guide to good practice taught 2005

8/9/2019 Guide to Good Practice Taught 2005

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Prifysgol Cymru, Llanbedr Pont Steffan University of Wales, Lampeter

A GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE

FOR TAUGHT MASTER’S

STUDENTS

2005/06



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1. INTRODUCTION

The ta ught Ma ste r’ s deg rees (MA/ MTh/ MSc ) are awarded as a result of a

combination of a taught element (Part One = 120 credits) and of the

exa mina tion of a 20,000 word d isserta tion (Part Two = 60 c red its). This follow s a

period of registration which can be full-time or part-time. Postgraduate

Certificates (60 credits in Part One) and Postgraduate Diplomas (120 credits in

Part One) are also available. Whatever the pace at which work is conducted, allpostgraduate students engage in scholarly activities and require a high level of

atte ntion and adv ic e from Co urse Direc tors.

Eac h de pa rtment must have at least one pe rma nent mem be r of staff (who m ay

also b e the Hea d of Dep a rtme nt) who is de signate d with ove rall respo nsibility for

po stgrad uate stud ies. Som e d elega tion o f duties ma y be ad visab le espe c ially if

the department is running more than one type of postgraduate programme.

These p osts c onstitute ma jor ad ministrat ive responsibilities and will be so

ac knowled ged , within b oth the de pa rtment a nd University.

A Ma ster’s deg ree will be a warded to students who ha ve d emo nstrated :a ) a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of

c urrent p rob lems, and / or new insights, much of which is a t, or informe d

by, the forefront of their academic discipline, field of study, or professional

practice;

b ) a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own

resea rc h or ad vanc ed sc holarship;

c ) originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical

unde rstanding of how e stab lished tec hnique s of resea rch a nd enq uiry are

used to c rea te a nd interpret know ledg e in the disc ipline;

d ) c onc ep tual understand ing tha t ena bles the student:

• to eva luate c ritica lly current resea rc h and ad vanc ed sc holarship in the

discipline;

and

• to eva luate m ethod ologies and de velop c ritiques of them a nd, where

ap propriate, to propo se ne w hypotheses

Typic ally, holders of the qua lifica tion w ill be a ble to:

e) dea l with c om plex issues bo th system at ica lly a nd c rea tively, make sound

judg eme nts in the absenc e of co mp lete da ta, and c omm unica te their

c onc lusions c learly to spec ialist and non-spec ialist aud ienc es;

f) dem onstrate self-d irec tion and originality in tac kling and solving prob lems

and a c t auto nom ously in planning a nd imp lementing ta sks at a

p rofessiona l or eq uivalent leve l;

g) c ontinue to ad vanc e their know led ge a nd unde rstand ing, and todeve lop new skills to a high leve l;

and will have:

h) the qua lities and transferab le skills nec essa ry for emp loyme nt req uiring:

• the exercise of initiative and persona l responsibility

• dec ision-ma king in c om plex and unpred icta ble situations; and

• the inde pe nde nt learning ab ility required for continuing professional

development.



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2. ADMISSIONS

The University has an eq ua l op portunities policy which a pp lies to p ostg radua te

admissions.

Procedures

Postgraduate application forms must, in the first instance, be sent to the

Academic Registry (AR), which forwards them to departments for considerationbe fore b eing returned to the AR for ap proval. In ea c h de pa rtment p ostgrad uate

admissions must be handled centrally by a postgraduate admissions tutor or

committee.

The a dmissions p roc ed ure for postg radua te stud ents must inc lude o b ta ining tw o

references and, wherever possible, should involve an interview. In the case of an

internal candidate, references may be waived at the discretion of the

de pa rtment, exc ep t for those w ho d o no t have an up pe r sec ond c lass honours

de gree. The de partment ma y a lso req uest exam ples of w ritten wo rk. For

applicants from abroad, where an interview is not practicable - though this can

be by video-conference - the admitting department may often require that

written work is submitted a s pa rt of the admissions p roc ed ure.

