MN- D004 MSC Dissertation Handbook

Academic Year 2023-24

Module Handbook

Programme Director (interim):

Dr Desireé Cranfield, SOM Building, Room 311
Email: [email protected]

Module Co-ordinator (Interim)

Dr Desireé Cranfield

In-person consultation: please email for an appointment

Email: [email protected]

Programme team and Teaching support Staff:

Centre for academic Success, Nicole Cartier
Library Staff, Giles Lloyd-Brown
Dr Desiree Cranfield ([email protected])
Dr John Mulyata ([email protected])
Dr Tegwen Malik ([email protected])

Date of Issue: 31st May 2024

1
Professional Services Staff – Professional services Staff to update

Team Ext code E-mail

Assessment Team 5601 [email protected]
Student Experience 5601 [email protected]
and Information
Support Team
Extenuating 5601 [email protected]
Circumstances

The assessment team can help with:

• Assessment and submission questions such as:
• How to submit?
• When to submit?
• Where to submit?
• What to submit?
• Dissertation Extension Requests
• Release of marks

The Student Experience and Information Support Team can help with:
• General dissertation related queries, such as:
• Who is your supervisor
• How you can contact your supervisor
• Supervisor meeting and engagement queries
• Signposting to the correct team if you need more guidance from the
assessment or experience teams
• Support to manage your studies
• Study related matters
• Support with personal issues
• Money issues
• Mental health and wellbeing

There will also be support from supervisors. These will be allocated by

07/06/2024.

2
Table of Contents

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 4
2. Lecture & Supervisory Meetings ................................................................................... 5
3. Learning Outcomes ........................................................................................................ 7
4. Reading Material ............................................................................................................ 7
5. Assessment..................................................................................................................... 8
6. Extenuating Circumstances ............................................................................................ 9
7. Non-submission and Re-submissions ............................................................................ 9
Step 1: Ethics Review .......................................................................................................... 11
Step 2: MSc Dissertation (Independent Directed Learning Project) ................................... 13
8. Systematic literature review Structure and Layout ...................................................... 14
9. Systematic literature review Marking Rubric .............................................................. 19
10. Dissertation Structure and Layout ............................................................................... 22
11. Dissertation Marking Rubric........................................................................................ 30
12. Submission ................................................................................................................... 34
13. Submission Checklist ................................................................................................... 35
14. Notes on Style and Word Count .................................................................................. 37
15. Feedback ...................................................................................................................... 39
16. Appendices ................................................................................................................... 40
Appendix A: Supervision Meetings and Milestones ............................................................ 41
Appendix B: Declaration and Statements ........................................................................... 43
Appendix C: Request for Authorisation of Absence ............................................................ 44
Appendix D: Extension Request Form ................................................................................ 45

3
 School of Management
MN-D004 Dissertation

Module Overview
1. Introduction

This module involves the completion of a dissertation and allows students to undertake in-
depth and applied research on an academic or practical topic. Students must choose a topic
that they are interested in (related to their pathway and specialist field) and conduct an original
piece of research that adds knowledge to the field.

Students are permitted to adopt one of the following dissertation formats: 1) systematic
literature review, 2) dissertation (secondary data) or 3) dissertation (primary data). The
systematic literature review requires a detailed and comprehensive review of relevant
literature, with a discussion chapter outlining key gaps in the literature, relevant research
questions and appropriate methods. The dissertation format will require students to complete
a literature review, methodology, results and discussion. The analysis for this dissertation can
be either based on primary data (i.e. that which you collect yourself such as a questionnaire)
or secondary data (i.e. data that has already been collected such as statistics and company
reports). Students will use knowledge gained during their MSc programmes to complete this
dissertation. Topic selection has to be related to the discipline of Business Management. If
you are on one of our pathways listed below, then your topic must be relevant to this pathway.
• Management
• Management (Artificial Intelligence)
• Management (Business Analytics)
• Management (Digital Business)
• Management (Enterprise and Innovation)
• Management (Finance)
• Management (Human Resource Management)
• Management (International Management)
• Management (Marketing)
• Management (Media)
• Management (Operations and Supply Management)
• Management (Sport Management)
• Management (Sustainable Business)

Supervisors and module lecturers on your pathway will be able to give you some guidance.
However, they will NOT choose the topic for you. This is an individual decision to be made in
consultation with your supervisor. The Research Methods module (MN-M549) may help you
to decide upon and refine ideas for your topic.

This booklet contains:

• an introduction to the module
• lecture information and supervisory information
• details of the core textbooks via the reading list
• information on assessment and feedback, including the dissertation briefs
• an overview of the entire module

4
2. Lecture & Supervisory Meetings

2.1. Lecture and Additional Support

You will have one PRE-RECORDED introductory session that will be available on Canvas.

A clear link back to your research methods module will also be available as this is where all
of the background content to understand and undertake your dissertation will be provided.

A PRE-RECORDED SESSION on how to complete the ethics approval application for your
dissertation has also been provided.

Dissertation support workshops:

There are additional support sessions available ONLINE for students. Please see Canvas
and your individual timetables for more detail.

Communication

Lecture notes and key information will be posted on Canvas along with announcements and
any administrative notices.

2.2. Supervisors

Students are required to be available for supervision IN-PERSON during the

dissertation.

Each student will be allocated a supervisor, this will be confirmed via an email at the end of
Semester 2.

Students are required to arrange a minimum of three, and normally a maximum of four,
engagements with supervisors.

All meetings will be face-to-face.

Supervision meetings normally last around 30 minutes. Supervisors will then complete a
supervision record on e-vision to provide comment as to what extent the student has met
milestones for each engagement point. The expected outcomes and topics for discussion at
each engagement are outlined in Appendix A.

It is your responsibility to contact your supervisor and agree a suitable time and method to
meet.

Specific requirements for supervision meetings are:

10th June 2024 – 16th September 2024

There should be at least one supervision meeting per month to be held during the months of
June, July, August and September. The final meeting can be scheduled where required.

This is a critical aspect of engagement and is compulsory for student visa monitoring.

Please refer to the ‘Module Overview’ lecture slides or Canvas for detailed information on
the role of your supervisor.

5
Swansea University has a policy on the supervision of Postgraduate Taught Masters students,
which is available on the university website at:

http://www.swansea.ac.uk/academic-services/academic-guide/assessment-and-
progress/supervision-policy/

Registration of Student Meetings

Meetings can be arranged as soon as supervisors have been allocated. Supervisors need to
register each meeting using e-vision and the following link:

https://evision-swanseauniversity.msappproxy.net/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_lgn

For more details on supervision meetings and milestones see Appendix A.

2.3. Attendance

Full-time students are required to be actively engaged and available for supervision during the
dissertation. This means you are required to be in Swansea for the duration of the
summer.

The University will continue to monitor students’ engagement during the dissertation and will
take relevant action involving those students whose engagement is deemed to be
unsatisfactory. Supervisors will complete a monthly meeting record on e-vision to provide
comment as to what extent the student has met milestones for each engagement point. The
expected outcomes and topics for discussion at each engagement are outlined in Appendix
A.

Please remember if you miss an engagement without giving more than 24 hours’ notice, it is
at the supervisor’s discretion as to whether they rearrange it. Please take into consideration
that this may not be immediately following the previous meeting.

2.4. Authorised Absence

Students who are still resident in Swansea, but intend on undertaking research away from the
University must request an authorisation of absence from their supervisor. Students who are
absent without authorisation will be reported to the Academic Registry and may be withdrawn
from University. Overseas students may also be reported to the UKBA.

A copy of the proforma authorising absence can be found in Appendix C.

This should be completed, signed by the student and the supervisor and then handed into the
School of Management reception for processing.

