How to Write a Good Dissertation A guide for University Undergraduate Students

By LORNAMARIE

How to Write a Good Dissertation - A Guide for University Undergraduate Students is an essential reference guide for university undergraduate student and anyone who wishes to write at professional level.

Every undergraduate student will at some point be required to write a dissertation, project, a portfolio or thesis. This could be daunting and having gone through that experience myself, I thought a book like this would be helpful to students around the world.

I have tried to keep it concise, succinct, and as brief as much as possible; the last thing a student need is reading a lengthy guide on how to write their onerous project. Most of the chapters cover topics every student will find useful regardless of their course of study. This book covers essential policies, guidelines and procedures set out in the code of practice for writing projects in most reputable universities around the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781471060113

Book preview

How to Write a Good Dissertation

A Guide for University Undergraduate Students (Sample Dissertation Included – Corporate Personality Principle in Company Law)

by

LornaMarie

© Copyright 2018, LornaMarie All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission

from the author.

ISBN: 978-1-387-69798-4

ISBN (e): 978-1-4710-6255-1

Dedication

As always this book is dedicated to

my husband Tayo and the boys Ibitayo and Olugbenro.

Preface

This book is aimed at helping university undergraduate students in the process of writing their dissertation before graduating from

the university. Writing a university dissertation for assessment by an academic tutor could be very daunting. Most students have to complete this project alongside their already busy schedule of course work that needs to be submitted or handed in, alongside attending lectures and gathering evidence based research work. A lot of hard work is required and for a student to deliver a well-researched thesis or project work, certain things must be put in place to achieve a positive outcome.

When I graduated with my LL.B (Hons) Degree in 1989, I was contented with the vast amount of literature that was at that time available for us to research on the area of law topic that my dissertation covered, I was also impressed with the vast number of already existing projects on various topics that was previously written by previous student who had graduated. What we did not have much of is a book like the one you are currently reading! One that is to give an overview of not only the subject topic that you wish to write on, but other issues that you really need to be mindful of like the topics I have touched in Chapter 7 such as confidentiality, what you need to know about copyright, data protection, and key insight into what plagiarism really means.

The purpose of this book therefore is to provide a step by step guide on how to write a good dissertation and to provide essential tips on what to look out for before and during the writing of a good dissertation.

I am grateful to the Chartered Institute of Libraries and Information Professionals (CILIP) United Kingdom for my admission to chartership and for all the training I have acquired to develop professionally.

I am grateful to BIALL—British and Irish Association of Law Librarians at the Library of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, Parliament Square, London—for the priceless seed of knowledge by which I was well nurtured over the years through legal information management, in particular my professional membership in the Journal of the BIALL; Legal Information Management and Cambridge University Press.

Finally, the book is glazed at the end with glossary. I hope this book will serve as a useful tool in the hands of students around the world. I have included a sample project as an annex to the book in Chapter 10. The sample project in appendix A is on the Corporate Personality Principle in Company Law. I have discussed this interesting Company Law Principle in Chapter 11 - Analysis of Appendix A, Overview of the Corporate Personality Principle from the landmark case Salomon vs Salomon and Company Limited since 1897 (1897 A.C.22)

Lorna Ibidun Adekaiyaoja (nee Ademokun) LL.B (Hons). BL. MCLIP. MBIALL

April 2018

Acknowledgment

I give glory, honour, adoration, and thanks to the almighty God, the all-knowing God, the repository of the seed of knowledge and in whom lies the mystery of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. I would also like to thank my parents Engr. and Mrs. Idowu David Ademokun for the opportunity I was accorded to a good education.

My heartfelt thanks to my husband Tayo Adekaiyaoja (MPharm) and our sons: Mr. Ibitayo Lincoln Adekaiyaoja (Jnr) and Mr. Olugbenro George Adekaiyaoja.

A bunch of thanks to my group of classmates at the University of Lagos, Akoka, in particular The 1989 Law Class set. Could I dare to say that our law class is one of the best sets of students that the University of Lagos Faculty of Law ever produced?! Yes, we can!! Thanks also to international lawyers’ forum, fellow writers, authors, and editors’ forum where I receive inspiration and motivation on a regular basis. Thanks also to the Literary and Debating Society Group in my secondary school days where my speechwriting skills began. (Methodist Girls High School Yaba & Marywood Girls Grammar School) - Tribute to My Head Teacher, Class Teachers and Classmates.

My special thanks to The Head teacher - Mrs Loretta Boyd of WizeUp independent school. 579 Westhorne Ave, London, SE9 6DN, for being a splendid Head Teacher and for the motivation and inspiration I have received from her, I am grateful for your inviting me for ‘’Meet the Author’ in your school. I remain indebted to Ms Tairat Shote ICT and CITIZENSHIP Teacher at WizeUp independent school – for being an exceptional teacher to her students at WizeUp Independent and also when she worked at Park Community School in Morden, Surrey, Thank you for believing in my writing and for always celebrating with me every time I succeed.

