Identify
Explore
Discover
Discuss
Summarise
Describe
Last, format your objectives into a numbered list. This is because when you write your thesis or dissertation, you will at times need to make reference to a specific research objective; structuring your research objectives in a numbered list will provide a clear way of doing this.
To bring all this together, let’s compare the first research objective in the previous example with the above guidance:
Research Objective:
1. Develop finite element models using explicit dynamics to mimic mallet blows during cup/shell insertion, initially using simplified experimentally validated foam models to represent the acetabulum.
Checking Against Recommended Approach:
Q: Is it specific? A: Yes, it is clear what the student intends to do (produce a finite element model), why they intend to do it (mimic cup/shell blows) and their parameters have been well-defined ( using simplified experimentally validated foam models to represent the acetabulum ).
Q: Is it measurable? A: Yes, it is clear that the research objective will be achieved once the finite element model is complete.
Q: Is it achievable? A: Yes, provided the student has access to a computer lab, modelling software and laboratory data.
Q: Is it relevant? A: Yes, mimicking impacts to a cup/shell is fundamental to the overall aim of understanding how they deform when impacted upon.
Q: Is it timebound? A: Yes, it is possible to create a limited-scope finite element model in a relatively short time, especially if you already have experience in modelling.
Q: Does it start with a verb? A: Yes, it starts with ‘develop’, which makes the intent of the objective immediately clear.
Q: Is it a numbered list? A: Yes, it is the first research objective in a list of eight.
1. making your research aim too broad.
Having a research aim too broad becomes very difficult to achieve. Normally, this occurs when a student develops their research aim before they have a good understanding of what they want to research. Remember that at the end of your project and during your viva defence , you will have to prove that you have achieved your research aims; if they are too broad, this will be an almost impossible task. In the early stages of your research project, your priority should be to narrow your study to a specific area. A good way to do this is to take the time to study existing literature, question their current approaches, findings and limitations, and consider whether there are any recurring gaps that could be investigated .
Note: Achieving a set of aims does not necessarily mean proving or disproving a theory or hypothesis, even if your research aim was to, but having done enough work to provide a useful and original insight into the principles that underlie your research aim.
Be realistic about what you can achieve in the time you have available. It is natural to want to set ambitious research objectives that require sophisticated data collection and analysis, but only completing this with six months before the end of your PhD registration period is not a worthwhile trade-off.
Each research objective should have its own purpose and distinct measurable outcome. To this effect, a common mistake is to form research objectives which have large amounts of overlap. This makes it difficult to determine when an objective is truly complete, and also presents challenges in estimating the duration of objectives when creating your project timeline. It also makes it difficult to structure your thesis into unique chapters, making it more challenging for you to write and for your audience to read.
Fortunately, this oversight can be easily avoided by using SMART objectives.
Hopefully, you now have a good idea of how to create an effective set of aims and objectives for your research project, whether it be a thesis, dissertation or research paper. While it may be tempting to dive directly into your research, spending time on getting your aims and objectives right will give your research clear direction. This won’t only reduce the likelihood of problems arising later down the line, but will also lead to a more thorough and coherent research project.
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Aims and Objectives for Master’s Dissertations. This blog will look at writing an ‘Aim’ statement and ‘Objectives’ for a Master’s thesis. It should also be helpful for final year projects at undergraduate level.
I have done 2 previous blogs on ‘Topic Selection’ and ‘Dissertation Title Writing’ that may also be of interest.
Here is a short video clip on writing the Aims and Objectives.
The Aims and Objectives for your Master’s Dissertations need to be in chapter 1, the introduction to the research project. Chapter 1 should be an introduction to the project, and not an introduction to the topic. The topic is covered in the Literature Review, usually chapter 2. However, there needs to be a few pages of background introduction to set the scene and the reasons for the research. Therefore, the Aims and Objectives should be around page 2, 3, or 4.
There will be one overall AIM statement as described here. Sometimes a research project may contain several distinct aims. However, they need to fit together to an overall research AIM.
The AIM is really just a longer and more explanatory version of the research title. The AIM can be an expansion of the title to 3 to 6 sentences. Make sure you cover these three elements:
Initially aim for 1 sentence for each item. Expanding to two sentences for each will be OK. The AIM statement should not exceed a paragraph or a quarter to a third of a page.
Example: I will take a project title: “An investigation into Project Management Life-Cycles in the Automotive Industry: Honda as a case study.”
The AIM will need to include:
Put those three sentences together and the AIM statement becomes:
Aim Statement: Oversupply and unfilled manufacturing capacity is leading to increasing innovation in the automotive industry. This requires all automotive companies to reduce their project life cycles to remain competitive. This project seeks to examine how Project Life Cycles are implemented in the Honda Motor Company. The research will use case study analysis and comparison of Honda Project Life Cycles implementation with that of other automotive companies.
The first part of the aim statement – the problem – is what needs to be covered in the first 2 or 3 pages of the introduction chapter. Some researchers may then introduce a secondary aim statement to complement the first. In this example there may be a secondary AIM to distribute or publish the research findings.
Nine Objectives
I suggest that 6-9 Objectives is an initial target. There are often comments that 9 may be too many. However, as a Project Manager my natural inclination is to break a project into manageable chunks of work. Also, if there are 9 objectives and one objective is not met, then there are still 8 objectives that are met.
The objectives when read alone should tell a story through the dissertation. This can be done by ensuring:
I have already issued blogs about the requirements of a Master’s Dissertation from the QAA perspective and the three elements of a Master’s Dissertation . Using the above approach to write the objectives will demonstrate that these requirements have been met.
When writing objectives, keep to just one verb, and avoid the use of ‘and’. If you are using ‘and’ then perhaps this objective should be broken into two separate objectives.
Don’t forget that the objectives will need to be repeated and commented on in the conclusion chapter of the dissertation.
For the example AIM from earlier, here are some suggested project objectives. Note how they start broad, and become more specific:
Just reading the verbs tells a story through the dissertation. To examine, to study, to research, to identify, to analyse, to compare, to evaluate and to recommend.
Honda Motor Car
Don’t forget to use Blooms Higher level verbs when looking at the critical evaluation section. It is also important not to duplicate a verb. There are around 40-50 different verbs that you could use to write your objectives, and therefore it looks lazy to use the same verb more than once.
The Project Aim is an expansion of the title covering Why, What and How. The objectives should cover the whole dissertation from the Literature Review, through the Research Methodology, and to the Critical Evaluation and Conclusions.
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Writing a dissertation proposal.
Dissertation proposals are like the table of contents for your research project , and will help you explain what it is you intend to examine, and roughly, how you intend to go about collecting and analysing your data. You won’t be required to have everything planned out exactly, as your topic may change slightly in the course of your research, but for the most part, writing your proposal should help you better identify the direction for your dissertation.
When you’ve chosen a topic for your dissertation , you’ll need to make sure that it is both appropriate to your field of study and narrow enough to be completed by the end of your course. Your dissertation proposal will help you define and determine both of these things and will also allow your department and instructors to make sure that you are being advised by the best person to help you complete your research.
A dissertation proposal should include:
Although this content all needs to be included in your dissertation proposal, the content isn’t set in stone so it can be changed later if necessary, depending on your topic of study, university or degree. Think of your dissertation proposal as more of a guide to writing your dissertation rather than something to be strictly adhered to – this will be discussed later.
A dissertation proposal is very important because it helps shape the actual dissertation, which is arguably the most important piece of writing a postgraduate student will undertake. By having a well-structured dissertation proposal, you will have a strong foundation for your dissertation and a good template to follow. The dissertation itself is key to postgraduate success as it will contribute to your overall grade . Writing your dissertation will also help you to develop research and communication skills, which could become invaluable in your employment success and future career. By making sure you’re fully briefed on the current research available in your chosen dissertation topic, as well as keeping details of your bibliography up to date, you will be in a great position to write an excellent dissertation.
Next, we’ll be outlining things you can do to help you produce the best postgraduate dissertation proposal possible.
It’s important that when you sit down to draft your proposal, you’ve carefully thought out your topic and are able to narrow it down enough to present a clear and succinct understanding of what you aim to do and hope to accomplish in your dissertation.
A simple way to begin choosing a topic for your dissertation is to go back through your assignments and lectures. Was there a topic that stood out to you? Was there an idea that wasn’t fully explored? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then you have a great starting point! If not, then consider one of your more personal interests. Use Google Scholar to explore studies and journals on your topic to find any areas that could go into more detail or explore a more niche topic within your personal interest.
It’s important to keep track of all the publications that you use while you research. You can use this in your literature review.
You need to keep track of:
The more research you do, the more you should be able to narrow down your topic and find an interesting area to focus on. You’ll also be able to write about everything you find in your literature review which will make your proposal stronger.
While doing your research, consider the following:
Read more about picking a topic for your dissertation .
There is usually no set length for a dissertation proposal, but you should aim for 1,000 words or more. Your dissertation proposal will give an outline of the topic of your dissertation, some of the questions you hope to answer with your research, what sort of studies and type of data you aim to employ in your research, and the sort of analysis you will carry out.
Different courses may have different requirements for things like length and the specific information to include, as well as what structure is preferred, so be sure to check what special requirements your course has.
Your dissertation proposal should have several key aspects regardless of the structure. The introduction, the methodology, aims and objectives, the literature review, and the constraints of your research all need to be included to ensure that you provide your supervisor with a comprehensive proposal. But what are they? Here's a checklist to get you started.
The introduction will state your central research question and give background on the subject, as well as relating it contextually to any broader issues surrounding it.
The dissertation proposal introduction should outline exactly what you intend to investigate in your final research project.
Make sure you outline the structure of the dissertation proposal in your introduction, i.e. part one covers methodology, part two covers a literature review, part three covers research limitations, and so forth.
Your introduction should also include the working title for your dissertation – although don't worry if you want to change this at a later stage as your supervisors will not expect this to be set in stone.
The dissertation methodology will break down what sources you aim to use for your research and what sort of data you will collect from it, either quantitative or qualitative. You may also want to include how you will analyse the data you gather and what, if any, bias there may be in your chosen methods.
Depending on the level of detail that your specific course requires, you may also want to explain why your chosen approaches to gathering data are more appropriate to your research than others.
Consider and explain how you will conduct empirical research. For example, will you use interviews? Surveys? Observation? Lab experiments?
In your dissertation methodology, outline the variables that you will measure in your research and how you will select your data or participant sample to ensure valid results.
Finally, are there any specific tools that you will use for your methodology? If so, make sure you provide this information in the methodology section of your dissertation proposal.
Your aim should not be too broad but should equally not be too specific.
