Proposal

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African Leadership Centre (ALC)

Important information on deadlines, the dissertation module and writing the dissertation

Msc Programmes: Security, Leadership and Society

Leadership and Development

2019-2020

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Table of Contents

Overview .......................................................................................................................... 3

Timeline ........................................................................................................................... 4

Assessment and Deadlines .......................................................................................... 5

General Reading List ..................................................................................................... 6

Writing the Dissertation .............................................................................................. 8 Aims of a Dissertation ........................................................................................................... 8 Objectives ................................................................................................................................. 8 Word Limit ............................................................................................................................... 9 Extensions ................................................................................................................................ 9 Working with your Supervisor ........................................................................................... 9 The Student’s Role ............................................................................................................... 10

Student responsibilities: ......................................................................................................................... 10 The Supervisor’s Role: ........................................................................................................ 11 Difficulties or Problems ..................................................................................................... 11 Planning your Work ............................................................................................................ 11 The Writing Process ............................................................................................................ 12 The Dissertation Proposal ................................................................................................. 13

Some language to get you moving: .................................................................................................... 13 Collecting Primary Data ..................................................................................................... 14

Research Ethics ............................................................................................................ 14

Structure of the Dissertation .................................................................................... 14

Layout ............................................................................................................................. 17

Dissertation Checklist ................................................................................................ 18

Assessment Criteria .................................................................................................... 19 Content .................................................................................................................................... 19 Methods .................................................................................................................................. 19 Quality of Argument ............................................................................................................ 20 Structure ................................................................................................................................. 21 Presentation .......................................................................................................................... 21

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Overview This course will be team-taught across two semesters; with semester one being run

by the School of Global Affairs and semester two by the African Leadership Centre.

ALC students are expected to attend both terms as all sessions are compulsory.

Semester 1 sessions require coursework and will be assesd for SGA students BUT

will not be assesed for ALC Students. However attendence and participation will be

recorded and can impact on your overall grade.

In Semester 2 you will be required to present your dissertation proposal to fellow

students and faculty.

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Timeline

TERM 1 All Friday 4-6pm sessions are in room K1.28. Locations for the two ALC only Friday 10-12 sessions will be communicated in advance

Week Session Title/Topic Faculty Time/Venue

1 Introduction to ALC Dissertation

Module and Research methods

Training

Dr. Barney Walsh Friday 10-12

S0.13

1 Introduction: what are the

expectations of a Masters level

dissertation in the School of

Global Affairs?

School of GlobalAffairs

(SGA)

Friday 4-6pm

K1.28

2 Developing a strong,

researchable question and

choosing appropriate methods

ALC faculty Friday 4-6pm

3 Strategies for researching and

reviewing existing literature and

data sources

ALC faculty Friday 4-6pm

4 Methods in the social sciences:

Positivist vs constructivist

approaches

Gulnaz (Sam to confirm) Friday 4-6pm

5 Research ethics Colleagues from the

research ethics office

Friday 4-6pm

6 Introduction to uses of

quantitative data

Xin Sun Friday 4-6pm

S0.13

7 Research in authoritarian settings

in the Global South

Kostas Tsimonis Friday 4-6pm

8 Ethnography Anastasia Piliavsky Friday 4-6pm

9 Interviews Charlotte Goodburn Friday 4-6pm.

10 Doing Leadership Research:1 ALC Faculty Friday 10-12

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TERM 2 The ALC session in Semetser 2 will be on Fridays 10-12 Bush House (SE) 1.05. Student presentations will take place in weeks 7 and 8. This schedule is subject to change, in which case you will be notified in advance. Week Session/Topic Faculty Time/Venue

1 17 Jan

Leadership Weekend

ALC Network Fri – Sun Latimer House

(no Fri morning session. Details have been

provided)

2 24 Jan

Doing Leadership Dissertation: 1 - Dissertation 101: Requirenents and Expectations

Dr Barney Walsh Friday 10-12 BH SE1.05

3 31 Jan

Feminist and Critical Methodologies

Dr Awino Okech Friday 10-12 BH SE1.05

4 7 Feb

Doing Leadership Dissertation: 2 – Asking and Answering Research Questions

Dr Barney Walsh Friday 10-12 BH SE1.05

5 14 Feb

Simulation Scenario: ALC Fellowship Event

Public Event Friday 11-2 River Room

21 Feb Reading Week

Reading Week

Reading Week

6 28 Feb

Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences (TBC)

