Posted: July 2nd, 2015

A GUIDEBOOK FOR STUDENTS AND SUPERVISORS

MASTERS PROGRAMMES
DISSERTATION HANDBOOK
2014

THE DISSERTATION
A GUIDEBOOK FOR STUDENTS AND SUPERVISORS

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 4
2. Background & Context 5
3. Submission Date and Format 6
3.1 Submission Date 6
3.2 Submission Format 7
4. Role of the Supervisor 8
4.1 Introduction 8
4.2 Format & Content of Meetings 9
4.3 Responsibilities of Supervisor in Dissertation Process 10
5. Role of the Student 10
6. Dissertation Structure 11
7. Dissertation Marking 13
8. Possibility of publication in academic/professional journals 13
9. Ethics 13
10. Common Issues/Factors contributing to poor performance/failure 15
11. Conclusion 15
12. Appendices 16
Appendix A: Grade Criteria 17
Appendix B: Dissertation Meeting/Progress Monitoring Report 19
Appendix C: Information for Participants 21
Appendix D: Guidance Note on Plagiarism 23
Appendix E: Security Clearance 25
Appendix F: Formatting 26

1. Introduction
These guidelines are just that: guidelines. They are intended as a road map to provide direction, support and reference to the student and supervisor through the challenging, interesting and potentially very rewarding task of preparing for the Masters Dissertation and ultimately the Level 9 award.
Owing to the students involved and the nature of the process, much flexibility is necessary along with patience, empathy, sympathy, compassion etc. Therefore we do not intend to prescribe detailed and rigid rules and procedures, rather an outline of how a typical supervisor/student relationship might unfold, and to suggest the minimum number of meetings to ensure effective and efficient supervision.
The Dissertation should broadly include:

• a careful selection of a relevant problem or issue
• a clear definition of the problems/issues to be researched/investigated
• a clear statement of the Research Question, aim(s)/objectives
• specification of the data required to meet the aim(s)/objectives
• a discussion of the relationship of this dissertation to the related work being undertaken by others in related areas
• an explanation and justification of the research method adopted
• a consistent and careful implementation of the adopted method
• a systematic, objective and efficient analysis of the collected data
• the drawing of relevant conclusions, which can be supported by the data
• a set of recommendations, which follow from the conclusions
• a discussion on the value of the results and the theoretical frame(s) of reference used

Think in terms of what the College expects from a Masters student in terms of academic rigor. This should include:
• a statement of the background to the project in the context of the relevant academic discipline
• a review of relevant theories and related past research
• a critical review of the research method used including an awareness of alternative approaches and a strong defense of the chosen method which demonstrates an understanding of the relevant research methodology issues
• an analysis of the data emerging from primary research
• an evaluation of the Dissertation’s conclusions in terms of relevant theory(ies)
2. Background & Context
The specific objectives of the Dissertation are to:
• demonstrate the practical application of the theories and concepts studied
throughout the programme to a strategic business issue
• apply skills of collection, analysis and use of primary and secondary data
• research an area of management theory to a depth appropriate to a Masters degree

The Dissertation is the capstone of the Masters programme and supported by the taught modules. Students, therefore, may not formally commence their dissertation until they have completed the entire taught stage.

The Dissertation is specifically underpinned by the Research Methods module, which all students are required to undertake. This module focuses on both qualitative and quantitative methods and also provides support in aspects such as topic selection, hypothesis framework, literature searching and report writing. The module is assessed 100% coursework and involves the preparation of a formal research proposal, which forms the starting point and focus of the Dissertation.

It is also the starting point for the supervision process, because a realistic, practical and well thought out research proposal provides a good foundation for the Supervisor/Student relationship.

While a free choice of subject matter is permitted it should be informed by academic staff research interests, negotiated with and vetted by the module leader. Final choice will be influenced by the student’s knowledge, ability, realism and capacity to carry through the proposal and will be ultimately subject to meeting the standard for a Level 9 research proposal.
The Dissertation forms an integral part of the Masters programme because of the belief that learners must have a knowledge and understanding of the nature and conduct of business research. It is therefore an ordered, critical and reasoned exposition of knowledge in an approved field. As the capstone of the programme, it should develop and expand ideas, concepts and theories from the taught stage in accordance with the guidelines set out in this document.
The Dissertation is in part fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters award and has a four module weighting (30 ECTS credits). The Dissertation determines the actual Level 9 award.
The Dissertation word count is 20,000 words (-/+ 10%) excluding Title Page, Table of Contents, Appendices and Bibliography.