An example of a dissertation aim could be: ‘To examine the key content features and social contexts that construct successful viral marketing content distribution on X’.
In comparison, an example of a dissertation aim that is perhaps too broad would be: ‘To investigate how things go viral on X’.
The aim of your dissertation proposal should relate directly to your research question.
The literature review will list the books and materials that you will be using to do your research. This is where you can list materials that gave you more background on your topic, or contain research carried out previously that you referred to in your own studies.
The literature review is also a good place to demonstrate how your research connects to previous academic studies and how your methods may differ from or build upon those used by other researchers. While it’s important to give enough information about the materials to show that you have read and understood them, don’t forget to include your analysis of their value to your work.
Where there are shortfalls in other pieces of academic work, identify these and address how you will overcome these shortcomings in your own research.
Lastly, you will also need to include the constraints of your research. Many topics will have broad links to numerous larger and more complex issues, so by clearly stating the constraints of your research, you are displaying your understanding and acknowledgment of these larger issues, and the role they play by focusing your research on just one section or part of the subject.
In this section it is important to Include examples of possible limitations, for example, issues with sample size, participant drop out, lack of existing research on the topic, time constraints, and other factors that may affect your study.
Confidentiality and ethical concerns are an important part of any research.
Ethics are key, as your dissertation will need to undergo ethical approval if you are working with participants. This means that it’s important to allow for and explain ethical considerations in your dissertation proposal.
Keep confidentiality in mind and keep your participants informed, so they are aware of how the data provided is being used and are assured that all personal information is being kept confidential.
Consider how involved your patients will be with your research, this will help you think about what ethical considerations to take and discuss them fully in your dissertation proposal. For example, face-to-face participant interview methods could require more ethical measures and confidentiality considerations than methods that do not require participants, such as corpus data (a collection of existing written texts) analysis.
Once you know what sections you need or do not need to include, it may help focus your writing to break the proposal up into separate headings, and tackle each piece individually. You may also want to consider including a title. Writing a title for your proposal will help you make sure that your topic is narrow enough, as well as help keep your writing focused and on topic.
One example of a dissertation proposal structure is using the following headings, either broken up into sections or chapters depending on the required word count:
In any dissertation proposal example, you’ll want to make it clear why you’re doing the research and what positives could come from your contribution.
This table outlines the various stages of your dissertation proposal.
|
|
Working title | This is not set in stone and is open to being changed further down the line. |
Introduction | Background information to your dissertation, including details of the basic facts, reasons for your interest in this area, and the importance of your research to the relevant industry. |
Methodology | Details of the sources you are planning to use – eg surveys, modelling, case studies. Are you collecting quantitative or qualitative data? Explain how you will analyse this data. |
Objectives | List out the goals that you are hoping to achieve through your research project. |
Literature review | Titles and URLs of proposed texts and websites that you are planning to use in your research project. |
Constraints & limitations | Clearly state the potential limitations of your research project, eg sample size, time constraints, etc. |
Ethical considerations | If your dissertation involves using participants, it will need to undergo ethical approval – explain any ethical considerations in the dissertation proposal. |
References | All factual information that is not your original work needs to be accompanied by a reference to its source. |
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Before you can get down to the task of writing your Masters dissertation , you’ll need to submit a proposal, which will outline the objectives of your research and a how you plan to complete it. In this guide, we’ll cover what a dissertation proposal is and what it should include.
What is a masters dissertation proposal.
You may have already written a dissertation proposal for your undergraduate degree – in which case you’ll be pleased to hear that the process isn’t that different at Masters level. In short, it should introduce the research question you intend to answer, and outline how you plan to do so.
Your proposal should demonstrate that you’ve thought carefully about your project and that you’re well equipped to undertake it – though it doesn’t need to provide an exact blueprint for your final dissertation. Research is a fluid process, and it’s likely that your objectives and methodology will evolve over time.
We’ve provided a rough guideline to what your proposal should contain below. This is not an exhaustive list, and your department may have specific requirements. There are many ways to structure your proposal – so don’t feel that you need to stick with the order we’ve used (your university may also provide you with a premade template!).
This should include a working title (although this is not set in stone!) and a brief description of your research topic, objectives and the questions you intend to answer. You should also establish the scope of your research (a Masters student in History might specify a particular time period to be focused on, for example).
At the end of your introduction, you may want to include an overview of how the rest of your proposal will be structured.
Your literature review should list the key texts that you will consult in your research and summarise the contributions they have made to the field. Make sure you explain why you have chosen these works as your key sources, and exactly how you intend to use them.
This is also an opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of the academic context in which your research will take place. What other research has already been conducted in this area, and how will your work expand, enrich, or complicate our understanding of it?
You might also want to mention any previous work you have done in this area – a module you have studied in the past, for example – and how you will fill existing gaps in your knowledge.
This is where you’ll get into the nitty gritty of exactly how you’ll achieve your research objectives. You’ll have specified your key sources in your literature review – but now you’ll need to break down precisely what qualitative or quantitative data you will extract from them, as well as how you’ll collect any primary data.
Beyond laying out your research game-plan, it’s important to justify your decisions. What makes your chosen methodologies particularly appropriate to your research? Can you foresee any biases or constraints that they might present, and how will you overcome them?
Be as precise as you can about the research tools you’ll employ – these could include lab-based experiments, surveys, interviews or participant observation to name just a few.
Of course, not every project will involve direct experimentation or the collection of your own empirical data – but this does not mean you should be any less exact in detailing your research approach. You might be planning to examine a source through a particular theoretical framework, for example.
Here you’ll outline exactly what you hope to achieve by the end of your project. You may also wish to predict what the outcome of your research is will be (though this is likely to change once you get stuck in to writing the dissertation itself!).
Make sure you are realistic about what your research can achieve. The scope of your project needs to be narrow enough that you can thoroughly address it within the dissertation word count. The purpose of a dissertation proposal, beyond explaining what your aims are, is demonstrating that they are feasible! Which brings us onto our next section…
Sadly, there is a limit to what can be accomplished in 15,000-20,000 words! It’s important to include not only what your research will address but also what it will not. This is also a useful way of situating your work within a larger body of knowledge – by specifying the limits of your research, you’re acknowledging that your work is a small (but important!) piece of a wider academic puzzle.
If you’re planning on conducting any experiments with human participants, it’s important to make sure you address any ethical concerns. This might include specifying how you will obtain informed consent and maintain confidentiality. Your university should have its own policy on research ethics, as well as guidance on how you can carry out you work in accordance with it.
Your bibliography should consist of properly formatted references of all the sources mentioned in your proposal, as well as any others that you plan to use in the dissertation itself. Don't leave this part to the last minute! Remember to keep track of any sources you are consulting as you go, to save yourself the headache of tracking them all down later.
Word limits for dissertation proposals can vary considerably depending on your discipline. Humanities departments will generally require a proposal of around 1,000 words (this can occasionally be up to 2,000), while a proposal for a STEM dissertation could be as short as 250-350 words . Your department will provide guidance on this.
Hopefully, this guide has given you an idea of what you Masters dissertation proposal should include. Though it will likely not count towards your overall grade, it’s worth using the proposal writing process as an opportunity to put in some serious groundwork. This will help you parse and flesh out your ideas and provide you will with an invaluable resource that you can draw on later in the writing process!
For more information, check out our full guide to researching and writing your Masters dissertation .
Applying for a Masters can feel a bit daunting. Here is a checklist of all the things you need to do to make sure you have everything covered in your Masters application.
Postgraduate study is often very flexible, with the option to study a Masters degree or other qualification part-time, online or through blended learning.
How do Bachelors and Masters courses differ? We’ve covered the main differences you’ll encounter when making the transition from undergrad to postgrad study.
All Masters programmes include some form of extended individual project or dissertation. This guide covers how to structure a Masters dissertation, word count, how the work is assessed and what you should expect from your dissertation supervisor.
Our guide explains how online Masters degree work, what the benefits of online learning are and how to choose what to study online.
Our guide tells you everything about the application process for studying a Masters in Italy.
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Published on July 12, 2022 by Eoghan Ryan . Revised on November 20, 2023.
Research objectives describe what your research is trying to achieve and explain why you are pursuing it. They summarize the approach and purpose of your project and help to focus your research.
Your objectives should appear in the introduction of your research paper , at the end of your problem statement . They should:
What is a research objective, why are research objectives important, how to write research aims and objectives, smart research objectives, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research objectives.
Research objectives describe what your research project intends to accomplish. They should guide every step of the research process , including how you collect data , build your argument , and develop your conclusions .
Your research objectives may evolve slightly as your research progresses, but they should always line up with the research carried out and the actual content of your paper.
A distinction is often made between research objectives and research aims.
A research aim typically refers to a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear at the end of your problem statement, before your research objectives.
Your research objectives are more specific than your research aim and indicate the particular focus and approach of your project. Though you will only have one research aim, you will likely have several research objectives.
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Research objectives are important because they:
Once you’ve established a research problem you want to address, you need to decide how you will address it. This is where your research aim and objectives come in.
Your research aim should reflect your research problem and should be relatively broad.
Break down your aim into a limited number of steps that will help you resolve your research problem. What specific aspects of the problem do you want to examine or understand?
Once you’ve established your research aim and objectives, you need to explain them clearly and concisely to the reader.
You’ll lay out your aims and objectives at the end of your problem statement, which appears in your introduction. Frame them as clear declarative statements, and use appropriate verbs to accurately characterize the work that you will carry out.
The acronym “SMART” is commonly used in relation to research objectives. It states that your objectives should be:
If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Methodology
Statistics
Research bias
Research objectives describe what you intend your research project to accomplish.
They summarize the approach and purpose of the project and help to focus your research.
Your objectives should appear in the introduction of your research paper , at the end of your problem statement .
Your research objectives indicate how you’ll try to address your research problem and should be specific:
Once you’ve decided on your research objectives , you need to explain them in your paper, at the end of your problem statement .
Keep your research objectives clear and concise, and use appropriate verbs to accurately convey the work that you will carry out for each one.
I will compare …
A research aim is a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear in your introduction at the end of your problem statement , before your research objectives.
Research objectives are more specific than your research aim. They indicate the specific ways you’ll address the overarching aim.
Scope of research is determined at the beginning of your research process , prior to the data collection stage. Sometimes called “scope of study,” your scope delineates what will and will not be covered in your project. It helps you focus your work and your time, ensuring that you’ll be able to achieve your goals and outcomes.
Defining a scope can be very useful in any research project, from a research proposal to a thesis or dissertation . A scope is needed for all types of research: quantitative , qualitative , and mixed methods .
To define your scope of research, consider the following:
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An example of how to write a winning masters dissertation.
