Research Project - Syllabus, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Research Methodology

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SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

SOCIOLOGY

Course Guide

Research Project

SO

1 Introduction: Aims and Objectives

The research project is a major piece of independent study and research undertaken by the student with the guidance and supervision of a member of the teaching staff of the department. It counts for 30 out of the total requirement of 240 credits in an honours degree in sociology, and has a similar weighting for assessment purposes. Accordingly, students and staff should attach appropriate effort to this important piece of work. In particular, it should be noted that students are required to make progress with the project according to certain guidelines and deadlines.

1.1 General Aims The project gives students an opportunity to investigate an issue that excites their interest to a depth not otherwise available in the curriculum, and to develop research skills and gain experience of independent study. The topic may derive from interests developed in other courses, or from subjects not otherwise covered in the curriculum. The project should involve the specification of a problem derived from an existing research field in sociology, should involve the use and development of research skills to investigate the problem, and should present evidence bearing upon it.

The project must involve the collection of new primary data or the re-analysis of secondary data sets. Wholly theoretical projects, or reviews of secondary literature, are not permitted. However, it is feasible to use your new data to engage with theoretical debates or discussions in the literature. The new primary data can be talk based (such as that collected through interviews or by means of ethnography), numerate (such as that collected through surveys and questionnaires), or historical and archival (such as by means of documentary research, letters, archives or oral history). The re-analysis of secondary data sets can involve survey data (such as longitudinal data sets) or archival data (such as edited collections of letters, manuscripts and the like). Common sense will need to be used to ensure that the project involves the collection of new data from either primary sources or the reworking of existing secondary data sets and is not wholly theoretical or a review of existing literature.

One or more of a variety of research techniques may be utilised to produce findings that bear upon the research problem. Methods employed may involve the collection of data from a small scale survey, the analysis of existing computerised data sets or official statistics, field research (including participant observation, individual or group interviews), and the analysis of historical documents or any other documentary sources relating to the research problem. Students are expected to relate their work to a body of theoretical and empirical research previously conducted on the topic, and to produce research findings bearing upon it.

In the Social Research Methods module (SO3522) students acquire technical research skills and engage in the critical appraisal of the most common research methodologies and techniques. This general background will be helpful to students in developing their research strategies and techniques for the project. More specific guidance will be available in the project workshops and from your supervisor during the course of the project.

of each meeting you should arrange the date for the next session. Between meetings, you may, of course, also stay in touch by e-mail or telephone.

Your supervisor will not chase you. It is your responsibility to maintain contact, to ensure that you keep to the timetable and, in particular, that you meet the deadlines set. Please ensure that you meet appointments or inform your supervisor ahead of time if arrangements need to change. Please ensure that you meet the deadlines for the submission of work outlined in the timetable below. Remember that the supervisory relationship is a two-way process in which you get out of it what you put into it. Serious lack of progress will be reported to the head of department, who will take action accordingly. For your information, the guidelines issued to supervisors, regarding their responsibilities are included in the next section.

2.2 Guidelines for Supervisors

• Students should expect a minimum of five contact hours from their supervisor.
• Supervisors should contact students where they fail to attend meetings. A written note should be forwarded to the Department secretary and added to the student’s file.
• Students should expect help with the following: the formulation of the topic; the preparation of the research design; direction to appropriate literature; and written feedback on drafts.
• Students should receive constructive criticism ( not just ‘no you can’t do this’, but ‘you may like to do the following’ ).
• Students should be supported and encouraged.
• Students should receive timely and speedy written comments.
• Supervisors should give their comments on omissions and gaps in the student’s reading, research design and literature in sufficient time to permit these gaps to be appropriately filled.

Initial contact - After appointment, it is the supervisor's responsibility to contact the student promptly and arrange for an initial tutorial.

Topic selection - It is appropriate for supervisors to make concrete suggestions as to topic selection, but it is the student's responsibility to select the topic and pursue the project thereafter.

Literature search - It is appropriate for members of staff to suggest key readings and give general advice in the mechanics of literature search.

Permission and access - Supervisors may assist students in gaining access to key individuals and in contacting ‘gatekeepers’, but the project is the student's responsibility.

Construction of research instruments - Members of staff are not expected to help in the actual construction of research instruments, but to refer students back to methods lectures or to appropriate sources. Staff should draw students' attention to obvious faults or pitfalls in their instrument.

Preparatory essays - Staff are expected to offer detailed and constructive critiques of the preparatory essays in writing.

Interpretations of results - Supervisors are expected to make general suggestions on the interpretation of results, but the student carries the main responsibility for the interpretation.

If you have any questions or problems with your work, you should contact your supervisor in the first instance. If your supervisor is unobtainable or if you have a more general problem about the project you are encouraged to come and talk.

2.3 Study Skills Programme

Throughout the course there will be a compulsory programme of study skills tutorials designed to develop around build upon your research competencies. Elements of the course are also intended to enhance students’ transferable skills.

