Student Handbook 2024/25
29. Appendix II Dissertation
29.2. Writing the Dissertation
Structure and Content of the Dissertation
A dissertation needs to have a central integrating argument. The argument should be logically developed, building up a case point by point and displaying a critical and analytical approach to the subject. The sections or chapters of the dissertation should be logically structured and help the flow of the argument, and their length should be proportionate to their relevance for the development of the main argument.
There is no specific, mandatory way to arrange the sections or chapters of the dissertation. The nature of the problem, the way in which you decide to address it and your level of expertise on the topic are some of the factors that may influence the way you decide to structure your dissertation. There are, however, common elements that you may want to include.
Abstract
The abstract is a concise, clear outline of your core argument. It should convey your research question and research findings in not more than about 200 words. It is the hook with which you pull in the reader. Although the first thing to appear after the title, the abstract is usually the last thing to be written, upon a thorough reflection of the purpose, content and conclusions of the dissertation. A good abstract can be very useful for the reader, but it is by no means essential. Do not write an abstract if you do not feel comfortable doing so. If you do, avoid the common mistake of using the abstract to outline the structure of your dissertation; this should go in the introductory section or chapter.
Introduction
The introduction should provide an answer to the following questions:
What is the purpose of the dissertation? The introduction should clearly state the purpose of the dissertation and the main analytical tasks you plan to undertake.
Why is the issue relevant? Demonstrate why the issue is being discussed in the dissertation. If you are making comparisons with another area or legal system, you need to explain why the comparison is pertinent and your rationale for using the chosen comparator.
How is the dissertation structured? Outline for the reader the structure and content of the dissertation so that he or she knows what to expect. In the final paragraph of your introduction, outline the sections or chapters and briefly explain what each of them covers.
Context/Background: It is always useful to provide some historical background to the problem you aim to examine, for instance by identifying the relevant law, regulations or cases. You can also refer to the doctrinal debate on the topic, highlighting, wherever pertinent, areas of controversy.
Analysis
While placing your topic in its wider context is mainly a descriptive action, you should make an effort to go beyond the description of a particular topic and engage in some analysis.
However, it is in the analytical section of the dissertation that you have the chance to demonstrate your ability to think independently, make an argument and engage in original analysis of your topic. This is the opportunity to analyse legal concepts, examine the scope of their application and normative consequences and discuss how the law is applied in practice.
Conclusions
A strong dissertation will contain well-argued conclusions which are supported by preceding analysis and descriptive materials. The conclusions should form a substantial part of the dissertation, rather than being confined to a few sentences at the end.
Bibliography
Because you are expected to include full footnotes, a bibliography is not required. If you choose to include a bibliography, it is not included in the word count.
The dissertation must be fully referenced. There are several approaches to citing authorities, but the standard in legal writing is footnotes or endnotes, not in-text citation. Many UK journals use the Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA). Guides to and examples of OSCOLA and other full footnote citation systems are widely available, online and in print. You can choose any system you like, but you must be consistent throughout the dissertation.
The purpose of citation is three-fold: to acknowledge the source of an idea, an argument, a quotation or other material; to demonstrate that you have done the research; and to make it easy for the reader to check the source, either for accuracy or to read further. For these reasons, regardless of the referencing system used, a number of pieces of information should be included in each reference.
When citing a book, you should include:
- the full name(s) of the author(s);
- the title and edition of the work;
- the publisher and year of publication; and
- the page(s) from which the idea, information or quotation is taken.
When citing a journal, you should include:
- the full name(s) of the author(s);
- the title of the article;
- the title, publication year, volume and issue number of the journal; and
- the page(s) from which the idea, information or quotation is taken.
When citing a law or regulation, you should include:
- the full title and/or official reference;
- the publication and/or effective date; and
- the article(s) or section(s) from which the information is taken.
When citing a case, you should include:
- the full title of the case;
- the year of judgment;
- the volume number of the reporter or the case number (if there is one);
- the judge, where relevant; and
- the page(s) or section(s) from which the idea, information or quotation is taken.
When citing
a report, you should include:
- the full title;
- the publication date;
- the report number;
- the author and/or institution issuing the report; and
- the page(s) or section(s) from which the idea, information or quotation is taken.
When citing
a webpage, you should include:
- the name of the author and/or organisation publishing the webpage;
- the title of the website and the page;
- the date on which the information was published (if available);
- the full web address (URL); and
- the date on which the webpage was last viewed.
In general,
URLs should only be included for materials and information available only on
the internet; use the general citation formats above wherever possible, as
these facilitate searches across platforms.
Writing Style, Spelling and Grammar
When writing:
- use the correct tense and avoid switching from one tense to another without reason;
- make sure that nouns and verbs agree in number;
- avoid repetitious and informal language;
- remember the difference between descriptive and normative language (subjective or judgmental). When making value judgments, make sure they flow from your argument and are backed up by evidence;
- make use of all the tools and resources available for improving your spelling and grammar, including the Critical Thinking and Writing in Law Programme; and
- edit and proofread your draft.