Dr Timo Graf Friday 10-12 BH SE1.05

7 6 Mar

Student Dissertation Presentations 1

ALC Faculty Friday 10-12 BH SE1.05

8 13 Mar

Student Dissertation Presentations 2

ALC Faculty Friday 10-12 BH SE1.05

9 20 Mar

Leadership and Society Presentations – Group 5

Dr Barney Walsh Friday 10-12 BH SE1.05

10 27 Mar

Final Dissertation Clinic Dr Barney Walsh Friday 10-12 BH SE1.05

Assessment and Deadlines

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a) Tuesday 10 December 2019: Dissertation topic due (title, subject area, or research question only, uploaded onto KEATS. This is to help us allocate you appropriate supervisor)

b) Friday 10 April 2020: Dissertation proposal due (1,000 words, 10% of your final dissertation grade, uploaded onto KEATS).

c) Friday 15 May 2020: Supervisors give feedback and grade on proposal.

d) Friday 17 July 2020: All supervision must have taken place by this time (each student entitled to 5 supervision sessions with designated supervisor).

e) Wednesday, 2 September 2020. 5pm submission of the completed dissertation (14,000 words). Submit ONE copy on KEATS and TWO hardcopies, which must be bound along the spine (e.g. spiral binding) and delivered to the Office. Please note the office is open from 10am to 5pm. You are welcome to leave your dissertations in the pigeonhole outside those hours at your own risk.

General Reading List Bauer, MW and Gaskell, G (ed.s) (2000) Qualitative Researching with Text, Image and Sound: A Practical Handbook for Social Research. London: Sage Includes Boyce, RWD Fallacies in Interpreting Historical and Social Data. Bennett, A and Checkel, JT (ed.s) (2014) Process Tracing: From Metaphor to Analytical Tool. Cambridge: CUP Brydon, L. 2006. Ethical Practices in Doing Development Research. In Desai, V. and R.B. Potter(eds.). Doing Development Research. SAGE: London. Bryman, A. (2004) Social Research Methods, 2nd ed., London: Oxford University Press. Halperin, S and Heath, O (2012) Political Research: Methods and Practical Skills. Oxford: OUP Lustick, IS (1996) History, Historiography, and Political Science: Multiple Historical Records and the Problem of Selection Bias. American Political Science Review, Vol.90 No.3, pp605-618 Robson, C (2011) Real World Research, 3rd edition. Chichester: Wiley David, M. & Sutton, C. (2004) Social Research: The Basics, London: SAGE. Davis, Kathy (2014): "Intersectionality as Critical Methodology". In: Writing Academic Texts Differently: Intersectional Feminist Methodologies and the Playful Art of Writing. New York: Routledge, pp. 17–29.

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Denscombe, M. (2003) The Good Research Guide 2nd ed., Maidenhead: Open University Press. Graff, G. and Birkenstein, C. (2010) They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, 2nd ed., New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Hulme, D. 2006. Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Research for Country Case Studies of Development. Brooks World Poverty Institute, University of Manchester, and ESRC Global Poverty Research Group (Universities of Manchester and Oxford): Manchester – downloaded on 2nd July 2007 from http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/idpm/staff/documents/DH_GDNPaper.pdf

Mehta, L., Haug, R. & Haddad, L. (2006) “Reinventing development research”, Forum for Development Studies. 33(1): 143-148. Murray, R. (2011) How to Write a Thesis 2nd ed., New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Okech, Awino. 2013. “Researching discourses on widow inheritance: feminist questions about ‘talk’ as methodology” in Bennett, Jane and Pereira, Charmaine (eds). 2013. Jacketed Women: Qualitative Research Methodologies on Sexualities and Gender in Africa. Cape Town. University of Cape Town Press

Reinharz, Shulamit & Lyn, Davidman, L.1992. Feminist Methods in Social Research, Oxford, Oxford University Press

Smith. Linda. 1999. Decolonising Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. London. Zed

Turner, S. (2000) ‘What are disciplines? And how is interdisciplinarity different?’ in Weingart, P. and Stehr, N. (eds), Practicing Interdisciplinarity. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Wisker, G. (2007) The Postgraduate Research Handbook, 2nd ed., New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

Zinsser, H. (2006) On Writing Well, 7th ed., New York: Harper Collins.