Dr John Biggam, author of " Succeeding with your Master's Dissertation ", gives expert advice on how to write a winning masters dissertation.
'Think up your own exam question and answer it.' That would be the ideal exam question, most students would agree.
Yet, when that scenario becomes a reality in the context of a master's dissertation it can cause confusion and no little angst on the part of students seeking guidance on structure and content.
In the first instance, here's a quick win to give you confidence: Create a dissertation template. This is where you type up your cover page and chapter/section headings on separate pages (as they will appear in the final submission).
For example: Title/Name/Course/Year, Abstract, Acknowledgements, Contents, Abbreviations, Figures/Tables, Chapter 1 Introduction, Chapter 2 Literature Review, Chapter 3 Research Methods, Chapter 4 Findings, Chapter 5 Conclusion, Chapter 6 References, Appendices, Appendix 1, Appendix B.
Already you have created a dissertation folder with at least 15 pages! Take a copy with you to supervision meetings. At a glance, both you and your supervisor can incrementally see what you have done and what you have still to do.
Pivotal to your research are your overall research aim and individual research objectives. These in effect form your 'exam question' (in fact, you can turn them into questions if you want). Your overall aim is a general statement on your chosen study area; your research objectives are the individual sub-tasks that you believe will collectively achieve your overall research aim. Number your research objectives for easy reference.
The following summary advice is intended for those attempting a traditional dissertation i.e. a literature review followed by the collection and analysis of empirical data (see the above example masters Dissertation example).
Provide a clear dissertation structure, to include, for example, some of which can be combined:
Make your individual research objectives SMART:
Emphasise the value of/need for your research
Include pertinent references, but avoid starting your literature review early!
Be very focused in this section - your readers (i.e. markers) are not interested in reading about every research method under the sun. So:
This is where you seek cyclical closure i.e. refer back to your initial research objectives and offer concluding commentary on your completed work:
Further advice and guidance on how to write a winning masters dissertation can be found in Dr John Biggam's book 'Succeeding with your Master's Dissertation: A Step by Step Handbook.'
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In this post, we look at the structural elements of a typical dissertation. Your department may wish you to include additional sections but the following covers all core elements you will need to work on when designing and developing your final assignment.
The table below illustrates a classic dissertation layout with approximate lengths for each section.
Your title should be clear, succinct and tell the reader exactly what your dissertation is about. If it is too vague or confusing, then it is likely your dissertation will be too vague and confusing. It is important therefore to spend time on this to ensure you get it right, and be ready to adapt to fit any changes of direction in your research or focus.
In the following examples, across a variety of subjects, you can see how the students have clearly identified the focus of their dissertation, and in some cases target a problem that they will address:
An econometric analysis of the demand for road transport within the united Kingdom from 1965 to 2000
To what extent does payment card fraud affect UK bank profitability and bank stakeholders? Does this justify fraud prevention?
A meta-analysis of implant materials for intervertebral disc replacement and regeneration.
The role of ethnic institutions in social development; the case of Mombasa, Kenya.
Why haven’t biomass crops been adopted more widely as a source of renewable energy in the United Kingdom?
Mapping the criminal mind: Profiling and its limitation.
The Relative Effectiveness of Interferon Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C
Under what conditions did the European Union exhibit leadership in international climate change negotiations from 1992-1997, 1997-2005 and 2005-Copenhagen respectively?
The first thing your reader will read (after the title) is your abstract. However, you need to write this last. Your abstract is a summary of the whole project, and will include aims and objectives, methods, results and conclusions. You cannot write this until you have completed your write-up.
Your introduction should include the same elements found in most academic essay or report assignments, with the possible inclusion of research questions. The aim of the introduction is to set the scene, contextualise your research, introduce your focus topic and research questions, and tell the reader what you will be covering. It should move from the general and work towards the specific. You should include the following:
Your literature review is the section of your report where you show what is already known about the area under investigation and demonstrate the need for your particular study. This is a significant section in your dissertation (30%) and you should allow plenty of time to carry out a thorough exploration of your focus topic and use it to help you identify a specific problem and formulate your research questions.
You should approach the literature review with the critical analysis dial turned up to full volume. This is not simply a description, list, or summary of everything you have read. Instead, it is a synthesis of your reading, and should include analysis and evaluation of readings, evidence, studies and data, cases, real world applications and views/opinions expressed. Your supervisor is looking for this detailed critical approach in your literature review, where you unpack sources, identify strengths and weaknesses and find gaps in the research.
In other words, your literature review is your opportunity to show the reader why your paper is important and your research is significant, as it addresses the gap or on-going issue you have uncovered.
You need to tell the reader what was done. This means describing the research methods and explaining your choice. This will include information on the following:
It is a common style convention to write what was done rather than what you did, and write it so that someone else would be able to replicate your study.
Here you describe what you have found out. You need to identify the most significant patterns in your data, and use tables and figures to support your description. Your tables and figures are a visual representation of your findings, but remember to describe what they show in your writing. There should be no critical analysis in this part (unless you have combined results and discussion sections).
Here you show the significance of your results or findings. You critically analyse what they mean, and what the implications may be. Talk about any limitations to your study, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of your own research, and make suggestions for further studies to build on your findings. In this section, your supervisor will expect you to dig deep into your findings and critically evaluate what they mean in relation to previous studies, theories, views and opinions.
This is a summary of your project, reminding the reader of the background to your study, your objectives, and showing how you met them. Do not include any new information that you have not discussed before.
This is the list of all the sources you have cited in your dissertation. Ensure you are consistent and follow the conventions for the particular referencing system you are using. (Note: you shouldn't include books you've read but do not appear in your dissertation).
Include any extra information that your reader may like to read. It should not be essential for your reader to read them in order to understand your dissertation. Your appendices should be labelled (e.g. Appendix A, Appendix B, etc). Examples of material for the appendices include detailed data tables (summarised in your results section), the complete version of a document you have used an extract from, etc.
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The first thing that comes to our mind about dissertation writing is what is the purpose and objectives for dissertation writing. Research objectives are crucial to find and analyse why you are doing this work and help you to focus on your goals.
Objectives play an important role in a student’s life that leads him in the right direction. Clear objectives for writing a dissertation act as a compass by guiding you towards academic success. As Edwin Bliss says:
“Success doesn’t mean the absence of failures; it means the attainment of ultimate objectives. It means winning the war, not every battle.”
The research aims and objectives to write a proposal or dissertation address the main issues to elaborate on why you are doing this. Some students don’t understand the objectives of the dissertation clearly, thus resulting in academic failure. To avoid this, take dissertation help online to write a dissertation.
In this article, we will explore the importance of well-crafted objectives and step by step guide to writing objectives for a dissertation.
An important component of a dissertation is its goal and objectives. A clear goal connects your research to the issues that you are focussing on. While objectives are specific tasks, you plan to carry out as part of your research project. Your main objectives for the dissertation provide a theoretical framework to answer your research questions.
Additionally, well-written objectives for the dissertation proposal make a good impression on your supervisors, and they approve your proposal. It shows your sincerity and commitment to the study.
First, explore the “why” before moving on to the “how.” Your research will have a strong basis due to clearly stated objectives, which will help you stay on task and provide the intended results. They serve as a road map, letting you determine the course of your dissertation and track your progress.
The research aims and objectives determine how to write a dissertation from the introduction to the conclusion. But there are no hard and fast rules to define objectives for dissertation writing. It should provide answers to the following questions:
● What is its scope?
● Why are you doing it?
● How would you do it?
Here are a few tips about writing objectives for a dissertation proposal, and these will help you to solve your research questions well:
● Shed light on the main objectives.
● Convert your research into smaller goals to achieve.
● Use the SMART acronym to describe your research goals.
● Be brief.
● Limit the number of your goals.
● Employ action verbs.
● Be truthful.
● Ask for opinions
● Check and clean up your goals.
Here is a step-by-step guide that will help you to write objectives for your dissertation:
Start it by outlining the goals and parameters of your dissertation. Note down what particular issue or research question you are attempting to solve. Here is a famous saying:
“By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands — your own.”
– Mark Victor Hansen
By understanding your research purpose, you can develop relevant objectives that are in line with the aims of your studies. Your research aim should be relevant to your topic and relatively broader.
When formulating your objectives for the dissertation, use the SMART framework and be specific. It means here you should avoid general statements and address the smart objectives of your research. Your objectives should be:
● Quantifiable
● Achievable
● Related to your research
● Time-based
Set a timetable according to your requirements to achieve your goals. It should also have a deadline that will help you to complete your dissertation writing on time.
It is essential to address the research issues while writing objectives for the dissertation. These research issues will also help you to write a dissertation introduction. Each target should represent a distinct element or perspective of your research.
Your objectives must be concise and free from ambiguous language. Be precise in your wording to eliminate any confusion about what you intend to achieve. If you have confidence in your research and writing, readers will surely get engaged in it. But unclear and vague objectives become a cause of failure but nothing else.
If you are writing a research proposal, keep your research objective short and concise. Strike a balance between general objectives and detailed objectives while writing a dissertation. As the general objectives include your research’s overarching goal and detailed objectives, outline the different parts of your investigation.
Your goals need to be challenging, but they also need to be feasible. Don’t make unfair attempts with yourself to achieve your goals strictly. When establishing the objectives for the dissertation, take into account the resources, time, and scope of your research.
To make your objectives more actionable and lively, start each one with a powerful action verb. Your goals become clear when you use verbs like “analyse,” “compare,” “evaluate,” “develop,” and “synthesise”. These verbs have a great impact and express your mental and physical actions.
Carefully pay attention to the dissertation alignment while writing a dissertation proposal. Remember to align your objectives of the dissertation with the research questions that you want to address. Make sure your goals correlate to the different chapters and sections of your dissertation. The content of each aim should be directly related to that of the associated chapter of your dissertation writing.
If you are looking for ways and tips to write objectives for dissertation writing, you are at the right place. From writing background information to research questions to the conclusion of a dissertation, these dissertation proposal objectives assist students in providing a theoretical framework. These research aims, and objectives serve as a roadmap to assist you in writing a proposal or dissertation.
If you don’t know how to write a dissertation proposal and need dissertation help online, the professionals of The Academic Papers UK are always ready to assist you.
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Formulating research aim and objectives in an appropriate manner is one of the most important aspects of your thesis. This is because research aim and objectives determine the scope, depth and the overall direction of the research. Research question is the central question of the study that has to be answered on the basis of research findings.
Research aim emphasizes what needs to be achieved within the scope of the research, by the end of the research process. Achievement of research aim provides answer to the research question.
Research objectives divide research aim into several parts and address each part separately. Research aim specifies WHAT needs to be studied and research objectives comprise a number of steps that address HOW research aim will be achieved.