The University cannot be held responsible for withdrawing a student for non-attendance where
the student may have extenuating circumstances if these circumstances have not been made
known to the School or the University.

6
3. Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module students should be able to:-

• Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the literature associated with their

research topic, as related to their specialist pathway area.
• Interpret and analyse the strategic environment of a given research topic or
company.
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the research topic or business problem that
all resources are finite and in order to complete a research dissertation trade-off
decisions must be made.
• Critically apply theoretical concepts to a real-world business situation.
• Critically evaluate the challenges of working in the real world with operational,
organisational and financial responsibility.
• Evaluate the likely outcomes associated with the data collected to determine how this
links back to the literature and affects this may have.

Transferrable Skills

Problem solving
Analytical skills
Communication skills
Report writing
Creativity

4. Reading Material

The full reading list for this module is available via Canvas.

Core Textbooks:

Business research methods / Alan Bryman and Emma Bell. (3rd ed.)
Alan Bryman and Emma Bell
Oxford University Press 2011

Essentials of business research : a guide to doing your research project /

Jonathan Wilson.
Wilson, Jonathan (Jonathan Stuart)
Sage 2010

Research methods for business students (7th ed.)

Saunders, Mark; Lewis, Philip; Thornhill, Adrian
2016

Recommended Reading:

An Introduction to Systematic Reviews

David Gough, Sandy Oliver and James Thomas
Sage 2012

Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide

Mark Petticrew and Helen Roberts
Blackwell Publishing/ Wiley 2006

7
 Doing research in the business world
David E Gray
Sage

Business research enjoy creating, developing and writing your business project
Wilson NG and Elayne Coakes
Kogan Page

Business Statistics using Excel and SPSS

Nick Lee and Mike Peters
Sage 2016

SPSS survival manual: a step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS
(6th ed)
Julie Pallant

Real world research (Fourth Edition.)

Robson, Colin; McCartan, Kieran
2016

Journals are also extremely important sources, however these will vary based on
individual pathway and topic so if you would like some guidance please speak to your
supervisor as they will be able to direct you to appropriate sources.

5. Assessment

The assessment for the module is structured as follows:

Step 1: Submission of Ethics Approval – this is an online process. A pre-recorded

video is available to help you with this process.
To be completed no later than Friday 28th June 2024.

Step 2: 100% individual dissertation of no more than 12,000 words

(Deadline at 14:00pm on Friday, 20th September 2024)

Submission in Welsh

Any written work submitted as part of any assessment or examination may be submitted in
Welsh, and that work submitted in Welsh will be treated no less favourably than written work
submitted by you in English as part of an assessment or examination.

Time Limits and Extensions

The expectation is that students will submit their Dissertation within the time-limit laid down by
the regulation.

For postgraduate students, the School operates a late penalty system of awarding zero
marks for any late and/or incomplete submissions. A submission will be considered in
complete if it does not contain a signed declarations and statements form and an ethics
form that is completed and signed and dated both by you and your supervisor.

PLEASE NOTE: Students must ensure that their research can be completed in 3 months and
should take note of public holidays both in the UK and overseas when drawing up their work
plan.

8
A candidate's time-limit may be extended by Swansea University in exceptional cases. It is
the responsibility of the student to bring to the attention of their supervisor any foreseeable
events which may interfere with their work and result in a possible extension request.

Extensions may be granted on compassionate grounds, in cases of illness, serious domestic

difficulties, or inordinate professional commitments (part-time students only) which can be
demonstrated to have adversely affected a candidate's ability to complete within the stipulated
period. A full and reasoned case, supported by appropriate medical or other independent
evidence, must be made by the School for the consideration of Swansea University.

Students who request an extension on such grounds must complete the official Extension
Request Form in Appendix E. A clear statement must be supplied, showing that the School
concerned has evaluated the situation in which the candidate finds him/herself as a result of
the illness or other circumstance (including covid-19 related issues) and that it considers the
requested extension to be appropriate. Such a statement will, wherever possible, follow
contact between the candidate and the School.

6. Extenuating Circumstances

Extenuating Circumstances are defined as serious and acute problems or events which are
beyond your control or ability to foresee which may have affected your performance and/or
may have impeded your ability to complete or submit an assessment on time.

If you feel you are dealing with extenuating circumstances please contact your supervisor, the
assessments team ([email protected]) and the student experience
officers ([email protected]) who will be able to discuss the
extenuating circumstances process with you.

If you require an extension to your dissertation please complete the form in Appendix D.

7. Non-submission and Re-submissions

Any students who fail the Directed Independent Learning element, will automatically be eligible for
one attempt to resubmit (capped) in line with current academic regulations and time limits set out
below. Any additional University fees incurred will be waived.

Please see the following link for the Flexible Postgraduate Taught Masters Safety Net Regulations.

Mode of Study
Full-time 3 months
Part-time 3 months

Students resubmitting their Dissertation should be given one formal feedback session
including written feedback on the reasons for failure immediately following confirmation of the
result by the Award Board. Your supervisor should ensure that feedback reflects all comments
from the Examiners (Internal and External) and that you are informed of the necessary
changes required.

Students re-submitting their dissertations are only permitted to make minor changes to the
title of their dissertation with the permission of their supervisor. Such changes should not
require any further original research.

9
Students resubmitting their dissertation shall be considered as enrolled resubmitting. Full-
time students will be expected to be available for supervision during the resubmission period.

10
 School of Management
MN-D004 Dissertation

Step 1: Ethics Review

The School of Management and wider University have a Research Ethics Policy that applies
to all research undertaken to make sure it complies with ethical guidelines. The policy is
intended to cover work completed by undergraduates, postgraduates (taught and research),
research staff and academic staff.

What is research integrity: ethics and governance?

For a more comprehensive overview of the ethical guidelines please see:

• Research Ethics System

Ethical Review Process

1. Using the video provided on Canvas to help complete the online research ethics
form.
2. The Research Ethics Form is accessed through your apps under the name
‘Research Ethics Applicant’. Go to My Applications
3. The icon will look like this:

You MUST include the ethics approval document in your dissertation.

Ethical Considerations

• You must have received research ethics clearance via the online system, or if
necessary the schools ethics committee, before engaging in any research activities.
• Primary data collection should be carried out in accordance with the University
guidelines on COVID-19 at all times and should be adapted to reflect any changes to
these guidelines as they arise.
• You are expected to behave to the highest professional standard that maintains your
integrity and the school’s reputation.
• Make sure that your respondents know that you are going to keep their identity
confidential. If very sensitive data is involved, the university can establish a three-year
ban on public access to your dissertation.
• You should not record telephone or online interviews without the explicit agreement of
interviewee.
• All data should be anonymised and stored securely.

11
Students should note that Swansea University is not responsible for any processing by them
of personal data for which Swansea University is not the data controller, even if the processing
is carried out using Swansea University's equipment and facilities. Students are personally
responsible for complying with the GDPR in regard to data for which they are the data
controller.

Student Handling of Personal Data

You may be required to provide your supervisor and the assessment team with a copy of your
data should they request.

Deadline for Ethics Form - Friday 28th June at 2pm.

Once completed this will then be approved. Please DO NOT complete ANY data
collection until you have received a notification that your ethics form has been
approved. This form then needs to be included in your dissertation.

12
 School of Management
MN-D004 Dissertation

Step 2: MSc Dissertation (Independent

Directed Learning Project)

The assessment for this module is an individual dissertation project worth 100% of the
overall module mark.

MSc Dissertation Brief

The dissertation should be a written report of no more than 12,000 words in length, based
on an independent research project relevant to Business Management and the student’s
pathway.

MSc Dissertation Submission:

You must submit one electronic copy of your individual dissertation by 14:00pm on Monday
September 20th 2024.

Please refer to ‘Section 12: Submission’ on page 34 of the module handbook for more
detailed submission information.

