dcu phd thesis guidelines

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Thesis Guidelines

Guidelines for students, guidelines for students for academic theses and production projects on all taught programmes.

This edition published August 2024

Preparation

Every programme will be assigned a thesis / project co-ordinator who will guide students in choosing a topic, formulating a proposal, appointing a supervisor, clarifying research methods. Every student is required to make a presentation of their own topic and methods of research and to be present and to contribute to the discussion of the work of their classmates. Attendance and participation of all students is required.

Choosing a topic

In choosing a topic many factors come into play, but at a preliminary stage the following are particularly important:

• interest: do you have sufficient interest in a subject area, theme, issue, or topic?
• ability: do you have the necessary skills?
• relevance: how relevant is the topic to what matters in the world? to your degree programme? your career expectations?
• feasibility: is it possible to carry out all the work envisaged in the time available? are necessary resources available?
• visualisation: for image-based projects, can you envisage the final work and present a basic production schedule to achieve it?
• supervision: does your topic come within the academic expertise and professional experience of possible supervisors?

Supervisors

Students are advised to consult possible supervisors as early as possible. Early consultation for an agreed proposal will not guarantee that the lecturer consulted will be assigned to supervise the project, but it will be an important factor in deciding the ultimate allocation of supervisors. Once supervisors are assigned, you should arrange to consult them as necessary up until the deadline for submission or until 30 June, whichever comes first. Please note that thesis / project supervision finishes on 30 June with the remaining weeks allocated to student write-up / project completion only. 

Submitting a proposal

Each programme will distribute its requirements in relation to thesis / major project, but generally a proposal will consist of: 

name of student:

type of proposal: academic thesis or production project

abstract: (300 words approximately)

methodology:

related literature: (where appropriate

production schedule: (where appropriate)

technical requirements: (where appropriate)

supervisor consulted:

Academic theses

Undergraduate research dissertations should be in the range 10,000 to 12,000 . Postgraduate research dissertations should be 12,000 to 20,000 words in length; but note that some degrees have more specific requirements (for instance, the MSc in Science Communications specifies 'about 15,000 words') so check with your programme chair. The thesis should be viewed as a major piece of independent research and its importance as such is reflected in the substantial weighting it carries in determining the final degree classification. Theses should show evidence of substantial research and original thought, particularly on the postgraduate level, where a higher standard of originality, investigation and reflection is expected.

Components of academic theses

• conceptualisation - formulation of research question(s); aims and objectives, development of theoretical framework to conceptualise the problems or issues
• review of literature - articulation of state of the questions and identification of appropriate theoretical perspectives from a detailed review of the literature
• explanation of research methods - discussion of possible research procedures and a rationale for the methods chosen
• data collection - clear description of the research process undertaken to implement the research design, description, analysis and evaluation of findings
• reporting of results – linked to research objectives, and referring to key methodological issues outlined earlier
• analysis/discussion - effective presentation, discussion and synthesis of results
• conclusion - recommendations for future research
• presentation, layout - physical format of your work, clarity of writing style, effective use of images, tables, figures, charts diagrams etc., coherent use of argument, and critical analysis of evidence, in support of one's investigation

Layout of thesis

title "study submitted in part fulfilment of the requirement for the award of [title of degree]" author’s name (s) date

page 2:  signed declaration that this is your own original work and that all sources used have been cited

page 3:  abstract (300 word summary of the whole study)

page 4:  table of contents (chapters and sections) with page numbers

page 5:  list of maps, diagrams, illustrations, etc with page numbers

page 6:  acknowledgements

at end:  appendices, bibliography, filmography

Format for all written theses / project reports

• A4 size paper
• 2cm margin at the top of the page, 1cm margin on the right hand side and 2cm margin on the left
• numbered pages
• copyright clearance for photographs, music, etc, if wider publication is likely
• photographs and related pictorial matter reproduced with sufficient clarity
• signed declaration

Referencing

Be rigorous about acknowledging sources. Be sure to give relevant page numbers when quoting another author or when referring to specific ideas or sections of any article, book, report or other work. Consistency in referencing is important, and references should correspond clearly to titles in your bibliography. DCU recommends the Harvard system for referencing. You may find it at  http://www.library.dcu.ie/LibraryGuides/Citing&RefGuide11.pdf

These might be print or broadcast journalism, creative writing, photography, slideshows, websites, radio, video or multimedia productions. These must be comparable in depth and breadth to academic theses. They should take on a substantial theme and relate to the subject matter and skills of the degree programme in question.