Standards

The University norma lly requires at least a n up per sec ond c lass honours deg ree. In

the case of applicants from overseas whose degree results cannot be

immediately translated into the degree classes used in British universities, the

admitting department must assure the Registrar concerned that the degree is

eq uiva lent to a t least a n uppe r sec ond c lass hono urs.

Applicants not holding at least an upper second class honours degree or its

equivalent may be admitted provided that the Registrar is satisfied that the

applicant has achieved a level of academic attainment that demonstrates the

ability to c om plete succ essfully the postgrad uate wo rk ap plied for. That level of

attainment may be indicated by the completion of period of service or

emp loyment in a field related to the a rea of p ostgradua te study.

In the case of an applicant who has failed to achieve an upper second class

hono urs de gree o r its eq uivalent, the adm itting de pa rtme nt must ma ke a spe c ial

c ase fo r the applic ant to the Reg istrar. Suppo rt for this ma y include referenc es

obtained from the applicant's teachers for the first degree and/or specially set

written work or examinations. In all such instances the decision of the Registrar

sha ll be fina l.

In many cases, an applicant may be admitted on the basis of ‘age andexperience’, which means that candidates must have at least two years

expe rience relating to the sub jec t that they w ish to study a nd b e ove r the a ge of

25.

Postgraduate Certific ates/ Diploma s

Students who do not ho ld an up pe r sec ond c lass honours de gree m ay a pply to

study for either a Postgrad uate Ce rtifica te or Postgrad uate Diplom a . Stude nts

who subsequently make satisfactory progress may apply to upgrade to the



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e) in the case of distance learning students, ensuring that sufficient contact is

made with the student. For overseas students this assistance may take the

form of ad vic e a bo ut lang uag e training.

f) appointing a suitable member of staff to act as the dissertation supervisor for

stud ents und ertaking Pa rt Two.

Student

The responsibilities of the stud ent inc lude:

a ) d isc ussing w ith the Co urse Direc to r the ir nee ds for guida nc e

b) arranging with the Course Direc tor for tutorials whe re ap prop riate

c ) taking the initia tive in ra ising p rob lems or diffic ulties, howe ver eleme nta ry they

ma y seem

d) attending taught classes and other forms of instruction as required by the

Course Direc tor, the d ep artment o r the sc hoo l

e) ma intaining a sched ule of work agreed with the Course Direc tor

f) presenting written material in accordance with the programme of study

ag reed with the C ourse Direc tor.

4. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF AN MA/ MTH/ MSC DEGREE

Not co mp leting a de gree is c lea rly a c ause o f grea t c onc ern bo th to the student

and to t he University as well as being a likely rea son for funding bod ies to refuse

to aw ard grants to Lam pe ter stude nts in the future.

The fo llow ing points a re d esigned to he lp both stud ents and C ourse Direc to rs:

a ) A fram ew ork should b e d evised which ma rks out the sta ge s that a stude nt is

expected to have completed at various points in the period of study, so that

the student c an a de qua tely ma nag e his/ her time

b) The stud ent shou ld w ork co nsc ientiously from the sta rt o f the course. A full-

time postg radua te m ight expec t to wo rk 40-50 hours a week for 44 wee ks of

the year

c ) Reg ular co ntac t with the Course Direc tor should ensure tha t the stude nt is

ma king a deq uate p rog ress and should help the student to foc us on the ideas

ra ised by the work c arried out . Stud ents should ma ke eve ry effort to keep

systematic records of data collected, notes on relevant books and articles,

and ma terial to b e include d in the bibliog rap hy.

5. QUALIFYING FOR AN AWARD (see Ap pendix 2 for Ma rking Guid eline s)

The c urrent ma rking c riteria a re as follow s:

AWARD OF MASTERS

Part One (assessed essays/ exa mina tions 120 c red its)

a ) The p ass ma rk for ea ch mo dule is40%

Please Note: students must c omplete a nd b e exam ined in Part One b efore be ing

a llow ed to submit the ir Part Two d issertat ion for exam ina tion.



