Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BE1012
Work Based Project
BE1275
Dissertation
The module handbook contains extensive guidance on all aspects of both the Work Based Project
and the dissertation, so please ensure that you read and act on the information provided. This quick
guide is designed to get you started on the proposal with the basic requirements/expected approach.
Administration
The proposal is worth 20% of the total mark for BE1012 Work Based Project and BE1275
Dissertation.
A fully completed Ethics Register Form needs to be submitted along with the proposal.
The title you have agreed for either your Work Based Project or your dissertation should originate
initially from discussion between you, your supervisor, and your employer (or sponsoring
organisation) if relevant. The onus is upon you to refine and develop the idea behind the title,
ensuring that this relates to your professional pathway.
Your supervisor will provide advice and guidance on the viability of your project proposal and the
academic aspects of your research methodology, so it is vital that you maintain regular contact.
Remember, this proposal is worth 20% of your final mark and can therefore make a difference to
your module mark.
Working Title
A good title gives your investigation a direction, and should be concise and focused. If you are
studying a particular organisation, you may wish to keep them anonymous for reasons of
confidentiality.
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Outline Methodology
This section identifies what approaches will be employed to conduct your investigations and
should logically flow from your literature review and project rationale. It should refer to
research methods literature to support your methodological choices (See module reading list).
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Working Plan
This should be a timetable indicating how you intend to plan out your work. A sample plan is
provided at the back of this guide but this is only an example, not a template.
Marking Criteria
Refer to the table below for the marking criteria that will be used in assessing your proposal. The
table contains questions and statements that will help you to ensure that the content of your work is
appropriate and at a satisfactory level.
Title and Purpose (10%)
Does the title reflect the focus, nature and purpose of the study?
Is the topic clearly defined and is it related to appropriate, good quality literature sources?
Are the key theoretical concepts/frameworks defined and explained?
Hypothesis, Research Questions, Aims and Objectives (20%)
Has the proposal defined a clear purpose for the research?
Are there clearly defined investigative aims and objectives?
Is there a logical flow from problem statement to aim and objectives?
Do the objectives breakdown the aim into smaller, measurable sub-goals?
How well do the aim and objectives relate to the key theoretical concepts?
Are any stated hypotheses/research questions appropriate to the study?
Initial Literature Review (20%)
Are the range and types of literature sources sufficient to define the topic?
Have critical judgements been made about the literature?
Is the literature sourced relevant and appropriate?
Has the student used sources to create tightly focused theoretical concepts?
Are the identified concepts appropriate to the study?
Outline Methodology (20%)
Are the methodological strategies that will be adopted in the study clearly defined?
Is the strategy appropriate and can it be implemented?
Has consideration been given to any ethical issues (if appropriate)?
Does the methodology flow logically from the literature review?
Referencing and Bibliography (10%)
Are the bibliographic citations in the running text correctly referenced using the Harvard
referencing system?
Are the reference lists arranged in accordance with the Harvard system?
Research Plan/Timetable (10%)
Is there an awareness of the different aspects of the process that need to take place?
Sample Working Plan (this is only a very brief, illustrative example it is not a template! Your working plan must detail what has been set
October 2015
Finalise and submit work
proposal
Continue literature review
November 2015
December 2015
Ethical approval
February 2016
March 2016
April 2016
Data collection
June 2014
Write up findings
January 2016
July 2014
Write up conclusions
May 2016
Analyse primary data
August 2014
September 2014
Finalise document
Submit