As a rule of dumb, there would be one research aim and several research objectives. Achievement of each research objective will lead to the achievement of the research aim.
Consider the following as an example:
Research title: Effects of organizational culture on business profitability: a case study of Virgin Atlantic
Research aim: To assess the effects of Virgin Atlantic organizational culture on business profitability
Following research objectives would facilitate the achievement of this aim:
Figure below illustrates additional examples in formulating research aims and objectives:
Formulation of research question, aim and objectives
Common mistakes in the formulation of research aim relate to the following:
1. Choosing the topic too broadly . This is the most common mistake. For example, a research title of “an analysis of leadership practices” can be classified as too broad because the title fails to answer the following questions:
a) Which aspects of leadership practices? Leadership has many aspects such as employee motivation, ethical behaviour, strategic planning, change management etc. An attempt to cover all of these aspects of organizational leadership within a single research will result in an unfocused and poor work.
b) An analysis of leadership practices in which country? Leadership practices tend to be different in various countries due to cross-cultural differences, legislations and a range of other region-specific factors. Therefore, a study of leadership practices needs to be country-specific.
c) Analysis of leadership practices in which company or industry? Similar to the point above, analysis of leadership practices needs to take into account industry-specific and/or company-specific differences, and there is no way to conduct a leadership research that relates to all industries and organizations in an equal manner.
Accordingly, as an example “a study into the impacts of ethical behaviour of a leader on the level of employee motivation in US healthcare sector” would be a more appropriate title than simply “An analysis of leadership practices”.
2. Setting an unrealistic aim . Formulation of a research aim that involves in-depth interviews with Apple strategic level management by an undergraduate level student can be specified as a bit over-ambitious. This is because securing an interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook or members of Apple Board of Directors might not be easy. This is an extreme example of course, but you got the idea. Instead, you may aim to interview the manager of your local Apple store and adopt a more feasible strategy to get your dissertation completed.
3. Choosing research methods incompatible with the timeframe available . Conducting interviews with 20 sample group members and collecting primary data through 2 focus groups when only three months left until submission of your dissertation can be very difficult, if not impossible. Accordingly, timeframe available need to be taken into account when formulating research aims and objectives and selecting research methods.
Moreover, research objectives need to be formulated according to SMART principle,
where the abbreviation stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.
Study employee motivation of Coca-Cola | To study the impacts of management practices on the levels of employee motivation at Coca-Cola US by December 5, 2022
|
Analyze consumer behaviour in catering industry
| Analyzing changes in consumer behaviour in catering industry in the 21 century in the UK by March 1, 2022 |
Recommend Toyota Motor Corporation management on new market entry strategy
| Formulating recommendations to Toyota Motor Corporation management on the choice of appropriate strategy to enter Vietnam market by June 9, 2022
|
Analyze the impact of social media marketing on business
| Assessing impacts of integration of social media into marketing strategy on the level of brand awareness by March 30, 2022
|
Finding out about time management principles used by Accenture managers | Identifying main time-management strategies used by managers of Accenture France by December 1, 2022 |
Examples of SMART research objectives
At the conclusion part of your research project you will need to reflect on the level of achievement of research aims and objectives. In case your research aims and objectives are not fully achieved by the end of the study, you will need to discuss the reasons. These may include initial inappropriate formulation of research aims and objectives, effects of other variables that were not considered at the beginning of the research or changes in some circumstances during the research process.
John Dudovskiy
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Qualitative & Quantitative data analysis
Date published May 19 2023 by Stella Carter
Do you find it difficult to produce an organized academic paper? Do you have a hard time coming up with worthwhile goals and objectives for your project?
In that case, whether you are a student or researcher who wishes to create a successful set of aims and objectives of education, this blog post is a priceless resource. It can guide you on how to create a strong set of goals and objectives for any project, as well as practical advice and success-boosting strategies.
How “Dissertation Proposal” Can Help You!
Our top dissertation writing experts are waiting 24/7 to assist you with your university project, from critical literature reviews to a complete masters dissertation.
Aims and objectives are the two key elements in academic writing that aid in identifying the goal and area of concentration of a research endeavor. The importance of aims and objectives in research is crucial in describing what a researcher hopes to accomplish and acts as a roadmap for the entire research. Goals refer to the overall purposes and purpose of the research, whereas objectives are specific and measurable targets that a researcher sets out to accomplish in order to meet the broader aims.
The examples of research objectives in a research proposal show that goals and objectives aid in defining the specific research questions that must be answered. For instance, if a study’s goal is to examine how technology is affecting the education industry, one of the goals may be to evaluate how well various systems for learning use technology and the views of educators on using technology in the classroom.
You must go through the examples of research objectives that are pertinent to your research question to keep your research project on track. Moreover, they aid in bringing clarity to the reader and researcher, improving the study’s organization and comprehension.
The creation of a concise and clear research proposal requires the drafting of effective objectives and aims for academic writing. If you are still confused what is aims and objectives? In fact, they define the purpose of the study, the anticipated results, and the use of methodology which aids in directing the research process.
Maintaining clear, and concise goals and objectives is the first piece of advice that any example of research objectives must contain. The aim of your study should include a statement outlining the general objective of your investigation.
It should be brief and to the point. On the other hand, objectives ought to be precise and measurable. They should outline your goals and your strategy for achieving them. Avoid making generalized or vague statements and speak in plain and easily understandable terms.
Another tip for writing effective aims and objectives examples is to align them with your research question. Your research question should be the driving force behind your research project, and your aims and objectives should support this question. Consider the research question as the compass that will guide your research project, and use your aims and objectives to keep you on course.
When writing your aims and objectives, it’s important to make them realistic. This means setting goals that you can realistically achieve with the resources you have available such as timeframe, and budget. After all, what is aims and objectives that are not realistic? Setting unrealistic goals will only lead to frustration and disappointment.
Making sure that your goals and objectives are pertinent to your study topic is one of the most crucial pieces of writing advice. They should answer the primary research issue, be supported by prior work in the area, and add to the body of information at hand. You should also think about how your research will affect society and how it will help other people.
Subsequently, it is critical to regularly examine and adjust your goals and objectives. Some valuable aims and objectives examples show how they are modified or refined as your research project develops. Your goals and objectives will stay relevant and practical throughout your study assignment with regular review and revision.
Academic writing always includes research, and each research endeavor needs to have a clear set of goals. The main goal of the research is to collect pertinent data, analyze it, and draw logical conclusions from the results. It involves a methodical and structured strategy that enables researchers to address particular issues, test theories, and investigate novel concepts. Objectives are specific and measurable goals that help researchers achieve their aims.
If you go through the examples of research objectives in a research proposal, you will notice that they provide a clear direction to the research project, outline the research questions, and establish the framework for data collection and analysis. Objectives should be SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound to ensure that researchers can track progress and make adjustments to the research plan if necessary. Depending on the discipline and the particular research endeavor, the aims and objectives of the research can change.
Some studies may try to test current hypotheses, others aim to establish new ones. Regardless of the research’s nature, it’s critical to establish the aims and objectives of a project upfront. This promotes concentration, reduces interruptions, and guarantees that the investigation stays on course. Setting clear goals and objectives helps researchers to successfully complete their study project and significantly advance their subject.
The methodical and logical approach a researcher takes when performing a research study is referred to as research methodology. It is a thorough framework that details the strategies and procedures that a researcher uses to do research.
The objectives of research methodology must be based on sound research techniques to get trustworthy data and develop conclusions that are true to the findings. The type of study project also influences the methods a researcher will choose. A qualitative research study, for example, necessitates a different strategy than a quantitative research effort.
There are two categories that highlight the separate objectives of research methodology. Primary and secondary. Primary techniques involve the gathering of new data through observations, surveys, and interviews. While secondary methods use the analysis of pre-existing data from sources including government papers, books, and other publications.
However, a strong research methodology should also describe the sample size, sampling strategy, data gathering, and data processing methods. The research design needs to be rigorous enough to remove bias and improve the likelihood of getting accurate results. A good research methodology should be replicable, allowing other researchers to verify the findings.
Aims, goals, and objectives are integral components of academic writing. These elements help to clearly define the purpose of your work and guide the reader through your research or project. Your academic writing can be significantly improved in terms of impact and quality by having a firm grasp of these ideas.
The research aims and objectives examples declare that the main purpose of a research endeavor, for instance, is the aim. While the goal usually has a wide scope and acts as a guide for the entire research process. For instance, investigating the link between physical activity and the risk of heart disease could be the goal of a study on the impact of exercise on cardiovascular health.
Objectives, on the other hand, are more definite and quantifiable than an aim. They offer in-depth explanations of the goals you have for your research. The broad goal is broken down into small, achievable, quantifiable, and doable objectives. For instance, determining the ideal duration, intensity, and frequency of exercise required to promote heart health could be one of the study’s primary aims.
Writing aims and objectives for research can be a challenging task. However, they are crucial elements of any research project as they define the purpose, scope, and direction of the study. Therefore, crafting clear and concise aims and objectives is essential so that these elements help in providing guidance for both you as the writer and your audience. So, how do you write aims and objectives that effectively communicate your research goals?
To acknowledge this importance of aims and objectives in research, the following steps can be helpful:
Hence, writing aims and objectives for research requires careful planning and attention to detail. By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that your aims and objectives are effective and contribute to the success of your research project.
An aim is the overall purpose of your academic writing or research. It aids in making the purpose and course of your work more clear. For instance, an objective of a study can be to investigate how social media affects mental health.
Moreover, the aim of someone taking research proposal help for an academic essay might be to advocate a specific point of view or to analyze a topic. It is crucial that the goal is clear and doable. This means that you need to be very clear about your goals and how you plan to reach them. You will have a clear grasp of what you want to accomplish if you make sure the goal is measurable and time-bound.
A good objective is clear, specific, and achievable. It is critical to write objectives clearly and without unclear terminology for which you can take cheap dissertation help services. In order to track progress, it is crucial to make sure the aim is measurable. When crafting a strong aim, begin by stating the necessary action, then explain what you hope to accomplish through that action. When describing your plans, use verbs that help you to be specific.
The use of non-measurable phrases should be avoided as they could result in ambiguous goals. You can take a law dissertation writing service to see if the objective is pertinent to the main goal of your project or research. Your goal should be in line with the aims and objectives you have established. You can take into account the resources that make sure your goal is reasonable and doable given the limitations of your project and the resources you have at your disposal.
Last but not least, include a deadline in your aim to make sure it is time-bound. In this way, you will be held more responsible and the goal will be closer to being accomplished. You can establish effective objectives that will keep you concentrated on reaching your project’s overall goals if you buy MBA dissertation writing service . Always keep in mind that setting clear, detailed, quantifiable, pertinent, and reasonable goals can help you succeed.
