Does the proposal identify appropriate research methods to address its research question? How detailed is the approach – e.g. does a proposed empirical dissertation write down the equation it will estimate? How advanced are the methods to be used?

SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

L13500 Economics Dissertation

Economics Dissertation Guidelines 2018/19

Lecturers

Overview

The  Dissertation  module  is  a  double  weighted  (30  credits)  all  year  module,  which  is compulsory for most economics students. (Students doing Economics with Chinese Studies do their own dissertation; students taking Politics and Economics, Economics and Philosophy or PPE do not take the economics dissertation.) The purpose of the Dissertation is for students to demonstrate familiarity with a particular area of economics and apply economic analysis to address a specific research question (or questions).

The Dissertation must include a contribution that is your own (i.e. not just a summary of the ideas of others). In many cases, your contribution will be a piece of empirical or theoretical analysis, applying techniques you have acquired over your degree programme to look in depth at a specific issue. In some cases, you may undertake a literature survey in which case your contribution would be to bring the literature together in a new way and derive implications or lessons.

Why write a dissertation?

• It gives you insight into how knowledge is generated in economics

• It gives you a chance to apply economic theories and/or econometric techniques to real world problems
• It gives you a chance to study a topic of interest in depth

• The transferable  skills  it  assesses  may be  more  useful  for  your  careers  than  those required to pass exams (e.g. project time management skills),
• It gives more scope for creativity and provides a chance for the best students to excel

• In recognition of the above, external examiners (and Masters recruiters) tend to give it a high weight in their decisions
• You will produce a serious piece of work that may be a useful part of your portfolio

• Your knowledge  may  be  a  useful  talking  point  in  job  interviews  or  Masters applications.

 

The broad approach is to identify a question and a theoretical framework or model within which to approach the issue; find relevant literature, data or case study material; and conduct some empirical and/or interpretative and/or theoretical analysis.

It is the responsibility of the student to identify a topic. It is also the responsibility of the student to locate appropriate source material (data, literature etc.), conduct the analysis and ensure that the work is completed and submitted on time.

 

Key dates and deadlines for 2018/19

Brainstorming seminars start                                                      October 8, 2018

Fill dissertation fields choice form:                                             Latest by October 22, 2018

Notified of supervisor                                                                   October 29, 2018

First supervision to approve topic*                                            Latest by November 9, 2018

Submission of Proposal                                                                December 7, 2018 @ 3pm

Second supervision to get feedback on proposal*                     Latest   February 8, 2019

Third and final supervision to review progress*                       Latest  Match 29, 2019 March

Writing up period starts (no academic support thereafter)     April 1, 2019

Final Submission of thesis                                                            May 14, 2019 @ 3pm

 

*It is the student’s responsibility to contact their supervisor.

Method of Assessment

Assessment Type            Weight            Word limit         Deadline

Proposal                            20%                 2000 words            December 7, 2018 @ 3pm

Dissertation                      80%                 7500 words           May 14, 2019 @ 3pm

 

Teaching Arrangements

The dissertation will be supported by:

  3 individual supervision meetings

  8 hours of seminars

  18 hours of lectures

  6 hours of computer classes

 

Supervision, computer class and seminar schedule

Teaching week

Semester 1                                             Semester 2

1                  (No lectures – induction week)

2                                                                                  Supervision 2: Feedback on proposal

Computing Class 4

3                  Seminar 1: Brainstorming topics (i)       Computing Class 5

 

4                  Seminar 2: Brainstorming topics (ii)

Computing Class 6

Computer Class 1

5                  Computer Class 2                                   Seminar 6: Student-led discussion of work in progress (a)

 

6                  Supervision1: Identification of topic

Computer Class 3

7                  Seminar  3:  Discussion  of  proposals

(a)

Seminar 7: Student-led discussion of work in progress (b)

Seminar 8: Student-led discussion of work in progress (c)

 

8                  Seminar  4:  Discussion  of  proposals

(b)

9                  Seminar  5:  Discussion  of  proposals

(c)

Supervision 3: Review of work in progress

 

Writing  up  period  start  2nd   of  April    (no further academic support)

 

10

11

12                Proposal Deadline: 7th Dec, 3pm

 

 

 

 

 

Dissertation Seminars

 

The seminars will be highly interactive and would have flexibility to respond to specific student concerns, but with three core tasks:

(1) initial brain-storming of dissertation ideas

 

(2) detailed discussion of draft dissertation proposals

 

(3) student led discussions of work in progress

 

 

 

Students will be organised into seminar groups of 18. For discussion of proposals and work in progress, these may be sub-divided into three groups of 6 students (sub-groups a, b and c), with one sub-group being the focus of attention each week.

