Dissertation Briefing2016 (Wednesday 24 Feb, 1 pm, in Bute Lecture Theatre A [A8]) [Powerpoint presentation ].

At the outset of the 2nd semester of the Junior Honours Year, you can start considering locating a appropriate general area within which your dissertation subject should fall. We’ll hold a Dissertation/Project briefing in the finish of Feb/oncoming of March of the third year, in which the Honours Advisor will show you your degree needs, the various choices for your Senior Honours Year, and also the variations between your Dissertation and also the Honours Project (if relevant for your degree). Please watch to have an email inviting you to definitely the briefing, or posters in the Notice Boards within the School.

Following the briefing, you ought to talk to people of staff, who definitely are pleased to discuss ideas and provide you with some guidance, but don’t expect them to offer you a particular dissertation subject.

To be able to sign up for the Honours Dissertation, you will have to download a dissertation proposal form (link above). You have to submit a printed of the form no after 4.30 pm on Monday 25 April 2016 towards the Mediaeval or Modern History office (with respect to the subject you intend to pursue).

About this form you have to indicate the general area (not really a specific subject) within which your dissertation subject will fall. You may also, if you want, indicate the member(s) of staff that you’ve had preliminary discussions concerning the dissertation, though they’re not going to always become your supervisor.

When the area specified is considered appropriate for that Honours degree carried out, the amount Committee Chair will allocate you to definitely a appropriate supervisor.

No individual supervisor will usually undertake greater than five dissertation students in almost any one semester. You’ll be informed of the allotted supervisor as quickly as possible.

After you have been allotted to some supervisor, and if you are planning to do your homework throughout the summer time (this isn’t necessary, however, you may decide to achieve this), you are able to arrange to visit your supervisor in May, to be able to agree an exact subject, receive suggestions about studying and source work and pre-plan a piece arrange for the summer time vacation. This isn’t compulsory, and may also happen during semester 1 of the Senior Honours Year. In case your supervisor is on research leave during Semester 1 you’ll be able to still arrange a conference either personally or – if they’re from St Andrews – on Skype/Facetime if you haven’t met throughout the previous May.

Please be aware that the majority of your dissertation work will occur during Semester 2 of the this past year of studies, though you’ll be envisioned having done a number of your quest before Semester 2, especially if your quest involves fieldwork of some type (e.g. archives and libraries elsewhere).

Following this voluntary initial meeting, supervisors will come across their dissertation students around the following occasions:

• In week 12 ofSemester 1. for any preliminary organisational ending up in confirmed supervisor.
• In week or 1 ofSemester 2. to go over the general progress and plan of further work, and also the dissertation plan and indicative bibliography (which should be posted by Friday of week 2).
• Within an informal (but compulsory ) presentation of the subject and progress to date, to a member of staff and between two and 4 other students (usually supervisees of the identical supervisor), in week 4 .
• To provide detailed feedback on draft material (which should be posted by Friday of week 5).
• In as much as three further conferences arranged in the student’s request throughout the semester.

You can speak to your supervisor by email for more advice. No supervision of any sort is going to be offered after Friday of week 8.

Additionally, you will be anticipated to get familiar with the Annual 4th Year Conference, organised through the School President in the finish of the season, that you can give a casual 15-minute presentation of the dissertation. This isn’t an assessed aspect of the module.

Supervisors will comment at length on three written products as lengthy because they are posted through the printed deadlines:

1. an overview from the overall structure from the planned dissertation. This text mustn’t exceed two sides of A4 and should be posted by Friday of week 2 (semester 2).
2. an indicative bibliography This should be posted by Friday of week 2.
3. a draft chapter/introduction/conclusion This text mustn’t exceed 3,000 words and should be posted by Friday of week 5 .

All of the above are compulsory elements from the module, and should be submitted into MMS. Although you won’t obtain a mark on their behalf, failure to publish them can lead to an instructional Alert 10.

Two copies from the dissertation (in secure binding like a folder, bound copy, stapled etc) should be posted towards the relevant School Office by Monday of week 10 (semester 2), 4.30pm. A digital form of the dissertation (named copy) should also be submitted to MMS through the same deadline.

Dissertations handed at the end of and without getting been granted a long deadline is going to be penalised based on normal School in history rules on late and short/lengthy work printed around the School website.

The dissertation must adhere to the college Style sheet printed around the School website. Marks is going to be deducted to fail to provide the dissertation within an acceptable format.

The dissertation must contain between 10,000 and 12,000 words of British prose. The term limit includes footnotes and appendices, but excludes the bibliography. A declaration indicating the actual entire dissertation should be given on p. 2 from the dissertation.

Students preparing a dissertation are advised from the crucial need for familiarising themselves using the College rules governing Academic Misconduct on the college website.

The dissertation must retain the following components:

1. a Title Page including
   1. The entire title from the dissertation
   2. The specific candidate on a single copy just the matriculation number around the second copy
   3. The specific supervisor (within the form: “Supervisor: Dr. A.N. Other”)
   4. The statement: “This thesis is posted in partial fulfilment for the quality of M.A. Honours within the School in history, College of St Andrews.”
   5. The entire year
2. Around the named copy only:Statement of Own Work and Number Of Words Around the next page, the candidate must range from the following signed and dated statement using the exact quantity of words given: “I, (the specific candidate), attest this dissertation, for submission towards the School in history, College of St Andrews, is entirely my very own work. It has exactly (number of words) words.” For college students who submit by proxy (e.g. print unit, buddies), the MMS submission replaces the signature.
3. Table of Contents including page references of parts of the dissertation (chapters, appendices, bibliography etc.)
4. Listing of abbreviations used (or no)
5. Primary text (introduction, chapters, conclusion)
6. Appendices (or no)
7. Bibliography
8. Acknowledgements (or no)

Paper Design Unit will help you with printing and binding of the thesis. You are able to bring your printed thesis for binding only, or send your dissertation or thesis digitally for them (a minimum of a couple of days (excluding weekends) prior to the submission deadline). To learn more, check out their website for Dissertation and thesis printing and binding .

All dissertations is going to be double marked by two internal markers, along with a sample will be delivered to exterior examiners for moderation. Official marks with this module is going to be released included in the May diet, after they’ve been confirmed through the Module Board and authorized by the Dean.

The feedback in your dissertation through the internal markers is going to be obtainable in MMS. If you’d like further feedback, you are invited to approach your supervisor following the discharge of the grades.