9 March 2010

Guidelines for MDS Dissertation Total Credit-hour 8

MDS DISSERTATION:

Masters in Development Studies Dissertation is a research paper on development related issues to be submitted by the students as a compulsory part of the degree.

MDS dissertation is an opportunity for the students to utilize their knowledge from the courses taught.

OBJECTIVE OF THE DISSERTATION

The main objective of the dissertation is to develop research capacity of the students in solving specific research problems in the field of development studies.

The dissertation should be an original piece of research conducted

independently under close supervision of a faculty member of the department that deals with analysis of available/empirical data or a critical synthesis of analytical contribution on a chosen theme of development studies literature.

Writing a Dissertation:

Define a topic or issue related to development

Formulate a research problem clearly

Phrase clear research questions

Choose an adequate method to research such a problem

Apply that method adequately

Interpret the results and discuss them in relation to the research aims or questions Draw a clearly stated conclusion from that research

Supervision: Submitted dissertation must be supervised by a faculty member

A discussion on MDS dissertation organized by the department, 9 March 2010

Submission of a research proposal (1200 -1500 words) with consent from a supervisor (by 23 March 2010) 10 %

Presentation of the research proposal (27 March 2010) 10 %

Literature review and research method (draft) submission

(by 10 April 2010) 20 %

Draft of the full dissertation submission (by 20 May 2010)

Final version of the dissertation submission

(by 10 June 2010) 50%

Final Presentation of the research (19 and 20 June 2010) 10 %

Steps of MDS dissertation:

Basic Information in Preparing Dissertation

Word Limit: The expected length of the dissertation should be between 8,000 to 10,000 words, which excludes references and appendix (dices).

Paper & Margin: A4 paper with margins of 1.25 inches on the side where the binding is and 1 inch on the other three sides. Type style: Times New Roman, font size of 12 with 1.5 line space.

Number of copies: Two binding copies and a soft copy of the dissertation must be submitted by June 10, 2010 by 19:00 Hours.

Structure of the Dissertation

3. Introduction and/or Background: This section introduces the subject of research to the readers. 4. Justification of the research5. Broad and specific objectives of the research

1. Title of the dissertation2. Abstract within maximum 250 words. State the purposes of the

study or investigation, basic procedures, main findings and the principal conclusions you have drawn from the findings.

Structure of the Dissertation…

7. Methodology: Detailed description of and arguments for the methods and tools used for getting information/data, and analysis of data should be given. When secondary information is used, what types of documents reviewed should be mentioned categorically. When primary data is used, detailed description of the method employed in collecting data have to be written.

6. Theoretical/Conceptual Framework: This section should include a discussion of the definition(s) of the crucial concepts, and their relationships, and presentation of a particular theory, theorists(s) or school to be considered /used, leading to a model (about the relationships between some key categories) that will be applied. This section also includes an analytical model based depicting the relationship between dependent and independent variable(s)

Structure of the Dissertation…

7. Methodology … The methodology of your study must be documented in detail, dealing with sampling issues (description of target population, method of sample selection, sample size), the study procedure (a flow diagram may be useful), measurement issues (details of how each variable was measured, justification of choice of measurement instruments).

Methods of data analysis will have to be stated clearly. You should discuss any methodological problems such as sources of bias, validity of measurements, and logistic problems.

Questionnaire (if there is any) has to be attached in the annexure

8. Interpretation of the results9. Conclusions, Recommendations, and Limitations10. References

Style of the Dissertation

•Title page

•Declaration on Plagiarism

•Acknowledgments

•Table of contents including list of tables and figures

•Abbreviations

•Main text as stated above

•References

•Appendix

Cover pageResearch Title

Submitted by:Registration Number:

Examination Roll Number:Session:

Submitted to:

Department of Development StudiesUniversity of Dhaka

May 2010

This dissertation is submitted to the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka, as a partial requirement of the Degree of Master of Development Studies

I hereby declare that:

the attached is my own work;

anything contained in the attached text taken from someone else’s work (including, but not limited to, books, articles, newspapers, the internet, lecture notes, another student’s paper) has been properly referenced (that is, I have clearly indicated that it was taken from someone else’s work and clearly identified that work); and

I recognize and acknowledge that plagiarism is a serious academic offence, which can lead to sanctions that can endanger my graduation.