 

 

Brainstorming (seminars 1 & 2): these seminars will involve discussing with students their initial  dissertation  ideas  prior  to  their  first  individual  supervision.  The  focus  will  be  on identifying feasible topics that students could then discuss in more detail with their supervisors.

 

 

Discussion of proposals (seminars 3, 4 & 5): these seminars will discuss how students could research their topics. The aim would be to guide students towards writing up a formal proposal to  submit  to  their  supervisor  for  marking.  Students  would  be  expected  to  talk  for  about  5 minutes on (i) their research question; (ii) their research methods; (iii) data and sources; (iv) the structure of their dissertation. Dissertation tutors would provide verbal feedback on these presentations and moderate discussion of them.

 

 

Discussion of work in progress (seminars 6, 7 & 8): students will be expected to talk for about

 

5 minutes on some aspect of their research: this could be some initial empirical results and/or a substantive section of their dissertation. (Essentially the 2000 word extract they currently submit for their second supervision). Dissertation tutors will provide some verbal feedback and moderate the discussion.

 

 

 

 

 

Dissertation lectures

 

Semester 1:

In the first five teaching weeks of Semester 1, there will be two weekly lectures to support the dissertation. These will be given by Sourafel Girma and Cindy Fu. Topics covered will be:

 

 

Syllabus+ Week

Lecture I :

Wednesday 12pm; PHYS-B1

Lecture II:

Friday 2pm, PHYS-B1

 

 

Week 2        Orientation Lecture 1                                   Orientation Lecture 2

Week 3        Finding economic data                                 Collecting your own data

 

Week 4        Integrating    findings    from    empirical studies

Week 5        Exploratory  data analysis I (micro/cross-sectional data)

Week 6        Some applications of  nonparametric tests

Analysing existing experimental data

 

Exploratory  data analysis II (macro/time series data)

Writing   an empirical dissertation

 

 

 

Semester 2: Applied Econometrics for the Dissertation Lectures

 

In the first four teaching weeks of Semester 2, there will be twice-weekly lectures on some applied econometrics topics. Emphasis will be on practical estimation and interpretation issues

rather than formal derivation of results. The topics on offer are the following:

 

 

Syllabus+ Week    Lecture I :

Wednesday 12pm; LASS B62

Lecture II:

Thursday    12pm;    KEIGHTON-

B60

 

Week 19                Visualising regression models  I    Visualising regression models II

 

Week 19                 Panel data  modelling I                 Panel data  modelling II

Week 21                Vector autoregressive models        Instrumental variables estimation

 

Week 22                Qualitative and limited dependent variables models I

Qualitative and limited dependent

variables models II

 

NB: difference-in-differences models will be considered as part of  the panel data lectures.

 

Computer Classes:

 

There will be computer classes on data analysis and applied econometrics, Students should attend three in Semester 1 and three in Semester 2. The times and locations of the classes are available on Mytimetable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drop-in Stata/ Eviews Clinics:

 

Limited individual STATA (and also Eviews if required) support is offered in Semester 2 in the form of drop-in Clinics sessions. Guidance on how to book a slot will be posted on the modules’ page. Typically registration will be open for slots of 10 minutes which can be booked up to 2 weeks in advance (but not less than 48 hours before).  The registration form requires you  to  submit  a  specific  question  related  to  the  use  of  EViews  or  STATA  which  will  be answered during your Clinics session.

 

 

 

 

 

Allocation of Supervisors and choice of topic

On the module’s Moodle page you will find an Online Dissertation Field Choice Form. The form looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please fill this form online to indicate the field of economics that it is likely to be in. We will use this information when assigning you a supervisor. You need to fill it by October 22, 2018. Students who do not respond by the deadline will be assigned a supervisor regardless. As stated earlier you will be notified the identity of your supervisor on the October 29, 2018.

We  will  try  our  best  to  assign  you  to  supervisors  working  in  related  field(s),  but  staffing constraints  (including  the  constraint  that  supervision  load  be  spread  evenly  across staff) may mean  this  will  not  be  possible  in  all  cases.   But  note  that it is  not  expected  that

 

 

 

supervisors provide a lot of field specific knowledge – their primary role is quality control

 

member regardless of their field of speciality.

 

 

Students cannot change supervisors – barring exceptional circumstances. This means that if students switch field or topic (which happens oftentimes), they and their existing supervisors have to still work together.