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Writing the Dissertation

Aims of a Dissertation The overall aims of postgraduate dissertations are to:

• Provide students with an opportunity to conduct a piece of research on a topic related to their programme of studies

• Further students’ knowledge of a relevant body of literature, and develop powers of critical reasoning

• Enable students to demonstrate their understanding of different theoretical perspectives and to assess critically the relevance of their application to a relevant problem

• Develop students’ ability to apply critically different analytical techniques and methods that are relevant to their dissertation topic

• Provide the opportunity to demonstrate the capacity for independent, self- managed learning.

• In some cases, allow students to seek new research findings which add to the existing body of knowledge on a particular subject area. Thus, some –not all- dissertations involve primary data collection although other dissertations review or reinterpret material already available in the public domain (i.e. academic literature, policy papers, research and policy reports, and publicly available data)

• Develop a range of research skills, including the development of a study hypothesis, an appreciation of the research methodology and analytical techniques to be utilised, the undertaking of a specific research study, the synthesis and evaluation of findings, and a clear statement of conclusions

• Develop students’ writing, presentation and bibliographic skills, which involves skills in planning and management of a long document

Objectives On completing the dissertation, students should be better equipped to:

• Conduct literature reviews and secondary research using a range of bibliographic techniques and sources, including those available through the world-wide web

• Analyse and synthesise relevant concepts and methods, and apply these to a relevant problem

• Where appropriate and feasible, conduct small-scale primary research activities, as discussed with supervisors and on an individual basis

• Manage their own work and learning processes in relation to a research project that can be completed over the summer months

• Produce a dissertation conforming to the conventions of academic writing.

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Word Limit The dissertation should be 14,000 words (you will also submit 1000 word proposal, making 15,000 words in total) The word count does not include: • Cover Sheet • Title • Acknowledgmenets • Abstract • Footnoted references • The bibliography • Any text that forms part of any graphs or illustrations

On word count regulations: As per ALC referencing house style:

• Footnoted text is included in the word count (footnoted text provides additional information that is peripheral to the main argument)

• Footnoted references are not included in the word count (footnoted references provide references to the sources used)

Penalties for exceeding word limits

• There is a five per cent tolerance - no penalty is incurred for up to five per cent over the word limit.

• Thereafter, 2 marks will normally be deducted for every five per cent, until fifty per cent is reached.

• After fifty per cent, 3 marks will normally be deducted for each additional five per cent.

Extensions There are no last minute extensions on dissertations. The submission of the dissertation marks the completion of your degree, and we need the time following the deadline in order to mark, second mark, review and process your grades in time for the Exam Board in the Autumn and your graduation. As with coursework assessment, the Mitigating Circumstances mechanism also applies to dissertations. Any student who considers their dissertation delayed due to ‘unforeseen’ and ‘unpreventable’ circumstances should complete the online application found in the Student handbook. All work to be considered under Mitigating Circumstances should be submitted as soon as is practicable but note that any work submitted after the end of September 2019 may be too late to be marked and considered in pass time for the December graduation in 2019.

Working with your Supervisor Working with a supervisor is an important element of the dissertation process. Supervision is provided under the general principle that the dissertation must be your own work. A dissertation is worth 60 credits, or 600 student learning hours. The bulk of this work will be independent study. Guidance and discussion during the supervisory

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process enables you to develop and present your study of an approved topic effectively and within the norms of a dissertation genre. Students are allowed to meet with supervisors up to five times (these five meetings must all have occurred before 5th July, as per timelines above). It is strongly recommended that you meet for the allocated five times. It is important that students take advantage of their supervisors advice as much as possible. If student and supervisor are unable to meet five times face-to-face, then email or Skype are acceptable alternatives. Do make sure that you and your supervisor are aware of each other’s absences.

The Student’s Role

• Discussing with your supervisor the type of guidance and comment that you find helpful

• Taking the initiative in arranging consultations, raising questions, problems or difficulties encountered

• Make sure prospective issues on Ethical Approval are addressed very early into the project

• Delivering type-written drafts several days before a discussion • Keeping appointments (or informing your supervisor where this is not possible). • Maintaining a schedule of work as agreed with your supervisor • Beginning the process of Research Ethics Clearance if applicable, i.e., when

collecting primary data is part of your project • Submitting the completed dissertation, correctly bound as well as on KEATS, on

the deadline.

