctum Temporis .

A short film about time and the nature of the moment.

Find Dissertations and Theses

Popular pages on the Library website

Find University of Salford dissertations and theses

During the course of your studies, you may find that you need to search for dissertations or theses. Maybe you would like to see what other research has been undertaken in relation to your topic, or perhaps you would like to see what a dissertation or thesis looks like? There are many reasons why looking for this type of research can be useful.

You can use Library Search to help you find them and there are a number of different ways to search, depending on what you want to find.

You can access dissertations and theses by previous University of Salford students. Use the 'Advanced Search' option in Library Search to find these, and take a look at our University of Salford e-theses collection . This collection covers mostly PhD level research.

Digital dissertations - University of Salford

For help accessing our University of Salford dissertations and theses, watch this video:

Finding University of Salford dissertations and theses

Use databases to find other dissertations and theses.

There are a number of dissertation and theses databases you can use to find dissertations and theses from other academic institutions.  You can access these through Library Search .

Some of the databases you can access include:

• EBSCO Open Dissertations
• EThOS – Electronic Theses Online System
• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses

Find out more about the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database on our blog post: ProQuest Dissertations and Theses - You can do more/

We also have a ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global LibGuide to help you find out more.

For help accessing the wide range of dissertation and theses databases, watch this video:

Helpful tips when looking for dissertations and theses

• Identify a couple of keywords to start with and use these when searching.  Don't try to enter too many keywords all at once as it's often useful to see what else there is around your topic.  Also, entering too many keywords can make your search too specific and you may struggle to find what you need. Do not try searching using your whole dissertation topic title – this will not work!
• Can't find what you need? Many databases only contain PhD level manuscripts.  Using 'Advanced Search' options within databases can sometimes allow you to specify other manuscript levels.
• Don't worry about topic area too much if you just want to see what a dissertation looks like and get a rough idea of layout and format.
• Ensure you are looking at the correct level of research for your study. There is a BIG difference between a Masters' dissertation and a PhD level thesis!
• Always check any guidelines you have been given by your school with regards to the layout, format and length of your own dissertation, so you know what to expect. If in doubt, speak with your supervisor.

Get help writing a dissertation

• Read our Dissertations and Theses guidance for help on writing and formatting a dissertation.
• Check out our Online resources for dissertation students reading list – it contains links to really useful online dissertation resources and textbooks to help get you started.
• Contact your Academic Support Team for further help and advice.

Further recommended resources

The University of Leeds have a selection of dissertation examples with an indication of the mark awarded to the student. Additional support resources are located on their Final Chapter webpage.

• Help & FAQ

Research report writing: proposals, dissertations, and academic writing

• School of Children, Young People and Families

Research output : Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

Access to Document

• 10.4018/978-1-6684-5602-6.ch029 Licence: Unspecified

Fingerprint

• Academic Dissertations Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
• Ethics Medicine & Life Sciences 16%
• Data Analysis Medicine & Life Sciences 12%

T1 - Research report writing

T2 - proposals, dissertations, and academic writing

AU - Tshabangu, Icarbord

AU - Ba', Stefano

AU - Madondo, Silas Memory

PY - 2022/3

Y1 - 2022/3

N2 - This chapter discusses the critical aspects necessary to produce a research report from a study undertaken. Since research is based on a systematic endeavour which seeks to establish valid findings, the chapter addresses notions of criticality that ought to be espoused by the inquirer and the need to present findings being mindful of the demands related to academic writing. Furthermore, the chapter outlines the structures and steps that are necessary to produce a good enough proposal, ethical issues, gaining consent and ultimately how to produce a dissertation report at the end of all research activities and data analysis. It is noted in this chapter that a good proposal is most likely to end as a plausible research output. An informative study need not be diminished by a lack of academic writing skills, poor organisation, and unethical conduct.

AB - This chapter discusses the critical aspects necessary to produce a research report from a study undertaken. Since research is based on a systematic endeavour which seeks to establish valid findings, the chapter addresses notions of criticality that ought to be espoused by the inquirer and the need to present findings being mindful of the demands related to academic writing. Furthermore, the chapter outlines the structures and steps that are necessary to produce a good enough proposal, ethical issues, gaining consent and ultimately how to produce a dissertation report at the end of all research activities and data analysis. It is noted in this chapter that a good proposal is most likely to end as a plausible research output. An informative study need not be diminished by a lack of academic writing skills, poor organisation, and unethical conduct.

U2 - 10.4018/978-1-6684-5602-6.ch029

DO - 10.4018/978-1-6684-5602-6.ch029

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9781668456026

BT - Research anthology on doctoral student professional development

A2 - Khosrow-Pour, Mehdi

A2 - Clarke, Steve

A2 - Jennex, Murray E.

