7/21/2019 The MSc Dissertation Details

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The MSc Dissertation Details 

A part of the MSc, each student will conduct a research project on a relevant topic of his or her

choice that must be approved by a member of staff. The project will be supervised by a member of

academic staff from the Department of Management and will offer students an opportunity to study

a topic of interest in depth. It 

will typically involve a combination of library-based research and

fieldwork. Fieldwork may include the collection of quantitative or qualitative data, or a combination

thereof. The final dissertation must be no more than 12,000 words in length and must be submitted

by early September 2015  (an exact date will be circulated in due course). You must submit two 

copies to the Programme Officer and one electronic copy to Turnitin via KEATS. Assessment will

be on the basis of the dissertation. The project will count for 60 credits out of the total 180 module

credits, or equivalent to 33% of your overall module assessment. 

What is included and excluded in your word count? 

Included  Excluded 

•  Title 

•  Abstract 

•  Subtitles 

•  Main body of text 

• 

Endnotes/Footnotes 

•  Tables and Diagrams (any table

over half a page can be put in

the appendix 

•  Title Page 

•  Contents 

•  Bibliography/References 

•  Appendix 

How should I format and present my dissertation? 

Your dissertation should be typed in size 11- 12pt and in an easy to read font, such as Times New

Roman. It should be 1.5 – 

2.0 

lined spaced 

(this document is in 1.5 spaced 

in 11pt text). 

The final

dissertation should be soft bound (spiral, comb, wire or thermal bound are preferred). 

Initial project proposals are to be submitted during the second term. Students are normally expected

to stay in or around London for the duration of the project. More detailed information on the

project will be handed to students separately. More information: module outline 7SSMM604 

Word Limits and Deadlines 

The Department of Management has the following policy:

•  For each piece of assessed coursework the lecturer concerned will make clear the precise word

limits. 

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•  An electronic word count must be noted on the front of all pieces of assessed work. 

•  Word limits apply to the main body of the text (title, text, footnotes/ endnotes and diagrams)

only and not  to references or bibliography. It is up to individual lecturers to specify whether

appendices are to be included in the word count. 

•  A 5% penalty will be given for  exceeding the word limit up to 10% and a further 0.5%

deduction for every additional 1% exceeding the word limit 

over 10%.

 

Please note, our deadline policies are very strict and any work handed in even a minute after the

deadline will be penalised. It is very important that you submit two hard copies and an electronic

version on time. Coursework submitted up to 24 hours late would be capped at the pass mark of

50, any later students will receive 0. 

Research Ethics 

& Risk Assessment 

Ethics 

Obtaining   ethical approval is mandatory for students undertaking primary data collection (e.g.

interviews, observations, and questionnaires). You do not require ethical clearance if your project is

desk-based and uses  information that is publicly available (e.g. from a library). The form and

guidance notes can be found here: 

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/research/support/ethics/applications/lowrisk/index.aspx 

The term research should be taken in its broadest possible sense and includes questionnaires,

observations and the use of materials derived from human participants as well as invasive or intrusive

procedures. The re-use of personal data may also require ethical approval due to its sensitive nature

or if individuals can be identified from it. Research raising any ethical issues with potential social or

environmental implications may also require approval. 

Risk Assessment 

Not all students need to submit a Departmental Risk Assessment form. If you are carrying out data

collection (a) outside the UK and (b) outside your home country, then please complete the risk

assessment form and submit this electronically to your supervisor. The form is available at:

https://internal.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/stu/mgmt/pgt/index.aspx 

Your supervisor will counter-sign and forward the form to the Programme Officer for our records. A

copy of this signed form should be included within the student’s dissertation as appendix 1.