In academic writing, aims and objectives are essential components of research papers, dissertations, and theses. The aims of the research identify the overall purpose of the study, while the objectives provide specific goals and targets.
Effective aims and objectives of education enhance the clarity, focus, and validity of the research, and enable readers to understand the scope and outcomes of the study. By following the tips outlined in this guide, academic writers can craft clear and concise aims and objectives that will add value to their research.
View different varieties of dissertation topics and samples on multiple subjects for every educational level
Dissertations are extended projects in which you choose, research and write about a specific topic. They provide an opportunity to explore an aspect of your subject in detail. You are responsible for managing your dissertation, though you will be assigned a supervisor. Dissertations are typically empirical (based on your own research) or theoretical (based on others’ research/arguments).
The Dissertation IT Kit contains information about formatting your dissertation document in Word.
Look at the Library Subject Guides for your area. These have information on finding high quality resources for your dissertation.
We run interactive workshops to help you prepare for your dissertation. Find out more on the Skills for Learning Workshops page.
We have online academic skills modules within MyBeckett for all levels of university study. These modules will help your academic development and support your success at LBU. You can work through the modules at your own pace, revisiting them as required. Find out more from our FAQ What academic skills modules are available?
What are dissertation proposals.
A dissertation proposal is an outline of your proposed research project. It is what you imagine your dissertation might look like before you start. Consider it a temporary document which might change during the negotiation process between you and your dissertation supervisor. The proposal can help you clarify exactly what you want to cover in your dissertation. It can also outline how you are going to approach it. Your dissertation plan and structure might change throughout this process as you develop your ideas. Your proposal is the first step towards your goal: a completed dissertation.
The structure, content, and length of your dissertation proposal will depend on your course requirements. Some courses may require that your aims and objectives are separate from the main body of the proposal. You might be expected to write a literature review, and/or provide a detailed methodology. You might also be asked to include an extensive context for your proposed study. Consult your module handbook or assignment brief for the specific requirements of your course.
Give each section of your proposal a heading You can also experiment with giving your proposed dissertation a title. Both of these approaches may help you focus and stay on topic. Most dissertation proposals will have a fairly standard structure, under the following headings:
Describe what you plan to investigate. You could write a statement of your topic, a research question(s), or a hypothesis.
Outline who might potentially gain from your research and what you might find out or expand upon. For example, there could be implications for practice in a particular profession.
A dissertation is a logical, structured, argument-based exploration of a topic. The style of your writing may vary slightly in each chapter. For example, your results chapter should display factual information, whereas your analysis chapter might be more argument-based. Make sure your language, tone and abbreviations are consistent within each section. Your language should be formal and contain terminology relevant to your subject area. Dissertations have a large word count. It is important to structure your work with headings and a contents page. Use signposting language to help your reader understand the flow of your writing. Charts, tables or images may help you communicate specific information.
Top tip! To signpost in your dissertation, use the ‘Signalling Transition’ section of the Manchester Academic Phrasebank .
Download the Dissertation Project Checklist Worksheet to help with planning your dissertation work.
The Dissertation IT Kit also contains information about formatting your dissertation document in Microsoft Word.
Exploring past dissertations within your academic field can give you an idea as to how to structure your dissertation and find similar research methodologies. You can access dissertations and theses completed by students at Leeds Beckett and other universities. To find external dissertations, look at our FAQ answer ' Are there other dissertations I can look at?' . To find dissertations completed by Leeds Beckett students, use the FAQ answer ' Can I find copies of past dissertations in the Library? '
Not all dissertations will follow the same structure. Your style can change depending on your school. Check your module handbook, assignment brief or speak with your course tutor for further guidance.
To decide what to include:
Each section of a dissertation has a different purpose. Think about whether you're doing an empirical or theoretical dissertation and use the headings below to find out what you should be including.
You can also use the Leeds Beckett Dissertation Template to help you understand what your dissertation should look like.
For more information on dissertation style, language and structure, watch a recording of our interactive workshop below.
Abstract : provides a brief summary of your whole dissertation.
The abstract outlines the purpose of your research and your methodology (where necessary). You should summarise your main findings and conclusion.
Top tips! Give the reader a sense of why your project is interesting and valuable. Write in the past tense. Aim for about half a page.
Contents page : lists all the sections of your dissertation with the page numbers. Do this last by using the automatic function in Word.
Introduction: introduces the reader to your research project.
Provide context to the topic and define key terms. Ensure that the scope of your investigation is clear. Outline your aims and objectives, and provide a brief description of your research methods. Finally, give an indication of your conclusion/findings.
Top tips! Start broad (background information) and get more specific (your research aims and findings). Try writing the introduction after the literature review and methodology chapters. This way, you will have a better idea of your research aims.
Literature Review : positions your research in relation to what has come before it.
The literature review will summarise prior research on the topic, such as journal articles, books, government reports and data. You should introduce key themes, concepts, theories or methods that provide context for your own research. Analyse and evaluate the literature by drawing comparisons and highlighting strengths and weaknesses. Download the Critical Analysis Questions and Evidence Matrix Worksheets to help you with this process and for more information on literature searching see Finding Information .
The literature review should justify the need for your research and highlight areas for further investigation. Avoid introducing your own ideas at this point; instead, compare and comment on existing ideas.
Top tips! Your literature review is not a descriptive summary of various sources. You need to synthesise (bring together) and critically analyse prior research. Sophisticated use of reporting verbs is important for this process. Download our Reporting Verbs Worksheet to help you with this.
Find out more about literature reviews elsewhere on this topic page.
Find out more about critical thinking.
Methodology : provides a succinct and accurate record of the methodology used and justifies your choice of methods.
In this section, you describe the qualitative and/or quantitative methods* used to carry out your research/experiment. You must justify your chosen research methodology and explain how it helps you answer your research question. Where appropriate, explain the rationale behind choices such as procedures, equipment, participants and sample size. You may need to reference specific guidelines that you have used, especially in subjects such as healthcare. If your research involves people, you may also need to demonstrate how it fulfils ethical guidelines.
Top tips! Your account should be sufficiently detailed so that someone else could replicate your research. Write in the passive voice. Remember, at this point you are not reporting any findings.
*Qualitative research is based on opinions and ideas, while quantitative research is based on numerical data.
Find out more about the research process.
Findings/Results : presents the data collected from your research in a suitable format.
Provide a summary of the results of your research/experiment. Consider the most effective methods for presenting your data, such as charts, graphs or tables. Present all your findings honestly. Do not change any data, even if it is not what you expected to find.
Top tips! Whilst you might acknowledge trends or themes in the data, at this stage, you won’t be analysing it closely. If you are conducting qualitative research, this section may be combined with the discussion section. Important additional documents, such as transcriptions or questionnaires, can be added to your appendices.
Discussion : addresses your research aims by analysing your findings.
In this chapter, you interpret and discuss your results and draw conclusions. Identify trends, themes or issues that arise from the findings and discuss their significance in detail. These themes can also provide the basis for the structure of this section. You can draw upon information and concepts from your literature review to help interpret your findings. For example, you can show how your findings build upon or contradict earlier research.
Top tips! Ensure that the points you make are backed up with evidence from your findings. Refer back to relevant information from your literature review to discuss and interpret your findings.
Conclusion : summarises your main points.
Provide an overview of your main findings and demonstrate how you have met your research objectives. Set your research into a wider context by showing how it contributes to current academic debates. Discuss the implications of your research and put forward any recommendations.
Top tips! Do not introduce any new information in this section. Your conclusion should mirror the content of your introduction but offer more conclusive answers.
Reference List / Bibliography : a complete list of all sources used.
List all the sources that you have consulted in the process of your research. Your Reference List or Bibliography must follow specific guidelines for your discipline (e.g. Harvard or OSCOLA). Look through your module handbook or speak to your supervisor for more information.
Find out more about referencing and academic integrity .
Appendix (single) or Appendices (plural): presents raw data and/or transcripts that aren’t in the main body of your dissertation.
You may have to be selective in the data you present in your findings section. If this is the case, you may choose to present the raw data/extended version in an appendix. If you conduct qualitative research, such as interviews, you will include the transcripts in your appendix. Appendices are not usually included in the word count.
Top tips! Discuss with your supervisor whether you will need an appendix and what to include.
Provides a brief summary of your whole dissertation.
The abstract outlines the purpose of your research and your methodology (where necessary). You should summarise your main findings and conclusion.
Top tip! Give the reader a sense of why your project is interesting and valuable. Write in the past tense. Aim for about half a page.
Contents page : lists all the sections of your dissertation with the page numbers. Using the automatic table of contents feature in Microsoft Word can help you format this.
The Dissertation IT kit provides guidance on how to use these tools.
Introduces the reader to your research project.
Provide context to the topic and define key terms. Ensure that the scope of your investigation is clear. Outline your aims and objectives, and provide a brief description of your research methods. Introduce your argument and explain why your research topic is important. Finally, give an indication of your conclusion/findings.
Top tip! Start broad (background information) and get more specific (your research aims and findings). Try writing the introduction after the literature review and methodology chapters. This way, you will have a better idea of your research aims.
Summarises prior research on the topic, such as journal articles, books, and other information sources. You should introduce key themes, concepts, theories or methods that provide context for your own research. You should also analyse and evaluate the literature by drawing comparisons and highlighting strengths and weaknesses.
Many (although not all) theoretical dissertations will include a separate literature review. You may decide to include this as a separate chapter. Otherwise, you can integrate it into your introduction or first themed chapter.
Find out more about literature reviews on the Literature Reviews page.
Divide the main body of your research into chapters organised by chronology or themes. Each chapter should be like a mini-essay that helps you answer your research questions. Like an essay, each chapter should have an introduction, main body and conclusion. Develop your argument and demonstrate critical thinking by drawing on relevant sources. Compare and contrast ideas, and make suggestions or recommendations where relevant. Explain how each chapter helps answer your main research question.
Top tip! Divide each chapter into chunks and use subheadings where necessary to structure your work.
Find out more on the Critical Thinking pages.
Top tip! Do not introduce any new information in this section. Your conclusion should mirror the content of your introduction but offer more conclusive answers.
List all the sources that you have consulted in the process of your research. Your Reference List or Bibliography must follow specific guidelines for your discipline (Harvard, APA or OSCOLA). Look through your module handbook or speak to your supervisor for more information.
Find out more about referencing and academic integrity .
Appendix (single) or Appendices (plural): presents any data, such as images or tables, that aren’t in the main body of your dissertation.