A2 - Anttiroiko, Ari-Veikko

A2 - Kamel, Sherif

A2 - Lee, In

A2 - Kisielnicki, Jerzy

A2 - Gupta, Amar

A2 - van Slyke, Craig

A2 - Wang, John

A2 - Weerakkody, Vishanth

PB - IGI Global

• International
• We are Beckett
• Accessibility
• Accommodation
• Merchandise
• Schools and Colleges
• Skills for Learning
• Sport and Active Lifestyles
• Student information
• Students' Union
• Teaching and Learning Resources
• (+44) 113 812 0000
• Other contact numbers

Leeds Beckett University - City Campus, Woodhouse Lane, LS1 3HE

• Undergraduate study
• Postgraduate study
• Distance learning
• Student experience
• Chat with current students
• Degree apprenticeships
• CPD and short courses
• Information for students and applicants
• Careers support
• Stay in touch
• How to apply
• Funding your studies
• Prepare for uni

Student Blog Squad

• Chat to a student
• Mature students
• Parents' guide
• Schools and colleges

Undergraduate Applicant Days

Undergraduate open days, virtual open day.

• Research degrees
• Professional development

Postgraduate Open Days

• Information for employers
• Sport and active lifestyles
• Leeds Beckett Students' Union

Life in Leeds

Virtual campus tour.

• Apply to study
• Fees and scholarships
• Support for students
• International partners
• International Summer School
• English language courses
• Study abroad
• Find your country for entry requirements
• English language requirements
• Find an agent in your country
• Applying for your visa
• Course fees and living costs
• International scholarships
• Global Village
• Arrival guide
• International Partners
• Study Abroad Partners
• Research centres
• Research Areas
• Research Excellence Framework
• Teaching and research facilities
• Research for business
• Carnegie Applied Rugby Research centre
• Centre for Active Lifestyles
• Centre for Applied Social Research
• Centre for Biomedical Science Research
• Centre for Child and Adolescent Physical Literacy
• Centre for Culture and Humanities
• Centre for Dementia Research
• Centre for Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Exchange
• Centre for Health Promotion
• Centre for Human Performance
• Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Citizenship, Education and Society (CIRCES)
• Centre for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Education
• CollectivED: The Centre for Coaching, Mentoring & Professional Learning (in education)
• Centre for Psychological Research
• Centre for Race, Education and Decoloniality
• Centre for Research in Computer Science and Applications
• Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society
• Centre for Sport Coaching
• Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools
• Cybercrime and Security Innovation Centre
• Interdisciplinary Centre for Implant Research
• Leeds Arts Research Centre
• Leeds Sustainability Institute
• Obesity Institute

The Retail Institute

• Story Makers Company
• Sustainable Business Research Institute
• Architecture
• Computer science
• Culture and the arts
• Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management
• Social Sciences
• The Graduate School
• Types of research degrees
• Funded studentships
• Doctoral funding
• Our university
• Our schools
• Our community
• Work with us
• Sustainability
• Contact and find us
• Campuses and facilities
• Equality and inclusion
• Governance, leadership and structure
• Public information
• Leeds School of Arts
• School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing
• Leeds Business School
• Carnegie School of Education
• School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management
• School of Health
• School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Leeds Law School
• Carnegie School of Sport
• LBU Together blog
• Support. Report. Respect. A safe and inclusive community
• University Mental Health Charter
• WE CHALLENGE - the big issues affecting people and planet
• Schools and colleges outreach
• Business services
• Business consultancy
• Recruit our students

Work at Leeds Beckett

• Develop your business
• Develop your people
• Work with our students and graduates
• Leeds Beckett Business Centre
• The Knowledge Exchange
• Business news
• Get funded and innovate
• Office space, networking and mentoring
• Support for small and medium-sized businesses
• Tap into new research and insights

Help to Grow: Management

Knowledge transfer partnerships (ktps).

• Short courses and CPD

Carnegie Great Outdoors

The leadership centre, manage your preferences.

The Leeds Beckett website is designed to enable you to manage your own privacy preferences. By clicking on 'Cookies' below you can manage what data the site collects about your browsing. This will only maintain if you are on your own device or using a synched version of your chosen browser. If you are using a shared or public machine without synching your browser then there is no need to change the preferences.

Our site is built with accessibility in mind and we seek to adhere to the WACG AA levels of compliance for digital accessibility. To support that we have provided instructions on managing animations below.

Necessary cookies enable you to use all the different parts of leedsbeckett.ac.uk. Without them services that you have asked for cannot be provided. Necessary cookies can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.

