Department of Sport and Exercise Science
RESEARCH DISSERTATION
HANDBOOK
2010-11
BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science
Dr Mark Burnley and Dr Joanna Wallace, September 2010
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3
Process ....................................................................................................................................... 3
1. General ideas .......................................................................................................................... 3
2. Preliminary proposal .............................................................................................................. 3
2.1 Your supervisor ................................................................................................................ 4
2.11 Policy on reviewing work prior to submission .............................................................. 4
3. Group meetings ...................................................................................................................... 4
4. Individual tutorials ............................................................................................................. 4
5. Full proposal .......................................................................................................................... 5
5.1 Gaining ethical approval ................................................................................................. 5
6. Completing the dissertation ................................................................................................... 6
7. Research Dissertation Conference ......................................................................................... 6
8. Marking .................................................................................................................................. 7
Table 1: Timetable of events...................................................................................................... 8
Submission requirements ........................................................................................................... 9
Page set-up ............................................................................................................................. 9
Resources ................................................................................................................................. 13
Appendix A: Sample copy of Full Dissertation Proposal ........................................................ 14
Appendix B: Sample title page ................................................................................................. 15
Appendix C: Example abstracts ............................................................................................... 16
Appendix D: Dissertation submission checklist ....................................................................... 20
Appendix E: Sample declaration ............................................................................................. 21
Appendix F: Cover sheet ........................................................................................................ 212
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Introduction
The research dissertation is the major piece of coursework that you will complete during the
third year of your degree. It is arguably the most important piece of work you will ever do,
because 1) it makes up 1/3 of your year 3 modules (40 credits); 2) you need to complete and
pass a research dissertation to graduate with honours; 3) it provides strong evidence to
employers that you can work independently on a major project and 4) a good dissertation
provides the foundation for Masters or PhD level study.
As a piece of coursework, the dissertation is unique. You are required to define your area of
study, your research question and your methods. Although you will be assigned a tutor to
supervise the project, their job is to provide guidance, not leadership; it is your dissertation.
Do not underestimate the amount of work required to complete the dissertation. It is a 40
credit module, and therefore you should complete ~400 hours of study on it. Assuming you
worked for 8 hours every day and did nothing else, a dissertation would take about 50 days (7
weeks) to complete! However, as you will also be completing other modules at the same
time it will take somewhat longer than this. In short, it is not something that can be left to
the last minute.
Process
The process of completing a dissertation is a long one, and begins towards the end of the
second year. Whilst the dissertation is an independent piece of research work, there is a
structure to its production in order for you to draw most benefit from the time of staff, fellow
students and any outside bodies that may need to be contacted (such as sports clubs or
commercial companies).
1. General ideas
You will most likely have had some general idea of the dissertation topic you would like to
study, even if this goes no further than the discipline you wish to study, by the beginning of
the second semester of the second year. At this point, you should talk to tutors during their
office hours in order to check the feasibility of your ideas. Settling on a final proposal is not
necessary until the third year, but don’t underestimate the time it will take to come up with a
workable idea, as this can sometimes take months.
2. Preliminary proposal
At the end of year 2, you will have submitted a preliminary proposal as part of Research
Methods and Statistics (SS29020), including a title, research question, a brief review of the
literature to set the scene, general research design and an estimate of equipment and subject
requirements to complete the project. This preliminary proposal is intended to provide you
with a basis from which to develop your ideas in year 3. It is not a document that binds you
to a final dissertation title, although most dissertations will develop directly from this
proposal. You can change your mind completely from year 2 to year 3 although it is
obviously to your benefit to sort out your intentions earlier rather than later. Staff in the
department will look at your preliminary proposal. They will be able to advise you if there
are likely to be any major logistical or ethical problems and if a substantial revision is
needed. At the beginning of year 3, you will be allocated a member of staff who will act as
your supervisor (see below) on the basis of the content of your preliminary proposal.
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2.1 Your supervisor
Following the submission of your preliminary proposal, you will be allocated a dissertation
supervisor. A supervisor is exactly that: they will guide you, not lead you, in the dissertation
process. The main contact you will have with them will be in the form of one-to-one tutorials
booked by you. Pilot work on the methods related to your dissertation can only begin after
you have met your supervisor to discuss such work. It is your responsibility to manage
your own time and ensure that your experimental work is completed on time. It is also your
responsibility to arrange tutorials with your supervisor. Do not expect supervisors to ‘chase’
you up if you are not making sufficient progress!
