PROJECTS & DISSERTATIONS (5,000 to 20,000 words):

Most final year undergraduate students have to write a project of 5-10,000 words and all Masters' students have to write a dissertation of 15-20,000 words. These longer pieces of writing require extensive preparation and test all your study and language skills to the full. For example, your time management, self-discipline, research skills and particularly your writing skills.

If you know you're going to need help correcting any longer piece of writing, plan for it! Work out when you're going to need it and make arrangements several weeks in advance. If you don't, you'll often find that nobody has any time for your dissertation, as they are longer, more substantial pieces of work and do need more time.

Projects and dissertations typically include all the elements of a report:

• Introduction – the topic and the reason/rationale for its choice, the focus on it, and the structure of the dissertation (giving the main headings – see "Introduction").
  
  
• Methodology/procedure – explain what primary and secondary sources you've used for your information-searching, explain what was difficult to find and what was easy and what influence that had on your work…
  
  
• Findings/results – summarise the results of your information searching
  
  
• Conclusion – summarise what you have found according to what you were looking for i.e. the title/introduction
  
  
• Recommendations – give recommendations which will implement your conclusion in some way (say which way!).