Your dissertation or research project is the culmination of your course, it is an important piece of work which allows you to focus your area of interest. This page will guide you through that process as well as signposting you to the resources and documents you will need.
If you need help choosing a topic, critical thinking or structuring your work, you can use Skills@Library’s online resource Dissertations: The Final Chapter, which also includes best practice student case studies.
Write, bind, submit
If you are unsure on how to write, bind, and submit your Dissertation or Project our Dissertation format regulations will help.
You can also download your Dissertation Coversheet from Forms and Guidance.
For a step by step guide on how to submit your dissertation visit our submitting assignments page.
Exceptional circumstances
If you experience significantly disruptive or unexpected events which are beyond your control and affect your ability to work on your dissertation – please contact the Student Support Team.
More information on what to do if you are experiencing personal difficulties, can be found on our Student Support pages.
Information for Taught Postgraduates
Absenses during dissertation period
Taught Postgraduate students are expected to attend all arranged Dissertation Supervision meetings and/ or make contact with their Supervisor at least once every three weeks.
These meetings will normally take place face to face, unless it is agreed by the supervisor that they can take place online. Any student with Supported Self Study status will be able to have these meetings online.
Attendance at Dissertation Supervision meetings will be taken by Supervisors and, where students miss supervision meetings, the LUBS Attendance Team will contact them to find out the reason for non attendance. Further pastoral support will be offered as required. Please note that if a student continually misses supervision, this could have implications for visa holders.
If you need to submit an absence request for supervision meetings, you can do this by using the normal process in Minerva. You should also inform your Dissertation Supervisor that you cannot attend a meeting.
More information about absence from the University can be found on our Attendance pages.
Risk Assessment for Fieldwork and Research away from Leeds
This academic year we are still recommending that students to conduct online research when possible. However, as Covid restrictions ease in the UK, we understand that you may now wish to conduct off-campus fieldwork as part of your Dissertation.
If you wish to conduct off-campus fieldwork, please complete this fieldwork questionnaire which has been developed by the University’s Health and Safety Team.
Your responses will be reviewed by the University’s Health and Safety Team and the fieldwork will be given a risk rating of low, medium or high.
Where the fieldwork is rated as low risk, you will be informed by email that no further action is required, and you will be able to conduct your fieldwork as planned.
Where the fieldwork is rated as medium or high risk, you and your Dissertation Supervisor will be asked by the Health and Safety Team to provide some additional information about the fieldwork or to complete a Fieldwork Risk Assessment (with guidance from the Health and Safety Team).
Please note that a fieldwork questionnaire and/or risk assessment only approve a student to be away from Leeds for the sole purpose of fieldwork and for the specific time period required to conduct it.
Should you wish to not return to Leeds following completion of your fieldwork, you need to meet the below criteria and complete a change of location form.
Change of Location
By registering on a Masters programme, students agree to remain in Leeds for the full 12-month programme. However, towards the end of the Dissertation period, it may be possible to leave Leeds early under the following circumstances:
• A student is finishing writing up their dissertation away from Leeds, separate to undertaking any research or fieldwork.
• A student is returning home, which is away from Leeds, before the end of the academic year, but after completion and submission of their dissertation.
In these scenarios, you would need to complete a change of location form, which would need to be approved and signed by both the Dissertation Supervisor and the LUBS Student Education Service. Forms will be accepted after 12 August – please do not submit a form before this date as your change of location will not be accepted.
It is worth noting that by completing the form, and leaving Leeds early, international students may have their sponsorship withdrawn so should contact the International Student Advice Team for further information before completing the form.