2.11 Policy on reviewing work prior to submission
Your supervisor will review written work prior to its submission in the final dissertation, but
remember that staff time is very limited and you cannot expect your supervisor to read and
comment on your work at short notice. Supervisors are not expecting to see final drafts for
comment. Instead, the review of work prior to submission is intended to guide you towards a
final draft, commenting on possible additional content, correct written and referencing style
and the like. Your supervisor will also spend considerable time marking your finished,
submitted dissertation, and so it is unrealistic to expect them to comment on multiple drafts of
your work. Therefore, supervisors will review and comment on one draft only of each
completed section of the dissertation (literature review, methods and results and discussion).
Staff will impose their own deadlines for when these sections will be reviewed. This is to
prevent supervisors from being inundated with completed drafts just before Easter. If you
have not drafted a section before the deadline, you will not get the opportunity to receive
comments. Supervisors will not give face value marks for any work submitted at this
stage, because the intention is to provide feedback to improve the final submission.
3. Group meetings
Group meetings will be conducted at key points during year three, in which all tutees
will be briefed about the key stages of the dissertation process. There are seven sessions
(including lectures for the whole year group. See Table 1: Timetable of events) in all,
covering specific issues such as proposal writing, reviewing literature and statistical analysis
(if relevant) and interpretation of results. Initially, you will meet as a year group for an
introductory lecture about the dissertation process. Subsequent meetings will be conducted
with the other students who share your supervisor. These meetings will focus on very
specific topics related to the dissertation, and provide an opportunity to discuss issues of
general concern. Attendance at these meetings is compulsory and will be monitored
closely. Other meetings in addition to those on the dissertation timetable may be called at the
supervisor’s discretion to cover issues of general interest or concern.
4. Individual tutorials
Tutorials with your supervisor are extremely important, since they allow you to track
progress, get advice and draw on their expertise in conducting research. It is highly
recommended that you attend tutorials regularly to keep the momentum of the dissertation
going. Arriving with a focused set of questions/issues to drive the tutorial is also highly
recommended. Precisely how frequent these tutorials should be and what is discussed within
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them will depend on the nature of your project. Remember it is YOUR responsibility to book
and attend tutorials you WILL NOT be chased by your supervisor.
5. Full proposal
By the middle of the autumn term you must submit a full dissertation proposal. At this point,
the content of the proposal represents a final statement of intent. Within this proposal, you
must provide a brief but comprehensive overview of the dissertation, its methods, data
analyses and a plan of action providing a timetable of how you plan to complete the study
and write up the work. This must include a review of the pertinent literature (of ~3000
words), a statement of the research question and experimental hypothesis, a detailed
description of the subject sample, the methods used and equipment required. Note that the
data analysis information should be explicit, e.g., ‘experimental data will be analysed using a
one-way repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc paired t-tests comparing X, Y and Z’ or
‘structured interviews will be analysed using inductive content analysis’. In addition, you
must include a subject information sheet and an example informed consent form as well as
risk assessments for all experimental procedures (the risk assessment proforma will be
available via Blackboard). The full proposal is used to determine whether the work you are
proposing to conduct is ethical and logistically feasible. The review of literature is not
intended to be the final draft of the review that will be included in the dissertation, but
may form the basis of it. Your supervisor will provide feedback on the review of literature in
the weeks following its submission.
5.1 Gaining ethical approval
The full proposal is the last formal submission before the final completed written dissertation.
You cannot begin data collection until your full proposal is approved. This rule is to
ensure that your proposed work is safe and ethical and to assure you that the dissertation
plans are sensible and realistic. The judgement as to whether the proposed work is ethically
sound is made through supervisor-led peer review. Group meeting 3 is specifically
scheduled to fulfil this purpose. Once your dissertation has been approved, you will be able
to begin data collection. You must retain a copy of the Department ethical clearance form and
include it in an appendix to your dissertation. It is possible to gain ethical clearance earlier if
your supervisor agrees that the dissertation is sufficiently well developed and you think that
you would benefit from beginning data collection earlier in the term. In this case, an ethics
panel would be convened from members of staff to consider fast-track dissertations.
