Theses and Dissertations Exam Question and Answer

Theses and Dissertations Exam Question and Answer Thesis - Correct Answer: A piece of work carried out in an academic setting as part of a degree programme. It is an unpublished piece of work. In the UK it is usually submitted as part of a doctorate degree. Dissertation - Correct Answer: A piece of research carried out in an academic setting as part of a degree programme. It is an unpublished piece of work. It can be at undergraduate or graduate level. In some countries, it may be called a thesis. Empirical dissertation - Correct Answer: Data is collected as part of the project. It is most common in science degrees. Non-empirical dissertation - Correct Answer: Rather than collecting data, the student analyses existing data and research. Elements of a thesis or dissertation - Correct Answer: Are generally the same as a research paper - * Abstract * Literature review * Methods * Results * Discussion * References * Appendices Validity - Correct Answer: Is the study measuring what it says it is measuring? Reliability - Correct Answer: If the study was repeated, would the findings be the same? Sample - Correct Answer: The group of people used in the study. Papers may break down in terms of age, gender, economic status, occupation. Generalising - Correct Answer: Can you make inferences about the wider population based on the findings of the dissertation or thesis? How would you reference the following study, using APA referencing? Mark Brie carried out an MA in 2011 at the University of Sheffield. His paper was called 'Cheese eating trends in the last century' - Correct Answer: Brie, M. (2011). Cheese eating trends in the last century. (MA dissertation, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom). Referencing dissertations and theses using APA - Correct Answer: Author's name, Initial(s). (Year). Title. (Type of award, Awarding body, Location). If retrieved online, the URL. Is a dissertation a primary or secondary source? - Correct Answer: It will be a mixture of both. The literature review will provide secondary sources to other work. However, as original research it will be a primary source, most likely found in the results and discussion. Can you use theses and dissertations to support your paper? - Correct Answer: Yes you can - in the same way as you would any other research paper. You would evaluate its quality in exactly the same way. Questions you could ask when reviewing a thesis or dissertation - Correct Answer: *What were the methods used? * What was the sample used? * Does the author answer the question they set out to (validity)? * Is the study reliable? * How well can the findings be generalised?