Key Marking criteria:

Examiners will seek to award good grades to students who design, conduct and present a
sustained exploration of a chosen topic in the area of Business Management involving an
appreciation of the relevant literature, independent investigation and critical analysis.

The assessment criteria are based on the detailed marking rubrics provided in both Section
9 and Section 11.

For more detail on required content of each section please refer to ‘Section 8 – Systematic
literature review Structure and Layout’ and ‘Section 10 - Dissertation Structure and
Layout’ below.

13
8. Systematic literature review Structure and Layout

The table below will provide you with a detailed structure of what your systematic literature review might look like.

The systematic literature review structure provided in this table is linked to the marking rubric in Section 9 and will be used by your supervisor
and second marker when marking your dissertation.

However, it is acknowledged that not every systematic literature review will fit this structure exactly and it may vary dependent on topic. If this is
the case, please make sure that you have consulted with your supervisor.

*The number of words is just a suggestion, you are not expected to follow this exactly.

Structure of Include/answer the following

Dissertation Suggested
Number of
Words*
Title Page • Title of the dissertation
• Full name of candidate
• Student number
Not
Applicable • Submitted to Swansea University in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of
Science Management (and Pathways)
• Swansea University 2024
• Word count
Abstract • Remember to summarise here ONLY key information from DISSERTATION.
• This should be completed LAST.
300 words • References should be avoided in the abstract.
• Do not paraphrase text from other chapters of your dissertation.
Declarations and Not • Complete and Sign this form – Appendix B
Statements Applicable

14
Ethics form Not TBC – as there is a new online approval system
Applicable
Acknowledgements Not • If you have anyone to thank for helping you complete your dissertation, you would include it here.
Applicable
Contents Not • This is how you have divided the dissertation, page numbers should be included
Applicable
List of Figures Not • Title and page number of all graphs included in the dissertation
Applicable
List of Tables Not • Title and page number of all tables included in the dissertation
Applicable
Introduction 1. Provide a general overview and background of your dissertation topic
2. Identify and clearly define the question the review will address
a. Is the question about the effectiveness of a technique? What do you mean by
effectiveness?
b. Is the question about the relationship between two phenomena? Are you interested in the
association or causality? What do you mean by relationship?
c. is the question about process? What sort of process? What are the timescales? What are
the key inputs/outputs and events?
between 500
3. Identify any aims and objectives associated with your research question.
to 1000
4. Briefly explain how your topic relates to existing theory?
words
5. Why have you chosen this topic?
6. A short final section of the Introduction should tell the reader what topics are going to be
discussed in each of the chapters and how the chapters are related to each other. In this way,
you are providing the reader with an idea of what is to be expected ahead.

The above questions should not be used as subheadings within your dissertation.

Remember that it is compulsory that your chosen topic aligns with your degree pathway.
Review
Methodology Determine the types of studies and data that will • What will you include for instance, meta
1750 to answer the research question analyses, experimental research, action
2750 words
research, case studies?
• Why some and not others?

15
Search the literature to locate • Where will you search for instance
business source premier, web of science,
google scholar?
Sift through all the retrieved studies to identify • What characteristics does the study need
those that meet the inclusion criteria (and will be to have to be included?
examined further) and those that do not and will • How might the criteria be modified
be excluded depending on what you find?
Extract the relevant data of information from the • What information will you collect from
studies each study?
• Will you use the authors interpretations
and conclusions or will you make your
own?
• What other information about the study
(i.e. sample size, analytic methods,
design) will you need to extract?
Critically appraise the studies by assessing the • How can you devise a system or scoring
study quality in relation to the review question method that rates study quality?
• Would you consider revising your search
criteria based on the number and quality
of studies that you find?

16
Literature Review In this section you are required to provide a detailed and comprehensive review of previous and current
Analysis and literature on your chosen research question.
Discussion
For each piece of research in terms of key themes associated with your research question, you should
include discussion of the following:

• Discuss and analyse, in a critical manner, the published literature which is relevant to your
research topic.
• Demonstrate and critically evaluate the key variables, trends and factors in the context of your
research question. What are the important issues that need to be investigated further? Is there
5000 to contrasting research? Present both sides of the argument.
7000 words • Published material may be drawn from all, or a combination of, textbooks, journal articles,
conference papers, reports, case studies, the Internet, magazine features or newspaper articles.
• It should be remembered, however, that the most important source of academic literature are
journal articles and you should ensure that you are familiar with the most recent publications in
journals relevant to your subject area.
• Identify gaps in the existing coverage of the topic and provide a more detailed argument as to
WHY you are researching this topic.

Remember that your literature review should still aim to answer a specific question associated
with the research

Conclusion, Synthesise the findings from the studies • How can you pull the results of all the
recommendations studies together?
and limitations • Overall what is the body of knowledge
suggesting in relation to the research
question?
• How clearly and confidently can the
1500-2000
research question be answered?
words
• Identify areas for further development
where there is limited research or
contrasting results.
Consider potential effects of publication and other • Are there any reasons to believe that the
biases available research may have been biased
in anyway? For example ere the studies

17
 confused in a particular or limited number
of contexts?
Recommendations • Develop a set of research questions
suitable for future research on this topic
Limitations • Are there any limitations in the current
research?

No new material or references should be placed here.

References • APA 7th edition, alphabetical order, preferably from peer reviewed books and journals. There is no
Not maximum however for a dissertation of this size.
Applicable • APA Referencing Guides: http://libguides.swansea.ac.uk/APAReferencing
• DO NOT under any circumstances use a reference that contains WIKI or WIKIPEDIA.
Appendices • The appendices should be labelled e.g. Appendix 1, Appendix 2 etc. The appendices should
Not
include any relevant information, tables, figures or graphs related to your systematic literature
Applicable
review. For example, your literature review protocol.
Data • Students should note that Swansea University is not responsible for any processing by them of
personal data for which Swansea University is not the data controller, even if the processing is
carried out using Swansea University's equipment and facilities. Students are personally
Not responsible for complying with the GDPR in regard to data for which they are the data controller.
Applicable https://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff-home/professional-services/vco/data-protection/student-
handling-personal-data/
• You may be required to provide your supervisor and the assessment team with a copy of your data
should they request it.

18
 9. Systematic literature review Marking Rubric

Evidence of % Weight 0-9 10-19 20-29 30 – 39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-89 90-99 100
per section Missing Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Fail Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very Good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
Fail Fail Poor Fail Fail Pass Pass Merit Merit Distinction Distinction Distinction Distinction
Fail
Abstract 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
section is overview of overview overview overview overview overview of overview of overview of overview overview overview overview overview of overview of
completely dissertation of of of of dissertation dissertation dissertation of of of of dissertation dissertation
missing content. dissertatio dissertatio dissertatio dissertatio content. content. content. dissertatio dissertatio dissertatio dissertatio content. content.
n content. n content. n content. n content. n content. n content. n content. n content.
Introduction 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
: Relevance section is originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality,
of Research completely relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance
Topic and missing and and and and and and and and and and and and and and
Gap justification justificatio justificatio justificatio justificatio justification justification justification justificatio justificatio justificatio justificatio justification justification
of research n of n of n of n of of research of research of research n of n of n of n of of research of research
topic research research research research topic topic topic research research research research topic topic
topic topic topic topic topic topic topic topic
Introduction 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
: Research section is outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of
Objectives completely research research research research research research research research research research research research research research
missing objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives
Review 15% This Inadequate Very Poor Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
Methodolog section is description descriptio descriptio descriptio descriptio description description description descriptio descriptio descriptio descriptio description description
y completely and n and n and n and n and and and and n and n and n and n and and and
missing justification justificatio justificatio justificatio justificatio justification justification justification justificatio justificatio justificatio justificatio justification justification
of research n of n of n of n of of research of research of research n of n of n of n of of research of research
methodology research research research research methodology methodology methodology research research research research methodology methodology
and methodolo methodolo methodolo methodolo and and and methodolo methodolo methodolo methodolo and and
procedure gy and gy and gy and gy and procedure procedure procedure gy and gy and gy and gy and procedure procedure
procedure procedure procedure procedure procedure procedure procedure procedure
Analysis 10% This Inadequate Very Poor Poor with Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
section is with no clear with no no clear analysis of analysis of analysis. analysis. analysis, of analysis, of analysis, of analysis, of analysis, of analysis, of analysis, of
completely analysis clear analysis results results literature literature literature literature literature literature literature
missing conducted analysis conducted conducted conducted collected. collected. collected. collected. collected. collected. collected.
conducted . . Sample of Sample of Sample of Sample of using using using
literature literature literature literature predefined predefined predefined
included in included in included in included in criteria. criteria. criteria.
appendices. appendice appendice appendice Sample of Sample of Sample of
s. s. s. literature literature literature
included in included in included in
appendice appendices. appendices.
s.