It is possible that, following peer-review, your dissertation proposal may need further
refinement before ethical clearance is granted. If following this meeting you have to make
changes these must be completed and you must re-submit your full proposal to the office
within 24 hours of the group meeting.
It is important to note that the safety and ethics of the study should be considered throughout
the period of research. This involves conducting all protocols in the prescribed manner and
ensuring the safety of the participant by conforming to all standard operating procedures, risk
assessments and that all PARQs are completed. If you are in any doubt whatsoever you
MUST check with your supervisor.
Whilst the main purpose of requiring you to submit a preliminary and a full proposal is to
help you plan well, these proposals will also give you a foundation for your final dissertation
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write-up. Having written these proposals, you will already have the beginnings of a literature
review, some methods and a good idea about what analyses you will need to do.
6. Completing the dissertation
From the approval of the full proposal, data collection can begin. If appropriate for your
research, booking laboratory time and equipment is an important part of this process. This
should be carefully planned, and only in exceptional circumstances will laboratory time be
booked outside normal laboratory hours (9.00 am to 4.30 pm). Be aware that at times
pressure on laboratory time is considerable with some students block booking the facilities
and equipment and as such the time available for testing will be at a premium. Be prepared
to share laboratory bookings if possible. This will reduce the burden on the labs and
technical support, and will be a more efficient means of collecting data.
When new subjects are recruited, they will need to provide their informed consent to
participate and may be required to sign a PARQ. These forms contain confidential
information and must be handed in to the technician’s office when the experiments are
complete. It is your responsibility to store the forms safely and securely, in accordance with
the Data Protection Act, before they are submitted to the office. Your dissertation will NOT
be marked unless there is a full set of PARQs filed in the technician’s office, this is checked
before any marking takes place.
The production of the dissertation, in terms of conceptualisation, design, and reviewing the
literature should have begun in the second semester of the second year. It is certainly
something that should be focused on during the summer break, even if this involves simply
planning well ahead. You should not underestimate the depth or volume of reading you will
need to do. It is expected that the vast majority of what you read and refer to within the
dissertation will be academic journal articles (the ‘primary literature’), NOT textbooks and
websites.
The final draft of the dissertation, amounting to approximately 10 000 words of text,
excluding the references, should be submitted before the deadline (see table 1 below). Two
identical copies must be submitted. When the dissertations have been marked and the
summer exam boards have agreed the marks, one of these copies will be returned to you. The
other will remain within the department. The final dissertation report will carry 90% of the
module mark. The other 10% will come from the oral presentation given in the Research
Dissertation Conference.
7. Research Dissertation Conference
As part of the process of completing the dissertation, you will be required to present your
preliminary research findings in a one day Dissertation conference. Here, you will present
your findings in a formal conference oral presentation format (10 min presentation, with 5
minutes for questions). This will usually take place towards the end of semester 2. It carries
10% of the module mark. You will be assessed on your ability to present the work you have
done. At this stage you would be expected to have completed your data collection and
analysis but the presentation can (and sometimes will) present work in progress.
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8. Marking
The dissertation report is double marked, and graded using the generic marking criteria. Two
members of academic staff will mark the dissertation independently, and then agree a final
mark by consulting each other. If the two marks agree to within  5 %, the average of these
marks is used, unless these marks straddle a classification. In such cases (and also if the two
marks do not agree to within  5 %), the two markers will meet to agree a final mark.
9. Unfair Practice.
It is very important that you complete the full process of the dissertation i.e.
experimental work, data collection, analysis and write-up, independently
The Department views unfair practice in line with the Universities Definitions as follows
(also see the Student Handbook): http://www.aber.ac.uk/sportexercise/images/UG%20Handbook%202009-10.doc
It is an unfair practice to commit any act whereby a person may obtain, for himself/herself or
for another, an unpermitted advantage. This shall apply whether the candidate acts alone or in
conjunction with another/others. Any action or actions shall be deemed to fall within this
definition, whether occurring during, or in relation to, a formal examination, a piece of
coursework, or any form of assessment undertaken in pursuit of a University qualification.