The QQI awards for Taught Masters Degrees (QQI Level 9) are as follows:

Classification: Average Grade achieved across the program
First Class Honours >70%
Second Class Honours 60-69%
Pass 40-59%

The pass mark is 40%.

Students are permitted two attempts, with the second attempt grade capped at pass mark (40%).
To ensure sound and smooth execution of the Dissertation process you should familiarise yourself with Appendix A (grade criteria and marketing scheme) and B (meeting report form).

3. Submission Date and Format
3.1 Submission Date

The following is the submission date for January 2015:
22nd May 2015

This date is written in stone and no extensions will be countenanced.
If you are not in a position to submit by this date, you should e-mail Cian McHugh in the Registrar’s Office without delay ([email protected]).

It is your responsibility to make this request known at least a week before the submission date.

You will need to make a case for deferral to the next submission date, which will be considered under ‘Personal Mitigating Circumstances’ (PMC) at the next PMC committee meeting. This is done on an individual case-by-case basis.

Where students have been referred or permitted to defer/represent Dissertation by previous Examination Boards, students will be notified of a new submission date in writing.

3.2 Submission Format

For the dissertation to count as valid submission the student will need to provide the following:

• 2 bound paper copies (paper copies received or postmarked on/before the submission date are needed to formally count as submission) – these must be submitted to Reception or posted to ‘Postgraduate Business Programme Coordinator, DBS, Castle House, South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2, Ireland’

AND

• 1 electronic copy of your dissertation sent to your supervisor by email

AND

• 1 electronic upload on Moodle (‘Business PG – Dissertation Page’).
There are various Moodle page, and the correct page will be emailed to you.

This should also include the deposit agreement form and the e-thesis submission form, both of which can be found on the Moodle page where you will upload your dissertation.

(In total, the dissertation plus these two extra forms need to be submitted on Moodle)

All of the above are mandatory for DBS to count the submission as a valid one.

Careful note should be made of the deadline in respect of Dissertation submission with sufficient time allocated for final proofing and binding. The dissertations are posted or submitted to the Castle House Reception desk (second floor) by closing on the day of submission.
4. Role of the Supervisor

4.1 Introduction

The role of the Supervisor is to assist, advise and guide the student in the planning, implementation and presentation of the dissertation. The Supervisor may discuss and debate theories, ideas, approaches, applications etc. but the Supervisor does not read, proof or otherwise support the student in the actual writing of the Dissertation.
It is recommended that Supervisors adopt a questioning approach with the students. To assist in acquiring this frame of mind, we borrow from Mr. Rudyard Kipling:

I know six honest serving men,
they thought me all I know,
their names are Who, What, Why and
When, Where and How.

Adopting this style will help students to fully explore all the material issues in and surrounding the Dissertation and assist in ensuring significant/relevant materials are not omitted. In addition it will reduce the likelihood that supervisors may find themselves contributing to the Dissertation. Remember, supervisors will be the first marker for the Dissertation and must therefore retain their objectivity.
Within reason, students are expected to initiate contact with the supervisor as often as the student feels advice is needed. Supervisors are not responsible for student’s Dissertations. This responsibility rests exclusively with students themselves. Students are expected to use their own initiative in finding materials and in the progressing of the Dissertation.
It is strongly recommended that there should be a minimum of 4 meetings and a maximum of 6.
All correspondence with students should be copied or retained and in particular, all meetings should be documented as evidence of the process. To this end, please refer to Dissertation Meeting & Progress Monitoring Report Form, Appendix B.
Plagiarism has become a significant issue in recent years and compounded by the profusion of materials available via the web or the internet. Students and supervisors must be particularly vigilant for this form of academic impropriety. Please refer to Appendix D, Guidance Note on Plagiarism.