Student responsibilities: You must ensure that dissertation supervisors are kept fully informed on progress and difficulties, and are approached with prepared questions at supervisory meetings. You should aim to submit chapter or section drafts in advance of meetings in sufficient time to allow for comment and discussion before proceeding to the next stage. The onus is on you to make sure that you arrange meetings with your supervisor, or that you attend at the times that are arranged by your supervisor in consultation with you: you will not be ‘chased’ by supervisors. Supervisors cannot judge how your work is going if you just hand over a sub-section that you have written up. One of the most important elements of planning the dissertation is preparing a draft of your contents so that it is quite clear what follows on from what. You should also maintain a running bibliography that you submit with each piece of draft you ask your supervisor to read. Supervisors are not to be expected to proof read or to correct spelling/grammar. Students are advised to buy-in or otherwise arrange such services if needed. To a large extent, then, the dissertation has to be a self-managed process. Your role is to organise the research programme as a whole, take advice from your supervisor and take the initiative in raising problems/difficulties. The supervisor’s role is to give advice and help about the nature and standard of the work, and direct you to useful literature and appropriate methodology. But remember, the ultimate responsibility remains yours. Do NOT expect your supervisor to read drafts and re-drafts of every piece of your work, and above all, do NOT ask your supervisor in the latter stages whether you will be successful,

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not least because they cannot tell you, or do not know.

The Supervisor’s Role:

• Giving guidance about the nature of the research and dissertation • Giving guidance on the standard of work expected, and on how to plan and

manage your time and the programme of research involved • Giving guidance on research techniques and on necessary reading/bodies of

literature • Overseeing the writing of an outline and the selection of a title • Giving guidance on the planning of empirical work • Agreeing on completion dates for successive stages of the work, requesting draft

writings as appropriate and returning written material with constructive criticism on the broad shape and structure of the work (but not on its detailed content)

• Providing advice and guidance to help improve the quality of the work • In sum, your supervisor will guide you towards the production of your

dissertation by discussing parts of the process, especially in the initial stages. Your supervisor may advise on relevant areas of literature, help you to develop your thoughts on your topic, give guidance on the development of chapters and on the conventions of dissertation writing. Your supervisor will not act as a proof-reader of your work, nor do literature searches for you. They cannot be asked to read the whole of the final draft submission.

Difficulties or Problems Your supervisor will ensure that you are made aware when progress on the dissertation is below the standard expected and that you are given guidance as to how the problem should be rectified. If you feel that the dissertation is not proceeding satisfactorily and are unable to resolve the difficulty with your supervisor, you should seek advice by writing to the Programme Director Professor Abiodun Alao. If the Programme Director is your dissertation supervisor, the letter should go to Dr Eka Ikpe. Supervisors have been allocated based on availability and expertise. This means that not all of you may get your first choice. All members of staff are capable of supervising you within their broad disciplinary expertise, even if the subject matter might differ a little. Hence, there is no reason to change supervisors unless you are particularly unhappy with the arrangement for specific reasons. If so, please discuss this with the Programme Director Professor Abiodun Alao. By the end of supervision in June, you should at least have 1) a defined topic and research question(s)/hypothesis, 2) a chapter breakdown of the whole dissertation, 3) a work plan for the coming months, 4) an approach/methodology. Ideally, you should also have received feedback on your outline.

Planning your Work When you are planning your schedule, please remember that your own time and

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application is only one of the determining factors. You need to take into account your supervisor’s time as well as your own when you are estimating overall time needed. Data collection – including the selection of literature and publicly available data- always takes longer than you expect, as does, for example, the analysing and writing up of chapters, and even the completion of your reference list. Be on the safe side and double your first estimate. Organising your work is of key importance. You should build up separate reference files of material as the study develops including notes of all documents read, and photocopies or computer files of particularly useful papers or diagrams, and notes of all meetings and discussions. Ensure that all references are complete, using the styles of Harvard or Chicago Systems that are in accordance with the ALC House Style – in other words, use footnoting instead of in-text citation. Allow time for the development of ideas and arguments through revision and redrafting and full discussions of each section of study. Preparing summaries of each section as part of the drafts can help you achieve this. Remember to make back-up copies of work held on hard or portable media. You should never rely on only portable memory storage. This can be unreliable and failure to make back-up copies may result in loss of work. There is no excuse for not backing-up your files. Note that any such ‘disasters’ of lost work will not justify late submission. Make sure you leave plenty of time to proofread work, format the layout, which should be done on hardcopies instead of on-screen, and chase-up any remaining references and print the final copies; these invariably take much longer than you expect. The use of automated referencing is recommended.