Examples of unfair practice are shown below. These are not exhaustive, and other cases may
fall within the general definition of unfair practice:
Examples of unfair practice:
1. Plagiarism, which can be defined as using another person's work and presenting it as
one's own: examples include
a. Copying another person's work
b. Unacknowledged translation of another person's work in order to present it as
one's own
c. Paraphrasing or adapting another person's work without due acknowledgment
d. Unacknowledged use of material downloaded from the internet
e. Use of material obtained from essay banks or similar agencies
2. Collusion: This occurs
a. When work that has been undertaken by or with others is submitted and
passed off as solely the work of one person
b. When the work of one candidate is submitted in the name of another; when
this is done with the knowledge of the originator, both parties can be
considered to be at fault
3. Fabrication of data, making false claims to have carried out experiments,
observations, interviews or other forms of data collection and analysis, or acting
dishonestly in any other way
4. Presenting evidence of special circumstances to Examining Boards, which is false or
falsified or which is, in any way, intended to mislead Examining Boards.
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Table 1: Timetable of events
Week
End of Year 2
Event/task
Receive Dissertation student handbook; submit preliminary proposal
Year 3, Induction
week and Week 1
Week 2
Introductory lecture, exploratory tutorials with various members of
lecturing staff. Tutor assigned to each student.
Group meeting 1 (proposal writing). Student/staff tutorials,
continue background reading.
Continued tutorials with tutor.
Group meeting 2 (Methodology, ethical issues)
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Submit full proposal (deadline 8th November 2011 at 3.00pm).
Group meeting 3 (ethics committee feedback). Departmental
committee confirms resource and ethical statements made in full
proposals. Data collection can begin with ethical approval.
Data collection continues, tutorials and meetings with supervisor
continue throughout the following weeks.
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
CHRISTMAS
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Semester 2 week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
EASTER (3 weeks)
Week 11
End of term – final stages of the data analysis and write up.
Dissertation conference (date TBC)
DISSERTATION SUBMISSION (deadline Wednesday 4th May,
2011 3.00 pm)
NB: this schedule is subject to change between the end of one academic year and the next.
Please review the schedule early in year 3. It will then be definitive.
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10. Product
Submission requirements
Two double-spaced, font size 12, perfect or spiral bound copies of the dissertation should
be submitted prior to the published submission deadline. A complete dissertation should
comprise the following:Title page
Abstract
Table of contents
Acknowledgements
List of Tables
List of Figures
Declaration
Definitions
Introduction
Review of literature
Research question and hypotheses
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusions
References
Appendices
Bold type indicates the main text of the dissertation.
You should also include a Cover sheet (see Appendix F) and a disc containing your raw data
(see below).
Page set-up
To allow for loss of page space to binding, the left margin should be not less than 4 cm, with
a minimum of 1.5 cm for all others.
Title
The title should accurately and succinctly describe what the dissertation was about. The title
itself should be presented in 24 point block capitals, with all other text on this page in
normal case and 18 point. As a rule, a research title should contain information on the
concept, independent and dependent or key variables, and, if relevant, the character of the
sample(s) used. The title could be phrased as a question, although it is more common to
phrase the title as a statement. Avoid titles that being with “A study of…” or “An
investigation into…” More appropriate titles include “Effects of X on Y during Z” or “X
increases / decreases / improves / reduces Y during Z”. Qualitative study titles often state the
qualitative methods used in the title, as such analyses are often exploratory. Examples of
both qualitative and quantitative dissertation titles include:
“How do older women experience barriers associated with physical activity? A qualitative
inquiry”
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“A systematic observation of sportsmen in a rugby setting”
“The effect of dehydration on weight assessment prior to wrestling competition”
“Oxygen uptake/heart rate relationship in leg and arm exercise, sitting and standing”
“Application of achievement goal theory in an urban youth tennis setting”
“Ground reaction forces and kinematics in distance running in older-aged men”
The required format of the title page is given in Appendix B.
Abstract
An abstract should follow the title page and should summarise the aim and
hypothesis/research question of the investigation. The key methods and results, with
statistical information if appropriate, should also be presented. A brief summary statement
should conclude the abstract, providing the reader with an interpretation of the findings in
light of the aims and research hypothesis. The abstract should not be more than 300 words.
Some example abstracts are presented in Appendix C.
Table of contents
The contents list should provide page references to all major headings and subheadings, along
with the abstract and preliminary pages (i.e., those before the introduction). These
preliminary pages should be numbered using Roman numerals (beginning with i), with the
first page of the introduction being page 1.