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Samp ling of Dissertations

A system of sampling of dissertations is permissible, within the following guidelines:

a ) external examiners must see all dissertations which are:

• within the c at eg ory of distinction,

• within +/ - 5% of t he minimum pass ma rk,

• within the failure b and ,

• resub missions and

• marked by persons other than members of the University's academic

staff.

b ) external examiners reta in the right to selec t ot her d issertat ions a t rand om

c ) a ll d isserta tions not seen by the e xternal must b e d oub le m arked internally

d ) at lea st 20% of d isserta tions or a minimum of 10 - wh iche ver is the highe r figure

- must be see n by external examiners. (If the t ota l number is few er than 10, all

d issertat ions must c ont inue to b e externa lly exam ined ).

6. FACILITIES AVAILABLE

Reg istered postg raduate stud ents should, whereve r possible, have the follow ing

minima l level o f fa c ilities to a ssist in their work

.

Full-Time Students

a) free photo co pying within the de pa rtment o f up to 1,000 c op ies pe r annum

Part-Time Students

b) free pho toc op ying w ithin the d ep artment up to 500 cop ies pe r annum

Postgraduate students will, in the vacation and in the first year immediatelyfollowing the completion of the formal period of registration, have the same

fac ilities ava ilab le to them as if they we re still reg iste red postg radua te stud ents. At

the end of that period, such students will have borrowing rights in the Library

(though they must pay for any Inter-Library Lending) and will continue to have

ac c ess to the c om puting fa c ilities (but m ust p ay fo r printing).

7. MONITORING POSTGRADUATE STUDENT PROGRESS AND POSTGRADUATE STUDENT

DISCIPLINE

During the academic year, the initial responsibility for monitoring the progress of

postgraduate students rests at departmental level, firstly, with the individual

Course Director and then with the Head of Department and/or departmentalcommittee. Course Directors should monitor the progress of students. Any

prob lems should b e referred promp tly to the Head of Depa rtme nt.

In view of the importance of monitoring progress and of ensuring that

dep artments c arry out their responsibilities, MA/ MTh/ MSc stud ents must submit

rep orts on their p rog ress to the Hea d of the Sc hoo l onc e a yea r. These rep orts

must c onta in information rega rding:



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a) the a mount o f wo rk whic h ha s be en p resented

b) the q uality of such work

c) any problems encountered

The repo rt must be seen, signed and c om mented on b y the Co urse Direc tor who

ma y consult the stude nt abo ut its c ontents. The repo rt must then b e c hec ked b ythe Hea d o f Dep artment.

In the case of an unfavourable report, the Head of Department must take

rem ed ia l ac tion by c onsulting the student a nd the C ourse Direc tor. The Head of

Department should, if possible, attach to an unfavourable report a summary of

the action taken. If the Head of Department identifies particular problems, they

may refer the matter back to the Course Director and/or may request an

ad ditiona l termly rep ort. If the Head of Dep artment c onsiders that the p rob lem is

likely to persist, he/ she shou ld c onsult the Reg istrar ab out approp riate ac tion.

If the p rob lems identified in the reports persist a nd / or there a re m ore serious

disciplinary problems such as non-attendance or failure to submit work, there are

formal disciplinary procedures which the Head of Department should use as

nec essary. It is essentia l tha t the Registrar is informe d a t a ll sta ges in this p roc ess.

Postgraduate students are subject to Departmental Warnings and ultimately

referra l to the Student Review Comm ittee in ac c orda nce w ith the Prog ress

Regulations.

8. COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS DURING THE COURSE

Complaints should be resolved where possible informally, either with the Course

Director or the Head of Department, but if this proves to be impossible, there is a

formal grievance procedure by which student’s may submit grievances relating,for example, to their project or the standard of supervision. Details are available

from the Ac adem ic Reg istry and from the University’s we bsite.

9. STUDENT FEEDBACK

Eac h Sc hoo l must ha ve a Sta ff-Student Consultative C om mittee on which

postgraduates are represented. In departments with a large number of

postg radua te stud ents, a sep ara te Postg radua te Sta ff-Stud ent Consultat ive

Comm ittee ma y be estab lished . There must b e a written c onstitution c onc erning

such issues as membership, the preparation of the agenda, and the mechanics

by w hich items a re ha ndled within the d ep artment. Formal minutes must be kep t

of the se m ee tings. It is the responsibility of the Hea d of Department to e nsure tha tminutes are sent to the relevant Departmental Meeting and to the Educational

Policy Com mittee . (Further informa tion a bout Sta ff-Stud ent C onsultative

Comm ittees is c onta ined in the Qua lity Assuranc e Ma nua l .)

