Dissertation 10000 word

Mark

Criteria

80%+

· A well structured and coherent piece of work.

· Shows good awareness of research methodologies and applies them to the study of a chosen subject/topic.

· Presents a complex argument that uses both primary and secondary sources.

· Is able to focus on the research question, whilst addressing a number of issues and positions in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject at hand.

· Writing is clear and shows good knowledge of academic language. Jargon is used effectively to support the presentation of the argument.

· The analysis of the issues under discussion is concise and has a high level of sophistication.

· The analysis is also supported by a number of sources (primary and secondary). It clearly shows the ability of the students to bring together theoretical discourses and empirical data.

· The argument presented makes clear links between the issues addressed and wider socio-political trends addressed throughout the degree.

· The analysis/argument presented shows some degree of original thought.

70-9%

· A well-structured and well-written piece of work that shows detailed knowledge of the complexities underpinning the chosen subject of study.

· Presents a coherent and methodical argument that is supported by a number of different sources. The analysis is incisive and includes some degree of sophistication.

· Shows good knowledge of research methodologies and applies them to the study of a chosen topic.

· Shows a good understanding of how to conduct research independently.

· The analysis presented show a good understanding of wider socio-political trends, and is able to link the issue under discussion to wider debates.

· Shows awareness and understanding of current theoretical discourses.

60-9%

· On the whole this is a well-structured and thoughtful piece of work.

· It attempts to develop a coherent argument based on a range of sources.

· Although it will include both primary and secondary sources, it tends to rely heavily on the established literature.

· Shows a relatively good understanding of research methodologies and applies them to the project at hand.

· On occasion it may lack focus, but on the whole the dissertation presents a coherent position/argument.

· Show a good understanding of how the chosen topic fits within the wider literature.

· The work shows the student’s ability to conduct and manage independent research.

50-9%

· This is a relatively well structured and thoughtful piece of work.

· It shows an adequate understanding of research methodology and is able to conduct independent research.

· On the whole the discussion presented tends to be descriptive rather than analytic. As such, the dissertation is more a collection of data/sources, than a coherently argued evaluation of socio-political trends.

· The analysis of primary and secondary material is largely unoriginal and lacks nuance.

· Links to wider socio-political trends and scholarly debates are superficial and tangential.

40-9%

· The dissertation deals with the question set in a superficial and simplistic way.

· The analysis provided is partial and descriptive.

· It shows only a basic understanding of research methodologies and their application to the study of politics and related subjects.

· On the whole, the dissertation fails to develop and maintain a coherent and logical argument.

· The structure of the dissertation tends to be disjointed and fails to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject matter.

· There is little evidence of independent research. It focuses predominantly on secondary date and sources.

· The analysis/discussion presented shows little or not engagement with scholarly/theoretical debates.

35-9%

· This dissertation fails to present a coherent answer to the question set. The discussion includes some tangentially relevant material, but is on the whole superficial and inconclusive.

· The dissertation also fails to show a grasp of research methodologies and their application in the delivery of an independent project.

· The research base for the dissertation is minimal and fails to look at key debates/issues in the field.

· The analysis presented is vague and repetitive.

0-35%

· The discussion presented in the dissertation is largely irrelevant.

· It fails to build a coherent argument and/or present some kind of position vis-à-vis the chosen topic.

· Shows no awareness/understanding of research methods.

· The discussion is superficial, inconclusive, and on the whole irrelevant.

· Makes little or no use of supporting material.

· There is no evidence of an overarching structure for the dissertation.