Acknowledgements
This section should be used to acknowledge those people who have made a substantial
contribution to the dissertation. Your supervisor should not normally be acknowledged.
List of Tables, List of Figures
Two separate pages should list the tables and figures presented in the work, giving the full
title and page number for each.
Declaration
A formal legally-worded declaration stating that the work contained in the dissertation is
yours and yours alone should be presented. If the work has been presented in abstract form
elsewhere (e.g., the BASES Student Conference), a reference to it should be made here. A
sample declaration is presented in Appendix E.
Definitions
An alphabetical list of terms and abbreviations used in the dissertation should be provided.
Only present those terms that would be considered specialist terms, such as lactate threshold,
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 O , LT, BW etc should all be
self-efficacy or ground reaction force. Abbreviations such as V
2
defined in this section, as well as in their first use in the text.
Introduction
The introduction to the dissertation (length, approximately 2 sides) should place the work in
the context of both the discipline in which the study is taking place and the real world. For
example, if the dissertation investigated ‘warm-up’ exercise, you might use the introduction
to mention something along the lines of classical thinking (that warm-up ‘primes’ the
physiological systems of the body) and that warm-up exercise is universally practiced in sport
and exercise scenarios. Alternatively, if the dissertation investigated the efficacy of precooling jackets for sports performance in the heat, the introduction might contain information
on the prevalence of heat injury in sport and exercise. The best approach to this section is to
try to answer the obvious broad question “what is this all about?”.
Review of literature
The review of literature is often the section that takes longest to write, and is usually largest
in volume. The review of literature serves exactly the same purpose as an introduction in a
research paper. It is intended to introduce the reader to the research field and the relevant
literature. Deciding what literature is relevant is a skill in itself, but the review of literature
has often been likened to a funnelling of information from the broad research field, to the
specific area of interest, to a critical review of specific studies addressing the topic. The final
stages of the review should focus readers’ attention on your research question in light of the
recent literature.
At the end of a good literature review, the reader should be able to guess the experimental
hypothesis before it is stated. For example:
If you are studying the effect of pre-cooling on 40 km cycling performance in the heat, a
literature review might start by considering the energetics of the 40 km time trial, as well as
an overview of heat storage and dissipation mechanisms and their effectiveness in the heat.
You might then review studies investigating laboratory time trials to determine the most
valid/reliable method of measuring performance in the lab. Then, you would review studies
that have investigated the physiological and performance effects of cooling the body before
exercise. Finally, you would review the studies that have investigated the effect of heat on
cycling time trial performance and those studies that have addressed the effect of pre-cooling
on cycling performance in the heat.
At the end of the review, it might be apparent that no previous studies have addressed the
effect of upper body pre-cooling on cycle time-trial performance lasting about 1 hour (i.e., 25
mile/40 km time trial performance in club-level cyclists). Your research question then
emerges from this review, as do your methods, subject sample, measurements and necessary
analyses.
This ‘funnelling’ process can be applied to all topics and disciplines.
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Research question and hypotheses
A formal statement of your research question should immediately follow the review of
literature. After stating the research question(s), a testable hypothesis or aim should be
stated, if appropriate. Qualitative studies might state an exploratory aim rather than a
hypothesis.
Methods
The methods section details exactly what was done, with whom and what was measured. The
methods should be written in such a way that somebody with the same equipment could
easily repeat the research. It should be written in the past tense.
Results
This section is the most important of the entire dissertation, because it details what was
found. You should carefully decide how best to present your findings, using text, tables and
figures where appropriate. However, avoid repetition or duplication of information/results
between text, tables and figures (e.g. if you present a result in a figure, there is no need to
also present the same result in another format, such as in a table). The structure of the results
section requires careful thought, and its structure will depend on the nature of the research
design. A results section from a time series study might have detail on the baseline condition,
followed by the reliability of measurement, followed by the intervention/placebo condition
and, if included, the responses following a ‘wash-out’ or ‘detraining’ period. In the case of
the pre-cooling example, the results might describe the fitness of the subjects, followed by the
control condition performance and then the performance following pre-cooling. A final
exploratory section correlating performance with the physiological response might be a
useful means of promoting the discussion of the experimental results. It is important to note,
however, that the results section should simply describe what was found. You should only
draw out explanations in light of relevant literature in the discussion section, not in the results
section.