Departments are encouraged to consider the adoption of questionnaires in

elic iting p ostgrad uate students' op inions ab out the taug ht postgrad uate c ourses.



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App endix 1 : Guidelines for the Submission of Dissertations

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR DISSERTATION

All theses must be submitted to the Academic Registry, with the appropriate submission

forms. Please note: Stud ents wishing to g radua te a t the July c erem ony MUST submit the ir

d isserta tion for examination no late r tha n the last day of the Lent Term to b e e lig ible to

atte nd the c eremony (if suc cessful in examination).

NUMBER OF COPIES REQUIRED

You are required to submit two copies of the dissertation for examination. Please see

be low for de ta ils on p resenta tion and binding.

NOTICE OF CA NDIDATURE (SUBMISSION) FORMS

These forms can be ob ta ined from the Ac ade mic Reg istry and must be com p leted in fulland subm itted with the d issertation to b e exam ined .

GOLD CERTIFICATE

The G old Ce rtifica te is p rod uc ed on submission by the A cad em ic Reg istry and sent o n to

the University of Wales Registry in Cardiff. It confirms that all of a candidate’s financial

obligations to the University have been met (e.g. tuition fees, accommodation costs

whe re app lic ab le, a nd c osts inc urred with University Co mp uting Servic es) a nd that all

library books have been returned and any fines paid. Please be advised that no

dissertation ma y be exam ined until these o bligations have be en m et.

MATRICULATION

Candidates must ensure that they have already produced original certification, or a

certified copy, of prior academic achievements (unless matriculated on the grounds of

‘Age a nd Expe rienc e’ ) and rec eived a letter of ma tric ulat ion. This is usua lly do ne w hen a

stud ent enrols for the first time.

PREPARING YOUR DISSERTATION FOR SUBMISSION

PRINT SIZE

Dissertations must be presented in permanent and legible form in typescript or print. Werecommend that the characters employed in the main text (but not necessarily in

illustrations, ma ps etc .) should b e 12p t a nd definitely not less tha t 8 p t (2.50mm). Typ ing

should be of even quality with clear black characters and capable of photographic

reproduction.

PAGE LAYOUT

Double or one-and-a-half spacing should be used in the main text; but single spacing

should b e used in the Summ ary (Abstrac t) and in any indented quo ta tions and



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footno tes. Text should b e p rinted on one side of the p age only. All page s must be

consecutively numbered.

MARGINS

Binding ed ge – not less tha n 40mm.

Other ma rgins – not less tha n 20mm.

ILLUSTRATIONS/ MAPS/ OTHER MATERIAL

Draw ings and sketches should be in b lac k ink; unnec essary de ta il should b e om itted , and

the sc ale should be such tha t the minimum spac e be twe en lines is not less than 1mm.

Colour graphics for charts, diagrams etc. and colour photographs may be used, but

candidates must ensure that material is capable of being photocopied. Copies

produced by xerographic or comparable permanent processes are also acceptable.

Ca nd ida tes must ensure tha t they do not infringe c op yright regulations.

Diagram s, maps and similar doc uments should b e subm itted in a p ortfolio of reasona ble

size a nd shou ld bea r the p articu lars sta ted nec essa ry for the vo lume.

Ca nd idate s ma y subm it non-boo k ma terial such a s audio o r vide o t ap es with their thesis,

if such material forms a useful addition to, or explanation of, work contained in the

written submission and if such material constitutes the most appropriate method of

presenting the information c onc erned. Any ma terial of this type should b e enc losed in a

container which is suitable for storage on a library shelf and which bears the same

informa tion as tha t required on the spine o f the the sis, so p lac ed as to be rea d ily leg ib le

when the container is in its stored position. Candidates considering the submission of

audio or video tapes as adjuncts to their thesis should consult their supervisor and the

libra ry sta ff for ad vice at an ea rly stage of the ir projec t.