4.2 Format & Content of Meetings

Suggested approach in respect of meetings during the Supervisory process:
Meeting 1
• The starting point is discussion of the Dissertation research proposal.
• Supervisor should confirm that the feedback from the examiner has been taken on board and will be incorporated into the Dissertation as much as possible.
• Supervisor should review all sections of the Dissertation proposal to ensure that the student focuses on the key areas of the Dissertation and to ensure that nothing significant has been omitted.
• Supervisor and student should pay particular attention to the Dissertation marking scheme. The scheme should be used as a guide when writing the dissertation.
• Supervisor and student should discuss the Dissertation plan, management and scheduling, ensuring that it is sensible and achievable. Supervisor should request a detailed plan setting key milestones, deliverables, etc.

Meetings 2 & 3
Meetings two and three are essentially concerned with monitoring progress and the manifestation tick list below can be used as a template.
Activities Yes No
A clear set of aims/objectives
A clear Research Question
Evidence of a comprehensive review of literature.
Evidence of planning the Dissertation process logically
Evidence of a robust methodology
Evidence of critical analysis commensurate with Level 9 (qualitative or quantitative or both).
Evidence of conceptualisation commensurate with Level 9, linking review of literature to methodology and also to findings from analysis.
Evidence of synthesizing, literature review, methodology and findings from analysis and developing conclusions and/or recommendations from this process
Evidence of good communication
Evidence of project & time management
Meeting 4
This is concerned with final review and check that all key issues have been addressed and that the Dissertation is on schedule. The student should have sufficient time allocated for final writing, proof reading and binding.

4.3 Responsibilities of Supervisor in Dissertation Process

Supervisors should ensure that:

• adequate time is available for supervision and encouragement;

• the student fully comprehends the complexity of the proposed task;

• the student is focusing the work in the intended direction;

• the student and the College are aware of any ethical, legal or political problems associated with the work;

• they will act as mentor, guide and friend to the student and will take a keen professional interest in the work of the student.

5. Role of the Student

Students should ensure that:

• an appropriate amount of time and effort is applied to the Dissertation;

• they are receptive to counsel from the supervisor;

• they properly acknowledge text, material and ideas created by others;

• the final product is the student’s own work;

• they meet all DBS regulations relating to the Dissertation;

• they communicate any problems likely to prejudice the quality or timeliness of the
work to the supervisor as and when such problems arise;

• they initiate and arrange meetings, date and time with supervisors

6. Dissertation Structure

The Dissertation should generally take on the following structure:

Title
The title of the dissertation should describe the content accurately.

Title Page
The title page should include the following information:
• The full title of the dissertation
• The full name of the student (author) and student’s registration number
• The qualification for which the dissertation is submitted
• The name of the institution where the dissertation is be submitted
• The month and year of submission

Contents Page
The table of contents would follow immediately after the title page.
It should list in sequence, with page numbers, all relevant sub-divisions of the Dissertation. This includes: the title of the chapters; their sections and sub-sections as appropriate; the list of abbreviations (if needed); and other functional parts of the whole Dissertation, such as the Bibliography and Appendices.
List of Tables/ Figures
The list of tables and figures should follow the Table of Contents and should list all tables, photographs, diagrams, charts etc., in the order in which they appear in the Dissertation.
Acknowledgements
Any acknowledgements should be on the pages following the table of contents and list of tables and illustrations.
Abstract
There will be an abstract of the Dissertation, not exceeding 300 words and should not extend beyond a single A4 page, inserted at the beginning of the Dissertation. The abstract provides a synopsis or summary of the Dissertation and should concisely inform the reader of the Dissertation topic, clearly indicating the nature and scope of the research undertaken and the contribution made to the knowledge of the topic researched or investigated.

1 Introduction
The content of this chapter should include, for example:
• Background of the problem or definition of the problem(s)
• Why you are interested in the topic/subject area and what you intend to achieve (aim & objectives or the hypothesis to be tested, etc).
• Approach to the dissertation (how you intend to achieve the objectives you have set for yourself).
• The organisation of the dissertation e.g. “Chapter Two will examine ……”
• The scope and limitations of the research – what is included / not included and why.
• What would be the major contributions of the study (linked to your aim/objectives/hypothesis).