Discussion
The discussion differs from a review of literature in one important respect: in this section you
must discuss your results in light of your hypotheses and the relevant literature, and place
your findings in the context of the more general research area. It is, therefore, in part a
reversal of the review of literature in that your focus will tend to broaden as the discussion
continues. However, it is important that your discussion does not lapse into speculating too
far beyond your findings.
The discussion section should also include the limitations of the study. What was not
controlled for? How could this influence the outcome of your study? Were the methods
sufficiently sensitive to observe an effect? The limitations are factors that can only be
appreciated after data collection. If you could identify a limitation before the data collection
started that could have been corrected, it becomes a control factor.
A good example of a limitation that could be overcome by adequate control is giving the
subjects food and activity diaries prior to testing. If you don’t do this, you cannot be sure that
subjects followed their instructions to ‘consume exactly the same food 24 hours before
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testing’ and it becomes a limitation, especially if glycogen depletion is a key part of your
study design. In contrast, a limitation that is insurmountable is the use of Douglas bags to
measure the oxygen deficit during 1 min bouts of sprint exercise: breath-by-breath data
would be required to address this issue with sufficient accuracy and so your experiment is
limited by the technology available to you. Naturally, this will limit the extent to which you
can interpret your data in light of the known physiology.
Conclusion
The discussion section should end with a brief statement of conclusions. This is where you
should reiterate the purpose, hypotheses and key findings of the study, and interpret these
findings in the context of both the scientific field and, if relevant, the implications for
practice.
References
The works cited in the main text of the dissertation should be listed in full and in alphabetical
order in the correct departmental referencing style. This style is provided in the Sport and
Exercise Science Student Handbook.
Ethical clearance, risk assessments and sample physical activity readiness questionnaire
(PARQ)
As an appendix to your dissertation, you must include a copy of the signed ethical clearance
form that you will have received in Semester 1. Additionally, a blank copy of the specific
PARQ and/or informed consent form that you used should also be included as an appendix.
Finally, the risk assessments completed as part of the full proposal must also be included as
an appendix.
Data file
In addition to the spiral bound dissertation, you must submit a file containing all of your raw
data, questionnaires, interview transcripts and the like. The names of the subjects involved in
the study should not be identifiable in these files. This file should be submitted on
disks/CDs/memory sticks (please ensure that it is blank and does not contain any other
material). Thus, you must submit two copies of the dissertation and one data file.
Resources
Morrow, J.R., Jackson, A.W., Disch, J.G. and Mood, D.P. (1995). Measurement and
Evaluation in Human Performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Punch, K. (2000). Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches.
London: Sage.
Thomas, J. and Nelson, J. (2001). Research Methods in Physical Activity. 4th ed. Champaign,
IL: Human Kinetics.
Williams, C. and Wragg, C. (2004). Data Analysis and Research for Sport and Exercise
Science. London: Routledge.
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Appendix A: Sample copy of Full Dissertation Proposal
Sport and Exercise Science Research Dissertation
Full proposal
Name
____________________________
Dissertation title
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Proposal must include:
Review of literature (~3000 words)
Research question and hypothesis
Detailed methodology and equipment requirements
Risk assessments for methods used
Example subject information and informed consent documents
Signed (Student)
Signed (Supervisor)
____________________________
________________________
Date _____________
Date _______________
Approved (Head of Ethics Committee)
_______________________________
Date _____________
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Appendix B: Sample title page
EFFECTS OF UPPER BODY PRECOOLING ON 40 KM CYCLING
PERFORMANCE IN HOT, HUMID
CONDITIONS
John P. Evans
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the
requirements of Aberystwyth University
for the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours)
May 2010
Department of Sport and Exercise Science
Aberystwyth University
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Appendix C: Example abstracts
Example Abstract: Physiology
A 3 min all-out test to determine peak oxygen uptake and the maximal steady state.