King’s College regulations on late submission of coursework (please click on link for more details) A student who either fails to submit material for assessment or submits after the deadline and has not made a request for an extension under Regulations 18.1 or 18.4 above, or who has not satisfied the Chair of the Assessment Sub Board that their mitigating circumstances offer valid reasons for submitting late work, will have an automatic penalty applied. Work submitted within 24 hours of the deadline will be marked but the mark awarded will be no greater than the pass mark. Work submitted after the 24 hour deadline will receive a mark of zero; such a student may, at the discretion of the relevant Assessment Sub Board, be permitted to attempt the assessment again if the regulations for the programme permit such reassessment.

The Writing Process A golden rule is to write down as much as you can from as early on as you can – and your task will become easier. There are several good reasons for this advice. For some people, actually getting thoughts down on paper presents one of the biggest stumbling blocks. If you feel this way, take comfort that this is a common feeling. However, this must be overcome early in the process. Quite often, it is difficult to spot the flaws in your reasoning until it is set out on paper, so you are well advised to write up bits and pieces in draft as early as possible. Early sessions with your supervisor should be followed by a period where you get down on paper and develop ideas that have been mentioned. Another reason for writing early on is that your supervisor will want to see your reasoning is committed to paper.

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Try and have achievable goals within the wider project –commit to writing sections of the overall dissertation. A word of caution though: you must read them all again and make sure there is a central linear narrative that runs through your document, once you have finished all ‘chapters’. Allow at least two weeks for this essential final edit, as returning to sections you have written earlier allows you to see mistakes that pass you by at the time: you can greatly improve your mark by editing your work properly.

The Dissertation Proposal With a little tinkering, your Dissertation Proposal can double as the introduction to your dissertation. This serves to map out how you are going to proceed with this project. For your supervisor, it is a check that the idea is workable before you go ahead with it all. Your supervisor will give you verbal feedback on the proposal within a month of your handing it in. The 3 page proposal (1000 words limit) has 5 important elements: • Statement of main research topic and why it’s worth doing • Possible research questions and/or case studies you might want to focus on. (These can be ideas you will further define in early May.) • Literature overview or how your project relates to the literature out there and where it’s going to make a unique contribution. • Personal timetable- the plan of how you will research, write, and edit your work. Please factor in when you will meet with your supervisor, take any trips for interviews or special libraries, and by what dates you will complete different sections • Bibliography- of what you’ve done so far and what you might still want to cover (NOTE, this bibliography is NOT included in your word count).

Some language to get you moving: These questions are ones you will be asking all the way through. Don’t worry if t hey change as you move along. The subject of my research is It merits study because The work relates to others in that Research question/puzzle/unexplored area is This enquiry approached it from a perspective of Using this approach, the study found that A result/hypothesis following from this is There are implications for Self-test questions What work has been done in this area? What did you do? What did you find? What does it mean? How is this different? Although it may be tempting to write about something you have already begun to explore

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in one of your modules, be careful not to self-plagiarise. This is when you take chunks of writing from another paper and use it in your dissertation. You can use the ideas and quotes and explore the same themes, just make sure it is a fresh piece of writing.

Collecting Primary Data Primary data collection includes work in archives, carrying out interviews, surveys, life histories, or participant observation. Collecting primary data for your dissertation is not necessary, as the emphasis can be on desk research (i.e., case studies based on existing research/literature, analysis of existing data sets, policy documents, research and policy reports). However, you can also complement such sources with some primary research. If you plan to travel abroad for primary research you need to discuss this carefully with your supervisor, as such research involves specific risks with regard to data collection, and time constrictions –your supervisor will not be available to support your writing process in the summer months for example.