(Note: The above bullet points may be sub-headings – 1.1; 1.2; etc)
2 Literature Review
You need to be able to justify/highlight why you have included each of the topics, theories, concepts, models etc – their relevance to the aims/objectives of the study. For example, it may explain the inconclusive evidence of the various sources. You may have more than one chapter on Literature Review as stand-alone chapter(s).

3 Research Methodology and Methods
This chapter should reflect the underlying assumption(s) about your research methodology. You are expected to discuss the research method(s) used – the strengths and weaknesses as applied to your dissertation, and the activities to be carried out.
For example: research strategy and design, sample and sample size, and the justification of the chosen methods. You will need the literature on research methodology/methods to support your discussions.
4 Data Analysis/Findings
The aim of this chapter may be to simply present and illustrate the findings reasonably descriptively without trying too hard to draw general conclusions. There can be different sections, each addressing the aims/objectives of the Dissertation

5 Discussion
This chapter will allow you to review your work and interpret your results, to discuss the implications of your findings. A discussion is a commentary, not a reiteration, of your results. Refer back to your research questions and literature review and discuss how your research has contributed to the area. Demonstrate awareness of the limitations of your research; be critically evaluative of your own work. A good discussion is structured, comprehensive and concise.

6 Conclusions / Recommendations
The chapter should try to draw general conclusions by summarising your findings, pointing out the ways in which these particular findings illuminate/explore/explain/clarify/etc the general issues and/or concepts raised in the literature review section of the research. This chapter should be reflective, critical, coherent and analytical, and integrate the theories and concepts. It should include recommendations for your future work.

Bibliography
This is needs to be presented in alphabetical order of researcher surname, and follow the formatting structure of Harvard Referencing.
Appendices
This can include instruments such as questionnaires, structured / semi-structured interview questions, interview transcripts, etc. It should not include an over-spill of content from the main body of the dissertation.

The dissertation should be formatted according to the instructions on Appendix F below.
The Dissertation should be in MS Word or PDF format, and pages should be typed on one side only. Students should pay careful attention to issues of presentation, especially proof reading.
Requirements regarding the format of submission are discussed in Section 3.2.

7. Dissertation Marking

The supervisor will be the first marker, and consequently, the supervisor must be ever vigilant in maintaining their objectivity.
As the moderation process is time-constrained, the Dissertation must be graded by supervisors within seven days of submission date. This time scale is necessary as Dissertations must be blind second-marked and then forwarded to the external examiner.

Results are ratified at the next Exam Board and only then will they be released to students. Release of results generally occurs one and a half to two months after Dissertation submission.

8. Possibility of publication in academic/professional journals

It is possible that aspects of your Dissertation may be of sufficient standard and quality to warrant submitting to appropriate journals for publication.
As this will normally happen after you have obtained your degree, you may feel by this point that you have other priorities and may be reluctant to put in additional effort. Alternatively you may feel that you lack the experience and expertise to turn the Dissertation into a publishable article. If such a situation arises you may consider a joint effort with your supervisor leading to a paper under joint authorship. Publication is in your interest but is voluntary and no pressure will be put on you to publish if you do not wish to do so.
If you would like to progress this matter, please contact your Supervisor.

9. Ethics

As you are carrying out primary research, you will need to be aware of the issue of confidentiality in two contexts. The first involves your day-to-day dealings with those who supply you with information; the second concerns the final report.

During the investigative stages of your research, you will need to earn and maintain the trust of your informants within and outside organisations. To the end, all respondents need to know exactly what you require of them and have the right to withdraw if they choose. To this end, an Information sheet needs to be provided to all participants informing of their role and what is required of them in your research. This must include the right to withdraw. A template adapted from www.psy.ed.ac.uk is given in Appendix C below. In some cases, a security clearance from DBS is required. This form is in Appendix E below.

It is essential that you are seen to be respecting the confidentiality in which some of that information may have been disclosed to you for the purpose of your research.