 

 

 

During the “brainstorming” seminars, students will also complete a “Dissertation Ideas Form” (DIF)  which  will  flesh  out  their  approach  to  their  research  topic,  covering  literature,  data, methods and dissertation structure. Students should e-mail a copy of the DIF to supervisors at least two days before the first supervision. The Supervisor will provide verbal feedback on the student’s ideas. In some cases the Supervisor may suggest changes to the approach suggested by the student; you are recommended to follow such advice. It is possible that the Supervisor does not approve the student’s original thesis topic – for example, if it is not well defined or does not appear to be feasible. In this situation, the student must revise their topic so that it receives their Supervisor’s approval

 

 

A key outcome of the first supervision is that the student and Supervisor is to agree a specific title and topic for the dissertation. Please note that is the responsibility of the student to identify a topic. The agreed topic should be recorded on the Dissertation Title Form (DTF), which can be downloaded from the Dissertation webpage (L13500 on Moodle). Students must obtain their supervisor’s  signature  on  the  Dissertation  Form  as  evidence  of  written  approval  for  their proposed Dissertation topic or title. .Alternatively you can email the form to your supervisor ahead of your first meeting, and ask for confirmation of approval by return email following your meeting. Please always use your University email account for official correspondences.

 

 

Students who wish to change their topic or title must also obtain their Supervisor’s written approval  on  this  Form.  Dissertations  which  are  submitted  on  a  topic  which  was  not approved will normally be awarded a mark of zero.

 

 

 

 

 

The Student-Supervisor Relationship

 

 

 

The dissertation is essentially an exercise in independent study. The role of the Supervisor is to provide helpful advice and to ensure that students know what level they must work to in terms of the literature review, coverage of theory and empirical work. Below we set out the basic  expectations  of  the  student-supervisor  relationship,  but  it  may  be  that  sometimes  a supervisor is able or required to provide an unusually high input into the dissertation  – for example, they may provide a data set or the idea for the work. In that circumstance, this high input is likely to be reflected in the mark for the dissertation (for example, the “research effort” and  “originality”  marking  criteria  may  be  graded  lower  than  if  the  student  worked  more autonomously).

 

 

The Supervisor will be the first marker of the Dissertation but is not the sole examiner and cannot guarantee a mark. All Dissertation marks will be moderated by a team of second markers, who will read all feedback forms filled by first markers and then second mark a sample of dissertations.

 

 

The Supervisor and student are expected to meet three times. It is the student’s responsibility to contact their Supervisor and arrange both supervisions. Supervisors will not contact students to arrange these meetings. Do not wait for your Supervisor to contact you.

 

 

The first supervision meeting should take place at least four weeks before the deadline for submitting a final research proposal and literature review. At this meeting the Supervisor and student should:

(a) Agree on a topic for the Dissertation and sign the Dissertation Title Form; (b) Discuss the content of the Dissertation Ideas Form.

As  noted  previously,  students  are  required  to  e-mail  their  Dissertation  Ideas  Form  for  the Supervisor to read before the first supervision. (If students are undecided between several ideas, they may sketch each of them). At the first supervision meeting, the student and Supervisor will  discuss  the  research  questions,  key literature,  available  data,  suitable  methods  and  the proposed structure of the dissertation. On the basis of this discussion, the student will write an extended dissertation proposal, which includes a brief review of the literature. There will be

 

 

 

three seminars to help students develop their proposals. Supervisors will not read proposals after the first meeting until they come to formally mark them (it is important, therefore, that students should submit their Dissertation Ideas Form before the first supervision for comment).

 

 

The second supervision meeting should take place early in the spring term, after supervisors have marked the student’s proposal. At this meeting:

(a)  The Supervisor will give verbal feedback on the proposal;

 

(b) The  Supervisor  and  students  should  discuss  any  changes  in  the  plan  for  the dissertation that may be required

Students will be expected to have a clear work plan by the time of the meeting, having read the relevant literature, become familiar with proposed methods and acquired any data they need.

 

 

The third supervision meeting should take place in the spring term, after the students have made substantial progress on their Dissertation but before Easter vacation. Note that the spring term is a vital time in which students should work on their Dissertation. Students are expected to have made substantial progress on their Dissertation before their third meeting with their Supervisor – for example, for dissertations using applied econometrics, they should have initial estimates of their core model(s). Students are expected to submit some written work for the supervisor to read in advance of the third supervision. This should be no more than 2000 words and could be, for example, some results tables and accompanying notes, or a draft of a key section  of  the  thesis.  The  submission  could  be  in  note  form,  but  must  be  intelligible  –  for example, variable mnemonics should be avoided or at least defined. Supervisors will not be expected to read statistical tables without commentary or to inspect raw data etc.

