1. Originality. Standard undergraduate essays usually do not require substantial originality, but your dissertation represents your own academic position. The main bulk of the piece will be based on an exposition of your own ideas, generated from an investigation of original stated objectives.

2. Content. Not only should you express original ideas, but aim also to demonstrate your understanding of the place of your dissertation topic within its academic context. A good 2.1 mark requires a valid and relevant subject of study, with research objectives that are interesting and manageable.

3. Data collection. In some form or other you will gather data for analysis and interpretation. The nature of this data will vary considerably depending on your subject area and objectives. Clearly demonstrate the reasons behind your chosen data collection method.

4. Conceptual framework. Data makes little or no sense outside of an appropriate conceptual framework. Confidence in handling and interpreting ideas is a must for a 2.1 dissertation. Bear this in mind when writing your literature review chapter.

5. Structure and organisation. Your dissertation is likely the longest single piece of academic work you have yet attempted. A diligent approach to structuring and organising the material is absolutely necessary to maintain coherence.

6. Quality of expression. The fullest expression of your thoughts depends on a number of factors: sound command of the English language, solid understanding of specialist vocabulary, coherence of argumentation. A failure in any of these areas will jeopardise your 2.1 mark.

7. Literature. A novel piece of research carries little meaning outside of the subject’s existing literature. You are required to show a thorough engagement with the existing research literature in order to contextualise your findings. Cast your net widely and show your competence in researching through a number of avenues.

8. Critical analysis. It is not enough simply to provide evidence of the breadth of your wider reading; you must critically analyse the relevant material. Identify key issues, flag up notable controversies and judge the comparative significance of various parts of the literature with regard to your own research objectives.

9. Findings. You have already formulated a clear and concise topic or set of research questions, so ensure that these are addressed directly in your findings. Your answer must be relevant to your stated aims. Failure to match up your findings with your original objectives will signal a lack of focus and inadequate research.

10. Academic conventions. Broadly speaking, these conventions encompass all aspects of your dissertation which mark it out as a serious piece of academic work. Ensure that you do not undermine your credibility by failing to use proper referencing, formatting and presentational devices.

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1. Attribution of ideas. One purpose of referencing is to mark the origin of certain observations, ideas, theories, or data. Clearly, then, a rigorous approach to referencing should be seen as a strict necessity when discussing the emergence and development of ideas at any given time.

2. Aid further research. Another key purpose for referencing is to aid the reader to further investigate research issues that have emerged in your dissertation. Any properly referenced piece of work has the potential to become a step on another’s research trail, and should therefore follow strict conventions.

3. Avoid plagiarism. Perhaps the most salient use of referencing for your present concern is in absolving you of any charges of plagiarism. By taking the proper approach to referencing you provide a running commentary on the provenance of all material in your dissertation, demonstrating your concern with fair attribution of ideas.

4. Be systematic. Take a systematic approach by adopting one referencing system and being consistent with it. The proper choice of system will depend on the nature of your work, so it is best to consult the literature in your subject area and find a model to adopt.

5. Bibliography. This is the counterpart to your referencing system, providing an alphabetical list of all materials cited in the text or essential for the formulation of your ideas. Often this is distinct form the List of References which includes only those works directly cited in the dissertation. Understand conventional usage and stick to it.

6. Evidence of wide reading. The work that you decide to reference will indicate the scope, direction, depth and engagement of your wider reading. Bear this in mind when deciding which works to bring into sharper focus.

7. Evidence of accomplished research. As with the previous tip, those reading your dissertation will draw certain conclusions about the strength of your work from the choice of material to which you have referred. A few obscure, unusual or rare texts might indicate an impressive thoroughness of research.

8. Specifications. How far does your approach to referencing fit with departmental specifications concerning your dissertation? If guidelines are vague, contact teaching staff and find out what your best options are.

9. Beware complications. In the rush to deal with the conceptual or technical content of the literature you are consulting, one can ignore subtle details of a more prosaic nature. Don’t be tripped up by ambiguities concerning multiple publication dates, translated editions, edited volumes and collaborations.

10. Look at how others do it. The very best way to be confident in your use of referencing is to consult published material and pick up the proper approach to notation, in-text referencing and footnotes.

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1. Opening sections. There are a number of standard devices used in the opening sections of dissertations which are usually precisely specified by faculty notices. Do not forget these elements – title page, acknowledgements, contents page – as they are standard requirements, not mere trivialities.

2. Abstract. The abstract consists of usually no more than a single page of text and summarises the entire dissertation. In order to write a good abstract it is necessary to understand its purpose, which is to provide researching academics with a short-hand summary of an extended piece of work to decide whether or not it would be worthwhile for them to read it. All elements of the dissertation should be represented here, including methodology and findings.

3. Task definition. Ensure that you have defined and explained your research aims and the purpose of your dissertation early on. As with all structuring considerations, the aim is clarity of expression. Therefore guide your reader clearly through the piece by establishing early on its primary concerns.

4. Early chapters. The first chapters should be an introductory section followed usually by a review of the existing literature. Discussions of scope, purpose, constraints and objectives are addressed in the introduction, and the literature review provides the space for a full contextualisation of the present work.

5. Middle chapters. Following from the introduction and literature review is the chapter on methodology. Note how the typical sequence of chapters builds, each upon the last, in a logical progression, setting up the information necessary for later findings and conclusions to be meaningful. After the methodology is the chapter on the discussion and analysis of findings.

6. Final chapters. Depending on the particular nature of your research, the analysis and discussion of findings may be split into two chapters. In any case, each should have its own subheading. The concluding chapter makes the analysis of findings meaningful and links to the broader academic context. There should be some symmetry of structure here, with final concluding discussions recalling material from the beginning of the dissertation.

7. From the theoretical to the evidential. Clearly it is the case that different types of research will require different approaches to structure, but in general it is worth noting the value of making the piece show development from theory to evidence. Begin with background theory and a strong conceptual framework, then introduce novel evidence to test or fit this theory. This type of development lends your dissertation a unifying arc.

8. Subheadings. Consecutive pages of uninterrupted prose can leave the reader wondering exactly where each detail fits in the wider picture of your dissertation. Subheadings are a useful way to break up prose for the benefit of the reader, and as a reminder to you when writing that tangents should be eliminated and focus maintained.

9. Ancillary elements. Title and contents pages, bibliography, appendices: these should not be seen as constraints but opportunities. Each serves some function, and gives you space to break up the writing of your sustained research project into manageable sections. Read available dissertations and find out how best to use appendices and other ancillary devices.

10. Review. Look back over your dissertation once complete. You will naturally proofread the piece, but consider looking it over at a glance to see whether the piece makes intuitive sense by its chapter titles and subheadings alone. If so, you have achieved a sound structure which aids in the clear expression of the dissertation’s content. If not, you will have to reorganise material.

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