One of the problems that may be encountered within an organisation is that one of your key informants may press you for information about what you have been told by another key informant or department. It is essential not to give way to such requests since doing so would prejudice future enquiries within the organisation. Your line of defense can be that information has been provided to you for research purposes only, and therefore cannot be divulged.
The second problem comes at the time of writing up your final Dissertation. In general, the Dissertation must be viewed as a publicly available document. It is therefore important that nothing should be written which could be potentially damaging to the interests of your respondents (e.g. by making information available to a competitor, or by influencing public image) or of individuals within it. A commonly-used approach is to attempt to anonymise the documents; however, there are situations in which even the most scrupulous efforts to achieve anonymity leave scope for an informed reader to identify the organisation and/or the individuals concerned.
If it is clear that the contents of the Dissertation could be prejudicial to organisational interests or individual, it is possible to request that your Dissertation be classed as a restricted-access document, in which case it would be read by your supervisor and other examiners only, and would not be placed on departmental or library shelves. This is outlined in the E-thesis Submission Guide on the Library’s Moodle page, “Submitting Your Thesis”: http://elearning.dbs.ie/course/view.php?id=2043 Additionally, the organization itself may request you sign a confidentiality document specifying restrictions of access.
Researchers sometimes allow a respondent organisation to satisfy itself with the contents of a Dissertation before it is made public. This can have the advantage of shifting the onus onto someone else’s shoulders, and also provides an opportunity for a representative of the organisation to confirm the factual accuracy of the Dissertation. However, it must be borne in mind that this could prejudice your own editorial control over the contents and style of the document, and also that such a consultative stage can become time consuming and affect your own ability to meet the prescribed submission date.
Choosing a topic is often one of the most difficult parts of research and it is important that the chosen topic is one that will maintain your interest throughout the research period. The topic should be one that is mutually agreed between you and the organisation (if organisationally-based) but it is important to remember that it is your Masters and the Dissertation is first and foremost part of your academic endeavour, rather than part of your job. That said, it is rare for there to be a conflict between the College and an employing organisation over choice of topic.
The final report has to be an accurate reflection of the research and data analysis must be carried out as rigorously as possible.
Business ethics should be observed at all times in carrying out the dissertation work.
10. Common Issues/Factors contributing to poor performance/failure

The list below has been compiled based on the Dublin Business School experience of Dissertation supervision to date and is not necessarily representative of all issues you may encounter. The issues listed are not in order of importance:

• Not following the outlined marking scheme
• Unclear Aims / Objectives – too general/vague
• Poorly thought-through Research Question – vague rationale / explanation
• Inappropriate / irrelevant Literature Review
• Weak / inadequate Literature Review
• No Literature in support of Research Methodology
• Weak / inappropriate Primary Research
• Poor implementation of Research Plan
• Weak Analysis of Research, lacking Quantitative and/or Qualitative analysis
• No evidence of the use of Research Tools i.e. software applications for quantitative analysis
• No Conclusions / Solution
• Unrealistic / unsupported Conclusions / Solutions
• Weak / inappropriate Conclusions
• Underlying Recommendations (when provided) are weak, unrealistic and not robust
• Issues/problems unclear/confused – lack of focus
• Lack of Synthesis
• Lack of analysis – overly descriptive (report style)
• Presentation poor in terms of structure, style, use of language, academic
underpinning, referencing & bibliography (Journalistic style).
• Poor Time / Project Management
• Collusion
• Plagiarism

11. Conclusion

We hope that these guidelines will contribute to the mitigation of the issues identified above and result in an overall measurable improvement in the quality of Dissertations.
Good Luck!