 

 

At the third supervision meeting the Supervisor and student should:

 

(a)  Discuss feedback on the written work submitted for the meeting;

 

(b) Consider any specific problems the student has encountered, for example with data, modelling strategy, interpretation of results etc.;

(c)  Verify that the work being done is at the appropriate level.

 

In order to be fair and consistent and to ensure that it is the student’s work which is being

 

assessed, the Supervisor should not read draft Dissertations.

 

 

 

Note that there will be no academic support for the dissertation starting from April 1, 2019. Students are expected to work independently, writing up their dissertations. Module convenors and support staff will still field any practical queries, but supervisors and tutors will not interact with students about academic aspects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conceiving your dissertation:

 

–   Perhaps the hardest part of doing research is finding a good research question

 

–    Most students tend to apprehensive when it comes to choosing a dissertation topic. This is completely understandable, but you have a whole term to finalise your proposal. Also please rest assured that past experience shows almost all students managed to select a successful research area entirely on their own.

–   Reading the literature helps map out a research area & identify a question.

 

When deciding on a topic try asking yourself the following questions:

 

 

–   Do I have at specific research question(s) that I am trying to answer?

 

–    Is  this  a  question  worth  asking,  in  the  sense  its  answer  is  interesting/useful  from academic and/or current economic policy debate point of view?

–     Is   the   topic   given   to   economic   analysis?   Will   I   be   able   to   show   off   my economic/econometric skills? Is there a link to economics modules I have taken?

–   Is the topic too narrow? In which case how can I relate it to existing economic literature?

 

–    Is the topic too broad? In which how can I refocus my research question with the view of maximising my chances of producing excellent answers

–    Will I be able to investigate the issue and answer the question fully and satisfactorily in the time allowed?

–   Is the literature heavily empirical? In which case am I willing to do some econometrics?

 

–   Will I be able to find the right data, scholarly literature and other sources of information?

 

–    Is  the  literature  heavily  theoretical?  In  which  case  is  this  the  right  match  my interest/forte?

–    Has the topic been “over-researched”? In which case what novel slant will my work be able to offer? (But note that this is not to imply that an undergraduate dissertation is expected to do anything ground-breaking. In practice most research often chips away at edges of knowledge rather than being “truly” original).

–    Will I enjoy exploring the topic, and thus I find it interesting and inspiring enough to put effort into?

 

 

 

Types of dissertations

 

Type                    Description                                         Pros and cons

 

 

Empirical            Centres around a piece of original econometric analysis (see Lecture 4)

 

 

 

Theoretical        Either modifies a piece of theory or applies it to a new problem

  Often original

  Demonstrates technical skills

  Data availability?

  Field may be crowded

 

  Can have element of originality

  Demonstrates technical skills

  Technically demanding?

  May be hard to carve out a niche

 

Literature review

 

 

 

 

Policy analysis

Provides a synthesis and critical analysis of the state of current research in a given area,

( see Lecture 3)

 

Brings economic theory and evidence to bear on a current issue of economic policy

  “Safe choice”

  But not the “easy choice” as can be hard to add value & demonstrate technical skills

 

  Often well focussed question

  Lack of key information?

  Can be hard to demonstrate technical skills

 

 

 

 

The Dissertation proposal

 

By the end of Semester 1, students should submit a formal proposal for their dissertation. This should be no more than 2000 words. The proposal should be submitted online via Moodle by

11 December 2018, 3pm. It should identify: (a) The research question(s);

(b) Relevant literature: key scholarly works on the topic;

 

(c) Data & sources: identify what primary and secondary material will be used; (d) Methods: e.g. perhaps including an econometric equation to be estimated;

(e) Structure: proposed section headings of the dissertation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Literature review:

 

Part  of  the  proposal  should  be  a  brief  review  of  relevant  scholarly  literature.  This  would describe what is known in the field, indicate what methods have been used by scholars and indicate how the student’s proposed work contributes to the literature.

 

 

Your  final  dissertation  should  include  a  literature  review.  One  of  the  marking  criteria  is “knowledge   of   the   literature”   Does   the   dissertation   show   wide   knowledge   and   good understanding  of  the  relevant  academic  literature.  A  literature  review  is  also  a  possible dissertation model- but not an “easy option” as can be hard to demonstrate value added and technical skills.

