Dissertation Marking Matrix
Criteria/Scale
Weak/poor
G3 to E1
Fail
Pass
D3 to D1
Third
Good
C3 to C1
Lower second
Very good
B3 to B1
Upper second
Excellent
A5 to A1
First
Abstract (5%)
Weak description of
the dissertation with
no/ little reference to
the aim, objectives,
nature, findings etc
Weak description of
the dissertation with
little/ some reference
to the aim,
objectives, nature,
findings etc
A reasonable
description of the
dissertation with
some reference to
the aim, objectives,
nature, findings etc
A good description
of the dissertation
that covers the aim,
objectives, nature,
findings etc
An excellent
description of the
dissertation that
covers the aim,
objectives, nature,
findings etc
Introductory chapter
(10%)
Few key sections
covered. Very weak
introduction / aim /
objectives / research
method etc
Most key sections
covered. Weak
introduction / aim /
objectives / research
method etc
Most key sections
covered.
Reasonable
introduction / aim /
objectives / research method etc
All key sections
covered. Good
introduction / aim /
objectives / research
method etc
All key sections
covered. Excellent
introduction / aim /
objectives / research
method etc
Literature review
(25%)
Brief LR with some
links to research aim
that uses few
sources /
LR has little
relevance to research aim
Descriptive LR with
links to research aim
that relies on few
sources / largely
based on textbooks
Descriptive LR
linked to research
aim that uses a
reasonable number
of academic journal
sources
Comprehensive LR
that describes and
discusses previous
work with some
critical analysis.
Good links to research aim
Excellent LR
demonstrating good
critical analysis of
the literature. Strong
links to research aim
Research methodology
(15%)
Inappropriate
research methodology;
no / little explanation
or justification
Weak description of
appropriate research
methodology; no/ little
explanation as to
why they were
selected
Reasonable
description of
research methodology;
some explanation as
to why they were
selected
Good description of
research methodology;
good explanation as
to why they were
selected
Excellent description
of research
methodology; excellent
explanation as to
why they were
selected
Analysis and
discussion of research findings (25%)
Little or
inappropriate description/ analysis of findings
Weak description /
analysis of findings with no/ little links to the LR
Reasonable
description/ analysis of findings with some links to the LR
Good description/
analysis of findings with good links to the LR
Excellent analysis
and discussion of findings that is well linked to LR
Conclusions and
recommendations
(10%)
Not linked/ very little
linkage to
Dissertation
Some linkage to
dissertation but
tends to be précis of
the dissertation
Reasonable
conclusions and
recommendations
linked to previous
sections
Good conclusions
and
recommendations
with good links to
previous sections;
some consideration
of study limitations
Excellent
conclusions and
Recommendations
well linked to earlier
sections;
consideration of
limitations / validity /
reliability etc
References (5%)
No / little Harvard
referencing of other
people’s work
Some Harvard
referencing of other
people’s work, but
limited range of
sources
Reasonable Harvard
referencing of other
people’s work;
reasonable range of
sources
Good Harvard
referencing of other
people’s work;
appropriate range of
sources
Excellent Harvard referencing of other
people’s work
including a good
range of appropriate
sources and quality
references
Presentation and
writing style (5%)
Inadequate
structure; incoherent
flow; poor use of
diagrams
Poor structure;
arguments not clear;
poor use of tables
and diagrams
Acceptable
structure; arguments
reasonably clear;
reasonable use of
tables and diagrams
Good structure;
coherent arguments;
good use of tables
and diagrams
Well structured;
clear arguments and
points; excellent use
of tables and
diagrams
Recommended Reading
The following textbooks include information you will find helpful in developing your methodological reports. The course draws from the following key textbooks:
Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2018) Business Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press (all editions are useful; 5th is the most recent).
Chapters from this book, as well as other key readings, are suggested for each lecture and for tutorials. You are strongly advised to make use of these resources.
Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2018) Business Research Methods. Fourth Edition. Oxford University Press.
Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R, and Jackson, P. R. (2015) Management and Business Research. Fifth Edition. SAGE.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2016) Research Methods for Business Students. Six Edition. Pearson.
Smith, M. (2003) Research Methods in Accounting. SAGE. (This is available as an electronic book via the University Library)
Gray, D.E. (2014) Doing Research in the Real World. Third Edition. SAGE.
Blumberg, B., Cooper, D.R. and Schindler, P.S. (2014). Business Research Methods.(4th eds) McGraw-Hill.
King, N. and Horrocks, C. (2010) Interviews in qualitative research. London: Sage.
The following is a list of the principal assessment criteria:
Identify a research aim and design a project to achieve it
Write a critical literature review
Define working concepts and theoretical frameworks used in the dissertation
Collect and analyse research data, and demonstrate an understanding of methodological and ethical issues
Interpret findings critically by demonstrating an understanding of their significance and by linking data to the literature reviewed
Write a piece of work that is well-argued, structured, written and presented, and that makes critical use of citing and referencing scheme (e.g., Harvard)
Demonstrate an understanding of the implications of the study for future research and/or policy and practice
Since dissertations can be based on a wide variety of approaches and with different emphasis, the weights assigned to the different areas of assessment may not be the same for all dissertations.
Proposal/Dissertation structure:
The following provides a typical structure for a dissertation. This is indicative in that all dissertations are unique and will be variations on this model.
Title page
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Table of contents
List of tables (if needed)
List of figures, graphs, etc. (if needed)
Introduction
Literature Review
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
References
Appendices
Some of the headings are self-explanatory. Others require some explanation as follows:
Abstract:
A concise summary of approximately 250 words stating the main argument and findings of the dissertation.