Research Ethics If your dissertation research includes human subjects – interviews, data from focus groups, possibly where secondary sources are non-anonymised or sensitive, you will need to fill out a mandatory ethics approval form and a more detailed “high risk” application through the REMAS system. If you don’t fall into that category and are “low risk”, you are still likely to have to complete ethical approval forms. There is also a new risk assessment form which you will have to complete. Information on ethical approval is available on the following links, please check them all thoroughly: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/research/support/ethics/index.aspx https://www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/research/support/ethics/Applications/apply -through-REMAS.aspx https://internal.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/staff/depts/sga/research/research-ethics-and- health-and-safety.aspx Ethical approval should be sought as soon as possible as it can be a timely process. You should discuss this with your supervisor at your first meeting with them.

Structure of the Dissertation All dissertations are different; accordingly there is no exact standard outline. Nevertheless, dissertations should follow rules of academic writing, research, and argument, which means that most dissertations will follow variations of the below outline. Therefore, the below is an approximate outline only and can differ

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considerably depending on your type of question, your methodological approach and the type of sources you use. The exact outline of your dissertation should be discussed with and approved by your supervisor.

Part I: Research organisation:

1) Introduction to the study, outlining: (a) background to the topic, in terms of relevance, key research questions, issues and debates; (b) the shape and scope of the dissertation, outlining for the reader the broad purpose of the study; (c) an outline of the structure of the dissertation.

2) A critical literature review and/or contextual chapter. This should provide an overview of a range of literature relevant to the topic chosen detailing research findings in your chosen field of study. The purpose is to identify gaps in the overall body of research and to outline the (modest) ways in which your research can fill those gaps and expand the larger body of knowledge. It is not simply a summary of everything written on a particular topic; rather, it is an attempt to locate your research within the broader array of knowledge on a particular subject. This, in turn, will provide a detailed justification for, and explanation of, the research questions or hypotheses around which your work will be structured.

3) The methodology you have employed to attempt to answer the research questions or test the hypothesis, outlining both the broad research design and justifying the particular methods and techniques selected. This does not have to be a separate chapter, but can be a sub-section of the introduction or of the first chapter after the introduction (i.e. literature review/contextual chapter). The methodology, and how many words you spend explaining it, depends highly on the nature of your research: are you carrying out a quantitative or qualitative study; are you carrying out primary research, i.e., do you collect data, or is the work based on existing literature. This bit has to be discussed with your supervisor to make sure you are clear about your methodology.

Part II: Empirical chapters 4) A results or case study chapter, analysing the findings of research undertaken (e.g.

review of case study literature, analysis of policy and technical documents, analysis of data collected from secondary sources such as the Census or existing databases, or primary material such as interviews with key actors). This can also address one or two perspectives, case studies, or sub-questions

5) A comparative case study chapter, or a second chapter addressing one of the sub- questions you will be exploring

6) A concluding chapter, relating findings presented in the previous chapters to the research questions/hypotheses, and highlighting the implications of your work for policies, practices, theories or techniques, and setting out the ways in which your research has advanced or reinforced knowledge of your chosen subject area. Implications of research and analysis is not the same as making recommendations for policy; you are not expected to make recommendations in a dissertation, unless your dissertation question and approach specifically demands it (e.g., if you are doing a policy analysis)

7) A full bibliography, covering all works cited in the main text 8) Any other relevant reference materials, which may be presented in the

appendices. In sum, your dissertation aims to answer a main research question or hypothesis, addressing the broader topic you have chosen to explore, and which you have identified based on the review of relevant literature. You can answer this question by researching and analysing case studies (based on existing literature), sub-questions/ perspectives

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(based on existing literature), analysis of specific data, or the application of a specific theory to empirical data (the nature of empirical data can be existing data in the public domain, or data you have collected). It is your job to decide how you want to approach your topic; your supervisor can only guide you in the process.

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Layout Title The title must be short, unambiguous and accurate. On the outside cover of the bound copy the title, name of the author and year of submission. Title page This should provide a statement as follows:

• Title of the dissertation • The following text: ‘A dissertation submitted to King’s College London for the

degree of xxx in the Social Sciences and Public Policy, School or Global Studies. • The year of submission (not including the month) • The candidate’s name (the same as the name under which he or she is currently

registered, or was last registered, at the College) and student number • The name of the institute: African leadership Centre