You may have to be selective about the information you include in the main body of your dissertation. If this is the case, you may place data such as images or tables in the appendix. Appendices are not usually included in the word count.
Top tip! Discuss with your supervisor whether you will need any appendices and what to include.
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Are you trying to compose your dissertation aims and objectives and don’t know where to start, you have selected the theme of your research but don’t know what to do next.
Don’t worry because we will guide you.
Not only will we tell you how to compose the aims and objectives of the dissertation, but we will also give you easy-to-understand Dissertation aims and objectives examples that will help you in composing your own research aims and objectives.
The purpose of the aim and objectives of the research report is to support a logical supposition with valid arguments on which your investigation and data analysis will be based.
After the selection of your research theme, the most important step is to develop the aims and objectives of your research study. This will give a clear direction for your entire investigative process; the hypothesis, data collection method, statistical tool, analysis, and conclusion of your report.
Both the statements in a research report try to determine the purpose of the study with assumed outcomes. The only difference between the two is that the aims are generally broad statements that are based on the research theme while the dissertation objectives examples are more specific statements that give way to further tasks in the investigative process. There is one general aim of the research while there can be several objectives.
Keep in mind that your research aims and objectives should answer the following questions. While composing this part of your research report, just make sure that you answer the following questions which will make the composition process easier.
Substance abuse patterns in college students.
To determine the factors that result in substance abuse patterns in college students
There you have all the information you need to know to develop effective aims and objectives for your dissertation that will impress your supervisors.
You will get the topics first and then the mini proposal which includes:
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Understanding aims and objectives, crafting aims, break it down into objectives, developing specific objectives, align with research questions, consider feasibility, review and refine, seek feedback, documenting aims and objectives.
In a PhD or Post Graduate dissertation, the aims and objectives play a crucial role in shaping the research process and ensuring focus. They provide a clear roadmap for your study and serve as the guiding principles that steer your research in the right direction.
Aims represent the broader purpose or the overarching goal of your research. They define what you want to achieve with your dissertation. For example, let’s say you’re conducting a study on renewable energy sources. Your aim could be to analyze the economic viability and environmental impact of solar energy adoption in residential areas.
Objectives, on the other hand, break down the aim into specific, measurable, and achievable targets that help you accomplish your research goal. They outline the specific steps or tasks you need to undertake to fulfill the aim. Continuing with the previous example, some objectives could be:
These objectives, when combined, address different aspects related to the aim of analyzing the economic viability and environmental impact of solar energy adoption. Each objective guides a specific aspect of the research and contributes to answering the research questions.
By having clear aims and objectives, you establish a solid framework for your study. They help you stay focused on the main purpose of your research and prevent you from getting sidetracked or overwhelmed by tangential topics. Moreover, they provide clarity to both you and your readers, ensuring that your research remains coherent and well-structured.
In summary, clear aims and objectives are instrumental in guiding the research process of a PhD dissertation. They provide a roadmap, define the research goal, and break it down into specific targets. Through the example provided, it is evident how aims and objectives bring focus to a study on renewable energy sources and solar energy adoption in residential areas.
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Aims and objectives play a crucial role in guiding research projects. It’s important to define these terms and differentiate between them to ensure a clear focus in your work.
Aims represent the broader purpose or goal of your study. They define what you aim to achieve through your research project. Aims provide the overarching context and direction for your work, guiding the selection of topics, methodologies, and outcomes.
Example: Suppose you’re working on a PhD dissertation in computer science with a focus on natural language processing. Your aim could be: “To develop an efficient and accurate algorithm for sentiment analysis in social media data.”
In this example, the aim highlights the objective of creating an algorithm specifically for sentiment analysis in social media data, indicating the main objective of your research.
Objectives break down the aim into specific, measurable, and achievable targets that contribute to achieving the overall goal. They are more focused and concrete than aims, outlining the steps or tasks necessary to fulfill the aim. Objectives serve as the building blocks of your research, guiding the implementation and evaluation of your work.
Example: Continuing with the previous aim, let’s define some specific objectives:
These objectives, when combined, address different aspects necessary to fulfill the aim of developing an efficient and accurate sentiment analysis algorithm for social media data. Each objective represents a specific task or milestone that contributes to the overall research goal.
The relationship between aims and objectives is critical in driving research. Objectives are derived from the aim and provide the means to accomplish it. They act as stepping stones, guiding the researcher towards achieving the broader aim.
In summary, aims provide the broader context and goal, while objectives break down the aim into specific tasks and milestones. Together, they ensure focus and direction in your research, guiding the selection of topics, methodologies, and outcomes. The objectives serve as the means to achieve the overall aim, highlighting the relationship between aims and objectives in driving research in the computer science domain.
Formulating the overarching aim of your research is a crucial step in defining the direction and purpose of your dissertation. The aim represents the primary goal or intention of your study, and crafting it effectively is essential for setting the foundation of your research.
Research Topic: Enhancing cybersecurity in cloud computing environments.
In this example, the aim focuses on improving cybersecurity in the context of cloud computing. The aim should be formulated in a concise and focused manner that aligns with the research topic. Here’s an example of how the aim could be crafted effectively:
Aim: Develop an efficient and robust security framework for ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and availability in cloud computing environments.
The above aim encapsulates the overall goal of the research, which is to develop a security framework for enhancing cybersecurity in cloud computing. It clearly states the intention to address key aspects such as data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The aim is concise, specific, and directly aligned with the research topic.
The significance of a well-defined aim cannot be overstated. It serves as a guiding beacon throughout your research journey, providing a clear direction and purpose. A well-crafted aim helps you stay focused and ensures that your efforts are aligned with the research’s core objectives. It also helps you communicate the purpose of your study to others, including your advisor, peers, and potential readers of your dissertation.
Additionally, an effective aim sets the stage for the subsequent development of specific objectives and research questions. It serves as a foundation upon which you can break down the aim into smaller, manageable objectives that contribute to achieving the overall research goal. Each objective should align with the aim and work together harmoniously to address the research questions and gaps in the field.
Moreover, a concise and aligned aim allows readers to quickly grasp the essence of your research. It provides them with a clear understanding of the research’s scope and purpose. By stating the aim concisely and aligning it with the research topic, you demonstrate your ability to articulate the core objective of your study in a succinct manner.
In summary, crafting effective aims involves formulating the overarching goal or intention of your research in a concise and focused manner. A well-defined aim sets the direction for your dissertation, guiding your efforts and ensuring alignment with the research topic. It serves as a foundation for the development of specific objectives and research questions. By presenting a clear and aligned aim, you convey the purpose of your study to others and demonstrate your ability to articulate the core objective of your research.
After defining the aim of your research, it’s important to break it down into smaller, manageable objectives. These objectives should address key research questions or subtopics that are necessary to achieve the overall aim. Additionally, objectives should be specific, measurable, and utilize action verbs to describe the intended actions or achievements.
Example: Suppose the aim of your research is to develop a recommendation system for an e-commerce platform. Here are some examples of specific objectives:
By breaking down the aim into these specific objectives, you address key components of developing a recommendation system, such as data analysis, algorithm design, evaluation, and optimization. Each objective represents a distinct step that contributes to achieving the overall aim.
Importantly, these objectives are specific and measurable, allowing you to determine whether you have successfully achieved them. For instance, you can measure the accuracy of the recommendation system, evaluate its performance against baseline models, or assess its scalability in terms of handling large datasets.
In summary, when conducting research, breaking down the aim into specific objectives helps in managing the workload and providing a clear roadmap for your research. These objectives should address key research questions or subtopics, be specific and measurable, and use action verbs to describe the intended actions or achievements. By following this approach, you can ensure a systematic and focused research process.
To develop specific objectives for your research, you need to break down the overarching aim into smaller, measurable objectives. These objectives should be clear, specific, and actionable, providing a roadmap for your research and guiding the entire research process.
Aim: Develop a machine learning-based system for automated sentiment analysis in social media data.
Objective 1: Conduct a comprehensive literature review on existing sentiment analysis techniques and methodologies.
Objective 2: Collect a large dataset of social media posts for training and evaluation.
Objective 3: Design and implement a machine learning algorithm capable of accurately detecting sentiment polarity in social media text.
Objective 4: Evaluate the performance of the developed sentiment analysis system against benchmark datasets and compare it with existing state-of-the-art approaches.
The importance of clear, specific objectives cannot be overstated. These objectives provide a clear roadmap and direction for your research, guiding your efforts and ensuring that you stay on track. They help you structure your research activities, allocate resources effectively, and measure progress along the way.
Using action verbs to articulate objectives effectively is another crucial aspect. Action verbs convey specific actions or achievements that need to be accomplished. They provide clarity and precision, leaving no room for ambiguity. For example:
By using action verbs, you explicitly state what needs to be done or achieved in each objective, making it easier to track progress and assess the completion of objectives.
In summary, developing specific objectives involves breaking down the overarching aim into smaller, measurable objectives. Clear and specific objectives provide a roadmap for your research and guide the entire research process. By using action verbs, you articulate objectives effectively, leaving no room for ambiguity. These objectives help structure your research activities, allocate resources effectively, and measure progress, ultimately leading to the successful completion of your research.
When formulating objectives for your research, it is essential to ensure that they align with the research questions you have formulated. Each objective should contribute to addressing or answering a specific research question, creating a cohesive and focused research framework.
Example: Suppose your research in computer science focuses on developing an automated system for detecting and preventing cybersecurity threats. Here are examples of objectives aligned with research questions:
Research Question: How can machine learning algorithms be utilized to detect and mitigate cybersecurity threats effectively?
Objective 1: Evaluate and compare different machine learning algorithms for cybersecurity threat detection.
Objective 2: Develop a dataset representative of diverse cybersecurity threats.
Research Question: What are the key challenges and vulnerabilities in existing cybersecurity systems that need to be addressed?
Objective 3: Conduct a systematic analysis of existing cybersecurity systems and identify vulnerabilities.
Objective 4: Propose novel techniques to enhance the resilience of the cybersecurity system.
By aligning the objectives with the research questions, you ensure that each objective contributes to addressing a specific aspect of your research. For example, Objective 1 directly addresses the research question regarding the utilization of machine learning algorithms for cybersecurity threat detection. Objective 3 focuses on analyzing existing systems to identify vulnerabilities, which is in line with the question about challenges and vulnerabilities in existing cybersecurity systems.
The alignment between research questions and objectives helps maintain a clear focus on the research objectives and ensures that your efforts are directed towards addressing the research questions. It also enhances the coherence of your research, as each objective becomes a stepping stone towards answering the research questions and achieving the overall aim of your study.
