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I hope by now you have started preparatory work for you Postgraduate Major Project (PMP) which is your dissertation.

As you must be already aware, your dissertation is developed based on the plan outlined in your research proposal. That means, the same research area and the title is applicable for PMP as well. Within it, you need to cover the following sections and requirements;Dissertation structure
Abstract
This is the summary of the research paper. You need to develop a concise and a precise abstract covering following”
Your research purpose. The benefits and implications of your research.The methodology used to conduct the research (sample size, data analysis methods and tools)Research findings.Within a maximum of 300 words.Introduction (10%)
Under the introduction, you need to project whether there is a clear purpose and a rationale for the study and whether there are clear set of objectives and research questions.

Background:

This informs the reader of the problem or the situation, and the context you are interested in.

Rationale for the study:

Under this you need to cover the following aspects; What is the research issue? Why is it an issue, and why now? How and when it is going to be investigated? What could this research shed light on? – (benefits/ implications of the study)
Research Aims, objectives and questions:

The overall aim of the research needs to be stated precisely.

Research objectives:This is one of the most important sections of the research proposal and the dissertation. You need to develop the research objectives properly in line with the research topic and conduct the research to achieve these.The aspects that should be considered when developing objectives are:Development of 3 – 4 objectives.Objectives should follow a logical sequence.Start with ‘To’Use of appropriate level specific words such as ‘assess’, ‘evaluate’, ‘investigate’ etc.Final objective could be to make recommendations, or provide a solution to a problem or to make improvement/s.For instance, if the research title is “The impact of advertising on customer purchasing decisions”; then following objectives can be developed:To identify/ analyse the current advertising practices in the retail industry. To identify the determinants of customer purchasing decisions related to the retail products. To assess the impact of advertising on customer purchasing decisions. To make recommendations on how to adopt appropriate advertising practices on customer purchasing decisions.In addition to the research objectives, you need to include a set of research questions to detail out the research objectives. i.e. specific questions that can be answered with your research findings.Literature Review and Conceptual Framework (20%)You are required to use a range of sources (covering past research findings, books, online sources etc.) suitable and adequate to cover the research scope (both dependent and independent variables). Ideally, a sound literature review would have approximately 20-30 reference sources to underpin the study.In doing so, students need to capture debates in the study area and also bring in their own inputs/ views/ insights as well.Ensure that the discussion is conducted in a critical manner by stating arguments for and against the stated points under each facet related to the research area.Make a ‘link’ between existing literature and your own research.All the facts and relationships identified by reviewing literature need to be analysed to derive relevant variables/constructs for the research. The relationships identified, moderators or mediators of such relationships need to be presented graphically in a meaningful manner known as the conceptual framework. Such variables/constructs reflected in the conceptual framework needs to be aptly supported with literature.Conceptual framework is a critical element in the research as it provides the basic framework. Therefore, ensure that this is being derived logically with sufficient literature support as this is among the must to do things in a research project.Research Design and Methodology (20%)
You are advised to structure this chapter as follows:Research Paradigm/ philosophy – e.g. Interpretivism and positivism Research Approach – e.g. Deductive Research and Inductive Research. Research Purpose – e.g. Exploratory, Explanatory & Analytical Research Strategy – e.g. Experiment, Survey, Case Study etc Data Collection – Primary Data and Secondary Data Primary data collection is two-fold as quantitative (e.g. surveys) and qualitative research
(e.g.Depth interviews, Focus groups).
Click here to refer the attachment on guidelines to develop a suitable questionnaire.Sample Selection – Population, Sample Size and Sampling techniques Data Analysis Ethical Considerations by now you must have noticed that same three chapters that you included in your proposal should be placed as the first three chapters in your dissertation too. However, these three chapters should be an expanded version to reach your word count along with the modifications based on the supervisor’s feedback. As said, you will have to increase the depth of the discussions in order to increase the word count, probably in literature review and methodology chapters.