Introduction:
Describe the topic of the study, why the study needs to be conducted (gap), and the potential implications. Preview the major sections of the chapter. This introduction to the chapter should be less than 1 page in length.
Background:
Briefly summarise the research literature that outlines the scope of the study topic and indicates that this is a current problem. You can use this literature to trace the problem from its initiation to its current state. Describe the gap in the literature that the study will address. End the section on why the study is needed; this must go beyond just filling a gap in the literature.
Literature Review:
This section should review existing literature relevant to the topic that you are studying. Your discussion of the literature should provide a critical analysis and synthesis of the literature in which ideas are brought together under a series of themes. This means that the literature review should not simply provide a list of studies and what they have found but rather should critically engage with the literature and identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing research, particularly considering your own research question. Your literature review can also identify ‘gaps’ in existing research – areas that have not been explored in
sufficient depth, or from a particular angle. The purpose of the study is then to fill in some of these ‘gaps’. So the way you approach your reading and reviewing of the literature is very much with your own research question in mind – that is, what does the literature tell you and what does it not tell you about your research question.
Methodology:
This section details how exactly you carried out your study. This includes discussion of the philosophical assumptions and standpoint of your study; as well as the actual methods you used (qualitative/quantitative/mixed methods; sources of data; sample size; access; data collection methods; data analysis methods; etc.). You should also discuss methodological issues including ethical issues; reflexivity and research quality issues (reliability, validity, generalisability, and the alternative qualitative criteria).
Results:
The results section outlines what you have learnt from the data. For a quantitative study, this may involve a series of tables and/or graphs as a way of representing the data. For a qualitative study, this may involve discussion of the data under a series of themes in which verbatim quotations are provided illustrating the issues raised in each theme.
Discussion:
This section details how you have interpreted your results – that is, what do your results tell you about your research question, and how do your results fit in with what you know from the literature. Do they confirm or challenge existing research? Do they shed new light on the question, and if so how? This discussion takes the form of an argument – that is, what is the ‘story’ that you are telling about your data, and what is the evidence for this account.
Conclusion:
The conclusion recapitulates the main points of your dissertation. Remind the reader of your main argument – why you did the study; why this was an interesting question to investigate; how you conducted the research; what you found; and how you made sense of what you found in light of existing research/literature. Emphasise what is new, interesting and/or significant about your study. So here you are trying to broaden out your argument to think about the wider significance of your study and what it means more generally for the particular topic area that you are working in. If there are implications for policy and practice, this is also the place to highlight these.
Appendices:
You may wish to add tables, give details of your sample, or provide a copy of your Interview Guide in the appendix. Appendices are useful for putting in information that is relevant to your study and understanding it, but that is too cumbersome or detailed to put in the main body of the dissertation.
References:
Please provide a full list of all references used in your dissertation. Make sure you check that references cited in the main body are in the reference list; and that all the references in the reference list have been referred to in the main body of the text. Ensure citations conform with normal academic procedures using Harvard Reference Style Please note that the list of references do not count towards the overall word limit. Cite at least 30 high-quality academic papers that rank level 3, 4 or 4* from journals on AJG (Academic Journal Guide 2021) list in the field of management studies (see a previous 2018 edition here). You can also cite other papers, websites, or books. If you think it is necessary to cite websites, make sure that those websites should be from known and famous sources to guarantee quality and validity of your thoughts, such as Financial Times, The Times, BBC, China Daily, CNN or well-known firms. Citations from unknown sources are not recommended
Course Texts
You might find the following texts useful in preparing your dissertation:
Brown, R. B. (2006) Doing Your Dissertation in Business and Management. London: Sage.
This is an excellent slim little volume which will introduce you to the dissertation process.
Fisher, C. (2004) Researching and Writing a Dissertation for Business Students. London: FT Prentice Hall.
This is a lengthier volume which takes you through the detailed process of researching and writing a dissertation.
the dissertations is 10,000 words, excluding the Abstract, References, and list of Abbreviations. A plus or minus 10% variation is applicable. Preparing written work to fit within previously set parameters is an important skill to learn. Submissions that significantly exceed this limit will be penalised. Markers will ignore any footnotes and appendices that are outwith the word limit and excessively long.
Submissions are to be produced in black typescript, to a professional quality on A4 paper of good quality and should be printed double-sided. The typeface should be standard, such as Arial, Times New Roman Calibri at least 10 point and no more than 12 points.
Students are responsible for their own arrangements for typing and binding. 1.5 spacing should be used except for indented quotations where single line spacing should be adopted. Margins at the binding edge are to be no less than 40mm and other margins no less than 20mm.
Pages should be numbered consecutively throughout the thesis. The title page shall give the following information in the order listed:
the full title of the dissertation and sub-title if any,
the name and University Student number of the author,
the statement that: “This dissertation is submitted in part requirement for the Degree of MA with Honours in …….. at the University and is solely the work of the above-named candidate. The work of other authors is recognised and appropriately referenced”.
date of submission
a word count of the main body of the dissertation excluding the Abstract, Reference Bibliography and list of Abbreviations.
There shall be an Abstract, or summary of the dissertation, of up to 250 words. This summary shall provide a synopsis of the thesis and shall clearly state the nature and scope of the research undertaken. There should be a brief reference to the method of investigation, an outline of the principal arguments of the work and a summary of the conclusions reached.
The table of contents shall immediately follow the abstract. It shall list, in sequence all relevant sub- divisions of the dissertation, including the titles of chapters, sections and sub-sections, as appropriate; the list of abbreviations used in the dissertation (as applicable); the reference bibliography and appendices. Ensure citations conform with normal academic procedures using
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