PAPER SIZE

A4 paper should be used and should be of good quality and sufficient opacity for

normal reading.

INTRODUCTORY PAGES

One of ea ch of the follow ing p ag es must be b ound into the thesis. The o rde r of the

introd uc tory pa ge s should b e:

♦ Title pa ge (see exam ple 2)

♦ Ab strac t (see exam ple 3)The a bstrac t should b e typed in single spa c ing. When writing the ab strac t the

c and idat e should b ea r in mind that this ma y be the o nly pa rt of the thesis tha t is rea d

by other resea rc h workers. It should b e w ritten in suc h a way as to help resea rc hers in

the same field decide whether to read this thesis and to give readers who are only

marginally concerned in the subject enough information to make it unnecessary for

them to read the w ork in full. The a bstrac t should c onsist of a piec e o f co nnec ted

prose and should not be more than 300 words in length. It may be much shorter.

Ab b reviations should be avo ided .



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♦ Dec laration/ Sta tem ents (see exam ple 4)

This page m ust be inserted as per exam ple 4/5

♦ Acknowledgements (see example 5)

♦ Contents

STYLE NOTES

These notes shou ld no t b e see n a s exhaustive. i.e., it shou ld not be assume d tha t

because something is not stated here that it can be ignored. If you are in doubt at any

point , loo k at som e p revious the ses in the library and / or ask your sup ervisor. Also, the se

notes are not exhaustive in that while they p rovide b asic guida nc e they d o not c over, for

example, every possible complication in the citation of books. For further detail consult

your sup ervisor or look at p revious the ses or books.

Scholarship dem and s the d rudge ry of a c c urate p resenta tion. Loo seness tha t m ay be

pe rfec tly ac cep table at und ergrad uate leve l, is no longe r ac cep tab le. This imp lies

standards in terms of a cc urac y and presenta tion.

ACCURACY OF CITATION

This is an a rea where high sta nda rds do no t c om e b y ac c ident. There a re two sides to

this: 1) quoting other peoples’ words or citing their views accurately; 2) giving the source

correctly. When you cite or quote someone you ought to verify the details at the point

you type it out. You should also reckon to do this again at least once on a subsequent

oc c asion. The e xaminers w ill che ck this and if you ha ve a n exc essive number of errorsyou may well be asked to reprint and resubmit the thesis, which involves considerable

time a nd c ost. Please no te tha t if you c ite a n autho r via a third party you are req uired to

g ive the source tha t you used . The University co nsiders plagiarism to be an extremely

serious offenc e. It is your responsibility to ensure tha t yo ur wo rk is refe renc ed correc tly.

PROOF READING

It is not just quot a tions tha t must b e a c c urate . Befo re hand ing in your thesis you should

do at least three things:

1) Run your spe ll c hec ker on the fina l version

2) Rea d the text c arefully yourself, loo king for errors

3) You w ill also ne ed to get a nother pe rson to p roo f-rea d for you. This isno t the role

of the sup ervisor, Sup ervisors will po int out errors tha t the y see , but they are not

p roof rea ders. Nor is this the exa miners job . They will no te errors tha t the y see and

ask you to c orrec t them.



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CONSISTENCY

If the re is one golden rule it is the nee d to be c onsisten t. This app lies ac ross the boa rd – to

issues like paragraphing, layout of footnotes, capitalisation, etc. A few points that you

should e spe c ially wa tc h:

Capitalisation. Which words are you going to capitalise? Most words either must be

c apitalised (like na mes) or must no t b e (like ‘ not’ ). But there a re a signific ant numb er

of w ords whe re the choice is up to you. You should from the be ginning keep a list o f

which words you are/are not going to capitalise. Doing so will enable you to follow

the rules (with the use o f a w ord-sea rc h func tion if nec essary).

Sentenc es or clauses often end with a q uota tion mark, a p unc tuation ma rk and a

foot note ma rker. In what orde r should t hese c om e? There is no o ne stand a rd that has

to be followe d, but you must b e consistent .