 

 

 

What should a literature review do?

 

1. Guide your own research, identifying

 

–   key research questions

 

–   state of knowledge

 

–   best practice methods

 

2. Describe what you have read

 

–   Findings

 

–   Arguments used to justify claims

 

3. Evaluate what you have read

 

–   Validity of claims

 

–   Weaknesses of arguments

 

–   Implications of findings, for research and/or policy

 

 

 

Consult  examples  from  economics:  Journal  of  Economic  Literature,  Journal  of  Economic

 

Perspectives, Journal of Economic Surveys, and Elsevier “Handbooks” of economics.

 

 

 

Some possible divisions for sub-headings:

 

 

Macroeconomic evidence; Microeconomic evidence

 

 

 

or

Theory; Empirics or

Positive; normative

or

Framework; Results; Problems; Implications

 

 

Describing the literature:

 

• Required detail of summary varies

 

–   Articles often review many papers in a single sentence

 

–   But sometimes multiple articles are devoted to one paper

 

• Key aspects of a paper you could describe:

 

–   What is its motivation?

 

–   What are its main claims?

 

–   What arguments does it use to sustain its claims?

 

• Focus on a paper’s value added => relation to existing literature?

 

–   Discovering/testing?

 

–   Confirming/refuting?

 

–   Updating/extending?

 

–   Refining? Better methods or data? etc

 

 

 

Details of Empirical studies

 

• Data

 

–   Setting: country/region; year

 

–   Sample size & selection (random? representative?)

 

–   Definition and measurement of variables

 

• Equations estimated

 

–   Dependent variable; control variables

–    Econometric technique used: fixed effects; instrumental variables; cointegration etc.

 

• Results

 

–   Sign, size, significance

 

–   Tests of assumptions, hypotheses, restrictions etc

 

 

 

Collating empirical results

 

• Critical analysis does not imply you have to be negative about every paper!

 

–    Even if your criticism seems justified, best to be cautious and measured when criticising: it may be you who is in error

• Reading subsequent work can provide ammunition for criticism

 

–   But must be careful to adjudicate between rival studies

 

• Referring to generic theoretical, empirical or conceptual issues can also help

 

–   Ad hoc assumptions? Over simplifications

 

–   Empirical issues: omitted variables, endogeneity, etc

 

–    Implicit  value  judgements;  rival  criteria  for  policy  evaluation;  political  and philosophical aspects

Implications of studies

 

• Maybe subject to many limitations

 

–   Note caveats, exclusions etc

 

• Agenda for future research

 

–   what questions follow on or are left unaddressed?

 

• Implications for policy

 

–   Note: policy should be evidence-based

 

–   Be explicit about value judgements/criteria

 

–   Be careful of other dimensions to the problem

 

Conclusions:

 

• Function of literature review is mainly instrumental – to guide your own research

 

–   But whole dissertation could be a literature review

 

• When writing your review, pay attention to:

 

–   Structure: key element of an analytic review

 

–   Description: don’t neglect this element

 

–   Evaluation: this is your main contribution

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ethical approval and collecting your own data

 

 

 

Students  collecting  their  own  data  from  human  subjects  (e.g.  via  questionnaires  or  in  lab experiments) require ethical approval from the School Ethics Committee. Dissertations that use existing  survey  data  where  individual  respondents  are  anonymous  do  not  require  ethical approval; nor do those relying only on published information, official statistics etc.

 

 

Students  should  discuss  whether  their  research  requires  ethical  approval  in  their  first supervision  and  indicate  if  it  is  required  on  the  Dissertation  Title  Form.  They should  then contact  the  School  Ethics  Committee  for  approval  in  a  timely  manner,  filling  out  the Nottingham School of Economics Research Ethics Approval Form available for download at:

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/economics/research/ethics.aspx

 

 

 

Students requiring ethical approval should not start work on collecting the data without first having received approval. When submitting their dissertations, students whose work required ethical approval should attach a copy of the e-mail granting them ethical approval.

 

 

As precautions against academic fraud, students collecting data from human subjects should: (a) Document how they accessed the participants (e.g. where and when a survey was

conducted, etc.). This should be included as an appendix to their dissertation. (b) Submit a copy of the data-set created along with their dissertation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Economics Dissertation Proposal Marksheet:

 

 

STUDENT NAME:

 

DISSERTATION TITLE:

 

Markers Initials:

 

Date:

 

Mark (%):

 

 

 

Marking criteria

(check appropriate column)

1. Formulation of research question

Excellent

First

Good

II(i)

Adequate

II(ii)

Weak

III

Unacceptable

Fail

 

Does the dissertation identify an important research area and formulate a well-defined research question?