Foreign Language Materials
You may use relevant foreign language materials, whether primary or secondary, for their dissertation; in fact, many dissertations would not be possible without foreign language materials. However, you are responsible for the accuracy of any quotation or paraphrasing, whether you do the translation yourself or rely on an existing translation, official or unofficial. The materials themselves must be provided in English (with inclusion of the original language text optional), even if the supervisor can read the language in question, as the postgraduate law programmes are English language programmes.
Foreign
language materials should be cited in both English and the original language,
using the original script, not transliterated.
Word Count
The maximum word count for your dissertation depends on your specialism. You should not exceed this word limit, +/- 10%, as supervisors will not mark any section of your dissertation that is over this word limit.
Everything
except the bibliography is included in the word count. This includes among other things the abstract,
table of contents, appendixes, footnotes and endnotes and the titles of
diagrams and words in graphs, tables and diagrams. Inclusion of an abstract, a
table of contents or a bibliography is not mandatory but may be suggested by
your supervisor.
There is no
minimum word count. However,
dissertations that are considerably shorter than the maximum word count may
fail to fully address the topic and will be marked accordingly.
Research Ethics Approval
Some dissertation projects may involve methodologies that require research ethics approval. This is any methodology that ‘involves’ human subjects, even if the individuals are involved in their work capacity. Typically for Postgraduate Law this would be conducting interviews of civil servants, legislators, businesspeople etc.
Low-risk
research methodologies such as standard interviews are generally eligible for
expedited approval. Details can be found
at
http://www.jrmo.org.uk/performing-research/conducting-research-with-human-participants-outside-the-nhs/applications-and-approval.
The Standard Expected of the Dissertation
In General
The dissertation is required to be either a record of original work or an ordered and critical exposition of existing knowledge in the field. While this is not a definitive list for marking purposes, in general examiners are looking for the student:
- to have identified a relevant topic;
- to demonstrate the ability to discuss, analyse and criticise the law and literature on the relevant topic;
- to demonstrate an advanced understanding of the issues and the difficulties they present;
- to demonstrate knowledge of the relevant law and literature relating to the topic; and
- to demonstrate acceptable writing skills, including proper spelling, punctuation and grammar and the clear use of English.
The dissertation should be of publishable
quality, ie broadly equivalent to the quality that would be expected by a
reputable law journal with little further editing.
A key requirement for success is that your dissertation contains a high degree of originality. The nature of originality means that it is impossible to define what constitutes it but, by way of illustration, originality may be achieved in one or more of the following ways:
- by drawing on your own professional experience;
- by drawing together for the first time diverse sources of information on a particular topic in order to present a coherent and novel treatment of the subject; and
- by relating an aspect of your topic to wider legal, political, economic or ethical considerations in a way that has not previously been done.
The key test that will be applied is whether or not the dissertation treats the chosen topic in a way not previously published.
It necessarily follows from the requirement for originality that a successful dissertation will contain a high degree of analytical content. This must be distinguished from descriptive content. Whilst some descriptive content will be necessary, for example to explain the current or previous legal position or practice, the analytical content should provide, among other things, commentary on and critique of the current or previous legal position or practice, together with your own opinions (and recommendations, if appropriate). Dissertations consisting mainly of descriptive content are less likely to achieve a high mark than ones with a high degree of analytical content. However, the analytical content must not be achieved at the expense of thorough research into your topic.
The requirement for a high degree of analytical content means that you should consider carefully the scope of the dissertation. The dissertation is more likely to achieve a high mark if it covers a relatively narrow area in depth, rather than a broad area superficially.
At the same time, your dissertation should involve a comprehensive treatment of your topic, meaning that all relevant aspects need to be analysed, unless the dissertation topic has been reasonably defined to exclude them.
Dissertation Presentation and Layout
The dissertation should include a title page that lists your Student ID number, full dissertation title, supervisor’s name and final word count. Your name should not appear on the title page or anywhere else in the dissertation, including the file name and the file metadata.
There is no official style guide for the dissertation. However, we recommend you use a 12-point font in a common font style, double space the main text and use margins of at least 2 cm. Footnotes should be no smaller than 10 point, normally in the same font as the main text.
Dissertation Submission
Your dissertation must be submitted electronically via QMplus. Please see the Key Date section for the applicable submission deadline. Part-time students are reminded that your deadline is the one for the academic year which coincides with your second year of study.
It is strongly recommended that you submit your dissertation well before the deadline to avoid any last minute issues with the electronic submission process. For this reason, we will normally accept completed dissertations 7 days in advance of the deadline. Computer problems and technical issues are not acceptable reasons for late or non-submission. Guidance on how to submit your dissertation is available on the Postgraduate Dissertation Support Noticeboard on QMplus.
Please also note that in submitting your dissertation electronically, you consent to its submission to the Turnitin plagiarism software service.
If you cannot submit the dissertation on time, a late submission penalty may be applied. Non-submission will automatically result in a fail. However, extenuating circumstances may apply. If you think you may have extenuating circumstances, please contact the PG Law Office in advance of the deadline.