There a re som e w ords which can legitima tely be spe lt in d ifferent w ays and there a re

words which may or may not be italicised. One simple way to achieve this is to get

and follow a w ork like the Oxford Dictiona ry for Writers and Ed itors.

Ab brev iations. Sta nd ard a bbrevia tions a re listed in the Oxford Dictionary for Writers

and Editors. If you frequently cite a particular journal you may wish to use an

abb reviation. These should b e listed on a pag e o f ab breviations.

Ita lic isa tion. Shou ld o ne italic ise La tin a bb revia tions, suc h a s i.e., e.g ., cf., ibid., et a l.,

et c? The m ove today is aga inst this – see the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors .

But there is no fixed rule. Here a ga in, follow a set standard a nd ma ke a note of a ny

points at which you w ish to d ep a rt from it.

Hyphens. Here again see the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors. Hyphens are

normally used: 1) where the same two vowels occur together, e.g. co-operate, re-

examine; 2) sometimes where two vowels occur together, e.g. co-exist (depending

on morpho log y); 3) for com binat ions suc h a s, e.g. extra-b iblic al; 4) whe re tw o w ords

combine to make an adjective – thus a second-century [hyphenated] person is one

who lived in the sec ond c entury [not].

GENERAL STYLE

No underlining . Use italic s. (unde rlining w as used befo re the days of wo rd -proc essing

to ind ica te to the p rinter that italic s should b e used )

Quotations: single quotation marks, except for quotations within quotations, for which

use double quotation marks. For quotes within quotes, use single quotation marks

ag ain, etc.



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For quotations of about 4 lines or more use block quotation: narrower margins; no

quota tion marks used ; single spac ing; font size e ither same as ma in text or foo tno tes

While you may mix sizes of fonts on a page you should not mix fonts, except for

inclusion of foreign alphabets or possibly for headlines. Footnotes should be in the

sam e font as the m ain text.

FOOTNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

[no t absolutely inflexible – c onsistenc y rem ains the go lden rule]

For titles of books, and journals (but no t a rtic les in journals), use ita lic s.

For titles of a rticles use Rom an type a nd (single) inverted c om ma s, with journa l name

in ita lic s.

Titles of unp ub lished d isserta tions eithe r as a rtic les or boo ks

Editor forma t: nam e o f ed itor follow ed by (ed.); with seve ral na mes (eds.) or (ed d .)

Pub lisher: e.g. (London: Thame s and Hudson, 1968). Deta ils of p lac e, p ub lisher a nd

da te m ay b e p ut in b rac kets (as here) or sep arated out b y co mma s. The p lac e a nd

date of publication are absolutely obligatory; publisher less so, though it is becoming

sta nda rd to give it.

Where you are citing a later edition (as op po sed to printing) of a bo ok this must b e

signified . There are va rious ways to do this e.g .: (Lond on: Tha me s and Hudson , 19683)

or (London: Tha me s and Hudson, 1968 [3rd ed ition] ) or (London: Tha me s and Hud son,

1968 [3 ed n.])

BINDING

Dissertations should be submitted for examination in temporary binding in the first

instance, but if the candidate prefers they may submit hard-bound copies (risking the

need to have them rebo und).

TEMPORARY BINDING

Candidates are advised to submit their thesis for examination in temporary b inding. This

allows for quite substant ia l co rrec tions to be ma de b efore ha rd -binding, if the e xam iners

req uire suc h.

The follow ing types of temp orary b ind ing a re reco mm end ed :

♦ Perfect b inding

♦ Spring -ba c k b inding



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♦ Slide-in plastic b inders

Ca nd idate s (and those a dv ising them) a re a sked to b ea r in mind tha t temp orarily-bound

theses must be able to withstand handling, transit to and from examiners and the

examining process itself. Care must be taken to ensure that the form of any temporary

b inding used is sufficiently sec ure no t to burst o r fa ll apart.

The University’s Print Unit ha ve t he fa c ilities to temp orary bind d isserta tions for a sma llcharge.

