School of Hospitality and Tourism Management-POSTGRADUATE DI

Other points to note: 

  Your dissertation topic must be relevant to  your degree, eg: Tourism, Retail, Food, Hospitality, Finance, IMM, IBM, Man, MIS. 您的论文主题必须是相关的学位，如：旅游，零售，饮食，酒店，金融，国际煤机， IBM，文，管理信息系统。

  You must keep copies of all notes/ materials/ drafts as well as the data collected and used  in  the  dissertation,  for  at  least  one  year  after  you  have  submitted  your dissertation. You must produce these if requested to do so. 您必须保留所有笔记/材料/汇票的复印件，以及收集和毕业论文使用相关且提交论文后的所有数据。如果有要求这样做，就必须出示这些。

  Establish the availability of your supervisor over the summer, and agree deadlines by which they will receive drafts of work. 

  Ensure  you  hand  in  work  for  review  by  the  set  deadlines.  Supervisors  cannot  be expected to give good feedback on work received late. 

  Consult the SurreyLearn module „Plagiarism & Referencing: A guide for students‟ to 

refresh your memory on how to reference correctly. 

  If  you  intend  to  use  Surrey  Design  and  Print  (on-campus  printers)  to  bind  your dissertation, you must allow two weeks prior to the submission date. 

  If you want a copy of your dissertation, please make sure that you print an extra copy. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

 

1.0 Introduction and overview              page 4 

1.1 Module contact details  

1.2 Module Description 

2.0 Dissertation Calendar                 page 7 

2.1 Dissertation stages explained  

3.0 Research Proposal Guidance              page 9 

3.1 Introduction 

3.2 Your proposal should include: 

4.0 Learning and Teaching Strategy and Methods        page 12 

5.0 Supervision                   page 12 

5.1 The role of the supervisor  

5.2 Supervision meetings  

6.0 Assessment                  page 14 

6.1 Assessment criteria  

6.2 Marking process 

6.3 What if I need an extension?  

6.4 What happens if I fail?  

7.0 Dissertation Content/Structure             page 15 

7.1 Contents  

7.2 Length 

7.3 Common faults in Dissertation 

7.4 Formatting and binding 

8.0 Good scholarship, referencing and academic misconduct      page 20 

8.1 What is good scholarship? What is plagiarism? 

8.2 What do I reference?  

8.3 Avoiding plagiarism  

8.4 What happens if I am accused of plagiarism?  

9.0 Appendices                   page 23 

Appendix A: Example marking sheet  

Appendix B: „Assessment words‟ explained  

Appendix C: Supervision meetings record  

Appendix D: Layout & format requirements 

Appendix E: Title Page Template 

Appendix F: Declaration of Originality 

Appendix G: Research Ethics form 

1.0   INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW 

 

The dissertation is a core module undertaken by all MSc students in the Faculty. This means that  you  must  pass  the  module,  and  it  cannot  be  compensated.  The  purpose  of  the Dissertation  Handbook  is  to  provide  support  and  guidance  to  you  and  your  academic supervisor during the completion of the dissertation. 

 

1.1  Module Contact details: 

 

Module convenor: 

Dr James Bell, 

 

Room 16aMS03 

email: j.r.bell@surrey.ac.uk 

 

 

Complete the details below when your supervisor is allocated to you. 

 

Supervisor: 

 

Name: ………………………………… Room:………………………………… 

Phone: ………………………………… Email:…………………………………. 

 

Notes:………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………… 

2.1   Dissertation stages explained 

It is expected that you will dedicate regular time to your dissertation throughout the whole of the module, both during and after the scheduled support sessions, and throughout Semester 2 

as  well  as  during  the  summer  period.  You  will  need  to  bear  in  mind  other  module commitments  (such  as  exam  revision  and/  or  coursework  in  Semester  2),  but  you  are expected to complete your literature review during Semester 2. Try to spend at least some time each weekon your dissertation, even if this is only collecting literature. 

 

Week 15 of Semester 1 (Reading Week) should be used to finalise your topic and to start your proposal. Sessions will be run to guide you in the preparation of your Proposal during this week. 

 

Submission of the topic area and provisional title 

 

You need to register the topic area and a provisional title with the Module Administrators in order  for  us  to  allocate  you  a  supervisor.  You  should  do  this  as  soon  as  you  can,  via  the questionnaire on SurreyLearn, and no later than Friday 4 February 2013. If you do not meet this deadline you will be assigned a supervisor, but they may not be a good match to your topic. 

 

Allocation of supervisor 

 

You will be allocated a dedicated supervisor for your Dissertation. You will be informed who your supervisor is by Monday 18th February. It is your responsibility to make contact with your  named  supervisor  as  soon  as  you  can.  More  information  about  the  role  of  your supervisor is in Section 5.0. 

 

Complete Dissertation Proposal – submit no later than Monday 18th February 

 

This is a valuable opportunity for you to get written „formative‟ feedback on your ideas from your supervisor early in the process. Writing a proposal is the best way to clarify your ideas and plan your dissertation (see Section 3).  

 

The proposal is not given a grade and does not affect your overall dissertation mark, but you 

are strongly advised to take advantage of this opportunity for feedback and advice. Submit your proposal on SurreyLearn AND also directly to your supervisor. 

Formative Feedback on the research proposal and signing of the Ethics form: 

 

You  need  to  organise  a  meeting  with  your  supervisor  to  get  formative  feedback  on  the research proposal and approval to continue as planned. This should take place no later than wc 4 March. 

Ethical Issues in research 

This  form  should  be  completed  once  your  methodology  is  finalised.  It  should  then  be presented to Student Support no later than 17 June. If you need to obtain ethical approval, you will be given further instructions. You may not collect data until you have the necessary approvals. 

 

Deadline for submitting drafts: 

 

Your draft literature review should be submitted to your supervisor by 22 April. You should agree dates by which other sections of  your work will be completed.  It is unreasonable to expect your supervisor to read and comment on drafts of your work close to the submission date. Discuss the latest date that your supervisor will receive drafts prior to the submission deadline. You are expected to plan your time effectively – the final weeks of the module are for  formatting,  proofing,  printing,  binding  etc.  Your  supervisor  may  still  be  available  for questions and/ or meetings, but establish the availability of your supervisor at the beginning of your dissertation period. 

Printing and binding 

If you intend to use Surrey Design and Print to print and bind your dissertation, you will need to leave around two weeks to do this prior to the submission deadline. We will endeavour to advise you of the latest date by which Surrey Design and Print will receive dissertations and guarantee that they will be available in time for the submission deadline. Off-campus printers may be able to offer shorter turn-around times, but you should establish this with them when planning your time. 
 

Submission 

 

Any time between 11.00 and 16.00, Friday 13 September 2013. Location for submission will be advised by Student Support. Late submissions (even by 5 minutes) attract a penalty of 10%  reduction  in  marks  per  working  day.  The  reduction  is  made  after  the  work  is marked.  After 3 working days the recorded mark will be zero.