This section gives a detailed rationale/ justification of how you achieve your research objectives. When it comes to each area, you need to identify all available options/ methods and select the most appropriate option with justifications. Explain your selection of research paradigm/ philosophy, approach, strategy and methods (qualitative and quantitative techniques planned to be used). For instance, when it comes to research paradigm, you need to identify/ explain both interpretivism and positivism paradigms, select the most appropriate paradigm for your research and justify it. Also, please make sure that you use/ refer a range of research theories and authors in this section.

Afterwards, discuss about sampling based on the below sequence.Sample SelectionSize of the total populationSample size with justification (why is the sample appropriate? Is it representative?)Sampling technique and procedure used with justifications Sampling techniquesProbability sampling – Simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, systematic sampling and cluster samplingNon probability sampling – Convenience sampling, snowball sampling, judgment sampling, quota samplingSample size and the sampling technique should be well justified.

Important: Random samples are those in which each member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected. It requires each individual to be numbered and then selected using random number tables. Even then the method can be flawed and prone to bias which requires complicated statistical techniques to overcome. Standing on a street corner interviewing likely people for an hour on a Saturday morning is not taking a random sample. This form of sampling is ‘ad hoc’ or ‘opportunistic’.Data Analysis – You may mention data analysis tools that you have used for the research. e.g. Google analytics, SPSS, Excel etc.Highlight any limitations in the chosen methodology.Discuss the type of ethical issues relevant for the research.Results, Analysis and Discussion – 30%
This is a critical section of the dissertation. Under this section, the students can structure their analysis using appropriate tools based on the data collection methods used.

For instance, if its quantitative method, then you need to use descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. First the data gathered can be graphically presented using tables and charts. Then, other descriptive statistics such as mean, median, mode, standard deviation can be presented using a suitable statistical package such as SPSS.

As a Masters student, it is vital to use advanced statistical tools for data analysis as well. Therefore, candidates need to use inferential statistics (Click here to refer a detailed guideline on quantitative data analysis using inferential statistics) to gain deep insights on research findings.

In this, the used questionnaire can be attached in an appendix.

If qualitative research is being used, it is also important to present data meaningfully. Refrain from simply presenting information gathered. For instance, you need to state important direct quotes within this section and use a method such as ‘Thematic analysis’ to present information.

You should provide transcripts of the actual interviews in the appendices and refer to them when presenting data/ results.

In this section, data analysis is insufficient. You need to ensure that the data is aptly interpreted as well. Pay attention to following aspects in analysis and interpretation:Should avoid including mere descriptions. Instead, the results should be analysed in a meaningful way in line with research objectives.Sub headings/ bullet points can be used to discuss each objective separately.The interpretation of the results should be backed up with own insights/ input, relevant literature (to see whether you have agreed with past findings or not) and it should also be aligned with the research objectives.In the interpretation, you may focus on:Is there a relationship between variables?How important are these relationships?Is this consistent with previous research?Literature should be pulled from literature review section and not new literature.Making reasoned judgments on the findings. It would be better to do analysis and interpretation together. However, students can present findings and analysis together and conduct interpretation separately as well.
Ensure that this section is addressed clearly and logically by first presenting the results, then briefly explaining them and then clearly analysing, discussing and interpreting each of the results obtained.Conclusions/Recommendation – 10%
Conclusion (using the objectives set in chapter one) has to be presented with clear justifications. The following points should be addressed under the conclusion;Provide a summary of the findings of data analysis. New facts should not be included in the conclusions hould reflect the extent to which the objectives are achieved. The main lessons learnt from the research needs to be summarised Candidates can also mention whether the findings add or complement the existing research.Recommendations – The following points should be considered when making proper and valid recommendations;Keep recommendations short and effective. The recommendations need to be valid for managerial level Recommendations can be SMART and they can be presented with an action plan (Gantt chart)Need to explain the limitations and future research Presentation – 10%Has the student used a professional style to present the work?References (using Harvard Referencing System) and appendices (Questionnaire) Following should be considered;Cite references accurately in line with the Harvard referencing system Sufficient number of references from reliable sources Ensure that plagiarism level is checked Accurate format and design (including headings, subheadings, paragraphs and numbering)Proper language (including spellings and grammar)Use of a professional writing style