Thank you to my extraordinary cousin and role model. Lawyer (Mrs.) Clara Omotilewa Ibirogba (nee Ademokun): she is Director of the Directorate for Citizens Rights since 2006. Mrs Ibirogba is a full member of the Institute for Chartered Mediators and Councillors. She

serves as alternate Chairman of DSVRT in Nigeria (Domestic and sexual violence response team).

Thanks to Gabriela Davidova, Kristian Ferencik, and Arinola Popoola for their support.

Thank you to Sylvia Bober and Ismail Bah for their encouragement and support over the last five years.

Thanks to Dele and Dapo Grillo (California, USA) for their encouragement and support.

Thanks to my cousin Dr Olabode Desalu and her family (Shreveport, Louisiana, USA), who along with all the wonderful things she has done has steadfastly supported my vision. Olabode you are a gem.

A big thank you for the nurturing and development that I have received over the years as a chartered member of CILIP – Chartered Institute of Library and Information professionals, United Kingdom.

And in particular, I would like to acknowledge the following special interest groups and forums:

Lorna Ibidun Adekaiyaoja (nee Ademokun) LL.B (Hons). BL. MCLIP. MBIALL

April 2018

Chapter 1

Definition

What is a Dissertation?

A dissertation is a formal written study of a specialized subject, usually submitted as part of the assessment for a university degree.

The term dissertation is usually used to present the final result of independent work and research for an undergraduate program. A thesis, on the other hand, is crafted for the completion of a Master’s degree. To this point, being a graduate student has been, more or less, an extension of your earlier life as a student. Many people, in fact, go to graduate school because they have always been good at school, and want to continue with something that brings them success and self-confidence. The reading assignments, labs, papers, and tests you have been assigned as a graduate student may not have been so different from your undergraduate course work. The dissertation, on the other hand, is a new kind of academic project, unlike anything else you’ve done. It is the academic project that marks your transition from student to scholar. The dissertation research stage is going to determine the overall development of your project. It has to be methodical and effective, since you don’t want to waste your time reading and analyzing irrelevant resources. A dissertation or thesis is likely to be the longest and most difficult piece of work a student has ever completed. It can, however, also be a very rewarding piece of work since, unlike essays and other assignments, the student is able to pick a topic of special interest and work on their own initiative. https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/dissertation-writing.html

Choosing your subject area or dissertation research topic

Choosing one specific subject area out of so many you have studied from the start of your first year right through to your final year could be very daunting. However, writing your dissertation on a topic that you find very interesting and have good grasp of is the best place to start.

If you choose a subject area where a lot of research work had already began, then you will find a lot of precedence to refer to. On the other hand if you choose a subject that not many research had previously been done (which I doubt), then you will have less research materials to refer to. This is not the best place to be as you are a student and may find it harder to be a pioneer on any specific academic area. Having said that, your tutor’s advice is ‘golden’ because he or she knows exactly what you need to do and if you have invented or hatched an altogether new ideology, then he or she will be able to put you in the right direction.

Generally every student’s aim is to excel in all subject areas in year one, two, three and so on, but truth be told, some subject areas or courses will be  more fascinating to  some students, so  choosing a specific academic area or title must be motivated by something—this could be the flair for the subject area or might just be that you have a better grasp of a specific concept so much that you could write confidently, effectively, efficiently on the topic and in fact use the opportunity to add your own opinion to already existing contribution to the concept.

Choosing your subject area will require you to arrange a meeting with your project tutor to seek his advice and opinion. You may wish to have more than one subject area in mind and then have your tutor help you make an informed decision on which one of the various areas is reasonable for you to write your dissertation on. It is always good to make an informed decision.

Once you have decided which subject area you wish to write your dissertation on, you will really need to visit your virtual library in the first instance to find out appropriate library database available for you to use in carrying out your research. With the advancement in technology today, there are so many search engines to complement your research work.

You will need to do some background reading on what the subject is all about into details, then checking your library catalogue for previous dissertations that had previously been written and borrowing one or two to read.

Doing this will give you an insight as to what is expected of you; however, you must bear it in mind that your dissertation should be original representation of your intellectual capability, even though you are still an undergraduate student.

You may find yourself in a situation where you have a specific topic in mind that is not on the prescribed list of areas specified on the research project options. If this is the case, then you could discuss with your potential supervisor to ask whether this is something worth doing, though doing this may require you to answer questions concerning the viability of your proposed research theme.

In most cases making a correct decision in the choice of dissertation topic is bound to improve your chances of successful outcome with good grading in order to help you achieve an overall excellent class in your field of study. There is no doubt some subject areas are more robust than others—that is to say there are already robust debates in that area by your precursors on the subject, giving you wider precedence to have a good read and understanding of the topic even more.

By and large you still would have to tackle the various options open to you and find a niche for yourself. What are your personal interests? Writing on an area where you are personally interested is like doing a job that you derive pleasure in, hence making your hard work almost effortless.

Finding your research materials and making sure they are accessible to you is also vital. Your chosen research area or topic will have a great influence on how well you succeed in carrying out all your background research investigation and writing up your work. For example if you are a science student and you do not really like laboratory or practical work passionately, then you may find it harder writing a dissertation where 88 percent of your work will be based on staying in the laboratory to do experiments and waiting to collate the outcomes. Finding out what your strengths are is crucial, and