Table of Contents A list of contents, giving all relevant sub-divisions of the dissertation and a page number for each item; The final word count, must be inserted at the bottom of the contents page. If illustrative materials are integrated within the text, a separate list of illustrations should be prepared. List of Illustrations The term ‘illustration’ refers to all tables, maps, plans, graphs, diagrams, photographs. The list of illustrations should provide number, title, and page references. This usually appears on a separate page unless included in the table of contents. Abstract All dissertations must include an abstract. This should be undertaken when the dissertation is otherwise complete. The abstract should precede the introduction so that the reader/examiner can quickly see what the text is about prior to more detailed reading. Typically the abstract defines the problems the writer sets out to solve, the main procedures adopted, and the principal results and conclusions; it should occupy a single A4 page (about 350/400 words). Acknowledgements Assistance given to the student in the preparation of their work must be acknowledged, and would usually include the supervisor and any key individuals (other academics, individuals from the agencies under study etc.) who have helped. Acknowledgments should not normally exceed one or two paragraphs. Text Should be formatted as double or 1.5 spacing, with a minimum font size of 12 for the main text. Single-spacing should be used for indented quotations of more than three lines, footnotes and references. Pages can be single sided. Chapter headings and section headings should be clearly indicated as such. Page sizes and margins To allow for binding the margin at the binding edge of any page must be not less than 40mm; other margins must be not less than 15mm. The required paper size is A4 (210mm x 297mm).

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Page numbering Page numbering must consist of one single sequence of Arabic numerals (i.e. 1, 2, 3 … ) throughout the dissertation. Page numbers must be displayed on all pages except the title page. The pagination sequence will include not only the text of the dissertation but also the preliminary pages, diagrams, tables, figures, illustrations, appendices, references etc. Roman numerals must not be used for page numbering. Copies Two hard copies have to be submitted by 5pm at the ALC Office. One copy has to be submitted electronically on KEATS by 5pm. Maps Where maps are used, these should be A4. Diagrams and tables These should be clearly presented, properly sourced, and explained in the text. References See information in your handbook for further details.

Dissertation Checklist You need to check your draft for what might be termed continuity errors. Roughly speaking, this means checking that the whole text is consistent with itself from beginning to end. If you have changed some sections, there might be section headings to re-number, for example. To help you eliminate such errors, here is a checklist:

• Are the headings and sub-headings in the contents list the same as those in the text?

• Have you given lists of tables and figures as well as chapters in your Table of Contents?

• Are they all numbered consecutively? Numberings from earlier versions may persist and you may have two chapter 4s or no chapter 6. Using the automated Table of Contents wizard in Word can help enormously in this respect.

• Are all the cross-references to other sections of the study correct? • Do all the references in the text have a corresponding entry in the bibliography,

with the same date as the reference in the text? • Where you refer to an article within an edited collection, have you included the

full book reference, with editors, as well as the chapter reference? • Are all the references complete, (i.e. have you included the publication date and

place, as well as the publisher's name?) • Tables and figures: check that their numbers and titles are correct, and that

references to them in the text are correct. • Have you checked all the calculations in your tables? Have you got correct totals

in the tables? • Is there enough labelling information in your tables and graphs? (e.g. if you refer

to percentages, is it clear exactly what they are percentages of? Do you make it clear whether raw scores or percentages are being referred to?)

• Have you calculated all the figures to the same number of decimal places? • Are you consistent about abbreviations

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Assessment Criteria Dissertations are judged against a set of guiding criteria. The order in which the points are set out below implies no particular weighting; all the criteria listed are potentially of equal importance, though some may be more appropriate than others according to t he particular topic covered in any one dissertation.

Content i) Is the dissertation relevant to the discipline of the programme within this specified field? Does the student demonstrate an appreciation of the relevance of the work for policy development, or to deeper academic understanding of the discipline (ie, at a conceptual level)? ii) Does the work deal adequately with relevant theoretical and methodological issues, and where appropriate, highlight the policy implications of the work, within the topic defined? Does it avoid superfluous detail?

Aims, objectives and purpose of study i) Does the writer spell out the aims and objectives of the study clearly? Do the objectives substantiate the achievement of the broader aims? ii) Do the research questions or hypotheses set out clearly the analytical path of the study?

