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The outline shows the structure of the work that will be written. It shows the order of the various topics that will be discussed, the relative importance of each, and the relationship between the various parts. It is usually acceptable to use bullet points and note form, although your work should still be well presented and make sense. The most common order in which to write an outlines is to go from the general to the specific. This means you begin with a general idea and then support it with specific examples.

Note that an outline differs from a proposal, in that the outline actually includes all of the facts and answers needed to address the question. A proposal says what you are going to do - an outline answer actually does it but only in brief. It is an answer in note form, which needs 'fleshing out'.

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The dissertation proposal will usually contain the following:

* An introduction to the proposed area of study

* Aims of the research project - what do you hope to achieve overall? Is there a hypothesis that needs to be answered?

* The main objectives of the research project - what do you hope to find out?

* List your methodology / methods - state why have you chosen these methods and why not other methods.

* Scope and limitations of the study - is there anything that is beyond the scope of investigation? Why? (e.g. cost/time constraints)

* Resources - what sources do you expect you will use? Where will you find your information?

* Timetable - proposed timetable for completion of each section.

* Proposed chapter headings (not just 'introduction, methodology etc but the actual sub headings)

A proposal is fully referenced and has a bibliography.

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The standard parts are as follows (you may be asked for a different structure and a different number of words for each section - for example, sometimes a longer introduction rather than a separate introduction and background is expected. Check with your institution or writing agency what is required of you).

* Title Page - Shows the title of the dissertation and the author

* Abstract - 150-300 word summary of what the reader can expect to find in the dissertation

* Table of contents - An index of everything in the dissertation - it should not include the title and contents page!

* Introduction - A summary of 100 – 200 words, stating what the objectives are/what you are going to write about

* Background - A section written with the assumption that the reader knows nothing, and it should therefore give them a full account of what they need to know to appreciate the issues at stake

* Methodology - States what you are going to do and how you plan on doing it. The methodology should be approximately 200 – 300 words (+read more)

* Literature Review - A review of relevant theory and the most recent published information on the issue

* Evidence - What you have discovered and what you have concluded from it

* Conclusion - States what you have discovered and what you have concluded from it. You should not be presenting new ideas or new sources in the conclusion

* Recommendations - Should emerge from the conclusion, suggest what is to be done, who is to do it and how/when it is to be done, and be justified based on findings, not just the opinion of the writer

* Referencing - You need to reference all of your sources properly

* Appendix - Any graphs or diagrams you have used when writing your dissertation

If your institution or agency has not given you any guidance, or has suggested a 'standard structure' or the like, it is acceptable to use the structure set out here.

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There is nothing wrong with students using direct quotes in their work. Sometimes, authors present material in a way that is so good, there would just be no point in paraphrasing it.

Having said that, when you write an assignment for an agency, you're being paid for original words - just as when you write for your university, the tutor wants to know how well you understand the material. A piece of work that uses direct quotes excessively is hardly original.

As a general guideline, I would not expect the word count of your work to be taken up by more than 10% of direct quotes.

Using Direct Quotes - Some Guidance

If you need to change a word within a direct quote, the word gets put in brackets:

Original text: “Now the one-size-fits-all phase of education has ended for Jane & John in our classes” (Smith, 2003, p. 7).

Change: “Now the one-size-fits-all phase of education has ended for [students] in our
classes” (Smith, 2003, p. 7).

If you need to leave out an unnecessary section within the quote, you use '...':

Original text: “Now the one-size-fits-all phase of education has ended for Jane & John in our classes” (Smith, 2003, p. 7).

Change: “Now the one-size-fits-all phase of education has ended… in our classes” (Smith,
2003, p. 7).

If you need to incorporate a piece of a quote into your own sentence, you do it like this:

Original text: “Now the one-size-fits-all phase of education has ended for Jane & John in our classes” (Smith, 2003, p. 7).

Change 1: I will no longer be using the old model of “one-size-fits-all education” (Smith, 2003, p. 7) in my classroom.

Change 2: “One-size-fits-all education” (Smith, 2003, p. 7) just does not work anymore.

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Presented with a student's paper for the first time, you may wonder what the best way of marking work is.

Here's a list of guidance you might want to provide:

General Comments

Include any general comments here – be encouraging!

Specific issues with spelling and grammar

Include any specific issues you have noticed about the student’s spelling or grammar here. You may want to explain any rules that they frequently break, or point out any persistent spelling errors.

Comments on structure and flow

Comments on referencing

Make sure you understand which referencing style the student is trying to use, and explain to them if they are making mistakes with this.

Comments on use of language

Is the use of language appropriate to the level and type of assignment? Is it too basic? Too complex? Does the student use a good range of vocabulary? Are there acronyms that they have failed to explain?

Comments on presentation

You might want to give the student some layout/presentation tips here. If you think their work might benefit from a contents page, title page, headings etc, this would be a good place to include suggestions.

Comments on how well the question has been addressed

How well has the student answered the question? Have they missed any key issues?

Comments on use of material

Is there any material the student should consider reviewing? How well have they selected and interpreted the material in their essay? Have they selected a sufficient number of quality sources?

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