• Dissertation Workshop and Introduction to the Course - an initial full morning session. Thursday 27th^ September 9.00 am – 1.00 pm in the Old Senate Room

Getting started Access and ethical issues Managing your time

Students will be shown sample copies of dissertations as a means of familiarizing them with the end product. There will also be a discussion of the feasibility, or otherwise, of particular types of projects, addressing the possibilities and constraints on a project of this length. With respect to the latter, the potential practical and ethical problems inherent in particular studies will also be discussed. Finally, as a means of highlighting some of the practical issues that are likely to arise during the course of the project, it is intended that some recent dissertation students (current postgraduates) will be invited to discuss these issues and answer questions.

2.6 Staffing

Prof. Andrew Blaikie co-ordinates the project arrangements. His office is located in the Edward Wright Building (F6) and you can contact with him through e-mail ([email protected]) or by telephone 01224-272765.

3 Outline Timetable for the Project

Students’ provisional topic choices (statement of intent) should have been submitted by the end of Level 3 teaching – 11th May 2007.

PLEASE PUT THESE DATES IN YOUR DIARY NOW!

ACADEMIC WEEK

CALENDAR

MONTH

T I M E T A B L E

Week 12 24 September Tutorial: Introduction to the Course - Thursday 27 th^ September

Week 13 1 October Arrange to meet your supervisor by Friday 5

th October

Week 14 8 October Tutorial: Literature Review and Library Skills^ – Thursday 11th^ October

Week 15 15 October

Week 16 22 October Literature^ Review^ and Research Design completed and submitted to supervisor by Friday 26th October

Week 17 29 October

Week 18 5 November Supervisor returns Literature Review and Research Design by Friday 9 th^ November

Week 19 12 November Begin^ Field^ Work /^ Data^ Gathering

Week 20 19 November

Week 21 26 November (^) Tutorial: Analysis and Interpretation of Data- Thursday 29th^ November

Week 22 3 December

Week 23 10 December

Week 24 17 December Christmas Vacation

Week 25 24 December Christmas Vacation

Week 26 31 December Christmas Vacation

Week 27 7 January

Week 28 14 January

Week 29 21 January Field Work / Data Gathering completed by Friday 25th January

Week 30 28 January 1) Tutorial: Presentation Skills – Tuesday 29th

The literature review is meant to show that:

You have undertaken some background reading around your chosen topic

You have been able to identify some suitable sociological theory with which to frame your study

You have begun to develop a critical response to the available literature From your reading, you are able to identify gaps or research questions, which might provide a structure for your project

You have started to match these questions with thinking about the means of collecting empirical data to answer them

A suggested limit for this piece of work is 4000 words, with 3000 used to review the literature and 1000 to outline your proposed methods. Again, please note that this work is not formally marked or assessed. However, it is one of the markers by which we will assess your progress.

You will inevitably need - and want - to go back and revise this piece of work later in the year, following discussion with your supervisor, and as your own thinking grows and develops. However, good quality work at this stage will stand you in good stead when you come to the main task of writing the final report.

4 Writing your Project Report

5.1 Format of Project Report The box overleaf shows a common format for a project report, and should be helpful in finalising the presentation of your submission. Writing your report in this format is not compulsory, however. Discuss the guidelines with your supervisor to see if they suit your style of project.

5.2 Project Length It is desirable that the main text (excluding table of contents, abstract, diagrams, maps, tables, questionnaires, bibliography, etc.) be under 10,000 words. Both manuscript and final typescript should be on A4 size paper, double-spaced and typed on one side only. The following points are made to help students achieve this target:

Stay focused on the main problem, and do not wander into interesting but not strictly relevant issues. The thesis should tell a relatively clear ‘story’, and the constituent parts (e.g. introduction, lit review, methods, results and discussion) should be articulated with one another, so that a reader can see what themes drive the thesis. A weak student misses this point and tries to get down ‘all they know about X.’

Do not include information simply because it is there. It can be hard to cut/omit information that you have worked hard to acquire but irrelevant padding weakens your points.

Express yourself concisely and directly. A paragraph can often be effectively revised as a couple of sentences. Cutting out redundant words can save space. There is no advantage in developing an obfuscatory style especially for thesis writing.

If, after all that, a student is still considerably over the 10,000-word limit he/she should not be unduly concerned. Other students who stayed within the limit will not be penalised relative to the lengthier thesis, nor will a student writing a long thesis be penalised relative to one that stays within limits so long as there is no redundancy in the work. Among other things, writing a dissertation is a test of your editing skills.