Analytical cookies help us understand how people are using our websites, so we can improve them and provide a better user experience. We also sometimes get our approved partner companies to analyse how people are using Leeds Beckett Websites and they may set their own analytical cookies in order to do this.

Marketing cookies allow us to provide you with online adverts that are the most relevant and useful for you.

For more information please view our Privacy Policy

Animations & Interaction

The Leeds Beckett University website occasionally uses animations to page elements and animated gifs to add impact to pages. If you wish to stop them from playing for accessibility purposes or for personal preference then please see the guidance below. Please note that browsers sometimes change how they operate, so please refer to your browser help files to find their latest information.

How do I turn off animations?

Chrome users will need to use browser extensions. Animation Policy from Google will help you set your own preferences.

Microsoft Edge

There is currently no way to disable animations within Microsoft Edge. Users of Edge (Chromium) browser can install the Chrome extensions above and use them.

Internet Explorer

To stop animations on a single page you can just press the 'Esc' key. This will stop the animation on that page. If you wish to restart the animations you need to refresh the page. To permanently disable the playing of animated GIF images, open Internet Options > Advanced tab. Under the Multimedia section, uncheck the Play animations in webpage check-box, click Apply and Exit and then restart your computer.

Type about:config in Firefox address bar and hit Enter to open Settings. Search for the image.animation_mode flag and change its value from Normal to None. Once you restart Firefox this will disable animations.

• THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
• Funded PhDs and studentships
• Fees and finance
• Talk to an academic supervisor
• Writing a research proposal
• Research Facilities
• Masters by Research (Mres)
• Masters by Research (Mres) Education
• Professional Doctorate
• New Students
• Existing Students
• Documents and forms
• Important information
• International students
• Student Admin Manager (SAM)
• Progression, review and changes to your study
• Training and Development
• Wellbeing and support
• Completing your research
• Supervision
• Postgraduate Research Experience Survey
• Research Cafes
• Research Society
• External examiners

writing a research proposal

Writing your research proposal is an important element of your application for postgraduate research study with us..

Here are some tips to help you prepare a successful application.

What is a research proposal?

A research proposal is a concise summary of your proposed research that sets out the key issues or questions you plan to address. This is an opportunity to demonstrate the originality of your proposal by outlining the general area of study that your research falls under and referencing the current knowledge on this topic.

Your proposal is a chance to prove your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, concisely and critically. It also helps us in The Graduate School to match your research interest with the right supervisor.

How long should my research proposal be?

Your research proposal should be approximately four sides of A4.

If you are applying to a specific funding body, please check its requirements as to word counts, which may be different to ours.

Research proposal template

What should you include in your research proposal? Use our recommended template below to get you started:

1. Working title

You can change your title once you get started on your project, but we recommend you sum up your proposed idea with a working title at this stage.

2. Research context

This explains the context in which you will conduct your research. Show how familiar you are with the field by including a brief overview of the general area of study, summarising the current state of knowledge and recent debates on the topic.

3. Research questions

What are the central aims and questions that will guide your research? Before writing your proposal, it is a good idea to reflect on the key issues and questions that your work will concentrate on. This will help to make sure your project is sufficiently focused for you to complete it within the time limits.

We also recommend outlining the approach you intend to take in answering your research questions: for example, will it be empirical, doctrinal or theoretical?

4. Research methods

What are the methods you plan use to conduct your research? This could include accessing specific archives or libraries, field work or interviews.

If your proposed research is library-based, explain where your key resources (for example, law reports and journal articles) are located. If you plan on doing field work or collecting empirical data, provide details about this (for example, if you want to do interviews, who you will interview and how many interviews you will do). You should also explain how you are going to analyse your research findings.

5. Significance of your research

Tell us why your proposed research is original and important. How will it add to existing knowledge in the field? Why is it timely to research your proposed topic?

6. Scale and scope of the proposed research

You will need to outline how you will be able to complete on time.

7. Bibliography

Be sure to include a short bibliography citing the most relevant works for your topic.

Contact The Graduate School

• 0113 812 5375
• [email protected]

Funded Phds and studentships

Did you know? You can actually get paid to study your area of interest.

Funded PhD opportunities across our academic schools give you the chance to work on a specific research project and have your fees funded by our university and/or an external partner organisation. They may also include a bursary.

• Find an academic supervisor

The graduate school

Realise your research ambitions and influence the future for everyone.

At The Graduate School, our specialist team aim to foster an environment for a high quality postgraduate study experience. Facilitating collaboration and innovation, our staff support scholars and researchers in the delivery of research excellence and real world impact.

This website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience. See our Privacy policy .

Find your country

Middle East

North America

Can't find your country in our list?