PERMANENT BINDING

Dissertat ions for the deg ree of Ma ster by examina tion and d issertat ion are no t norma lly

dep osited in the libraries, unless a Distinct ion is awa rded , the d isserta tion is thought to be

of p artic ular relevanc e to Wales, or if the exam iners so rec om mend .

In suc h c ases It is absolutely essential that the fo llowing informa tion is p rinted on t he

sp ine if the thesis is req uired to be dep osited in the lib ra ries:

♦ The surnam e a nd initials of the c and idat e

♦ The name of the institution

♦ The full (or ab brev iated) title of the wo rk

♦ Year of submission

♦ Nam e of the d eg ree for which the wo rk is being subm itted

(see exam p le 1)

This information should b e p rinted a long the sp ine in suc h a wa y as to b e read able w hen

the volume is lying flat with the front cover uppermost. If the work consists of more than

one vo lume the spine should a lso b ea r the numb er of ea c h volume.

BOOKBINDING

There is a very go od boo kbinder in Ab erystwyth. He ha s bound ma ny d issertat ions forLamp ete r and stud ents have a lwa ys bee n ha ppy with the result. His address is: Alan Blair,

Ca mb rian Place, Aberystwyth. Telep hone: (01970) 617369. Alternatively, stud ent s who

a re no t resident in Lam pe ter ma y we ll find tha t their loc al university ca n p rovide suc h a

servic e or give ad vic e abo ut loc al bookbinde rs.



16

Examp le 1 : layout for sp ine (only need ed if the d issertat ion is ha rd b ound)

A

. N . O t h e r

M y

L i f e a s a P o s t g r a d

u a t e S t u d e n t

M A

L a m p e t e r

2 0 0 6



17

Exam ple 2: Title Pag e

A STUDY OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMITTING A DISSERTATION TO BE EXAMINED FOR A

MASTERS DEGREE

John Smith

Submitted to University of Wa les in pa rtial fulfilment of t he req uirem ents for the

Degree of M aster of [Arts/ Sc ience / Theo logy]

University of Wales, Lampeter

2006



18

Examp le 3: Abstrac t

ABSTRACT

This ab strac t should b e typ ed in single spa c ing. When writing the a bstrac t the c and ida te

should b ea r in mind tha t this ma y be the o nly pa rt of the thesis tha t is rea d by o ther

resea rc h workers. It shou ld b e w ritten in suc h a wa y as to help resea rc hers in the same

field d ec ide w hethe r to rea d this thesis and to g ive reade rs who are only marginally

c onc erned in the subjec t enough informa tion to ma ke it unnec essary for them to read

the w ork in full. The a bstrac t should c onsist of a p iec e o f conne c ted prose a nd should no t

be mo re tha n 300 wo rds in length . It m ay be m uch shorter. Abb reviations should be

avoided.



19

Examp le 4 : Dec larations/Statem ents

DECLARATION

This wo rk has not p reviously been a cc ep ted in substanc e for any d eg ree and is not b eing

c onc urrently subm itted in c and ida ture for any d egree.

Signed ……………………………………. (cand ida te )

Date………………………………………..

STATEMENT 1

This d issertat ion is being submitted in pa rtial fulfilment of the req uirem ents for the deg ree

of

……………………………………………(insert M A, MSc , MTh e tc . as approp ria te )


Date………………………………………..

STATEMENT 2

This d issertat ion is the result of my ow n inde pend ent work/investiga tion, exce pt where

othe rwise stat ed . Other sources a re a c knowled ge d by fo otno tes giving explic it

references. A bibliograp hy is app end ed .


Date………………………………………..

STATEMENT 3

I hereby g ive m y co nsent for my dissertation, if ac cep ted , to b e a va ilable for

pho toc op ying a nd for inter-library loa n, and for the title a nd summ ary to be m ad e

ava ilab le to outside orga nisat ions.


Date………………………………………..

Ma y 2003



20

APPENDIX 2

GUIDELINES FOR THE MARKING AND ASSESSMENT OF MODULES

FOR MA/ MTH DEGREES

Module Assessment

Work for each mod ule w ill be a ssessed in accorda nce w ith the follow ing

grade ca tegories:

Percentage Range

Classification Meaning70% or more Distinc tion Work of a very high

standard

40-69% Pass Work ranging from asa tisfac tory to a good

standard

39% or less Fa il Unsatisfa c to ry Work

Stud ents are req uired to ob ta in a Pass mark (40% or more) in every

mo dule ta ken in Part One (va lued a t 120 credits), before they ma y

proc eed to Part Two (d isserta tion, valued a t 60 c red its).