We tested the hypothesis that a 3 min all-out cycling test would provide a measure of peak
 O peak) and estimate the maximal steady state power output. Eleven
oxygen uptake ( V
2
habitually active subjects performed a ramp test, three 3 min all-out tests against a fixed
resistance, and two further submaximal tests lasting up to 30 min, 15 W below or above the
 O peak
power output attained in the last 30 s of the 3 min test (the end-test power). The V
2
measured during the 3 min all-out test (mean  SD: 3.78  0.68 L.min-1) was not different
from that of the ramp test (3.84  0.79 L.min-1; P = 0.75). The end-test power (257  49 W)
was significantly lower than that at the end of the ramp test (368  73 W), and significantly
higher than the power at the gas exchange threshold (169  55 W; P < 0.001). Nine subjects
were able to complete 30 min of exercise at 15 W below the end-test power, and 7 of these
 O response profile. In contrast, when
did so with a steady state blood [lactate] and V
2
 O rose
subjects exercised at 15 W above the end test power, blood [lactate] and V
2
inexorably until exhaustion, which occurred in ~13  7 min. These data suggest that a 3 min
 O peak and to estimate the maximal steady
all-out exercise test can be used to establish V
2
state.
This is an actual abstract from a research paper published by Burnley et al. (2006):
Burnley, M., Doust, J.H. and Vanhatalo, A. (2006). A 3 min all-out test to determine peak
oxygen uptake and the maximal steady state. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise,
38, 1995-2003.
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Example Abstract: Biomechanics
The effect of a four week proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching
programme on isokinetic torque production.
Flexibility is widely accepted as an important component of fitness, yet flexibility training
can be detrimental to muscle performance particularly where a high number of stretch cycles
are performed. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether chronic proprioceptive
neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretch training could successfully improve the knee flexion
range of motion without having a detrimental effect on the peak isokinetic torque of the
quadriceps. The minimum knee angle in flexion and the peak isokinetic quadriceps torque
were measured at 120 and 270°·s-1. Subjects then participated in a 4-week quadriceps
flexibility training program consisting of 3 cycles of PNF stretching performed 3 times a
week. The range of motion was recorded before and after the first stretching session of each
week. At the end of the 4-week period, the peak isokinetic quadriceps torque and flexibility
were again measured. The mean (SE) improvement in the knee flexion range of motion over
the whole program was 9.2° (1.45°), and typical gains after a single stretching session were
around 3°. Post hoc analysis showed that the pretraining session range of motion was
significantly improved in week 4 compared with the pretraining session range of motion in
weeks 1 and 2 (p < 0.05). There was no change (p = 0.9635) in the peak isokinetic torque
produced at 120°·s-1 (week 1: 121.9 (4.6) N·m; week 2: 121.9 (5.2) N·m) or at 270°·s-1 (week
1: 88.1 (3.4) N·m; week 2: 88.6 (4.9) N·m). These findings suggest that it is possible to
improve flexibility using 3 PNF stretch cycles performed 3 times a week without altering
muscle isokinetic strength characteristics.
This is an actual abstract from a research paper published by Higgs and Winter (2009):
Higgs, F. and Winter, S. L. (2009) The effect of a four week proprioceptive neuromuscular
facilitation stretching program on isokinetic torque production. Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research, 25, 1442-1447.
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Example Abstract: Psychology 1 (quantitative)
Telic dominance influences affective response to a heavy-intensity 10-min treadmill
running session.
The current study examined the hypothesis that telic dominance is one of the psychological
variables that may influence the exercise-affect relationship according to the dual-mode
model of exercise and affect (Ekkekakis, 2003). Thirty-three participants with high or low
telic dominance rated their affect at three minutes intervals as they ran on a treadmill whilst
the speed was adjusted to maintain their respiratory exchange ratio at a target value of 1.00 ±
0.02 for a duration of 10 minutes. Compared to baseline scores (which were not statistically
different between the two groups), the mean decline in pleasure at the end of the run was
twofold greater in participants with high telic dominance, regardless of aerobic fitness. We
also detected an earlier onset of decreases in pleasure in high telic dominance participants.
The relevance of these findings is discussed in relation to theory and application.
This is an actual abstract from a research paper published by Legrand et al. (2009):
Legrand, F. D., Bertucci, W.M., & Thatcher, J. (2009). Telic dominance influences affective
response to a heavy-intensity 10-min treadmill running session. Journal of Sports Sciences,
27, 1059-1067.