2. Knowledge of literature

 

Does the proposal reference academic studies that will inform the dissertation (e.g. on theory, methods, and issues) and explain how the dissertation will relate to them?

3. Identification of Data

Sources

Does the proposal show knowledge of where to search for information for the dissertation e.g. possible datasets?

4. Research Strategy

Does the proposal identify appropriate research methods to address its research question? How detailed is the approach – e.g. does a proposed empirical dissertation write down the equation it will estimate? How advanced are the methods to be used?

5. Structure &

organisation

Does the proposal outline a coherent structure for the dissertation? Are the proposed section headings a good way to organise the presentation of the research?

6. Feasibility and prospects

How likely is the proposal to succeed? Is the proposal feasible given the constraints of time, sources, prior knowledge and training? Does it have the potential to provide original results? [Originality is not required for UG dissertations, but is highly valued if present.]

 

NOTES:

1. 70-100% = First; 60-69%=II(i); 50-59%=II(ii); 40-49%=III; Below 40%=Fail

See grading guidelines in staff and student handbooks for mark descriptors.

2. The marking criteria are not equally weighted when determining final mark. This is left to the judgment of supervisors (e.g. some supervisors might give more implicit weight to research strategy).
3. The dissertation proposal mark counts for 20% of the overall mark for the module.

 

SEE OVERLEAF FOR COMMENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General guidelines on writing the Dissertation

 

 

 

1. The Introduction should set out your objectives, the question(s) you wish to answer and the methods for doing so.
2. The Dissertation should include a literature review, summarising and evaluating relevant existing contributions in the academic literature. If you cite the  empirical results of others, where appropriate provide a table (with summary results and diagnostic statistics) and specify the equation they estimated, if any (and sample).
3. Whatever the form of any empirical work, you must describe clearly what you would do in the ideal situation, what constraints (if any) you face in attaining that and, in the light of these, why you elected to follow your chosen procedure. With econometrics, this means that you set out the equation to be estimated and specify the variables entering into it. Ideally, this equation will be derived from a model, in which case set out the model. If the equation is ad hoc, say so. If you are following somebody else, say so. A typical constraint would be limited and/or poor quality data. You  should  demonstrate  awareness  of  the  implications  of  data  quality  for interpreting  results,  and  choose  the  most  appropriate  techniques  (not  necessarily  the  most sophisticated). If the empirical work is calculation (e.g. effective rates of protection) set out the formulae and calculations clearly.
4. The sources  of  all  data  should  be  indicated  and  the  precise  definitions  of  the  measures provided.  Any  data  transformations,  such  as  deflating  a  series  or  calculating  growth  rates, should be clearly explained and the resulting data reported.
5. The originality of a Dissertation need not be through empirical work. A Dissertation could be essentially a  review  of  theoretical  literature,  with  your  contribution  being  to  apply  the insights  of  theory to  suggest  answers  to  the  question  (even  if  these  cannot  be  tested).  For example,  one  past  Dissertation  applied  the  theory  of  rationed  households  and  incomplete markets to discuss problems in the agricultural sector in Albania, where no reliable data exist. Students may opt for a case study but should note that this is not easy. You must review the literature and comment on whether the conclusions from the literature are supported in your case  or,  if  not,  derive  new  insights  (e.g.  regarding  how  the  theory  could  be  amended  to accommodate your case).

 

 

 

6. References should be made in the text and listed at the end according to the Harvard system. For details, see The Enquire Guide to Harvard referencing (available from Dissertation Module page on Moodle. This document explains how to reference using the Harvard system.

For journal articles:

 

In main text write “Foster (2001) examined …” and in the references list, write:

 

Foster, C. D. (2001). The civil service under stress: the fall in civil service power and authority. Public Administration, 79(3), 725-749.

For books:

 

Kubálková, V., Onuf, N., & Kowert, P. (Eds.). (1998). International Relations in a Constructed

 

World. Armonk, NY: M E Sharpe.