Distinction (70% or more)

Work of Distinc tion displays the following attributes, although not

nec essarily a ll of the m:

• Comp rehensive resea rch

• Substa ntia l orig inality

• Ac ute a nd relevant foc us on the task set

• Ab ility to und erstand a nd solve p rob lem s

• Cog ent and struc tured argument

• Analytica l and c ritica l ap prec iation

• Subtle and percep tive a na lysis

• Wide and tho rough rea ding

• Fluent writing and c la rity of expression

• Presenta tion to a high sc hola rly sta ndard

• An a rgum ent which is fully documented , well referenc ed , cogent

and persuasive

The range o f 70-100% should be used where the work shows outstand ing



21

ac hievem ent, rang ing from a high de gree o f c om prehensiveness and

originality of ap proac h at the low er end of the scale, to quite excep tiona l

ac hievement at the uppe r end.

The c riterion of originality in the case of an MA d issertation should inc lude

originality of conc ep tion and research design, which may not apply somuch to a set question at c oursework leve l in Part One.

Pass (40-69%)

At the uppe r end , this wo rk ma y show som e of the qua lities seen in

Distinction, but not in a susta ined way. At the lower end , it is of a generally

sound and good standard , with the very low est end of the sca le reserved

for wo rk which is mo re d esc riptive and which ma kes only limited a ttem pts

at p rob lem -solving.

A ma rk be tween 65-69% should b e reserved for wo rk showing som e o f the

qua lities of Distinc tion leve l work, with a fa ir deg ree of o riginality and

sop histica tion of argument. A mark rang ing b etw een 50-65% should be

aw arded for wo rk demonstrating c om pe tenc y in a ma jority of the

follow ing a rea s, inc rea sing in c onsc ientiousness and consistenc y of

app lica tion in these a ttributes tow ards the up per end o f the sca le:

• Susta ined foc us on the sub jec t

• Ab ility to identify and solve p rob lem s

• Awarene ss of the w ider philosop hica l d imensions of the sub jec t

• Convinc ing a na lysis of o ther scholars’ views

• Persuasive and even sop histica ted leve l of a rgument

• Broa d and relevant range of rea ding

• There m ay be som e o riginality

• Clea r and well written style

• Relevant examples and references

• Goo d presenta tion

Work between 40-49% may show some of the above (Pass) qua lities,

though in a limited way , and m ay be characterised by the following

attributes, although not necessarily all of them:

• Desc riptive w ork

• Discernib le foc us on the ta sk set

• Som e a ttempt at identifying and solving p rob lems

• A rea sonable a rgum ent

• A rang e of read ing



• Som e relevant referenc es and e xamp les

• Satisfac to ry written style

Fail (less than 40%)

If wo rk is charac terised by som e o r a ll of the fo llow ing a ttributes, it shouldreceive a mark of 39% or less:

• Little or no focus on the task set which may be extrem ely brief

• Lack of ab ility to identify and solve p rob lem s

• Poo r or little know led ge a nd understand ing o f the sub jec t

• No or hardly any relevant referenc es or examp les

• Insufficient or irreleva nt rea d ing

• Unc lea r and poo r presenta tion (som etimes ma king the a nswe r

barely inte llig ib le)

NOTES

A Distinction in the MA ma y be aw arded where a c andida te has (a) an

overall mark of 65% or more a t Part One, (b ) a m ark of 70% or more fo r the

Disserta tion (Part Two), a nd also (c ) an o verall averag e o f 70% or more in

Parts One and Two, which a re g iven eq ua l weight in the c a lc ula tion.

A Distinction may b e a wa rded in the Postgraduate Diploma where a

c and ida te ha s an averag e mark in Part One of a t lea st 65%.

JAC/ July 2005

guide to good practice taught 2005

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