19
 literature 30% This Inadequate Very Poor Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
review and section is review and review and review and review and review and review and review and review and review and review and review and review and review and review and
Discussion completely discussion of discussion discussion discussion discussion discussion of discussion of discussion of discussion discussion discussion discussion discussion of discussion of
missing appropriate of of of of appropriate appropriate appropriate of of of of appropriate appropriate
literature appropriat appropriat appropriat appropriat literature literature literature appropriat appropriat appropriat appropriat literature literature
with no links e e e e with no links with no links with no links e e e e with no links with no links
to the literature literature literature literature to the to the to the literature literature literature literature to the to the
research with no with no with no with no research research research with no with no with no with no research research
question. links to the links to the links to the links to the question question question links to the links to the links to the links to the question question
research research research research research research research research
question. question. question. question. question question question question
Conclusion 10% This Inadequate Very Poor Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
and section is conclusion conclusion conclusion conclusion conclusion conclusion conclusion summary of summary summary summary summary summary of summary of
Limitations completely and and and and and and and research of of of of research research
missing limitations limitations limitations limitations limitations limitations limitations study with research research research research study with study with
critical study with study with study with study with critical critical
awareness of critical critical critical critical awareness of awareness of
limitations. awareness awareness awareness awareness limitations. limitations.
of of of of
limitations limitations limitations limitations
. . . .
Quality of 5% This inadequate Very Poor Poor use Tolerable Basic use Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good use Very good Great use Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
referencing section is use of APA use of APA of APA use of APA of APA use of APA use of APA use of APA of APA use of APA of APA use of APA use of APA use of APA
style completely referencing referencin referencin referencin referencin referencing referencing referencing referencin referencin referencin referencin referencing referencing
missing style g style g style g style g style style style style g style g style g style g style style style
Quality of 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Poor with Tolerable Basic ideas Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellently Outstandingl Impeccablely
Writing section is with several with several ideas and and writing and writing and writing and writing writing writing written y well written well written
completely areas several areas content content presentation. presentation. presentation. and and and and and and
missing incoherent areas incoherent poorly poorly presentati presentati presentati presented. presented. presented.
and unclear. incoherent and presented. presented. on. on on.
and unclear.
unclear.
Quality of 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
Reasoning section is evidence of evidence evidence evidence evidence evidence of evidence of evidence of evidence evidence evidence demonstra demonstratio demonstratio
completely reasoning or of of of of reasoning reasoning solid of solid of solid of solid tion of n of higher n of higher
missing critical reasoning reasoning reasoning reasoning and and reasoning reasoning reasoning reasoning higher order order
ability. or critical or critical or critical or critical critical/evalu critical/evalu and critical and critical and critical and critical order reasoning reasoning
ability. ability. ability. ability. ative ability. ative ability. evaluation evaluation evaluation evaluation reasoning and critical and critical
Poor Poor Logical Logical ability. Clear ability. ability. ability. and critical evaluation. evaluation.
explanatio explanatio expression of expression of rationale for Clear Clear Clear evaluation Clear Clear
n for areas n for areas ideas ideas every area of rationale rationale rationale . Clear rationale for rationale for
discussed. discussed. dissertation. for every for every for every rationale every area of every area of
Logical area of area of area of for every dissertation. dissertation.
expression of dissertatio dissertatio dissertatio area of Logical Logical
ideas. n. Logical n. Logical n. Logical dissertatio expression of expression of
expression expression expression n. Logical ideas. ideas.
of ideas. of ideas. of ideas. expression
of ideas.

20
 Quality of 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
dissertation section is structure not structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure
layout and completely following the not not not not following the following the with the with the with the with the with the with the with the
structure missing predetermin following following following following basic basic predetermin predeterm predeterm predeterm predeterm predetermine predetermin
ed the the the the guidelines for guidelines for ed guidelines ined ined ined ined d structure. ed structure.
guidelines. predeterm predeterm predeterm predeterm the the followed. guidelines structure. guidelines structure. Headings and Headings and
No use of ined ined ined ined assignment. assignment. Heading and followed. Headings followed. Headings subheading subheading
headings or guidelines. guidelines. guidelines. guidelines. Basic use of Basic use of subheadings Heading and Heading and used used
subheadings. Little or no Little or no Minor use Minor headings and headings and used. and subheadin and subheadin effectively effectively
use of use of of headings subheadings. subheadings. subheadin g used subheadin g used
headings headings headings or gs used. effectively gs used. effectively
or or or subheadin
subheadin subheadin subheadin gs.
gs. gs. gs.

21
 10. Dissertation Structure and Layout

The table below will provide you with a detailed structure of what your dissertation might look like.

The dissertation structure provided in this table is linked to the marking rubric in Section 11 and will be used by your supervisor and second
marker when marking your dissertation.

However, it is acknowledged that not every dissertation will fit this structure exactly and it may vary dependent on topic. If this is the case, please
make sure that you have consulted with your dissertation supervisor.

*The number of words is just a suggestion, you are not expected to follow this exactly.

Structure of Include/answer the following

Dissertation Suggested
Number of
Words*
Title Page • Title of the dissertation
• Full name of Candidate
• Student Number
Not
Applicable • Submitted to Swansea University in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of
Science Management (and Pathways)
• Swansea University 2024
• Word count
Abstract • Remember to summarise here ONLY key information from DISSERTATION.
• This should be completed LAST.
300 words • References should be avoided in the abstract.
• Do not paraphrase text from other chapters of your dissertation.
Declarations and Not • Complete and Sign this form – Appendix B
Statements Applicable
Ethics Form Not To be confirmed as there is a new online approval system
Applicable

22
Acknowledgements Not • If you have anyone to thank for helping you complete your dissertation, you would include it here.
Applicable
Contents Not • This is how you have divided the dissertation, page numbers should be included
Applicable
List of Figures Not • Title and page number of all graphs included in the dissertation
Applicable
List of Tables Not • Title and page number of all tables included in the dissertation
Applicable
Introduction • Provide a general background to your dissertation.
• What is your chosen research topic?
• How does your topic relate to existing theory?
• What is your chosen research question?
between • Why have you chosen this research question?
500 to 700 • A short final section of the Introduction should tell the reader what topics are going to be
words discussed in each of the chapters and how the chapters are related to each other. In this way,
you are providing the reader with an idea of what is to be expected ahead.

The above questions should not be used as subheadings within your dissertation.

Remember that it is compulsory that your chosen topic aligns with your degree pathway.

23
Literature Review In this section you are required to provide a detailed and comprehensive review of previous and current
literature on your chosen topic.

For each piece of research you include here you need to:

• Discuss and analyse, in a critical manner, the published literature which is relevant to your
research topic.
• Demonstrate and critically evaluate the key variables, trends and factors in the context of your
study. What are the important issues that need to be investigated further? Is there contrasting
research? Present both sides of the argument.
• Published material may be drawn from all, or a combination of, textbooks, journal articles,
2,500 to
conference papers, reports, case studies, the Internet, magazine features or newspaper articles.
3,000
words • It should be remembered, however, that the most important source of academic literature are
journal articles and you should ensure that you are familiar with the most recent publications in
journals relevant to your subject area.
• Identify gaps in the existing coverage of the topic and provide a more detailed argument as to
WHY you are researching this topic.

Remember that your literature review should LINK to your research topic and aims and objectives
of your dissertation. Your literature review should not just be a list of authors, frameworks and
ideas but should attempt to provide a critical evaluation of those authors work.

You should NOT use the above list as subheadings.

24
Methodology Cover the following points in your writing:

Research Design
• Are you doing quantitative research or qualitative research or mixed methods?
• Why have you chosen this method for your research topic? (Use previous literature and research
questions to support your answer and look at advantages & disadvantages)
• Are you conducting primary research or secondary research or multiple methods?
• Why have you chosen this method for your research topic? (Use previous literature and research
questions to support your answer and look at advantages & disadvantages)
• Why have you chosen the approach/approaches you have?

Primary Research

• Discuss the method of data collection used (e.g. self-completion questionnaire (quantitative) or
unstructured interview (qualitative).
1,000 and • Explain how you designed the research instrument (e.g. questionnaire or interview schedule).
2,500 • Provide a sample structure of your questionnaire, focus group or interview questions in your
words appendices and refer to it here.

Secondary Research

• Discuss the form of secondary data collection you are undertaking.

• What secondary data sources are you using (e.g. databases, government reports and statistics,
company reports, news articles, financial accounts, media voice recordings, employment policies)
• Why have you chosen these sources and where did you access them? (e.g. UK data archives,
Office of National Statistics or Mintel)
• Provide a sample of the documents that you will use as sources in your appendices.

If you are undertaking a Mixed Methods approach you will need to answer all of the above points
for both primary and secondary research.

Sampling Approach

• Explain the sampling strategy used.

25
 • Why was the sampling strategy appropriate?
• How was the sampling carried out?

It is important that you consider the reliability and validity of your data collection.

The above questions should not be used as subheadings within your research.

26
Results • In this section you will be required to provide details on the data (information) you have collected
from primary or secondary resources.
• What analysis have you undertaken on the data? (e.g. thematic, content, regression analysis etc.)
• Why are you analysing the data that way? (advantages/disadvantages)
• Present and provide an overview of the results in relation to each of your research questions
(please note, the results will be discussed in more detail in the discussion section).
1,500 to • This data must be organised in a logical and coherent manner.
2,000 • Graphs, diagrams, pie-charts etc. are all useful ways of presenting research results. These are
words an imaginative way of ‘breaking up’ solid blocks of text.
• Keep your results to those items which are relevant to your research question and not just
everything you found out.
• The analysis of qualitative data should be based on the research questions. You should avoid
lengthy quotations, unless they are of critical importance. However, short excerpts enrich the
reader’s understanding and provide a clearer insight on the topic.

Discussion • The introduction of this chapter reminds the reader what the research objectives were.
• Your analysis of the data that you have collected should provide answers to these questions.
• You should focus attention on data that is directly relevant to the research questions.
• This is the heart of the Dissertation and must be more than descriptive.
2,000 to • This chapter develops analytic and critical thinking on results and analysis with reference to
2,250 theoretical arguments grounded in the literature review.
words. • You should try to highlight where there are major differences and similarities from the literature.
• Where a model or framework of analysis has been used or is being developed you should highlight
the main relationships as well as explaining the reason and significance behind features or
decisions being discussed.

27
Conclusion,
recommendations The conclusions address the wider understanding of the issue you have been studying.
and Limitations
• Here you will bring together the work of the dissertation by showing how the initial research plan
has been addressed in such a way that conclusions may be formed from the evidence of the
dissertation.
• Draw together the main findings, your conclusions should address a wider understanding of the
issue you have been studying.
1,000-
1,250 • Demonstrate and make a statement on the extent to which the research aims and objectives have
words been met.
• Explicitly outline how the project aims and objectives align with the conclusions and
recommendations.
• Highlight any limitations in your research.
• Outline any suggestions for further research for colleagues who might wish to undertake research
in this area in the future.

No new material or references should be placed here.

References • APA 6th edition, alphabetical order, preferably from peer reviewed books and journals. There is no
Not maximum however for a dissertation of this size.
Applicable • APA Referencing Guides: http://libguides.swansea.ac.uk/APAReferencing
• DO NOT under any circumstances use a reference that contains WIKI or WIKIPEDIA.
Appendices • The appendices should be labelled e.g. Appendix 1, Appendix 2 etc.
• They should include any relevant information, tables, figures or graphs related to your dissertation.
• For example, a sample of any data you have used/collected (primary or secondary).
• If you have completed primary research you also need to include:
Not (1) A sample consent form
Applicable (2) A sample information sheet
(3) A sample debriefing form
(4) A sample questionnaire or list of interview questions
(5) Copy of an anonymized completed questionnaire or anonymized interview transcript

28
Data • Students should note that Swansea University is not responsible for any processing by them of
personal data for which Swansea University is not the data controller, even if the processing is
carried out using Swansea University's equipment and facilities. Students are personally
responsible for complying with the GDPR in regard to data for which they are the data controller.
Not
https://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff-home/professional-services/vco/data-protection/student-
Applicable
handling-personal-data/
• You may be required to provide your supervisor and the assessment team with a copy of your data
should they request it.

29
 11. Dissertation Marking Rubric

Evidence of % Weight 0-9 10-19 20-29 30 – 39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-89 90-99 100
per section Missing Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Fail Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very Good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
Fail Fail Poor Fail Fail Pass Pass Merit Merit Distinction Distinction Distinction Distinction
Fail
Abstract 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
section is overview of Poor overview overview overview overview of overview of overview of overview overview overview overview overview of overview of
completely dissertation overview of of of dissertation dissertation dissertation of of of of dissertation dissertation
missing content. of dissertatio dissertatio dissertatio content. content. content. dissertatio dissertatio dissertatio dissertatio content. content.
dissertat n content. n content. n content. n content. n content. n content. n content.
ion
content.
Introduction 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
: Relevance section is originality, Poor originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality, originality,
of Research completely relevance and originalit relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance relevance
Topic and missing justification of y, and and and and and and and and and and and and
Gap research topic relevanc justificatio justificatio justificatio justification justification justification justificatio justificatio justificatio justificatio justification justification
e and n of n of n of of research of research of research n of n of n of n of of research of research
justificati research research research topic topic topic research research research research topic topic
on of topic topic topic topic topic topic topic
research
topic
Introduction 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
: Research section is outline of Poor outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of outline of
Questions completely research outline research research research research research research research research research research research research
missing objectives of objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives objectives
research
objective
s
Literature 10% This Inadequate Very Poor Basic Basic Acceptable Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent - Outstanding Impeccable–
Review: section is number of poor number of sources, sources, sources but sources but sources but sources sources sources quality – very high very high
quality completely sources. No number sources poor poor more more more summarise summarise summarise scholarly quality quality
scholarly missing link to research of with scholarly scholarly information information information d well and d well and d well and sources; scholarly scholarly
sources; topic. sources insignifica quality, quality, required with required with required in linked to linked to linked to clearly sources; sources;
clearly with no nt links to minimal few clearer link to clearer link to some places research research research summarize clearly clearly
summarized; clear link the links to linkages to research research with clearer topic topic topic d; summarized; summarized;
connection or research research research topic topic link to connectio well well
to research relevanc topic topic topic research n to connected to connected to
clear. e to the topic research research research
research clear. topic topic
topic

30
Methodolog 10% This Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
y: Research section is description and Poor descriptio descriptio descriptio description description description descriptio descriptio descriptio descriptio description description
Method and completely justification of descripti n and n and n and and and and n and n and n and n and and and
Procedure missing research on and justificatio justificatio justificatio justification justification justification justificatio justificatio justificatio justificatio justification justification
methodology justificati n of n of n of of research of research of research n of n of n of n of of research of research
and procedure on of research research research methodology methodology methodology research research research research methodology methodology
research methodolo methodolo methodolo and and and methodolo methodolo methodolo methodolo and and
method gy and gy and gy and procedure procedure procedure gy and gy and gy and gy and procedure procedure
ology procedure procedure procedure procedure procedure procedure procedure
and
procedur
e
Analysis 10% This Inadequate Very Poor with Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
section is with no clear Poor no clear analysis analysis of analysis with analysis with analysis, of analysis, of analysis, of analysis, of thorough thorough and thorough and
completely analysis with no analysis with results minor minor data data data data and appropriate appropriate
missing conducted clear conducted limited with basic evidence evidence collected. collected. collected. collected. appropriat to the data to the data
analysis evidence evidence provided provided Qualitative/q Qualitative Qualitative Qualitative e to the collected. collected.
conduct uantitative /quantitati /quantitati /quantitati data Qualitative/q Qualitative/q
ed data ve data ve data ve data collected. uantitative uantitative
analysed. analysed.. analysed.. analysed.. Qualitative data data
/quantitati systematicall systematicall
ve data y analysed. y analysed..
systematic
ally
analysed.
Results 10% This Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great - Excellent - Outstanding- Impeccable
section is presentation of poor Presentati presentati presentati presentation presentation results results - results results results results results
completely results. presenta on of on of on of of results. of results. presented presented presented presented presented presented presented
missing Inconsistent tion of results. results. results. Tables and Some clearly for clearly for clearly for clearly for clearly and clearly and clearly and
results results. Messy Minimal Minor use graphs used appropriate reader. reader. reader. reader. interesting interestingly interestingly
No tables/gra use of of tables to present tables and Useful tables Useful Useful Useful ly for for reader. for reader.
tables phs and tables and and graphs data in a graphs used and charts tables and tables and tables and reader. Useful tables Useful tables
and unclear graphs and but limited way to present included. charts charts charts Useful and charts and charts
graphs data unclear unclear the data included included. included tables and included. included.
and data data charts
unclear included.
data
Discussion 15% This Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
section is review and Poor review and review and review and discussion of discussion of results results results results results results results
completely discussion of review discussion discussion discussion results. Some results. Some discussed discussed discussed discussed discussed discussed and discussed
missing appropriate and of results. of results. of results. links to links to and and and and and evaluated to and
literature with discussio No links to Minimal Minimal literature literature evaluated to evaluated evaluated evaluated evaluated a high level. evaluated to
no links to the n of literature links to links to review. review. some degree. to some well. well. well. results a high level.
research results. review. literature literature results degree. results results results compared results
question. No links review. review. compared results compared compared compared and compared
to and compared and and and contrasted and
literatur contrasted to and contrasted contrasted contrasted with results, contrasted
e review. with some contrasted to some to some to some theories, with results,
concepts to with degree degree degree models, & theories,
from the some with with with concepts models, &
literature concepts concepts concepts concepts from the concepts
review. from the from the from the from the literature from the

31
 literature literature literature literature review and literature
review. review. review. review and research review and
research question research
question question

Conclusion 10% This Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
and section is conclusion and Poor conclusion conclusion conclusion conclusion conclusion summary of summary summary summary summary summary of summary of
Limitations completely limitations conclusi and and and and and research of of of of research research
missing on and limitations limitations limitations limitations limitations study with research research research research study with study with
limitatio critical study with study with study with study with critical critical
ns awareness of critical critical critical critical awareness of awareness of
limitations. awareness awareness awareness awareness limitations. limitations.
of of of of
limitations limitations limitations limitations
. . . .
Quality of 5% This inadequate use Very Poor use Tolerable Basic use Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good use Very good Great use Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
referencing section is of APA Poor use of APA use of APA of APA use of APA use of APA use of APA of APA use of APA of APA use of APA use of APA use of APA
style completely referencing of APA referencin referencin referencin referencing referencing referencing referencin referencin referencin referencin referencing referencing
missing style referenci g style g style g style style style style g style g style g style g style style style
ng style
Quality of 5% This Inadequate Very Poor with Tolerable Basic ideas Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellently Outstandingl Impeccable
Writing section is with several Poor several ideas and and writing and writing and writing and writing writing writing written y well written well written
completely areas with areas content content presentation. presentation. presentation. and and and and and and
missing incoherent and several incoherent poorly poorly presentati presentati presentati presented. presented. presented.
unclear. areas and presented. presented. on. on on.
incohere unclear.
nt and
unclear.
Quality of 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
Reasoning section is evidence of Poor evidence evidence evidence evidence of evidence of evidence of evidence evidence evidence demonstra demonstratio demonstratio
completely reasoning or evidence of of of reasoning reasoning solid of solid of solid of solid tion of n of higher n of higher
missing critical ability. of reasoning reasoning reasoning and and reasoning reasoning reasoning reasoning higher order order
reasonin or critical or critical or critical critical/evalu critical/evalu and critical and critical and critical and critical order reasoning reasoning
g or ability. ability. ability. ative ability. ative ability. evaluation evaluation evaluation evaluation reasoning and critical and critical
critical Poor Poor Logical Logical ability. Clear ability. ability. ability. and critical evaluation. evaluation.
ability. explanatio explanatio expression of expression of rationale for Clear Clear Clear evaluation Clear Clear
n for areas n for areas ideas ideas every area of rationale rationale rationale . Clear rationale for rationale for
discussed. discussed. dissertation. for every for every for every rationale every area of every area of
Logical area of area of area of for every dissertation. dissertation.
expression of dissertatio dissertatio dissertatio area of Logical Logical
ideas. n. Logical n. Logical n. Logical dissertatio expression of expression of
expression expression expression n. Logical ideas. ideas.
of ideas. of ideas. of ideas. expression
of ideas.

32
 Quality of 5% This Inadequate Very Poor Tolerable Basic Satisfactory Acceptable Favourable Good Very good Great Excellent Outstanding Impeccable
dissertation section is structure not Poor structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure structure
layout and completely following the structure not not not following the following the with the with the with the with the with the with the with the
structure missing predetermined not following following following basic basic predetermin predeterm predeterm predeterm predeterm predetermine predetermin
guidelines. No followin the the the guidelines for guidelines for ed guidelines ined ined ined ined d structure. ed structure.
use of g the predeterm predeterm predeterm the the followed. guidelines structure. guidelines structure. Headings and Headings and
headings or predeter ined ined ined assignment. assignment. Heading and followed. Headings followed. Headings subheading subheading
subheadings. mined guidelines. guidelines. guidelines. Basic use of Basic use of subheadings Heading and Heading and used used
guideline Little or no Minor use Minor headings and headings and used. and subheadin and subheadin effectively effectively
s. Little use of of headings subheadings. subheadings. subheadin g used subheadin g used
or no headings headings or gs used. effectively gs used. effectively
use of or or subheadin
headings subheadin subheadin gs.
or gs. gs.
subheadi
ngs.

33
12. Submission

All dissertations must be submitted ONLINE via Turnitin before 3pm on Monday 20th
September 2024.

The following requirements must be adhered to:-

1. One electronic copy must be submitted for examination to the University via Canvas
(module MN-D004)

2. Students must ensure that their Dissertation includes the required signed Declarations
and Statements form (Appendix B).

3. Ethics approval should be completed online and evidenced within the dissertation

Failure to meet the submission requirements set out in points 1 - 3 above will result in
a mark of 0 and work classified as an incomplete submission. No further re-submission
opportunities will be available to submissions that are deemed to be incomplete.

4. When your submission has been successful you will be given a submission receipt.
You must keep a note of this, either by saving it or taking a screenshot. If there are
any problems with your submission we will need this before we can resolve them.

5. Students may be required to submit a copy of your data upon request by your
supervisor or the assessment team.

6. Plagiarism detection software will be used to check your report, and any unfair practice
will be dealt with strictly. Information about unfair practice can be found in the
University’s Academic Guide available at:
www.swan.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/assessmentandprogress/unfairpracticeproc
edure/1definitionofunfairpractice/

7. For postgraduate students, the School operates a late penalty system of awarding
zero marks for any late submissions.

8. Dissertations which are of particular relevance to Wales or Celtic Studies may be

deposited in the University Library (copies retained by Swansea University may be
decommissioned after one year).

If you have any queries regarding your submission, please contact the assessments team
within the School of Management Reception or e-mail at assessment-
[email protected]

34
 13. Submission Checklist

DOES YOUR DISSERTATION INCLUDE THESE THINGS?

Please complete this checklist:

 Your dissertation title and student number should be the name of your
dissertation submission file.
 Title Page – including title, word count, name, student number, pathway, month and
year of submission
 Declarations and Statements – signed and dated
 Ethics Approval Certificate
 Acknowledgements
 Contents Page
 Introduction
 Literature Review
 Methodology
 Results (not needed for systematic literature review)
 Discussion
 Conclusion
 References (and in-text citations of the referenced work)
 Appendices to include the following
 Consent Form (if relevant)
 Information Sheet (if relevant)
 Debriefing Form (if relevant)
 Dissertation to be submitted electronically via Canvas by Monday 20th September
2024 at 2pm.

35
Digital Submission of Coursework Instructions

• Log on to Canvas.
• Access the appropriate Course site from your dashboard.
• Click the Assignments menu button which appears on the left of the screen.
• Click on the relevant assignment for submission.
• In this page you will see a file entitled ‘Submission coversheet’. You need to complete
this form and incorporate it as the first page of your coursework (not two separate files).
• Please read the statement of originality before you click ‘Upload Submission’.

• By submitting work you are agreeing to this statement and confirming it to be true.
• Click ‘Choose File’ to select your assignment file.

• Click ‘Upload and Review’ to upload your assignment.

• Click to finalise your submission

• You will then see a message saying “Submission Complete”

• You can then download a submission receipt by clicking on this icon on the
Assignment Dashboard. Please download and keep this receipt safe as evidence of
your submission.

If you have any queries or experience any difficulties regarding your submission, please
contact the Student Information Office Assessment team straight away at Assessment-
[email protected]

36
14. Notes on Style and Word Count

Assignments are a critical part of the learning experience and development for scholars at
Swansea University. Practice will pay dividends when it comes to honing your skills in report
and essay writing. Students are therefore encouraged to submit the highest quality work they
can to reach their maximum potential. Students with concerns about how to present their work
can consult with the Module Co-ordinator for guidance in addition to the notes listed below:

Word Count

The word limit is 12,000 words; this is a maximum limit and is for the main text.

The word limit does NOT include:

• Title page
• Declarations and Statements
• Ethics Approval
• Acknowledgements
• Contents Page
• List of Tables
• Figures
• References
• Appendices

The word count must be stated in the assignment cover sheet.

Markers will stop marking once the word count [or time limit] limit has been reached, likely
leading to a reduced overall mark as key arguments or conclusions will not be included in
the marked work.

Students who submit work that is below the word limit will not be penalised. This is because
students will not have taken full advantage of the word limit available to them, which in itself
may constitute a penalty.

37
Formatting

Print

Text should be printed in black ink on one side of the page only. This prevents show-through
and helps to ensure that photocopies are clear.

Character or Print Height

Text-size would be equivalent to 12pt Times New Roman. (The size of text used in this
sentence.)

Margins

Margins should be 4cm (1½ inches) wide on the left-hand side and 2cm (¾ inch) on the right-
hand side.

Line Spacing

Double or one-and-a-half line spacing should be used in the main text. However, single
spacing should be used in the abstract and in any indented quotations and footnotes.

Page Numbering

Pages in the Dissertation should be numbered sequentially. Page numbers should be placed
top-right or bottom centre.

Proof Reading
Please be aware of the university’s Proof Reading policy which sets outs what the university
considers to be good academic practice in relation to proof reading. The School of
Management allows proof reading but please be aware of the requirements around this
including keeping an evidence trail relating to any proof reading and whether it is formal or
informal. Further information can be found here.

38
15. Feedback

• Dissertations are non-double blind marked

• Feedback will be available on canvas once your dissertation result and award decision
have been published in November 2024.

• You will receive ongoing feedback on this module during each meeting when you meet
your supervisor.

• Some supervisors may request that you send work in advance, so they have a
chance to review it before discussion in the meetings.

39
 16. Appendices

Appendix A: Supervision Meetings and Milestones ................................................... 41

Appendix B: Declaration and Statements ................................................................... 43
Appendix C: Request for Authorisation of Absence ................................................... 44
Appendix D: Extension Request Form ........................................................................ 45

40
Appendix A: Supervision Meetings and Milestones
You are required to engage with a minimum of three, and normally maximum for four x 30
minute meetings with your supervisor as part of this module. The expected outcomes and
topics for discussion at each meeting are outlined below. It is your responsibility to contact
your supervisor and agree a suitable time for meeting.

These meetings should be face-to-face.

Specific requirements for supervision meetings are:

12th June 2024 – 29th September 2024 At least three supervision meetings to be held
during this period.

Milestones/Discussion Points
Prior to Meeting 1  Prepare and e-mail your supervisor your proposal if you have
changed topic.
Meeting 1 - June  Discuss and agree dissertation topic area (must relate to
pathway of study) and related management problem or issue –
this can be discussed in relation to MN-M549 Research Methods
assignment 1 or a new topic
 Discuss potential ethical implications of your research.
 Complete the ethical review process before June 28th.
 Discuss aims, objectives, and research questions.
 Discuss literature/theory in more detail
 Discuss proposed methodology and data collection
 Discuss timeline for completion of project milestones
 Your supervisor should complete the online register
 Schedule your remaining meetings and send calendar invites to
your supervisor
 Ask any questions you have
Meeting 2 - July  In advance of the meeting provide 1000-word sample of your
literature review so your supervisor can discuss this feedback
during the meeting
 Agree final aims, objectives and research questions
 Confirm with your supervisor whether you are doing the
traditional dissertation or extended literature review and
complete the online form - Dissertation or Extended Literature
Review Confirmation by 2nd September
 Finalise methodology, data collection and sampling strategy
 Discuss methods for analysis (if appropriate based on your
timeline)
 Your supervisor should complete the online register
 Ask any questions you have
Meeting 3 - August  In advance of the meeting provide 1000-word sample of your
methodology so your supervisor can discuss this feedback
during the meeting
 Discuss results and interpretation/analysis

41
  Review how results relate to existing theory
 Review project aims, objectives and research questions
 Your supervisor should complete the online register
 Ask any questions you have
Meeting 4 -  In advance of the meeting provide 1 draft chapter for your
September supervisor to comment on.
 Discuss Conclusions
 Identify project limitations and directions for future research.
 Agree submission date.
 Review submission checklist
 Complete all supervision records
 Your supervisor should complete the online register
 Discuss final areas of work to be completed and ask final
questions
Submission  Submission deadline: Monday 20th September at 2pm
 1 electronic copy via Turnitin on Canvas (module MN-D004)
 Make sure the online ethics approval has been completed

Please note:

– There is no guarantee that supervisors will be able to provide any

feedback 2 weeks prior to submission (06th – 20th September 2024).

– Please remember if you miss a meeting without giving more than 24 hours’
notice, it is at the supervisor’s discretion as to whether they rearrange it. Please
take into consideration that this may not be immediately following the cancelled
meeting.

42
Appendix B: Declaration and Statements

DECLARATION AND STATEMENTS FORM

A standard statement and the required declarations.

DECLARATION

This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not
being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree.

Signed Date

STATEMENT 1

This Dissertation is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where

otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit
references. A bibliography is appended.

Signed Date

STATEMENT 2

I hereby give my consent for my Dissertation, if relevant and accepted, to be available

for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made
available to outside organisations.

Signed Date

Please Note: Candidates on whose behalf a bar on access has been approved by the
University (see Section 9: Bar on Access), should use the following version of
Statement 2:

I hereby give my consent for my Dissertation, if relevant and accepted, to be available

for photocopying and for inter-library loans after expiry of a bar on access approved
by the University.

Signed Date

43
Appendix C: Request for Authorisation of Absence

REQUEST FOR AUTHORISATION OF ABSENCE FROM THE UNIVERSITY

SECTION A: Personal Details

Surname:
Forenames:

Student Record Number:

SECTION B: Programme Details

Programme of Study:

Level of Study e.g. L1, P1:

Not applicable for Research students
Home College:

SECTION C: Request for Absence

Period of leave/absence requested beginning first day of absence ending last:
First day of absence

Last day of absence

Reason for leave/absence: Personal Medical Research Study Other

Brief outline of reason for absence:

SECTION D: Student Signature

I confirm that the information above is correct and that this is a temporary request for absence and
that I am still continuing with my studies at Swansea University.
Signature: Date:

SECTION E: Authorisation by School

I hereby authorise the above absence from the university.
Signed Supervisor/Advisor: Print Name:

Date of Signature:

Forward to Academic Registry, Stable Block, Singleton Abbey, Swansea SA2 8PP

OFFICE USE ONLY

School Record Updated

Central Record Updated

44
Appendix D: Extension Request Form

P0708-384
SWANSEA UNIVERSITY

POSTGRADUATE TAUGHT MASTERS APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION TO THE

SUBMISSION DEADLINE / PERIOD OF CANDIDATURE

APPLICANT DETAILS

Student Surname: First Names: Student ID No. Full or Part-time Study:

School: Scheme:
Dept:
Start Date: Candidature End Date:
Current Submission Deadline:

How much extra time is requested, Basis: please mark relevant box(es)
please tick
(SITS = Expected End Date)
Year ❑ compassionate
30 September …...………… ❑ ❑ serious domestic difficulties
14 December ……………. ❑ ❑ medical
14 March ……………. ❑ ❑ inordinate professional commitments (normally P/T students)
❑ other – if other please elaborate
..............................................................................................
Other (please specify): ……………..
..............................................................................................
If an extension has already been granted, please give details:

Brief summary of grounds for request (INDEPENDENT EVIDENCE MUST BE PROVIDED)

Does the College support the Application for Extension? YES / NO

Please provide a full statement (see overleaf)
If no – does not proceed

Confirmation Signatures from College:

With our formal request for an extension we confirm that we have attached (please tick)

❑ A statement from the Student

❑ A statement of support from the College (see overleaf)
❑ Information/independent evidence supporting the grounds for the request
❑ An evaluation of progress to date including a work plan, which has been agreed with the
student, for completion of the Dissertation/thesis within the timescale of the extension
(see overleaf)
Applications without these attachments will be returned to the school without approval.

Supervisor: …… ……………………………………………….….…………………… Date.........................

45
Print Name: …………………………………………………………………………….
Head of College or designate: ………………………………………………………. . Date ……………….
Print Name: ………………………………………………………..............................

DECISION: APPROVED/NOT APPROVED DATE:……………………………………………………

NAME: …………………………………………………..
(if extension applied for is not approved please state reasons why)

46
 POSTGRADUATE TAUGHT MASTERS APPLICATION FOR
EXTENSION TO THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE / PERIOD OF
CANDIDATURE

WORKPLAN

MONTH / Year Breakdown by month of work to be completed

for shorter extensions this may be done weekly
(for example)

JUNE ……………..

……………………..

………………………

……………….…….

……………………..

……………………..

……………….……..

47
 POSTGRADUATE TAUGHT MASTERS APPLICATION FOR
EXTENSION TO THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE / PERIOD OF
CANDIDATURE

STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FROM THE COLLEGE

To: Academic Board

From:

I would like to support the request for <Student Name> (<Student Number>) to be
granted an extension for his/her Dissertation.

<include details of progress so far, including reasons why the student cannot submit
on time, that support is given by the College and comment on the feasibility of the
agreed work-plan>

48
 NOTES FOR EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES FORM

1. Extension to Submission Deadline

The deadline for submission of the Dissertation for all students who entered the
University after September 2010 is:
Full Time/Part-time 29th September

Students who fail to submit by the above dates will fail the Dissertation module and a
mark of 0% recorded unless the request for an extension to the deadline is approved.

The Academic Board will consider all requests for extensions to the submission
deadline.

The deadline for submitting extension requests are as follows

31 August

For grounds for an extension, please see 3 below.

2. Extension to Candidature

The expectation is that the overwhelming majority of candidates will submit their thesis
or Dissertation within the time limit laid down by regulation i.e. 30 September of the
relevant session. A candidate’s time limit / candidature may be extended by Swansea
University only in exceptional cases.

The regulations governing minimum / maximum period of candidature are

Minimum Maximum
One Year - Full Time 12 months 24 months
Two Year - Full Time 24 months 36 months
Part-time Study Modular 36 months 60 months

For ground for an extension, please see 3 below.

3. Grounds for an Extension

Extensions may be granted on compassionate grounds, in cases of illness, serious

domestic difficulties, or inordinate professional commitments that can be
demonstrated to have adversely affected the work and progress of a candidate.

Extension Request on

3.1 Compassionate grounds

A request on these grounds must include the following:

49
 - a clear statement from the College concerned showing it has evaluated
the students situation and considers an extension appropriate. Where
possible this should follow from direct contact between the student and
supervisor
- clear and satisfactory evidence to support the case
- an agreed workplan.

3.2 Exceptional professional commitments (normally part-time students)

Candidates are reminded of the regulations governing the academic year for
Postgraduate students, namely that the structure of the academic year runs from
September to September. It therefore follows that candidates who base their appeal
on exceptional professional commitments prior to the end of the postgraduate
academic year, will be dismissed.

– a clear statement from the College concerned showing it has evaluated the
student’s situation and considers an extension appropriate. Where possible
this should follow from direct contact between the student and supervisor.
– clear and satisfactory evidence to support the case.
– written confirmation and description by the employer of the exceptional
workload borne by the candidate.
– an agreed work plan.

3.3 Illness

- a clear statement from the College concerned showing it has evaluated

the students situation and considers an extension appropriate. Where
possible this should follow from direct contact between the student and
supervisor
- satisfactory medical evidence
- an agreed workplan.

Applications without the appropriate evidence and workplan will not be

considered, and retrospective applications or requests for second extensions
will not normally be accepted.

Applications for suspension/extensions must be routed via the candidate’s supervisor

and Head of College (or nominee), to the Academic Registry.

Decision Timescale

50
On receipt of an application, the case will be submitted for discussion to the Academic
Board. Following the meeting, the Academic Registry will inform the College and the
student.

51