This resource has been prepared to provide support and guidance for personal study and to help you through the dissertation process. It deals with some of the common questions, concerns and practical issues that undergraduate students come across when completing their social science-based dissertation or final year project. The resource also provides some useful information for academic staff who are supervising undergraduate dissertations.
It provides case studies of dissertation supervision issues and examples of the students' experiences of completing a project and it is hoped that this 'student voice' will be especially valuable for the 'new' supervisor. The content for the site was written by academic and support staff who have a particular interest in this area and have a great deal of experience in supervising undergraduate dissertations in the fields of sociology, anthropology, politics, criminology, social policy and social work.
This resource has not been produced with the aim of providing a set of definitive answers about producing a dissertation or final year project; instead it is recognised that there are many ways in which the 'journey' through the process can be completed.
The notes included here draw on the experiences of dissertation supervisors, academic research into the student and staff experiences of study and supervision, and examples of good practice.