All projects must be accompanied by a project report. It should be in the range 3000-6000 words. While many issues (below) are to be considered in this report, the central focus should be on documenting the intellectual work that was central to taking this production from conception to conclusion and a critical analysis of the issues involved.

The report should include detail of the original conception of the project and any subsequent changes in direction, the developmental process, the methods employed, the research undertaken into previous and related published coverage of the topic, selection of sources, the nature of the problems encountered and the solutions devised to meet them, and a rationale for the suitability of the chosen medium.

The report should cover these points:

• objectives:  why did you pick this topic? what has been done in this field already (literature review)? what was it you were expecting to find out or convey that is new or different?
• format:  why did you pick this medium and format? what is the intended publication and audience?
• method:  how did you go about your research? what new material or information did you gather? what did you find out?
• process:  what decisions did you make in relation to the production process? why did you make those decisions? what did you decide in relation to the concept, planning, budget, acquisition of material, selection and editing of material (images, sounds, quotes, interviews, archive etc), scripting, final production or assembly? what obstacles did you encounter? what was easier or more difficult than you thought?
• production assessment: did this format suit your topic? did it work as radio (or whatever)? Did you achieve something new or different? what problems arose? how did you solve them? did you achieve your objectives? did you learn anything new? would you do anything different next time? can you attach a full script?
• conclusion: what can you say in relation to the overall scope, originality and style of your project? how is your work positioned in contemporary culture and critical discourse?

The report MUST give a full account of all sources (books, articles, internet, your own interviews, etc), in such a way that quotations in the article or programme can easily be matched to the sources. As regards quotations from your interviews, you must give sufficient details (including viable phone numbers) so that your supervisor can authenticate these sources. If you wish any sources to remain anonymous in the submitted work, this anonymity must be approved by your supervisor before submission and must be explained and justified editorially in the report. You must before submitting your project/thesis provide your supervisor directly with the contact details of any anonymous sources, which shall remain confidential and shall not lodged in the library with a project/thesis.

The length of the project itself will depend on the format chosen and must be agreed by your supervisor.

A photographic project will normally be a minimum of 30 exhibition quality images.

A radio documentary will normally be 40-45 minutes.

Print journalism projects should be major pieces of journalistic work. This could be, for example, a 5- part investigative or feature series, a proposal for the design and content of a new magazine, journal or newspaper. Where the scope and depth of inquiry justifies it, a supervisor may approve a single investigative story.

A journalistic project must specify the newspaper(s), magazine(s), radio or TV slot(s) for which the student believes it to be most suitable. Whether written or recorded for broadcasting, it should demonstrate an ability to apply journalistic techniques: investigative reporting, incisive interviewing, editorial judgment, newspaper/magazine design.

For creative writing projects, including screenplays, radio or TV dramas, short story collections or novellas, the length depends on the overall aims and structural requirements of the work as agreed with your supervisor.

Where the project is submitted by a group, separate project reports are required from each student. Each report must document in detail the role played by each individual. The work done by each individual must be equivalent to that done by a student who submits an academic thesis or other individual project.

Plagiarism is a serious offence. It is the use of source material, thoughts or work product of another without properly attributing the work to that other person. Plagiarism is a violation of the university’s disciplinary code. Cases of plagiarism may be sent directly to the disciplinary committee of the university. Sanctions for plagiarism are severe.

Checklist for assessment of theses and projects

- is it of the right length?

- how is it visually presented?

- is it sufficiently conscientious work?

- is it well structured? is there a good sense of proportion?

- is there originality and flair in what has been written?

- is there any repetition or padding in evidence in the work?

- has it been properly proof read? are there any mistakes of spelling, grammar, punctuation?

for academic theses:

- is there a properly identified research focus?

