The Science Student's Guide to Dissertations and Research Projects

177 Pages·2023·31.291 MB·English

by  Jessica Bownes

The Science Student’s Guide to Dissertations and
Research Projects
For a complete listing of all our titles in this area please visit
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/academic/study-skills
www.thestudyspace.com – the leading study Writing for Engineers (4th edn)
skills website Writing for Nursing and Midwifery Students
(3rd edn)
Study Skills Writing for Science Students (2nd edn)
Writing Skills for Education Students
Academic Success
Writing Skills for Social Work Students
Academic Writing Skills for International Students
You2Uni: Decide, Prepare, Apply
Ace Your Exam
Be Well, Learn Well
Pocket Study Skills
Becoming a Critical Thinker
The Bloomsbury Student Planner 14 Days to Exam Success (2nd edn)
Brilliant Essays Analyzing a Case Study
The Business Student’s Phrase Book Brilliant Writing Tips for Students
Cite Them Right (12th edn) Completing Your PhD
Critical Thinking and Persuasive Writing for Doing Research (2nd edn)
Postgraduates Getting Critical (3rd edn)
Critical Thinking for Nursing, Health and Social Care How to Analyze Data
Critical Thinking Skills (3rd edn) Managing Stress
Dissertations and Project Reports Planning Your Dissertation (3rd edn)
Doing Projects and Reports in Engineering Planning Your Essay (3rd edn)
The Employability Journal Planning Your PhD
Essentials of Essay Writing Posters and Presentations
The Exam Skills Handbook (2nd edn) Reading and Making Notes (3rd edn)
Get Sorted Referencing and Understanding Plagiarism (2nd edn)
The Graduate Career Guidebook (2nd edn) Reflective Writing (2nd edn)
Great Ways to Learn Anatomy and Physiology Report Writing (2nd edn)
(2nd edn) Science Study Skills
How to Use Your Reading in Your Essays (3rd edn) Studying with Dyslexia (2nd edn)
How to Write Better Essays (5th edn) Success in Groupwork (2nd edn)
How to Write Your Literature Review Successful Applications
How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation Time Management
(3rd edn) Using Feedback to Boost Your Grades
Improve Your Grammar (3rd edn) Where’s Your Argument? (2nd edn)
Mindfulness for Students Where’s Your Evidence?
Presentation Skills for Students (3rd edn) Writing for University (3rd edn)
The Principles of Writing in Psychology
Professional Writing (4th edn) 50 Ways
Reading at University
50 Ways to Boost Your Employability
Reflective Writing for Nursing, Health and Social
50 Ways to Boost Your Grades
Work
50 Ways to Excel at Writing
The Science Student’s Guide to Dissertations and
50 Ways to Manage Stress
Research Projects
50 Ways to Manage Time Effectively
Simplify Your Study
50 Ways to Succeed as an International Student
Skills for Business and Management
Skills for Success (4th edn)
Smart Thinking Research Skills
Stand Out from the Crowd Authoring a PhD
The Student Phrase Book (2nd edn) The Foundations of Research (3rd edn)
The Student’s Guide to Writing (3rd edn) Getting Published
Study Skills for International Postgraduates (2nd edn) Getting to Grips with Doctoral Research
The Study Skills Handbook (5th edn) The Good Supervisor (2nd edn)
Studying in English The Lean PhD
Studying Law (4th edn) Maximizing the Impacts of Academic Research
The Study Success Journal PhD by Published Work
Success in Academic Writing (2nd edn) The PhD Viva
Teaching Study Skills and Supporting Learning The PhD Writing Handbook
The Undergraduate Research Handbook (2nd edn) Planning Your Postgraduate Research
The Work-Based Learning Student Handbook The Postgraduate Research Handbook (2nd edn)
(3rd edn) The Postgraduate’s Guide to Research Ethics
Write it Right (2nd edn) The Professional Doctorate
Writing for Biomedical Sciences Students Structuring Your Research Thesis
The Science
Student’s
Guide to
Dissertations
and Research
Projects
Jessica Bownes
BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK
1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA
29 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland
BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC and the Diana logo
are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published in Great Britain 2023
Copyright © Jessica Bownes 2023
The author has asserted their right under the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system,
without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility for,
any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given
in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and publisher
regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites have ceased
to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bownes, Jessica, author.
Title: The science student’s guide to dissertations and research projects / Jessica Bownes.