12. Appendices
Appendix A: Grade Criteria 17

Appendix B: Dissertation Meeting/Progress Monitoring Report 19

Appendix C: Information for Participants 21

Appendix D: Guidance Note on Plagiarism 23

Appendix E: Security Clearance 25
Appendix F: Formatting 26

Appendix A: Grade Criteria
See the following two pages for the –

• Grade Criteria for Masters Dissertations
Grade Criteria for Masters Dissertations

Adapted from Gibbs, Morgan & Northedge (1998)

Appendix B: Dissertation Meeting/Progress Monitoring Report
Name of Student: Student No.:
Name of Supervisor: Meeting No.:
Date of Meeting: Location of Meeting: ==================================================================
Review/Comment on Progress Made (since last meeting):
Topics/Issues discussed/addressed at meeting: Action Agreed/Progress expected before next meeting:

Overall Summary/Conclusion of Meeting:

Date of next meeting: __________________________
Signed (supervisor): __________________________
Signed (student): __________________________

Note: Please complete and retain a copy report for each student meeting.
Please attach supporting documentation as appropriate.
Appendix C: Information for Participants

INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARTICIPANTS

PROJECT TITLE
[Project title goes here]

You are being asked to take part in a research study on…
[Describe the general research background topic and aim(s), say who you are, and who is supervising the research, give the DBS affiliation and, once obtained if required by DBS, that the project has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee]

WHAT WILL HAPPEN
In this study, you will be asked to…
(To the extent that it is possible, and in light of your research aims and subject to ethical approval, provide an explanation of the procedures. This explanation must be sufficiently detailed to ensure that participants can provide informed consent. If you cannot fully inform participants (again, subject to ethical approval), you must provide a complete debriefing to participants at the earliest point possible following their participation]

TIME COMMITMENT
The study typically takes…
(Let participants know how long there participation is expected to last and, if applicable, the number of sessions)

PARTICIPANTS’ RIGHTS
You may decide to stop being a part of the research study at any time without explanation required from you. You have the right to ask that any data you have supplied to that point be withdrawn / destroyed.

You have the right to omit or refuse to answer or respond to any question that is asked of you.

You have the right to have your questions about the procedures answered (unless answering these questions would interfere with the study’s outcome. A full de-briefing will be given after the study). If you have any questions as a result of reading this information sheet, you should ask the researcher before the study begins.

CONFIDENTIALITY/ANONYMITY
The data I collect does not contain any personal information about you except… [describe as appropriate. Describe your intentions regarding use of the data, for use in your dissertation and e.g., presentation at conferences, publication, etc. In doing so, make clear the extent to which individual participants will or will not be identifiable, as appropriate]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
I or / and [Supervisor name] will be glad to answer your questions about this study at any time. You may contact my supervisor at …. (provide email and DBS phone].

INFORMED CONSENT FORM

PROJECT TITLE:

PROJECT SUMMARY:

By signing below, you are agreeing that: (1) you have read and understood the Participant Information Sheet, (2) questions about your participation in this study have been answered satisfactorily, (3) you are aware of the potential risks (if any), and (4) you are taking part in this research study voluntarily (without coercion).
_________________________________ _________________________________

Participant’s signature Participant’s Name (Printed)
_______________________________ _________________________________
Student Name (Printed) Student Name signature
_________________________________
Date
Appendix D: Guidance Note on Plagiarism

Preventing, Detecting and Tracking Online Plagiarism
Lisa Hinchliffe
[email protected]

What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is a difficult concept to define. It includes a range of actions from failure to use proper citation to wholesale cheating. A student who plagiarizes may do so unintentionally or with planful deliberation.
In “Helping Student Avoid Plagiarism” Stephen Wilhoit lists the following types of plagiarism:
• Buying a paper for a research service or term paper mill.
• Turning in another student’s work without that student’s knowledge.
• Turning in a paper a peer has written for the student.
• Copying a paper from a source text without proper acknowledgment.
• Copying materials from a source text, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks.
• Paraphrasing materials from a source text without appropriate documentation.

The Internet has made simple an additional type of plagiarism:
• Turning in a paper from a “free term paper” website.
How Can I Prevent Plagiarism?
• Emphasize the processes involved in doing research and writing papers.
Ways to do so include requiring topic proposals, idea outlines, multiple drafts, interim working bibliographies and photocopies of sources.
• Require students to engage and apply ideas, not just describe them.
• Require students to reflect personally on the topic or the processes of research and writing, either in the paper or as an additional writing assignment.
• Discuss plagiarism with students, both what it is and your policies about it.