- is there a coherent and logical argument presented?

-has the right type of literature been identified and critically discussed?

- are the research methods well chosen? have they been appropriately used?

- how well is the data formulated, analysed, interpreted?

- how good is the overall quality of the writing?

for projects:

- has the initial conception been developed to a successful conclusion ?

-does it meet the normal standards of the target publication or audience?

- if a creative writing project, how well are narrative, theme, characterisation, dialogue handled?

Allocation of marks

Undergraduate:.

first class honours (1) - 70% or above

second class honours grade one (2:1) - 60-69%

second class honours grade two (2:2) - 50-59%

third class honours (3) – 40-49%

fail - 39% or less

postgraduate:

second class honours (2) - 60-69%

:pass - 40-59%

What the marks mean

A) academic theses.

These are marked using the following criteria:

(80%+) This is work of an exceptional standard of original research, critical analysis and creative presentation.

(70%+) The work contains all relevant information and has a coherent, logical and precise argument. It also shows an awareness of the broad and more subtle implications of the issues. There is evidence of wide knowledge and reading, an understanding of the issues and a critical analysis including original and fresh insights into the problem.

(60-69%) The question is approached in a confident manner, the issues are identified, evidence and reading are used and some awareness of broader issues is displayed. There is some critical analysis, but it lacks the poise and fluency of a first class answer.

(50-59%) There is solid work that grasps the material, but does not always recognise the broader implications. While it shows some intelligent application and understanding, it lacks a clear grasp of the level of critical analysis required.

(40-49%) This shows some basic knowledge, but there is difficulty in comprehending the material in general and the question in particular. Critical analysis and awareness of the broader implications and subtle issues in the debate are lacking. At the lower, barely adequate, end of the range, displays weak development of argument.

Fail (0-39%) There is little, if any, evidence of a grasp of the basic relevant material. It shows a simplistic approach to the question and shows no awareness of the issues and related debates. It is disorganized, and may be poorly written and proof-read. It does not bring to bear sufficient material or awareness of sources. It may contain errors of fact and understanding, and shows little evidence that serious work was carried out by the student.

b) projects

These are assessed according to technical, editorial and creative criteria appropriate to the medium chosen.

(80%+) This is work of an exceptional standard for the intended publication or audience, in terms of the material acquired and the style of presentation. It is accompanied by a correspondingly thoughtful and well organised project report.

(70%+) The work is ready for immediate publication or broadcast. Any flaws are very few and minor, and could be corrected in the normal editorial production process. Or it may be an outstanding project, with a less impressive project report.

(60-69%) The work either: - contains substantial original material, and displays a very good understanding of the technical requirements of the medium, but contains a fairly significant flaw in its execution or - displays a very good understanding of the technical requirements of the medium but lacks sufficient original material.

(50-59%) This is solid work that grasps the main technical requirements with more than one significant flaw, or incomplete acquisition of material. Shows a good appreciation of the requirements of the medium, and major shortcomings are fully addressed in the project report.

(40-49%) This is work that meets the basic requirements of the medium but does not reflect adequate effort or where there is adequate effort but significant technical and editorial flaws that are not addressed in the project report. Editorial flaws may include errors of fact or significant risk of libel or contempt of court.

fail (0-39%) This is the result of some combination of a lack of effort, inability to meet the technical and editorial requirements of the chosen medium and disregard for normal editorial, ethical or legal standards. This may also result from the presentation of a disorganised or incoherent project report for an otherwise adequate project.

Failure in the thesis or project cannot be compensated by high marks in other subjects, as the project forms a substantial proportion of the total marks for the award. A student may resubmit a failed thesis or project, but the initial failure will result in a degree classification capped at Third Class Honours (for BA/BSc) or capped at Pass (for MA/MSc).

Many students have difficulties in meeting deadlines in relation to theses and projects, mainly due to inadequate preparation, leaving all or most of the substantial work to be done after taught courses and examinations have been completed. Almost without exception, the most successful theses/projects are those on which the student has been working continuously over the course of the academic year.

Pressure of work is in no circumstances acceptable as a reason for delay in submitting the thesis/project.