Description: London ; New York, NY : Bloomsbury Academic, 2023. |
Series: Bloomsbury study skills | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Summary: “The Science Student’s Guide to Dissertations and Research
Projects guides students through the entire process of working on a dissertation, from the early
but crucial planning stages, through to undertaking practical work and collecting data, researching
literature, and writing up one’s findings. Each chapter includes lists, step-by-step guides and plenty of
examples, making it practical and easy-to-follow. The book also provides strategies for when things go
wrong with advice on managing stress, procrastination and unexpected data”– Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022039199 | ISBN 9781350323681 (paperback) | ISBN 9781350323841 (pdf)
| ISBN 9781350323834 (epub) | ISBN 9781350323827
Subjects: LCSH: Dissertations, Academic–Authorship. | Dissertations, Academic–Style manuals. |
Academic writing–Handbooks, manuals, etc. | Science–Study and teaching
(Higher)–Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Classification: LCC LB2369 .B685 2023 | DDC 808.06/6378–dc23/eng/20221219
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022039199
ISBN: PB: 978-1-3503-2368-1
ePDF: 978-1-3503-2384-1
eBook: 978-1-3503-2383-4
Series: Bloomsbury Study Skills
Typeset by Integra Software Services Pvt. Ltd.
To find out more about our authors and books visit www.bloomsbury.com
and sign up for our newsletters.
To my brother. Oh hi, Jon!
vi
Contents
List of figures x
List of tables xi
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
What is a dissertation and a research report in STEM? 2
Undergraduate vs. postgraduate dissertations 2
How to use this book 3
What is in this book? 4
Chapter 2 Using the marking criteria to get the
best grade possible 6
Introduction 6
How do lecturers use the marking scheme? 6
Example intended learning outcomes 7
How can students use the marking scheme? 10
Exercise 1: Self-evaluation 10
Next steps 13
Chapter 3 Working with your supervisor 14
Introduction 14
Why do you work with a supervisor? 14
Who is your supervisor? 15
The student–supervisor relationship 17
How to make the most of your supervisor 25
Other support structures you can use 27
Exercise 2: Considering supervisor styles 28
Next steps 28
Chapter 4 Planning your work 29
Introduction 29
Time management in research 29
The big picture 30
A step-by-step process for planning your research 30
Day-to-day time management 35
Overcoming obstacles and challenges 40
The problem-solving plan 41
Common academic challenges 42
vii
viii Contents
Coping with personal challenges 44
Conclusion 46
Next steps 46
Chapter 5 Collecting your data 47
Introduction 47
Why is good practice important? 47
How do I maintain good practice throughout my dissertation? 48
How do I maintain good practice in my practical work? 52
Next steps 54
Chapter 6 Finding and analysing the literature 55
Introduction 55
Why do I need evidence from the literature? 55
Sources of evidence 56
When do I read? 57
Reading with a purpose 58
Beginning the literature search 60
Strategies for effective critical reading 64
Final word on critical reading 72
Next steps 73
Chapter 7 Using evidence in your dissertation 74
Introduction 74
What academic rules do I need to consider when writing
about literature? 74
Academic literature as evidence 75
Constructing a scientific argument 76
Using language to convince your reader 77
Exercise 3: The building blocks of a scientific argument 78
Presenting data as evidence 80
Using other visual evidence 87
Applying the evidence to your research 90
Next steps 90
Chapter 8 Writing a science dissertation 91
Introduction 91
Links between science writing and the scientific method 91
The core principles of science writing 92
Clear writing 93
Contents ix
Concise writing 94
Unbiased writing 95
Focused writing 97
Accurate writing 99
Appropriately cautious writing 100
Structuring your dissertation 101
Fundamental writing rules 120
Exercise 4: Structuring a paragraph 123
Next steps 123
Exercise 4: Answers 123
Chapter 9 Avoiding plagiarism in your research 125
Introduction 125
What is plagiarism? 125
How is plagiarism detected? 127
What are the penalties for plagiarizing? 127
Avoiding accidental plagiarism 128
Referencing sources properly 129
Why do we reference? 129
What do I cite? 129
Exercise 5: Paraphrasing 131
Exercise 6: Direct quotes 133
How do I cite? 134
Conclusion 137
Next steps 139
Exercise 5: Answers 139
Exercise 6: Answers 140
Chapter 10 Editing and proofreading 141
Introduction 141
Chapter editing 143
Create one document 144
Editing the full dissertation 145
Proofreading 150
Conclusion 151
Glossary 152
Further reading 156
Index 157