Use and knowledge of literature i) Where appropriate, does the literature review demonstrate a clear appreciation of broad theoretical perspectives relevant to the topic, and the strengths and weaknesses of these perspectives? ii) Does the literature review offer an adequate review of related research, and demonstrate an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of other studies? Does it suggest an understanding of the remaining gaps in the research conducted on the chosen topic? iii) In a design study, have comparable cases been identified and lessons drawn from them? iv) Has the writer made use of an adequate range of sources? Is sufficient attention paid to academic and theoretical arguments as well as technical reports and policy documents? Are there relevant references which have been omitted? Are sources acknowledged? v) Are references listed fully, and in the correct way?

Methods i) Does the writer set out clearly the adopted research methodologies? Do the research methods used distinguish and appreciate, where relevant, types of sources (i.e., quantitative and qualitative, theoretical and empirical, academic literature, research and policy reports, policy documents, social media, and conventional media)?

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ii) Are the methods selected appropriate to the study topic? Do they flow logically from the literature review and questions? iii) Are the methods selected used effectively? iv) Where case studies are used, is justification offered for selection? Are case studies linked to broader topics?

Fieldwork (where applicable) i) To what extent are empirical data relevant to the aims/hypotheses and methods selected for the study? Are there any gaps in data collected? ii) Where relevant, is questionnaire design and analysis adequate? iii) Where interviews are used, has the student given consideration to structuring of questions, transcription methods and range of interviewees selected? iv) Has the writer gone beyond the obvious, showing initiative or imagination in finding relevant data in original places? v) Does the writer show an appreciation of data access difficulties? vi) Is there a good appreciation of locality and context?

Quality of Argument i) Does the work distinguish between ‘facts’ and ‘values’? Has the writer avoided imposing his or her values upon the work, so far as possible, or –if not- is there a reasoned justification for these values? ii) Is there an appropriate balance between description and analysis? Is each piece of description supported by an appropriate piece of analysis, demonstrating the meaning, significance, or implications of the events or phenomena which have been described? iii) Is the line of argument justified and presented clearly, or, conversely, does it tend to be incoherent, unstructured and repetitive? iv) Are conclusions drawn adequately supported by empirical evidence, by statistical information, by appropriate quotations or by relevant examples or case studies? Does the work avoid assertion and unsubstantiated inference? Where the available evidence does not enable clear conclusions to be drawn, is there a clear appreciation of this? v) Does the work show an appreciation of the implications of arguments presented in one portion of the dissertation, for material covered elsewhere? Do arguments flow in a logical fashion and avoid contradiction? vi) Do the conclusions offer original interpretations and novel lines of argument, or merely rehash the findings of other studies? Conclusions i) Are empirical findings used to highlight policy or theoretical implications?

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ii) Are the conclusions reached at the end of the dissertation clearly related to the questions posed at the beginning? iii) Does the writer show an awareness of the limitations of the research and provide suggestions for future research?

Structure i) Is the division into sections, parts, or chapters clear and logical? Does it help the reader to understand the method of enquiry or the structure of the argument which the writer has adopted? ii) Does each chapter contain a clear (but brief) statement of its purpose in relation to the aims for the study as a whole? iii) Does each chapter end with a summary of the implications of material covered for the study as a whole? Does it lead logically into the next chapter? iv) Is appropriate use made of appendices, so that material which is vital to the structure of the dissertation is in the main text itself, and only contributory or supplementary material relegated to the appendices? (Appendices are mostly unnecessary in dissertations based on literature.) v) Is there a clearly explained, logical relationship between the argument presented, and any diagrams, tables, maps, or other illustrations? Are the latter placed in the text at the right points, so that their relationship to the argument is made as clear as possible? vi) Are paragraphs structured in clear and logical fashion? Are sentences structured concisely to convey points clearly? Are vital points buried in over-long and poorly structured sentences, inappropriately placed in footnotes, or otherwise lost? Is it obvious what the writer thinks is crucial and what he/she thinks is subsidiary?

Presentation i) Is the dissertation written in comprehensible, plain English, unencumbered by pretentious, obscure language, and ill-understood jargon? ii) Does citation of other work seem to have been done mainly to help, or to impress? Has work been cited to help the reader follow the argument, to understand its intellectual origins, and to check on points which may be of interest? iii) Does the dissertation look reasonably professional and presentable? Or is it badly laid out, grubby, messy or untidy? iv) Have supporting photographs, charts, tables and maps been used in an effective way? v) Has the dissertation been carefully proofread, or are errors left, apparently unnoticed?