A student who believes that he or she may not be able to submit a thesis/project on time may seek an extension. However, extensions for submission of the thesis/project are accepted in a very limited number of circumstances, e.g. illness or family bereavement. Students must be able to verify the circumstances which have made the extension necessary, e.g. with independent professional assessment such as a doctor's certificate.

Requests for extensions must be made to your programme chair: you must also submit an Extenuating Circumstances Form to the Registry.

Submission procedures

Please refer to the information provided by the programme chair. 

The mark for your thesis / project will be communicated formally by the university as with all of your other results. The thesis / project cannot be discussed with examiners between the time of submission and the receipt of results. If you wish to receive comment on your thesis, you can contact your supervisor or thesis co-ordinator for your degree at that stage to receive an evaluation of your work.

Publication

Students must not seek to have their thesis/project work published without the permission of Dublin City University. This will normally be given by a supervisor, but usually only after the relevant Examination Board has met and approved a mark for that thesis/project. DCU is not responsible in law for any publication by a student or former student.

Literature Reviews: Introduction

• Introduction
• Planning and developing your search strategy
• Selecting databases and other sources
• Conducting a search
• Managing results
• Keeping up to date

About this guide

Welcome to our Literature Review guide. This guide will help postgraduate students undertaking a review of the literature as part of their dissertation, thesis or project work.  It may also be helpful to staff reviewing relevant literature for a journal article or research proposal.

The guide focuses on a number of key stages in the literature process relating to searching and managing the literature. It will also provide useful links to relevant resources including books, videos and online resources.

What is a Literature Review

The DCU Academic regulations for postgraduate degrees by research and theses identifies the ‘critical analysis of existing research’ as a key element of a thesis. The Literature review chapter is where you will consider the existing literature and discuss, review and analyse studies, theories, perspectives relevant to your research question. The review will also provide the context and justification for your own research by highlighting gaps or limitations in previous research. It will demonstrate your authoritative understanding of the existing literature, identify seminal works, key methodologies and techniques used and present the reader with an understanding of how knowledge has evolved over time in the area being studied.

A good literature review requires you to conduct a comprehensive search. This guide will help you approach and plan your search in a systematic and effective way applying key search techniques as well as managing and organising your results in a coherent and helpful way.

Books on Literature Reviews

Books/Chapters  We have lots of books on conducting a literature review as well as books on writing a dissertation or thesis which include chapters on literature reviews. You can check Library Search to find titles of interest. Here’s a selected pick of titles available:

Useful Resources

SAGE Research Methods  is designed for anyone doing or learning how to do research. It provides information on writing a research question, conducting a literature review, choosing a research method, collecting and analysing data, as well as writing up the findings. It covers methods used in the social and behavioural sciences, plus a wide range of methods commonly used in science, technology, medicine, and the humanities.

Check out the full guide or the Methods Map on Literature Reviews .

This short video from DCU Writing Centre has some useful advice for writing literature reviews:

• Next: Planning and developing your search strategy >>
• Last Updated: Oct 10, 2022 1:57 PM
• URL: https://dcu.libguides.com/literaturereviews

Dublin City University Thesis Template

Guidelines for theses in the School of Computing at Dublin City University: Typesetting using LaTeX

Further details: https://github.com/dazcona/dcu-thesis-template

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Dissertations & Theses

A selection of tu dublin dissertations and theses are available in the tu dublin libraries.  .

• Undergraduate dissertations and final-year projects are held in the libraries in hardcopy and online format.   
• Taught postgraduate dissertations are available to use in the library and online.   
• Research theses ‌are also available in print and online formats.  

Lists of hardcopy dissertations and access to eDissertations are available via the Library Catalogue from  this listing.     Or:  

To refine your search start at the  Library Catalogue:

• From the drop-down search menu choose:   Subject Search.  
• Input your program code e.g. TU856 or your program title e.g. BSc Computer Science.  
• Select the  eDissertations  option to view and open the pdf files (where available)  
• Select  Dissertations  to see the hardcopy listing and library location (where available)
• Sort the list by  Reverse Year  to view the newer titles.
• To access eDissertations off-campus you will need to access library services through your TU Dublin Single Sign-On.  