In summary, aligning objectives with research questions is crucial in research. It ensures that each objective contributes to answering or addressing a specific research question, creating a logical and cohesive framework for your study. By establishing this alignment, you can maintain a clear focus on the research objectives and make meaningful contributions to the field.
When setting objectives for your research, it is important to consider their feasibility. Feasibility refers to the realistic achievability of your objectives within the scope of your PhD research, taking into account available resources, time constraints, and other practical limitations.
Example: Suppose your research focuses on developing a new algorithm for real-time video processing and analysis. Here are examples of objectives that consider feasibility:
Objective 1: Implement the real-time video processing algorithm on a high-performance computing cluster.
Objective 2: Collect and annotate a large-scale video dataset for algorithm training and evaluation.
Objective 3: Collaborate with industry partners to obtain real-world video data for testing and validation.
By considering feasibility, you ensure that your objectives are realistically achievable within the resources, time, and other constraints of your PhD research. It helps you avoid setting objectives that are too ambitious or beyond the scope of what you can reasonably accomplish.
Feasibility assessment is crucial in ensuring the successful completion of your research project. It allows you to allocate resources effectively, manage your time, and avoid potential pitfalls or setbacks that could hinder your progress. By setting feasible objectives, you can maintain a practical and manageable research plan that is more likely to lead to meaningful outcomes within the given constraints.
In summary, considering feasibility when setting objectives in computer science research is essential. Assess the available resources, time constraints, and practical limitations to ensure that your objectives are realistically achievable within the scope of your PhD research. By doing so, you can plan and execute your research effectively, making the most of the resources at your disposal and increasing the likelihood of successful outcomes.
Once you have defined your aims and objectives for your research, it’s important to review and refine them to ensure clarity, coherence, and logical flow. This step allows you to make any necessary revisions to ensure that your aims and objectives accurately reflect the scope and purpose of your research.
Example: Suppose your research in computer science focuses on developing a mobile application for enhancing cybersecurity awareness among smartphone users. Here’s an example of reviewing and refining aims and objectives:
Aim: Develop a mobile application for enhancing cybersecurity awareness among smartphone users.
Objective 1: Conduct a comprehensive literature review on cybersecurity awareness strategies and mobile application design principles.
Objective 2: Design and develop a user-friendly mobile application prototype that delivers educational content and interactive features.
Objective 3: Conduct usability testing and collect feedback from potential users to evaluate the effectiveness of the mobile application.
By reviewing and refining your aims and objectives, you ensure that they accurately capture the scope and purpose of your research. It helps you identify any gaps, ambiguities, or areas that need further clarification. Through this process, you can enhance the clarity, coherence, and logical flow of your aims and objectives, making them more robust and aligned with your research goals.
Additionally, reviewing and refining your aims and objectives allows you to align them with the current state of knowledge in the field. As you conduct literature reviews and gain more insights into existing research, you may discover the need to make adjustments to your aims and objectives to reflect the most relevant and up-to-date information.
In summary, reviewing and refining aims and objectives in research is essential to ensure clarity, coherence, and logical flow. By carefully reviewing each aim and objective, you can identify areas for improvement, refine them to include specific details, and align them with the current state of knowledge in the field. This process enhances the accuracy and effectiveness of your aims and objectives, providing a strong foundation for your research.
Once you have developed your aims and objectives for your research, it is important to seek feedback from your supervisor or peers. Sharing your aims and objectives with others allows you to gather valuable insights, suggestions, and perspectives that can help refine and improve your objectives, ensuring they are appropriate and aligned with your research.
Imagine you have formulated the following objectives for your computer science research on developing an intelligent tutoring system:
Objective 1: Conduct a literature review on existing intelligent tutoring systems and their effectiveness in enhancing student learning outcomes.
Objective 2: Design and develop an adaptive learning algorithm to personalize the tutoring experience based on individual student needs.
Objective 3: Implement a user-friendly interface for the intelligent tutoring system that provides an intuitive and engaging learning environment.
Objective 4: Evaluate the effectiveness of the developed intelligent tutoring system through a series of user studies and compare it with traditional tutoring methods.
At this stage, it would be beneficial to share your aims and objectives with your supervisor or peers to receive feedback. They can provide valuable insights and suggestions to help you refine and improve your objectives. For example:
By seeking feedback, you open yourself up to constructive criticism and valuable perspectives that can help enhance the quality and effectiveness of your aims and objectives. Feedback from experienced researchers or knowledgeable peers can help you identify any potential gaps or weaknesses in your objectives and provide suggestions for improvement.
Remember that feedback is an iterative process, and it is important to carefully consider the suggestions provided while also critically evaluating them in the context of your research. Incorporating constructive feedback will help you refine your aims and objectives, ensuring they are robust, relevant, and aligned with your research goals.
In summary, seeking feedback on your aims and objectives is a valuable step in the process of developing your research. Sharing your objectives with your supervisor or peers allows you to gather insights, suggestions, and perspectives that can help refine and improve your objectives. Feedback helps ensure that your objectives are appropriate, clear, and aligned with your research goals, ultimately strengthening the overall quality of your research.
When writing your dissertation, it is crucial to properly document and present your aims and objectives. The placement and presentation of aims and objectives play a significant role in providing readers with a clear understanding of the research’s purpose and direction.
Placement: The aims and objectives of your research should be presented early on in your dissertation, typically within the introduction chapter. This allows readers to grasp the overall scope and intent of your research from the beginning. Placing them in the introduction helps set the context and provides a roadmap for the rest of the dissertation.
Presentation: When presenting aims and objectives, it is important to clearly distinguish between the two and articulate their role in driving the research. Here’s an example of how you can document aims and objectives:
Aims: Start by presenting the overarching aim of your research, which represents the primary goal or intention of your study. It should be a concise statement that captures the essence of your research focus.
For example:
Aim: The aim of this research is to develop a machine learning-based system for automated sentiment analysis in social media data.
Objectives: Following the aim, present a list of specific objectives that outline the key steps or milestones required to achieve the aim. Each objective should be clear, specific, and measurable. Here’s an example:
Objectives:
By clearly documenting the aims and objectives in your dissertation, you provide readers with a clear understanding of the purpose and direction of your research. This enables them to follow your thought process and evaluate the relevance and significance of your study. Aims and objectives serve as guideposts that help readers navigate through your dissertation and understand the specific research questions you seek to address.
Moreover, the well-documented aims and objectives help you maintain focus throughout your research journey and provide a framework for organizing your dissertation. They establish the foundation upon which your methodology, analysis, and conclusions are built.
In summary, when documenting aims and objectives in a dissertation, it is important to place them in the introduction chapter and clearly present their role in guiding the research. Aims and objectives should be distinct, with the aim of capturing the overarching goal and the objectives outlining the specific steps or milestones to achieve it. By effectively documenting aims and objectives, you provide readers with a clear understanding of the research’s purpose and direction, facilitating their engagement with your work.
Crafting clear and well-defined aims and objectives is a critical aspect of writing a PhD or Post Graduate dissertation. These aims and objectives provide a solid foundation for your research, guiding your efforts and ensuring a focused and coherent study. Through this discussion, we have explored the importance of aims and objectives in a PhD dissertation and how they contribute to the research process.
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Briefly, research objectives are all about what you intend to achieve in your project. Therefore, they are expected to list every stage of the research and cover which methods they have used to gather data, establish their focal point, and advance their conclusions.
Suppose you wish to define what your research aims to achieve and elaborate on why you conduct it. In that case, your research objectives address these issues. On top of that, they epitomize the approach and aim of your project and help you concentrate on your study. The usual place for research objectives is the introduction of your dissertation or research article. They must cover the extent and profundity of your research, align with your research design, and state how your study will complement existing knowledge.
Briefly, research objectives are all about what you intend to achieve in your project. Therefore, they are expected to list every stage of the research and cover which methods they have used to gather data, establish their focal point, and advance their conclusions. One should remember that research objectives may change as the research develops. Nonetheless, they must align with the research conducted and the subject of the study.
One should differentiate between research objectives and research aims. Precisely, the research aim is more general than the research objectives. Therefore, the research aim is expected to include the primary purpose of the research. Its most probable location is at the end of the problem statement. Hence, it should come before the research objectives. Research objectives should be more explicit than the research aim. It means that they had better indicate the specific concentration and methodology of the project. Even though you must state one research aim, you will probably list several research objectives. Illustratively, your research aim may include investigating the economic impact of World Wars on the world economy. However, you may have several research objectives such as the effects of World War I on the world economy, impacts of World War II on the world economy, the influences of World War I in Asia, the consequences of World War II on Russia, and the devastating effect of World War I on the German economy.
The answer is affirmative. Research objectives are crucial because:
a) They build the extent and profundity of your research. It is critical because it prevents you from studying something irrelevant. It also secures the assessment ability of your research methodologies and conclusions.
b) They are the primary determinants of your study design. Thanks to research objectives, you may have a more precise idea of what fits bests in your research.
c) Last but not least, they disclose how your study fills the gap in or contributes to the existing knowledge. They enable you to demonstrate your understanding of au fait research, utilize or establish contemporary research methods and endeavor to add to recent discussions.
After stating the research problem, you aim to achieve, the following step is deciding how to address it. Your research aims and objectives are there to help you out. It is better to follow the pursuing stages:
a) Your research aim is related to your research problem. Thus, it must be broad.
b) Dividing your research aim into meaningful parts will help address the research problem. Exceedingly relevant is to state the unique aspects of the problem you wish to explore and comprehend.
c) After establishing the research aim and objectives, what pursues is defining them explicitly and precisely to the readers.
Outlining your aims and objectives at the end of your problem statement is appropriate. Please formulate them as clear definitive statements and employ suitable verbs to precisely portray the research that you will conduct. You should also remember that your objectives must be specific, measurable, attainable, pertinent, and time conscious. It can only be possible if you employ appropriate methodologies, have relevant literature, elaborate on your results profoundly, and concentrate on what future research should cover. Only then can you have a unique, productive, and citable study.
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This article explains how to write research objectives for a dissertation or thesis. To give you an opportunity to practice proofreading, we have left a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the text. See if you can spot them! If you spot the errors correctly, you will be entitled to a 10% discount.
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Who decides the layout requirements for a dissertation? The answer is primarily clear, either your supervisor or department. Nonetheless, each program has a standard guideline determining page numbers and table of contents. Should you use MLA or APA citation style, you follow the MLA format guide or APA guide. Here are 10 useful tips for dissertation layout and formatting.
While composing a thesis or dissertation, a student must experience some predicted traps. Falling into these traps can affect one’s academic career. However, handling potential blunders and pitfalls wisely, while developing a thesis, can lead you to success. The process of writing may be frustrating but learning about the probable pitfalls may ease your stress. Here, we bring you the list of the most common mistakes we have noticed as a professional proofreading and editing service provider.