 

Be complete: check what is in text is in references & vice versa

 

7. The Conclusion, which like the Introduction should be brief, should summarise what you have done and what implications and/or insights can be drawn. It should make clear what you have contributed through your work. It is also an appropriate place to indicate the limitations and weaknesses of what you have done, and to set out directions for future work on the subject.
8. Plagiarism is a serious offence. It is an offence to cite the work of other people without due acknowledgement; this refers to direct unattributed quotes and paraphrasing that is close to the unattributed original. If you are in doubt consult your Supervisor. School policy is that the normal penalty for plagiarism is a mark of zero for the entire dissertation, although more or less severe penalties may be decided depending on the particular nature and circumstances of the offence.
9. Your dissertation should not include text you have written for assessments for other modules (e.g. from assessed  coursework).  However,  you  are allowed  to  re-use  text written  for  your proposal in the final dissertation (e.g. literature reviews, statements of research questions etc.).
10. Add a paragraph on log files (including that you might be asked to produce log files- or even attend an oral examination ( a viva) in the event that there is no or little evidence that the tables are genuine Additional supporting materials, he content in  the appendices should be “easily presented in print format”  )

 

 

 

 

 

The  Word  Count  (Ensuing  discussion  also  applies  to  the  dissertation proposal which has a 2000-word limit)

 

 

The Dissertation has a 7500 word maximum. There is no “excess”: it is not 7500 words plus

 

10% etc. Every word of the Dissertation is included, except the following:

 

• Title page; abstract; table of contents

 

• Bibliography

 

• Diagrams, graphs & maps

 

• Equations & definitions of variables/mnemonics

 

• Tables of statistical results & data (and their titles)

 

• Appendices and tables of reference material.

 

Appendices should only be used to include information that is important to your study but is not absolutely vital to it. They should not be used as a way to ‘get around’ the word count (if something is important put it in the main body of your text). Nothing else is excluded! (E.g. footnotes, sub-headings etc. are in). Appendices can be used to provide reference material (e.g. questionnaires;   instructions   for   experiments;   technical   material   on   measurement   or construction  of  variables  etc.).  Tables  of  reference  material  could  include  information  on literature reviewed (e.g. for each study, the sample, methods, results etc.) However, there is no expectation that the markers will read everything in appendices – your mark will be based on the  content  of  the  main  part  of  the  dissertation.  For  this  reason,  critical  comments  in  your literature review (e.g. discussion of strengths and weaknesses of studies) should be included in your main text and not exempted from the word count.

 

 

You should report the word count of your dissertation on the title page (you can simply select your main text and use the word count feature in Word).

The penalty for exceeding the word count is that any words above the maximum will not be marked. As this typically will result in the loss of the conclusion to the dissertation, this is likely to disadvantage the student much more than if they had made their dissertation more concise.

 

 

Note  –  the  7500  word  limit  does  NOT  include  the  2000  word  proposal.  They are separate documents.

 

 

 

 

 

DISSERTATION MARKING:

 

 

 

Your supervisor will mark the dissertation, and this will be moderated by an internal examiner. On very rare occasions students may be asked to take an oral  examination (a “viva voce”) by a small panel of internal assessors. Typically this happens when there is overwhelming doubt that the submitted dissertation may not be the work of the student.

Economics Dissertation Mark Sheet

 

 

STUDENT NAME:

 

DISSERTATION TITLE:

 

Markers Initials:

 

Date:

 

Mark (%):

 

 

Marking criteria

(check appropriate column)

7. Formulation of research question

Excellent

First

Good

II(i)

Adequate

II(ii)

Weak

III

Unacceptable

Fail

 

Does the dissertation identify an important research area and formulate a well-defined research question?

8. Research Effort

Does the dissertation show evidence of independent investigation: obtaining data and/or other information; in-depth use of advanced theory and/or quantitative methods?

9. Originality and critical thinking

Is there evidence of the student’s own ideas: creativity and/or critical thinking? Do they show good

judgement? (An excellent UG dissertation may contribute to the literature, but this is not required.)

4     Knowledge of the Literature

Does the dissertation show wide knowledge and good understanding of the relevant academic literature?

5. Absence of error

Does the dissertation avoid mistakes – e.g. factually untrue statements, logical errors, incorrect theorising.

6. Rigour

Aside from any errors, are the arguments clear, logical and explicit? Are they based on appropriate use of theory or quantitative methods?

7. Evaluation and Reflection

Does the dissertation show an awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of any data, models, methods etc that it uses? Does it show awareness of ways in which the topic could be extended further?

8. Structure

Is the dissertation well-structured and well organised? Does it have a good introduction and conclusion?

 

 

 

9. Presentation

Is the dissertation well-presented and accessible? Proper referencing, diagrams labelled &

integrated, correct grammar & spelling, spacing and visual appeal etc.?