How Can I Detect Plagiarism?
• Check for unusual formatting or formatting that does not match what you require. In particular, check for website printout page numbers or dates, grayed out letters and unusual use of upper/lower case and capitalization.
• Notice any jargon or advanced vocabulary or sentence structure.
• Read quotations carefully. Do they sound like a quote from an interview? Are there quotes without bibliographic entries?
• Reference the original assignment. Are any portions of the assignment completely left out? Do any portions read like they were “added on” to the paper? Is it the correct type of paper, e.g. descriptive, position, first person, narrative?

• Review the bibliography. Is the correct citation style used? Is the citation style used consistently? Does it match the sources referenced in the paper? Are there many items that the academic institution’s library does not have?

How Can I Track Down Plagiarism?
• Check for original author identification clues. Follow up with a web search for a personal homepage and the website(s) of the organization(s) with which the author is affiliated. Check for original source identification clues. Follow up with a web search for the original source.
• Identify unusual keywords or unique phrases and search them in one of the large search engines.
• Look at original text of sources listed in the bibliography.
• Browse known websites that provide essays.
What Might I Read About Plagiarism?
Anderson, J. and Poole, M. (1998) Assignment and thesis writing. 3rd ed. Brisbane: John Wiley & Sons.

Bailey, S. (2011) Academic writing : a handbook for international students. 3rd ed. Abingdon: Routledge.

Bailey, S. (2011) Academic writing for international students of business. Abingdon: Routledge.

Jesson, J.K., Matheson, L. and Lacey, F.M. (2011) Doing your literature review : traditional and systematic techniques. London: Sage Publications.

Levin, P. (2004) Write great essays : reading and essay writing for undergraduates and taught postgraduates. Available at :http://www.dawsonera.com/depp/reader/protected/external/AbstractView/S9780335226184/S612.56/0 Maidenhead: Open University Press. (Accessed: 19 October 2011).

Neville, C. (2010) The complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2007) How to write dissertations & project reports. Harlow: Pearson Education.

Lipson, C. (2004) Doing honest work in college: how to prepare citations, avoid plagiarism and achieve real academic success. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2010) Cite them right : the essential referencing guide. 8th ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. (Palgrave study skills).

Pearson/Prentice Hall. and Jewell, T. (2004) Prentice Hall’s guide to understanding plagiarism. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Posner, R.A. (2007) The little book of plagiarism. New York: Pantheon Books.
Sutherland-Smith, W. (2008) Plagiarism, the Internet and student learning: improving academic integrity. Abingdon: Routledge.

Appendix E: Security Clearance

Dublin Business School
Company Security Clearance

Name: _____________________________________________________________

Student Number: ¬¬¬¬¬_____________________________________________________

Dissertation Title: ____________________________________________________

Company Security Clearance

Please initial as appropriate

We agree that the student(s) may undertake a dissertation of the nature indicated above and that he/she/they will be given access to appropriate information sources within our Organisation

We agree that copies of the finished project will be made available for assessment by staff of Dublin Business School and External examiners
Company Name: ____________________________________

Signed: ____________________________________

Position: ____________________________________

Date: ____________________________________
Note to Student:

Please keep the original signed copy of this form and ensure a copy is included in the Dissertation Appendices.
Appendix F: Formatting
Margins Left: 2.54 cm; Right: 2.54 cm; Top and Bottom: 2.54 cm.
Applies to all material except page numbers.
Includes figures, headers/footers, footnotes and endnotes, and full-page images.
Page numbers: at least 1.9 cm from edge of page.

Fonts Embedded fonts required.
Font size: 10, 11 or 12pt.
Italicised font may be used for non-English words and quotations. Applies to all text including captions, footnotes/endnotes, citations, etc.

Line spacing 1.5 or double lines: abstract, dedication, acknowledgements, table of contents, and body of manuscript, except for quotations as paragraphs, captions, items in tables, lists, graphs, charts.
Single-space: footnotes/endnotes, bibliographic entries, lists in appendices.
The front cover should look as per the next page below:
Dissertation Title Goes Here And Is
Centered On The Page
Student Name Centered

Program Name Here Year

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