writing, structuring and referencing for academic essay

APPENDIX 1 – House Style
In submitting any piece of academic work you will need to adopt a stipulated style in terms of writing, structuring and referencing; this is true whether it is for a qualification[for exampleBA(hons)Management] or if you are writing for a journal[ for example Strategic Management Journal].留学生dissertation网Please find below the ‘house style’ for the Management Dissertation
General:
The dissertation should be on white A4paper with margins 2.54cm[top and bottom] and 3.17cm[left and right]with1 1/2 line spacing with double spacing at the end of a paragraph. Number the pages consecutively at the bottom middle. Use one side of the page only.

Drawings, photographs and other figures where used, must be secured in their required position in the dissertation. If wider than A4 they should be folded to fit within the covers or photo reduced to A4 size.

The two copies that you submit should be bound with a plastic ’velo’ or tape binding, with a window in the front page. The window should reveal your name, the dissertation title, and your course[which will be printed on the next page].

Referencing:
The referencing convention is Harvard Referencing and citations should show page numbers for quotes and paraphrasing; where the paraphrase is specific enough that page/s could be identified.

Lancashire business school now has a guide to referencing which can be found at http://www.uclan.ac.uk/lbs/study/files/referencing.doc. the referencing system is based on the use of the Harvard Referencing system within the British Journal of Management(BJM).

http://www.ukthesis.org/Thesis_Tips/The dissertation should be presented in the following order:
Title page
This should give your name, the dissertation title, your course, and date of submission. You may indicate on the cover that your work is confidential, and not available for public dissemination.

Acknowledgments
These are optional but it is polite to acknowledge supervision of the dissertation. In cases where exceptional assistance is given by members of staff or supplied by other organizations, appropriate acknowledgment would be expected.

Contents page
The contents list, usually labeled just “Contents” should occupy a page on its own and should be neatly and carefully laid out with appropriate spacing. It should list in sequential order the chapters of the dissertation, whose headings should be reproduced exactly as in the text and should be followed by the page number on which the chapter begins.
Any abbreviations and symbols should be those in normal use: where necessary a key to abbreviations and symbols should be provided.
Abstract
This is a summary of the dissertation including a précis of the findings and conclusions(approx 600 words).
Chapter 1 – Introduction and Background#p#分页标题#e#
This section should be a general introduction to the topic and include a statement of aims and objectives.
Chapter 2 – Literature Review
This chapter should demonstrate the student’s ability th analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the relevant theories or schools of thought associated with their topic, and their ability to identify how their study may contribute to the existing body of knowledge.
Chapter 3 – methods
This chapter should describe, explain and justify the choice of methods adopted for the work. This should include a discussion of assumptions, ethical issues and validity, reliability and representative nature of your study.
Chapter 4 – Analysis of the Data
This chapter should present the findings of the research undertaken in a clear and unambiguous manner. Diagrams, charts and table should be employed, where appropriate, to aid the reader in understanding the data presented.
Chapter 5- Conclusions
This chapter should focus on drawing together the results that have emerged from the study and relating these to any other previous studies identified earlier in the literature review. Here you will be expected to demonstrate your capacity for reflective and logical thought and argument. You are also expected to show how the various strands of the dissertation have come together and how they relate to the aims and objectives initially defined for the study. This might include drawing conclusions regarding specific hypotheses advanced at the ouset of the study, or summarizing the degree to which particular arguments or assumptions advanced in the literature appear to be borne out or contradicted by the results.
References
After your concluding chapter you should give and alphabetically ordered list of the references you have used. You must use the Harvard reference system for citation see http://www.uclan.ac.uk/lbs/study/files/referencing.doc.
Appendices
Detailed material such as tabulated survey results should be contained in referenced appendices at the back. This is for material that is too bulky or too detailed to be included in the main body of the report because it would disrupt the flow of the argument. Reference to the appendices should be made in the main body, with some word of explanation as to their meaning or significance…

Assessment criteria:
Dissertation involving primary research:
1. Validity of research objectives.
2. Comprehensive nature of literature review[currency, coverage of key arguments]
3. Extent of critical analysis of literature, aligned to the research objectives
4. primary research( appropriateness of the research method to meet the stated objectives/ sophistication and scale of research methods
5. Extent to which data analysis moves beyond description of finding s to present insights related to research objectives including limitations
6. Extent to which conclusions reflect research objectives and synthesize primary data and literature to lead to definitive statements#p#分页标题#e#
7. Demonstration of research awareness[including limitations of research design,assumptions,ethical dilemmas, rational for choices]
8.http://www.ukthesis.org/Thesis_Tips/ presentation