Date of submission:

Total word count:

Student Registration Number:

Examination Roll Number:

Signature:

DECLARATION ON PLAGIARISM

Reference Style

References in the text: Mention the author(s) surname and the year of publicatione.g. . . .(Smith,1991) Smith (1991) compared risk factors . . .In a recent study of risk factors (Smith 1991) . . .In 1991, Smith compared risk factors . . .If the discussion of the same paper continues, there is no need to repeat the date:In a recent study of risk factors, Smith (1991) described similar effects. Smith also found . . .

AUTHOR - DATE STYLE: In author & date style, references are identified when the work is mentioned in the text by the surname of the author(s) and the year of publication. References should be listed at the end of the article in alphabetical order by author.

Reference Style…

References in the text: …If you quote exact words, or if you are referring to one part of a larger work such as a book, give the page number(s):A recent report says ‘Trade negotiators are guided mainly by two major interests namely offensive and defensive ' (Eusuf, 2006: 7).

If there are more than two authors, it is sufficient to use the name of the first plus et al., unless that causes confusion between works by Smith, Bloggs and Kobayashi (1989) and by Smith, Thomas, Honda and Brown (1989). In such cases, give enough names to distinguish between the works: Smith, Bloggs et al. (1989) and Smith, Thomas et al. (1989).

If the same author(s) published more than one work in a year, add letters to distin guish them, such as Irwig et al. (1992a) and Irwig et al. (1992b). If several references occur together, separate them with semico lons. For references by the same authors in different years, there is no need to repeat the authors= names: Oakley 1979, 1980; Rothman 1982; Zola 1972.

Reference Style…

Standard journal articleHarris, A.H., and Hobbs, M.S.T. (1992). Historical trends in road accident types, deaths and casualties in Western Australia. Australian Journal of Public Health 16(2): 20 -32.

Books and other monographsPersonal author(s)de Vaus, D.A. (1990). Surveys in Social Research. 2nd ed. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Editor(s), compiler as authorDiener, H.C. and Wilkinson, M., eds (1988). Drug‑ Induced Headache. New York: Springer‑Verlag.

Author and editorCumpston, J.H.L. (1989). Health and Disease in Australia: A History. M.J. Lewis, ed. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.

Reference Style…TranslationBeauvoir, S. de (1972). The Second Sex. H.M. Parshley, trans. and ed. Harmondsworth (Middx): Penguin. First published (1949) as Le Deuxième Sexe.

Chapter in a bookVersluysen, M.C. (1981). Midwives, medical men and `poor women labouring of child': lying-in hospitals in eighteenth-century London. In: H. Roberts, ed. Women, Health and Reproduction. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul: 18B49.

Conference proceedingsHall, R. and Richters, J., eds (1992). Immunisation: The Old and the New. Proceedings of the Second National Immunisation Conference, Canberra, 27B29 May 1991. Canberra: Public Health Association of Australia.

Reference Style…

Conference paperVallentine, J. (1992). Vaccination and medical defence. In: R. Hall and J. Richters, eds (1992). Immunisation: The Old and the New. Paper presented in the Second National Immunisation Conference, Canberra, 27B29 May 1991. Canberra: Public Health Association of Australia.

Government reports and publicationsBangladesh Bureau of StatisticsBBS (1985). Projections of the population of Bangladesh, 1984 to 2021. Cat. No. 3222.0. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Newspaper article Eusuf, M.A. (2006). WTO Hong Kong Ministerial: What have Bangladesh and LDCs gained from it?. The Independent 30 - 31 March 2006.

Reference Style…

Unpublished materialIn pressRazzaque, M.A. and Eusuf, M.A. (in press). ‘Trade, Development and Poverty Linkage: A Case Study of Ready Made Garment Industry in Bangladesh’, CUTS International

Referencing from the InternetMarks & Spencer. 2004. Annual report 2003-2004. [online]. Available from: http://www-marks-and- spencer.co.uk/corporate/annual2003/ [accessed 4 June 2005].

Research Proposal: Contents

1. Research title2. Analysis of the problem3. Justification of the research4. Broad and specific objectives of the research5. Research questions6. Analytical Framework7. Methodology of the research8. Bibliography9. Work plan10. Proposed Supervisor11. Preferred organization for placement, if applicable

Words Limit for Text: 1200 - 1500;Deadline: March 23, 2010 by 19:00 Hours

Thank You