NOTE:

4. 70-100% = First; 60-69%=II(i); 50-59%=II(ii); 40-49%=III; Below 40%=Fail

See grading guidelines in staff and student handbooks for mark descriptors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACADEMIC OFFENCE

 

Adapted from https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/assessmentandawards/acade mic-misconduct.aspx

The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples of academic misconduct which will be considered under these Regulations:

Plagiarism:  representing another person’s work or ideas as one’s own, for example by failing to follow convention in acknowledging sources, use of quotation marks etc. This includes the unauthorised use of one student’s work by another student and the commissioning, purchase and submission of a piece of work, in part or whole, as the student’s own.

Collusion:  cooperation in order to gain an unpermitted advantage. This  may occur where students have consciously collaborated on a piece of work, in part or whole, and passed it off as their own individual efforts or where one student has authorised another to use their work, in part or whole, and to submit it as their own.

Fabrication  or  misrepresentation:  the presentation  of  fabricated  data,  results,  references, evidence or other material or misrepresentation of the same. Including, for example:

• claiming to have carried out experiments, observations, interviews or other forms of research which a student has not , in fact, carried out;
• claiming to have obtained results or other evidence which have not, in fact, been obtained;

 

• in the case of professional qualifications, falsely claiming to have completed hours in practice or to have achieved required competencies when this is not the case;

2.2 Recycling

 

The  multiple  submission  by a  student  of  their  own  material  is  not,  in  itself,  considered  as academic misconduct. Submission of material that has been submitted on a previous occasion for   a    different    summative    assessment    is,    however,    unlikely   to    be    academically appropriate.  The merit of such material will therefore be a matter of academic judgement and it may attract fewer (or no) marks than would have been the case if it had not been assessed previously.

 

 

 

 

 

Extensions to the submission deadline

 

Late submission of the dissertation will incur the usual penalty of five percentage points per working day late. Extensions to the submission deadline will only be granted where special extenuating circumstances apply. Standard University procedures for claiming for extenuating circumstances will be applied, including filling in the Extenuating Circumstance Form to the Welfare  Office  along  with  written  evidence.  Further  details  and  a  copy  of  the  Form  are available here:

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual/assessment/pro-guid-ext-cir.htm

 

Module convenors and supervisors do not process applications to extend submission deadlines, so please refrain from approaching them on this matter.

Also note that computer malfunctions and loss of electronic data are not regarded as acceptable grounds for extenuation, as students are expected to back up their work. Claims for extensions should  be  made  prior  to  the  deadline,  as  late  submission  penalties  will  be  applied  to Dissertations  where  extenuation  claims  were  rejected.  Where  claims  are  accepted,  short extensions risk running into the exam period (exams often start the week after the submission deadline),  possibly  interfering  with  revision.  Longer  extensions  may  delay  graduation.  To avoid these problems, students are advised to plan to finish their Dissertations several weeks prior to the submission deadline, in case unforeseen circumstances arise.

 

 

 

 

 

Submitting the Proposal and Dissertation

 

The final versions of your proposal and dissertation must be submitted at some point during the “submission window” which will run roughly ten days prior to the deadline. Submission should be done electronically via the L13500 Economics Dissertation page on Moodle.

 

 

 

Your work should be typed on A4, and lines should be double spaced. It is recommended that you use a standard 12-point font size. Reduced font sizes may be used within tables, figures, and appendices, must be completely legible.

All  pages  should  be  numbered  consecutively  throughout  the  dissertation,  including  the appendices. Lager font sizes may be used for dissertation title, chapter heading, etc. There are no requirements with regards to font type – you should use a clear easy-to-read font such as Times New Roman, Ariel or Calibri. But do try to use the same font type throughout your work. It is recommended that the page numbers are located centrally at the bottom of the page. Tables should be numbered consecutively throughout the dissertation.  It is recommended that you use a standard margin of about 2.5 cm on all sides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommendations for further reading

 

 

Greenlaw, S.A. (2006) Doing economics: a guide to carrying out economic research Houghton: Miffin.

 

McCloskey, Deirdre N. (1983). “The Rhetoric of Economics,” Journal of

Economic Literature 31(2), pp. 482-504.

 

McCloskey, Deirdre N. Economical Writing. 2nd ed. Long Grove, Ill.: Waveland Press, 2000

Neugeboren, Robert, H. The Student’s Guide to Writing Economics. New York: Routledge, 2005.

 

Thomson, William. A Guide for the Young Economist. Cambridge: MIT Press,

2001.

 

Zinsser, William. On writing well: the classic guide to writing nonfiction. Harper

New York: Collins, 2006