Hardcopy  dissertations are for Library Use only and may not be borrowed.  

Supervisors can submit dissertations here

Note: from 2021 onwards dissertations and final year projects will only be available as eDissertations.  

Research theses are generally available on  Arrow@TUDublin . Arrow is the institutional repository for the university and is where researchers make a version of their research theses and published articles or book chapters freely available.

View the research theses  collection for MPhil and PhD degrees.

Hardcopy theses:

A selection of research theses in hardcopy is also available for use in the library. View  this listing on our Library Catalogue.  

Hardcopy research theses are for use in the library only.

Theses from other universities are often available online. Here is a list of Research repositories - including TU Dublin's Arrow platform. 

• ARAN The digital collection of open-access scholarly publications from NUI Galway. ARAN collects, preserves and makes freely available scholarly communication, including peer-reviewed articles, working papers and conference papers created by NUI Galway researchers.
• Arrow@TU Dublin The research repository of TU Dublin. 
• CORE Provides open access research outputs from repositories and journals worldwide and makes them available to the public.
• CORA (Cork Open Research Archive) CORA, the Cork Open Research Archive, gives you free open access to University College Cork’s scholarly and scientific research publications and theses.
• DART Europe DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses. DART-Europe is endorsed by LIBER (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche), and it is the European Working Group of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD).
• DBS eSource DBS eSource is an online service hosting full content materials produced by Dublin Business School staff and students. It contains the full text of articles, theses, conference papers, book chapters and more.
• DORAS DCU’s Open Access Institutional Repository, providing free online access to research publications and theses from Dublin City University, Ireland.
• e-publications@RCSI An open access repository of research and scholarly output of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The service is maintained and managed by RCSI Library.
• LENUS Irish health repository – Ireland’s leading source of health-related research and grey literature. Journal articles, dissertations, HSE publications and the collected output of more than 130 health organisations past and present are all freely accessible.
• Mary Immaculate College Research Repository Provides access the digital archive collections, and published and unpublished works of faculty and researchers at Mary Immaculate College
• Maynooth University ePrints and eTheses Archive  is an institutional repository of ePrints which showcases the research output of Maynooth University and St. Patrick’s College staff and postgraduate students.
• OPENAIRE Open Access Infrastructure for Research in Europe is network of Open Access repositories, archives and journals
• OpenDOAR Directory of global Open Access repositories
• Research Repository UCD A digital collection of open access scholarly research publications from University College Dublin. Research Repository UCD collects, preserves and makes freely available publications including peer-reviewed articles, working papers and conference papers created by UCD researchers.
• Research@THEA An online, predominately OA repository of the research and scholarly output of the CUA Institutes – Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) and Institute of Technology, Sligo (IT Sligo)
• SHERPA A trial search service for the full-text of material held in UK open access repositories
• TARA The open access repository of Trinity College Dublin
• T-STÓR Teagasc’s Open Access Repository, maintained by the Teagasc Library Service. Stór is the Gaelic word for Repository or Store or Warehouse, and T-Stór is an online “store” of Teagasc Research outputs and related documents. T-Stór collects preserves and makes freely available scholarly communication, including peer-reviewed articles, working papers and conference papers created by Teagasc researchers.
• STOR Dundalk Institute of Technology’s Open Access (OA) Institutional Repository. Making DKIT’s research output, including theses and research papers, freely available to the public via the internet
• University of Limerick Institutional Repository Access digital archive collections, and published and unpublished works of faculty and researchers at the University of Limerick.  

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11 September 2024 MDPI’s 2023 Best PhD Thesis Awards—Winners Announced

MDPI’s Best PhD Thesis Awards are granted to promising young scholars whose PhD theses are deemed exceptional within their respective research fields. These awards aim to encourage young scholars to continue their outstanding accomplishments and further contribute to their field.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the 54 winners of the 2023 Best PhD Thesis Awards and wish them success with their future research endeavors.

MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community. To learn more about all the awardees and their research projects in your field of study, please visit the following pages:

About MDPI Awards:

To reward the academic community, especially young researchers, and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here .

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