Suggested format for project report:

Title page Table of contents List of tables/figures, if any used Abstract - 500-word summary

Chapter 1 - Introduction - a discussion of the problems you decided upon, the aims of your enquiry and a brief review of the sociological context in which the problem is situated

Chapter 2 – Literature Review – the theoretical and substantive context - a review of the theoretical context in which the problem is situated and of the concepts used

Chapter 3 - Methods - a statement of the research design and plan, how the research was actually executed and the problems encountered. Include details of how your data was analysed as well as how it was collected

Chapter 4 - Results - this section covers the results, how they were analysed and their meaning, To enable the reader to see all the relevant data you need a general description of the data. If the report requires statistical analysis, description will include appropriate statistics given with levels of probability, where appropriate

Chapter 5 - Discussion - discuss what the results mean and advance possible explanations, but mention other possible interpretations, consider the limitations of your results, the failings of the research design or the peculiarities of the sample as well as possibilities for future research

Chapter 6 - Conclusion - one final section covers general conclusions, qualified in the light of the study's imperfections

References – everything listed in your text must be included here in a standard bibliographic form

Class presentations will take place during the first week of the Spring term week beginning 28th^ January 2008. While this work is not formally assessed, it is intended to assist students with the completion of their first drafts.

A first draft of the thesis is to be handed in to your supervisor by noon, Friday, 22nd February 2008. After feedback from your supervisor, you have a chance to make final changes.

The final piece of work should be appropriately bound and handed in by noon Friday, 18th^ April 2008 to the Departmental Office (F49/50) , where your work will be date stamped before being passed on to the supervisor. Extensions are granted for valid medical or personal reasons, but must have been negotiated beforehand with your supervisor.

Your dissertation will be assessed first by a member of Sociology staff then by your supervisor. It then will be available for scrutiny by the External Examiner.

6.2 Self Assessment A useful way of considering your dissertation — before you start writing it, throughout the writing, and when you have completed your first draft — is to apply to your work the criteria used by both internal and external examiners when reading your finished version.

In the box overleaf you will find a summary list of criteria.

Summary list of criteria

1. Does the candidate show knowledge of relevant previous work, and is the investigation or study fitted into this background? [Literature]
2. Is the investigation well designed, with an approach to the problem that is likely to reach a successful conclusion? [Design]
3. Has the work been competently done, have research techniques been properly used, and have logical blunders been avoided? [Accuracy]
4. Is the report a clear, concise and effective exposition of the problem investigated, the method followed, and the conclusions reached? [Reporting]
5. Does the candidate show evidence of critical thinking in the areas covered by the first four questions? [Critical thinking]

An extended list of criteria is built into the departmental marking pro-forma. This is included as an appendix at the end of this guide.

6.3 Marking Scale Final project work will be given a grade based on the University’s common assessment scale. The scale’s 20 points correspond to traditional degree classes in the following way:

18-20 First Class 15-17 Upper Second Class 12-14 Lower Second Class 9-11 Third Class 0-8 Fail

The basic requirements for a satisfactory mark in the range 12 –14 will meet the following general criteria:

• Shows understanding of the assignment
• Produces material relevant to the assignment
• Contains coherent thought and expression throughout
• Is presented in a structured way
• Makes sound use of relevant methods and evidence.

Work which displays these qualities and which also shows a particularly full or sharp awareness of the question and methods involved, which has an excellent grasp of details, shows evidence of wide reading and so on will be given grades of 15-17.

Grades 18-20 are used sparingly, and are usually awarded for originality of thought and expression or to work that is outstanding in some other respect. Similarly, someone who showed a particularly strong command of the methodology or the issues involved might be similarly rewarded.

Grades 9-11 will be given to work which, whilst fulfilling some of the general requirements above, shows significant weakness in some respects. These may include

Appendix Department of Sociology Honours Project 1 st^ and 2nd^ markers’ comments and grades

STUDENT’S NAME:

PROJECT TITLE :

SUBMISSION DATE :

1 ST/2ND MARKER’S NAME:

Introduction and Review of Related Literature

Does it demonstrate a survey of a suitable range of relevant literature and research? Does it establish the context of the study adequately? Does it establish the point or value of the research study being undertaken? COMMENTS

Aim(s) of Study (^) Is (are) the aim(s)/intention(s) of the study clearly stated and derived from the literature review? Are the research hypotheses, questions or issues clearly stated? COMMENTS

Method Is the design clearly described? Is the rationale for the selected design explained? Are all necessary elements covered (e.g., style of research, target population, selection of sample, method of data collection, access, ethical issues, method of data analysis)? COMMENTS

Discussion of Results

Does the discussion effectively address the issues that arise from the data, in light of the study’s aims/questions/hypotheses? Is the discussion clear, well argued, and of appropriate length? Is appropriate reference made to the literature review, where this is called for? COMMENTS

Conclusions Are suitable conclusions derived, and are they clearly explained? Are the conclusions justified, in light of the data and the interpretation of results? Are the strengths, limitations and shortcomings of the study adequately acknowledged? COMMENTS

Referencing (^) Is an appropriate style of referencing used consistently throughout the body of the paper? Is an appropriate format used within the reference list? Is there consistency between the references cited and those listed? COMMENTS

Presentation Does the thesis demonstrate care in its presentation? Is it well organised, with all necessary components included in a suitable format? Is it well written, with regard to grammar, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation? Does it demonstrate a coherent attempt to link theory, the research process and practice? Do the relevant portions (e.g. introduction, literature review, discussion, conclusion) “tell a story” effectively? Is it interesting and enjoyable to read? COMMENTS

Overall grade:

Marker’s signature:

Date: