DISSERTATION BRIEF
1 INTRODUCTION
In order to complete part 2 of the msc international planning and development,allstudents must prepare a dissertation,worth 60 credits,student may proceed to the dissertation after completion of all the how to writing dissertation taught modules in part 12 amountiong to 120 credits

The dissertation should not exceed 20,000 words,but more likely 16000.the submission date is 11 september,2009

The aim of the dissertation is to give each student the chance to research in depth a subject in the specialist field of the international planning and development.the dissertation is an important part of the course that allows students to explore a subject of their choice in depth. It is essential that the dissertation demonstrates a good understanding of the application of research methods to this dissertation.

2 TIMING
Semester 2
Your coursework for research methods and dissertation design is intended as a preparation for the dissertation.in the coursework you should have:
A http://www.400190.com/Thesis_Tips/Handbook/demonstarted and understanding of the principles of research methods for urban planning
B identified an appropriate dissertation research topic
C described the research methods that you will use to explore your topic
D prepared a preliminary literature review
Dissertation preiod
The following timing is recommended:

MARCH:allocation of supervisors

MARCH-MAY:prepare research methods coursework. Establish research hypothesis and research questions;do preliminary literature review;establish methodology with justification

End-may to mid-june: write chapter1:problem statement.complete 2nd draft of chapter 2 literature review.agree fieldwork methodology with supervisor(eg:design questionnaires etc).complete research ethics questionnaire.

Early-august: write up fieldwork. Ensure supervisor has time to read and comment on all chapters.allow time for rewrite of reach chapter.

Early-september:finalise conclusions(allow for two or three drafts).allow 3-4days for layout and final printing out

Binding:allow about 1 week for bingding.this can be done in the basement of arts and science library

Submission dte :11 september 2009

You must submit tow bound copise of your dissertation by the date in your offer of enrolment at the latest-one hard-bound and a second bound with a plastic comb.

Don't slack off at the beginging of the summer.the dissertation will take the full time available.
Don't leave everything to the last minute-it always takes longer than you think to complete
how to writing dissertationDo allow time for your supervisor to read everything,especially rout conclusion
Do allow time for at least two re-drafts of each chapter#p#分頁標(biāo)題#e#

3 objectives:
The objectives of the dissertation are as follows:
A) to critically evaluate existing research on the subject through a literature review
B) To undertake a small piece of original research,based on either primary data(data you collect),or secondary data(data collected by someone else)
C) To provide a sound analysis of the research. Critically evaluate your findings and draw appropriate conclusions relevant to theory and practice;
D) To achieve a competent standard of written and illustrative presentation
These will be main criteria used by examiners when marking the dissertation. The detailed marking criteria are given in your student handbook

4 choosing a topic
The topic must be relevant to spatial planning,be manageable within 3.5months,and be a subject on which you have a realistic prospect of finding information

You need to think through the following
A)how clear is the issue you want to research?
B)What methods might you use to produce conclusions from the research?
C)How obvious is the theoretical basis for your ideas?
D)How easy is it to get information(data)about the problem?

Choose a topic whose subject matter is well defined.it is much easier to study something specific and small-scale,rather than something broad.it is also easier to study something that has happened,rather than proposal,as the impact of future development cannot be assessed.think small...for example,issue about national policy are more difficult to research that local policy issues and impact where the focus is specific and it is easier to get information

Planning is a practice-related subject,and there is often a temptation to concentrate solely on demonstrate a deeper understanding of the theoretical basis of the phenomena or outcomes.do not try and do a ' plan' for an area as that would not allow you scope to question theory,and any 'recommendations' should be limited as you are unlikely to have time to fully test these

5 Scope of research
The scope of the research may vary widely and the following list of ideas is not exhaustive
A) evaluate a policy, a plan,or a recent project,either for a particular sector(e.g land,housing,transport,employment,shopping,recreation,utilities) or for particular geographical area (a city or neighbourhood) using carefully thought out evaluation criteria(often derived from the literature review)
B) Examine existing political and administrative structures and planning process,in order to assess their adequacy.this may relate to the overall administrative and planning process,or to some particular aspect,such as plan formulation,implementation,monitoring,planning law or development control
C) Apply a particular planning technique to a problem or context for which it has previously not been used,in order to evaluate its usefulness and to make proposals for its further development
D)how to writing dissertation#p#分頁標(biāo)題#e# Select a particular planning problem,use theory to analyse the cause s of the problem and the likely outcome of alternative solutions,perhaps related to experience elsewhere,and formulate principles on which a more appropriate approach may be taken