Law dissertations : a step-by-step guide

Description

Cover Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements 1 Introduction Why read this book? What will you find in this book? How to do well Summary 2 Finding and perfecting your topic 2.1 Key questions to consider when choosing a dissertation topic 2.2 Inspiration for finding a topic for research 2.3 Brainstorming Summary 3 From a topic to a question 3.1 Narrowing down your topic to a question 3.2 What is a compelling research question? 3.3 Tasks on evaluating and strengthening research questions 3.4 Tools for self-evaluation Summary 4 Creating a good research proposal 4.1 What is a research proposal? 4.2 Proposal as a ‘running document’ 4.3 Evaluate sample proposals 4.4 Evaluate your proposal Summary 5 Planning the project 5.1 Scheduling and working effectively 5.2 Creating a research journal Summary 6 Creating a research plan 6.1 Formulating research aim and objectives 6.2 Creating a research plan Summary 7 Online research 7.1 Online sources: the good, the bad, and the ugly 7.2 How to locate different legal databases 7.3 How to use different databases 7.4 How to use publicly available resources Summary 8 Methodology 8.1 Introduction to methodology 8.2 Blackletter law methodology 8.3 Socio-legal methodology 8.4 Theory as a methodology 8.5 Comparative law methodology 8.6 How to engage with methodology 8.7 Reflexivity Summary 9 Empirical research 9.1 What is empirical research in law? 9.2 Examples of empirical legal research 9.3 Pros and cons of empirical research 9.4 How to conduct empirical research 9.5 Presenting research findings 9.6 Key principles of research ethics 9.7 What is ethics approval? 9.8 Other ethical issues Summary 10 Processing literature 10.1 What is key literature? 10.2 Deciding what to read and what not to read 10.3 How to create a working bibliography 10.4 Quick reading skills 10.5 Deep reading skills 10.6 Critically analysing a text 10.7 A critical and reflective reader Summary 11 Literature review 11.1 What is a literature review? 11.2 Why conduct a literature review? 11.3 Sources for literature review 11.4 How to conduct a literature review 11.5 Highlighting the originality of your research project Summary 12 Writing the dissertation 12.1 Understanding and improving your writing skills 12.2 Writing good paragraphs 12.3 How to captivate your audience 12.4 Making an argument 12.5 How to incorporate evidence into your writing Summary 13 Referencing 13.1 Why reference? 13.2 Plagiarism and academic offences 13.3 OSCOLA referencing in a nutshell 13.4 Harvard referencing in a nutshell 13.5 Exercises to test your referencing skills Summary 14 Structuring the dissertation 14.1 How to structure the introduction 14.2 How to structure the main body 14.3 How to structure the conclusion 14.4 Signposting 14.5 Creating a reverse outline Summary 15 Navigating supervision 15.1 What are the roles of a supervisor and a supervisee? 15.2 Managing your supervision meetings 15.3 Supervision guidelines 15.4 Feedback cycle 15.5 Working with a critical friend 15.6 Tools for critical friend and for self-evaluation Summary 16 Obtaining a first and avoiding fails 16.1 How to get a first 16.2 Why does a dissertation fail? 16.3 How to avoid common pitfalls Summary 17 Preparing for submission 17.1 Presentation and layout of the dissertation 17.2 What are the examiners looking for? 17.3 Final presentation/submission checklist Summary Bibliography Index