At the end of most undergraduate or postgraduate degrees, you are required to submit a thesis or a dissertation based on original research. The way of writing and the structure of a dissertation depends on your field of study and sometimes your program. However, it is largely divided into at least four or five chapters, including the introduction and conclusion. A dissertation is an extended usually written treatment of a subject, specifically one submitted for a doctorate. This article provides a step-by-step guide on writing and structuring a dissertation
A literature review includes academic sources on a specific topic. It aims to supply up-to-date knowledge, ensuring that you specify relevant theories, methodologies, and deficiencies in the extant research.
Now, you have finished your thesis or dissertation. The next is writing a research paper based on your thesis and dissertation. A research paper is vital for academic writing, supplying in-depth analysis, comments, and in-depth discussion about your research.
The first step includes choosing a subject for your thesis, dissertation, or research project and ensuring the process becomes rewarding and smooth. One should consider many issues before deciding on a topic.
While researching a group of people, collecting data from every person in that group is virtually impossible. To counter this issue, you choose a sample. What is the difference between population and sample? What sampling methods should you use in your dissertation?
Wondering how you can develop a compelling dissertation objective that will impress your professor? Some students don’t know where to begin while others get blank right after selecting the dissertation topic. Well, you don’t have to worry because this guide will teach you how to write captivating aims and objectives. So read ahead because this is something even the best dissertation writing services UK won’t tell you!
So let’s find out how to compose the aims and objectives of the dissertation using the following information. Aims and objectives help you to support logical ideas through arguments on which your investigation will be based. Hence you develop the aims and objectives right after you select the research topic of your research study. This will give a direction for your entire investigative process on how to go about each section of your report. Therefore, let’s start with what is the difference between the aims and objectives in dissertation writing.
Both (the aims and objectives) display the purpose of your study/research along with expected outcomes. Aims differ in a way that they are generally broad statements on the research theme while the objectives are more precise and give way to further tasks in the research process. In research, the aim is only one while the objectives can be many in number.
Typically, your aims and objectives should answer the following given questions. So while writing this section, just make sure you answer these questions to make the further process easier. Let’s see what the 1H-3W approach says!
This talks about the target audience of your research or study.
Discussion of where you conducted the research. Include the Name of the locality, city, country, or environment that is the subject of your research.
This addresses the main purpose of your study and what do you wish to achieve from it.
This should reveal the method you used to conduct this study.
Another great way to make your research objectives compelling is to use the SMART criteria method. This is similar to what you will see in management as there are many versions of this system. However, this revolves around composing specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound ‘objectives’. In simple words: a good research objective always has all of the following elements:
Make sure your study objective is clear and well-defined.
How can you tell when your research objective has been achieved? Make sure there is a way to measure the thing you’re trying to do in this study.
Do you have the support and resources needed to sustain your research process? Remember not to be overly ambitious or optimistic with your objective.
Is your objective vital for accomplishing the research aim? Make sure that your objective is directly linked to your study theme.
Can you realistically execute this research objective within the time you have?
This SMART system is a surefire way to help make your research objectives much stronger. Now that you know the best methods for writing dissertation objectives, let’s move further. Want to know more tips to write a good dissertation objective successfully? Read Ahead!
Once you consider the possible topics early, you can have more time to write the objectives. A good dissertation requires lots of reading, talking, and thinking about the interesting areas of your subject. Hence you will have enough time to change your mind several times before finalizing your objectives.
Don’t be too ambitious when deciding your aims and objectives. Moreover, thoroughly research how you will tackle any expected hurdles to prevent mishaps. Plus, consider in-depth what you can do if you are not able to make this plan work.
To help you focus your thoughts and come up with the best objectives, think about what you would like your readers to understand by the end of this section. Once you write your objectives, ask someone what they think it means when they read these statements. Their feedback will help you remove any misleading words or phrases from your objectives.
Write clear research objectives and then choose compatible methods that will help you meet those objectives. Use tables for yourself to link each objective to possible methods if it’s too complicated. You can also list your objectives on a separate page to get advice on which is the best one.
A guaranteed way to bring the best out of your work is to remain calm while writing this section. Don’t worry if you don’t have your objectives planned right after the topic. Furthermore, remember that you might have to change your objectives if your professor disapproves. That’s alright. You can always come back to your computer and brainstorm your way to the perfect objective.
Stick to using strong positive statements when writing your objectives. For example, there are the strong verbs you should consider: collect, construct, classify, develop, devise, measure, produce, revise, etc. Meanwhile, try to stay away from Weak verbs like appreciate, consider, enquire, learn, know, understand, be aware of, appreciate, and listen.
Properly writing the objectives of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper is important for dissertation success. Your objectives will define how your research ultimately looks when it comes to the scope, depth, and direction. Coming up with good research objectives had many advantages for your paper. It can make your research clear in the minds of your readers. Plus, you’d be able to show what you wish to achieve, and how you will do that.
Moreover, a research objective will give you a clearer direction for your research if you take the time to develop this portion. So use our expert guide for fewer future issues and a more thorough and cohesive research project. If you feel like you could still use some assistance, simply consult with the best dissertation writing services UK now!
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The research aims, objectives and research questions (collectively called the "golden thread") are arguably the most important thing you need to get right when you're crafting a research proposal, dissertation or thesis.We receive questions almost every day about this "holy trinity" of research and there's certainly a lot of confusion out there, so we've crafted this post to help ...
Writing objectives. The objectives describe how you would achieve your research aim. You can do this through the following steps, The first one to two objectives can be applied to the literature review. (Verbs to be used: investigate, examine, study) One objective can be applied to the methodology portion.
Summary. One of the most important aspects of a thesis, dissertation or research paper is the correct formulation of the aims and objectives. This is because your aims and objectives will establish the scope, depth and direction that your research will ultimately take. An effective set of aims and objectives will give your research focus and ...
The Aims and Objectives for your Master's Dissertations need to be in chapter 1, the introduction to the research project. Chapter 1 should be an introduction to the project, and not an introduction to the topic. The topic is covered in the Literature Review, usually chapter 2. However, there needs to be a few pages of background introduction ...
A Masters dissertation will be longer than the undergraduate equivalent - usually it'll be somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 words, but this can vary widely between courses, institutions and countries. To answer your overall research question comprehensively, you'll be expected to identify and examine specific areas of your topic.
The dissertation proposal is an important first step towards writing your final dissertation on a taught or research masters course, or a PhD level course. ... Aims and objectives. Your dissertation proposal should also include the aims and objectives of your research. Be sure to state what your research hopes to achieve, as well as what ...
A) Preparation and timetable 2011-2012. In the second semester, students follow a series of preparation sessions in dissertation writing. Students will submit a draft proposal by the end of week 2 ...
Aim: To understand the contribution that local governments make to national level energy policy. Objectives: Conduct a survey of local politicians to solicit responses. Conduct desk-research of local government websites to create a database of local energy policy.
Word limits for dissertation proposals can vary considerably depending on your discipline. Humanities departments will generally require a proposal of around 1,000 words (this can occasionally be up to 2,000), while a proposal for a STEM dissertation could be as short as 250-350 words. Your department will provide guidance on this.
These are the actionable steps you take to achieve your aims. Use dynamic words like calculate, clarify, define, locate, explain, formulate, identify, and the list goes on. But, there's a catch - don't turn your objectives into a mundane list of dissertation chapters. Your objectives should be sophisticated, spanning across multiple chapters ...
Research objectives describe what your research project intends to accomplish. They should guide every step of the research process, including how you collect data, build your argument, and develop your conclusions. Your research objectives may evolve slightly as your research progresses, but they should always line up with the research carried ...
This short article offers some pointers on how to get started and succeed. In the first instance, here's a quick win to give you confidence: Create a dissertation template. This is where you type up your cover page and chapter/section headings on separate pages (as they will appear in the final submission). For example: Title/Name/Course ...
The table below illustrates a classic dissertation layout with approximate lengths for each section. Hopkins, D. and Reid, T., 2018. The Academic Skills Handbook: Your Guide to Success in Writing, Thinking and Communicating at University. Sage. Title. Your title should be clear, succinct and tell the reader exactly what your dissertation is about.
Here is a step-by-step guide that will help you to write objectives for your dissertation: 1. Understand Your Research Purpose. Start it by outlining the goals and parameters of your dissertation ...
Formulating research aim and objectives in an appropriate manner is one of the most important aspects of your thesis. This is because research aim and objectives determine the scope, depth and the overall direction of the research. Research question is the central question of the study that has to be answered on the basis of research findings.
The Notion of Aims and Objectives. Aims and objectives are the two key elements in academic writing that aid in identifying the goal and area of concentration of a research endeavor. The importance of aims and objectives in research is crucial in describing what a researcher hopes to accomplish and acts as a roadmap for the entire research.
Explore the interplay between the aim and objectives of research in a thesis, laying the groundwork for impactful scholarly endeavors. Thesis Aims and Objectives: Delve into the nuances of formulating thesis aims and objectives to ensure a focused and purposeful research journey. Dissertation Objectives Examples: Expand your understanding with ...
The structure, content, and length of your dissertation proposal will depend on your course requirements. Some courses may require that your aims and objectives are separate from the main body of the proposal. You might be expected to write a literature review, and/or provide a detailed methodology.
that the dissertation or thesis approval forms may be properly prepared to match your title page. • The table of contents and the lists of tables of figures do not match what is actually in text. You must make a systematic check of each of these pages against the text to be certain that titles and page numbers are inexact match. •
The only difference between the two is that the aims are generally broad statements that are based on the research theme while the dissertation objectives examples are more specific statements that give way to further tasks in the investigative process. There is one general aim of the research while there can be several objectives.
Introduction. In a PhD or Post Graduate dissertation, the aims and objectives play a crucial role in shaping the research process and ensuring focus. They provide a clear roadmap for your study and serve as the guiding principles that steer your research in the right direction. Aims represent the broader purpose or the overarching goal of your ...
Research objectives are crucial because: a) They build the extent and profundity of your research. It is critical because it prevents you from studying something irrelevant. It also secures the assessment ability of your research methodologies and conclusions. b) They are the primary determinants of your study design.
Aims Versus Objectives In A Dissertation: Both (the aims and objectives) display the purpose of your study/research along with expected outcomes. Aims differ in a way that they are generally broad statements on the research theme while the objectives are more precise and give way to further tasks in the research process. In research, the aim is ...
Aims and Objectives for Masters Dissertations. How to write a good aim statement and create objectives for a Masters Dissertation. Will also apply to final y...