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Writing Successful Reports and Dissertations
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Writing Successful Reports and Dissertations

First Edition
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January 2015 | 208 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Are you unsure what your report should look like or how you’ll ever finish it in time?  Are you freaking out about starting on an extended piece of writing?

Help is here!  In this handy little book, you’ll find expert guidance to enable you to produce a successful report or dissertation.  With a focus on developing an effective writing style and argument, this book shows you, step-by-step, how to plan and deliver a perfect piece of writing to gain top marks. 

Open up to find advice on:

  • What makes dissertations and reports distinctive
  • Organising your time and materials
  • Finding the right planning method for you
  • How to structure your writing successfully
  • Writing good sentences, paragraphs, sections and chapters.

Read this book and you’re on your way to writing a great report or dissertation!

Student Success is a series of essential guides for students of all levels. From how to think critically and write great essays to boosting your employability and managing your wellbeing, the Student Success series helps you study smarter and get the best from your time at university. 


 
Introduction
 
Part I: Pondering
 
Why a Dissertation?
 
What Is Distinctive about a Dissertation?
 
What Are Research Questions?
 
What Makes a Good Dissertation?
 
When and Why Would I Write a Report?
 
What Is Distinctive about a Report?
 
Should I Be Asking Research Questions in a Report?
 
Part II: Preparing
 
Devising a Strategy
 
Gathering Material
 
Finding Your Voice
 
Part III: Planning
 
Are You a Natural Planner?
 
A Planning Strategy
 
Your First Step
 
Four Planning Methods
 
Part IV: Pausing
 
Negative Pauses
 
Necessary Pauses
 
Positive Pauses
 
Part V: Producing
 
Words
 
Phrases
 
Sentences
 
Paragraphs
 
Sections and Chapters
 
Part VI: Polishing
 
Increasing Impact
 
Checking your Document
 
Now Take Your Fingers off the Keyboard

In my final year, facing not only report writing but also a dissertation, this guide helped me hugely. The clear and organised structure meant it was easy to re-evaluate certain sections of my work and its approachable style of writing made it particularly accessible to read and concentrate on. 

Georgina Belcher
Student, University of Reading

Writing Successful Reports and Dissertations' is a refreshingly pragmatic book packed with examples spanning a range of disciplines and contexts that will appeal to both students and professionals alike. The book is comprehensive, well-paced and systematic in its coverage of the different stages to writing. It is a must-read for anyone undertaking report or dissertation writing for the first time, or indeed for more experienced readers who would like to enhance their existing writing skills.

Anne Crook
Centre for Quality Support and Development, University of Reading

It is an excellent textbook. It is readable and comprehensive. I highly recommend this book for any researcher.

Dr Abdel-Salam Abdel-Salam
Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, University of Qatar
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This is one area where students really struggle to come to grips with. This book helps them overcome their anxieties when it comes time for them to write their assignments and their dissertation in the final year of study.

Dr Denis Feather
Dept. of Strategy, Marketing and Economics, Huddersfield University
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Written in a student friendly style it provides useful tips for approaching writing.

Dr Fiona McSweeney
Social Science , Dublin Institute of Technology
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Already proving helpful, especially to my dissertation writing lectures with good examples and references

Dr George Varvatsoulias
Counselling, Newham College of Further Education
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This is a useful book which will help the novice researcher to write their dissertation

Dr Helen Stoneley
Faculty of Education, Health, Sciences, Derby University
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Essential textbook that outlines and clarifies very clearly how and why students need to complete each section of their dissertations.

Dr Katherine Cartmell
Education and Early Childhood Studies, Liverpool John Moores University
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A great resource for academics supervising dissertations: good ideas about how to guide students through the minefield

Dr Niamh Flanagan
Social Science , University College Dublin
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Although a well written and accessible text, this is not particularly relevant for most students. Most students do not complete a primary research dissertation, but choose to do a literature review.

Dr Peter Leadbetter
Health & Social Care, Edge Hill University
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