Dissertation and thesis support
The NTU Library offers support for undertaking dissertation, research projects, and theses work across all levels of study.
Undergraduate dissertation / final year research project
A dissertation is an academic report that has a large word limit (5,000 - 10,000 words). It can be the biggest piece of writing you undertake during your undergraduate degree. You may be asked to select a topic to focus on and this may also require choosing a certain type of methodology or undertaking a literature review. We recommend the following material to help get you started.
- Take a look at of suggested titles focussing on dissertations and theses.
- guidance and tutorials in the ASKHub.
- (Royal Literary Fund)
- Attend about dissertation research, literature reviews, proofreading, etc.
- to talk to a member of staff.
- Talk with your dissertation or research project supervisor.
Postgraduate masters dissertation / research project
A masters degree usually has some sort of extended individual project. It typically involves a high word count (between 12,000 and 20,000 words). The structure is similar to an undergraduate dissertation, but you will be expected to investigate your topic in greater detail, and develop your research methodology skills further. The following resources will help you get started.
- Biggam, J., 2015. 3rd ed. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.
- Hart, C., 2005. London: Sage.
- Jesson, J., Matheson, L., Lacey, F. M., 2011. . London: Sage.
- Murray, L., and Lawrence, B., 2000. . London: Falmer Press.
- Parija, S. C., and Kate, V., 2018. . Singapore: Springer Nature.
- Wallace, M., and Wray, A., 2016. . 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Sage.
- plus many more available via about dissertations, research methods, literature reviews, etc.
- guidance and tutorials in the ASKHub.
- (Royal Literary Fund)
- has some Masters level projects, along with PhD theses.
- Attend about search skills, literature reviews, proofreading, etc.
- to talk to a member of staff.
- Talk with your dissertation or research project supervisor.
PhD or Professional Doctorate Thesis
Undertaking a thesis at postgraduate research level requires you to conduct a literature review and original research. The NTU Doctorate Plus programme supports you throughout this process. Take a look at our Research Students page to see what help is available.
You can also consult the to see the full range of workshops available to postgraduate researchers, including guidance for academic writing, research methodologies, and practical support for working with long documents.
- Churchill, H. & Sanders, T., 2007. . London: SAGE.
- Dunleavy, P., 2003. Authoring a PhD : how to plan, draft, write, and finish a doctoral thesis or dissertation. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Hayton, J., 2015. . James Hayton PhD: James Hayton.
- Lee, N.-J., 2009. . Maidenhead: Open University Press.
- Murray, R., 2016. . Maidenhead: Open University Press.
- Phillips, E. and Pugh, D., 2015. 6th ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
- plus many more available via about research methods, literature reviews, etc.
- Theses by previous NTU research students – view these online in the thesis collection in .
- – this NOW learning room provides a wide range of resources to support your skills development as you undertake your thesis.
- Attend one of our for more advice on getting started with your literature review, keeping up-to-date and managing your references.
- Book an appointment with your .
- Talk with your supervisory team.