Example Abstract: Psychology 2 (qualitative)
Lost Move Syndrome (LMS) can be described as a psychological condition in which athletes
find themselves unable to perform a skill that was previously automatic. This study examined
the psychological causes of and responses to LMS using semi-structured interviews with 15
elite trampolinists. Responses were analyzed using inductive content analysis, which led to
a total of 54 raw data themes forming 6 general dimensions. Results showed that despite
positive experiences before the recognizable start of the syndrome LMS could be traced back
to initial skill acquisition and a gradual increase in pressure from various sources. This then
lead to negative emotional reactions including self-presentation concerns and perceptions of
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poor coping strategies. A change in cognitions surrounding the initial motor program of the
move also left the sufferer with altered perceptions and visual memory of the skill.
Participants expressed that coping strategies were unsuccessful due to the current lack of
knowledge surrounding the syndrome. Applied suggestions are offered for sport psychology
consultants working with athletes suffering from LMS.
This is an actual abstract from a research paper published by Day et al. (2006):
Day, M., Thatcher, J., Greenlees, I., & Woods, B. (2006). The causes of and psychological
responses to lost move syndrome. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 18, 151-166.
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Appendix D: Dissertation submission checklist
Dissertation submission checklist
Your dissertation must include the following documentation:
1. Two perfect or spiral-bound copies of the dissertation, including:
-
Signed declaration
Example PARQ and/or informed consent form (appendix)
Risk assessments (appendix)
Ethical clearance form (appendix)
2. A data file containing all experimental data collected (memory stick,
CD or floppy disk)
3. Prior submission of all PARQs and/or informed consent forms to the
laboratory technicians
Your dissertation cannot be submitted without ALL of the above
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Appendix E: Sample declaration
DECLARATION
I certify that except where indicated, all material in this dissertation is the result of my own
investigation and work; I have conducted all work and collected all data independently. All
references used in preparation of the text have been cited.
The work has not previously been submitted as part of any other assessed module, or
submitted for any other degree or diploma.
NAME (Capitals) …………………………………………………………………
SIGNED …………………………………………………………………………..
DATE
……………………………………………………………………………
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Appendix F: Cover sheet:
Name: _________________
_________________
Student Number:
GWYDDOR CHWARAEON AC YMARFER CORFF / SPORT & EXERCISE
SCIENCE
Please fill in your student number above before handing in your work
All material in this assignment must be the result of your own investigation and all
references used in preparation of the text must be cited.
The work must not have been submitted previously, either as part of any other
assessed module or for any other degree or diploma.
SS39540: Research Dissertation
Relevant learning outcomes:
1. Review literature on a specific topic to identify the principle contemporary issues placed within the
content of the prevailing theories and concepts of the (sub) discipline.
2. Formulate a research question based on the above.
3. Identify an appropriate experimental design and be able to rationalize that choice.
4. Develop the relevant skills needed for data collection.
5. Demonstrate an appreciation of legislation and professional practice through the production of a
statement on ethics for the proposed study.
6. Organise and complete the collection of data in a valid and reliable manner.
7. Analyse and interpret data using a sophisticated approach relevant to the research methodology.
8. Discuss data in the context of the research question and the extant literature.
9. Produce a written report.
Overall Comments:
Marker’s Name:
Signature:
Date:
Abstract:
Introduction and review of literature:
Does the introduction set the scene?
Are the study delimitations rationally identified?
Is the literature review sufficiently detailed?
Does it logically progress to the research question and a statement of hypothesis/ese? Alternatively,
does it identify relevant literature associated with the research question?
Methods:
Are the subjects, equipment and/or materials of the study adequately described?
Could the methods be followed and repeated?
Are the data analyses appropriate for the study design?
Results:
Are the findings presented clearly without repetition between tables, text and figures?
Are the results presented in a logical and readable sequence (e.g., in relation to the research question
and hypotheses?)
Are tables, graphs and figures well constructed and presented?
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Discussion:
Are the key findings of the study clearly interpreted?
Are the findings appraised in light of the relevant literature?
Are the study limitations adequately addressed?
References:
Are these presented using the correct style in the text and in a bibliography at the end of the text?
Are the references appropriate for an undergraduate dissertation (i.e., drawn from the primary
research literature rather than books and websites)?
Statement from supervisor about the extent of guidance given to the student:
Do NOT write mark on this sheet
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