MA Dissertation Research Proposals Guidelines
The MA dissertation is a report on a piece of research that you have conducted during the course of your MA studies. It can normally be on any topic connected with the subject matter of your MA, so long as it can be responsibly supervised by an available member of staff. For most of the MAs offered by the Centre the required length of the dissertation is 12,000 words (plus or minus 10%). Work on the dissertation is mostly by individual study, though this is supported by regular research fora and by meetings with a designated dissertation supervisor. Students should consult members of staff to see whether he or she is available to be your supervisor.
By the end of the spring term you are expected to produce a research proposal of about 2,000 words.
Details about the various components of the research proposal will be provided in the research fora. In sum, the proposal should include the following elements, though there may be some variation depending on the nature of the project and it is understood that the details of the proposal may evolve, under supervision, as the research gets under way:
1.
General statement of the area of research: What is your general area of enquiry? What are the relevance of and rationale for choosing this area of enquiry? Some account of your particular motivation for this area of research may be given. Does it come from any special expertise you have in this area?
2.
A focused introduction to the literature: This should include a brief critical review of some of the principal literature relevant to your research interest. What are the main texts and trends informing the thinking which has led to the formation of this research question? What gaps or inadequacies in prior literature have you identified that give rise to the need for your proposed research?
3.
The hypothesis arising from the literature: What key questions do you identify? What are the main hypotheses or lines of enquiry? Within what general theoretical and/or historical framework will this research be carried out? What specific contribution from psychoanalytic/Jungian/refugee care perspectives is relevant to this piece of research?
4.
A specific prediction: In many cases (particularly for empirical research) the hypotheses will allow a specific question, which can be answered by your research. This question should be formulated so that the answer can be ‘no’, as well as ‘yes’.
5.
Research design and methodology: How will the question be addressed or the prediction tested? It is likely that the question you formulate or the prediction you make will indicate a general idea of what method would be most suitable. An outline of the methodology, research design, and procedure should be given.
6.
The anticipated structure of the dissertation: The main sections of the dissertation should be outlined.
7.
Pilot work: If you are doing empirical research, this often entails some pilot work. In that case, you should give the sequence of the various investigations and the research instruments which you intend to use. In addition, the relevant methods of analysing the data will need to be discussed.
8.
Ethical issues: For students doing empirical research on human subjects, it is necessary to include a section on ethical aspects of the research. This section can consider three aspects: (a) Will the subjects be asked for their consent to be included in the research? (b) What measures will be taken to ensure necessary confidentiality ? (c) What provision will be available for subjects who become upset during the course of the research – the no-harm principle?
9.
Timetable: An outline of the approximate timetable of the various stages of the proposed research should be given.